Maxime Mbanda

Ireland 29 Italy 10 In what represented something of a trial for a host of players, ironically it was the performance and premature departure of one (...)

Ireland 29 Italy 10 Ireland duly negotiated their first of four World Cup warm-up games, but this ninth successive win over the Azzurri was not witho(...)

Ireland v Italy, Aviva Stadium, Saturday, 2pm (Live on RTÉ 2 and Channel 4) If it looks, swims and quacks like a trial, then it probably is a trial. (...)

The Six Nations championship mid-term report card highlights Wales as the star pupils, unbeaten three-fifths of the way through the tournament and the(...)

Italy 16 Ireland 26 The sight of Johnny Sexton kicking a towel after leaving the fray in the 78th minute, not in anger at being replaced but rather i(...)

Italy v Ireland, Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Sunday 4pm local time/3pm Irish. On TV: Live on ITV (UK), Virgin Media (Ireland). Ireland haven’t hit their s(...)

15 Jayden Hayward (Treviso) Age: 32 Height: 6’1” Weight: 91kg (14st, 5lbs) Caps: 14 The son of Taranaki faced his native All Blacks last year, and has(...)

Maxime Mbanda (Italy): Since making his debut against the USA in San Jose in 2016, the Rome-born flanker-cum number eight has accumulated 15 Test appe(...)

Zebre v Munster, Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Sunday, 3.30pm (Live Eir Sport) Conor Murray and Chris Farrell return for Munster on Sunday as Johann van (...)

Conor O’Shea is an innately upbeat, optimistic person, which seems a particularly important trait when head coach of Italy. Nothing has changed in tha(...)