Maxime Mbanda

The sense of anticipation after an eight-month interlude since Ireland last played has been heightened by the presence of four uncapped players in the(...)

Ulster 22 Zebre 7 On a dreadful night for rugby in Belfast, Ulster got the job done with an expected but still fairly laboured victory over Zebre. D(...)

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(...)