Ruaidhri O'Connor
Independent.ie
Ireland
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Past articles by Ruaidhri:
Gregor Townsend laments poor Scottish second-half but says they’re closing the gap on Ireland
There was a lot on the line for the Scots at Murrayfield today and at halt-time they must have believed that they were on course for some big celebrations. → Read More
Andy Farrell: ‘In terms of character and fight, that’s the best game I’ve been involved in’
Andy Farrell's sporting life is a glittering showreel of big wins and brave performances, yet the Ireland coach reckoned that today's win over Scotland is the pick of the bunch. → Read More
If conditions turn biblical, Old Testament approach can see Ireland set up Grand Slam bid
Andy Farrell has been refreshing the weather forecast every couple of minutes this week, checking to see if it will still be snowing at Murrayfield come 3.0 tomorrow. → Read More
Andy Farrell: The players must embrace Murrayfield ‘challenge’
Andy Farrell has challenged his Ireland team to embrace the occasion at Murrayfield in order to get the result they need to set up a Grand Slam decider against England in a week’s time. → Read More
Gary Keegan – the mastermind behind Irish rugby’s rise to the top of the summit
Liam Sheedy tuned into the documentary about the Ireland rugby team’s series win in New Zealand over Christmas and as he watched he recognised a familiar set of fingerprints on their success. → Read More
Former Ireland international Tom Tierney, who coached women’s team, dies aged 46
Former Ireland international Tom Tierney has died suddenly aged 46. → Read More
as Ireland team named for Six Nations clash with Italy
Ross Byrne and Craig Casey will make their first Six Nations starts in Ireland's clash with Italy on Saturday. → Read More
Peter O’Mahony and others must start to fill the Johnny Sexton vacuum
Project ‘Learning To Cope Without Johnny’ will likely continue this weekend in Rome. → Read More
Joey Carbery recalled to the Ireland Six Nations squad ahead of Italy clash
Doubts over Johnny Sexton's fitness for Saturday's clash with Italy in Rome have resulted in Joey Carbery earning a recall to the Ireland squad. → Read More
Munster captain Peter O’Mahony extends his IRFU contract until end of next season
Peter O’Mahony will be a Munster player next season after the IRFU announced that the province’s long-term skipper has extended his contract until the end of next season. → Read More
Irish rugby star Caelan Doris on mental health challenges and visiting a therapist: ‘There is an insecure part of me’
Every week, Caelan Doris takes an hour out of his week and talks to a therapist. Partly, he does so out of a sort of professional curiosity, but he also knows it’s an important element to his development as a person and a player. → Read More
Ireland v France, first v second on historic Six Nations day – but something has to give in potential decider
Back in February 2021, there was something jarring about the sound of young men singing and dancing. → Read More
Big-match preview: Relentless Ireland have the class and clarity to sink this French ship
How do Ireland scuttle the French ship that’s been cruising towards its glorious homecoming this autumn? → Read More
France name unchanged Six Nations team for Dublin clash
France have named an unchanged team for Saturday's crunch Six Nations clash with Ireland. → Read More
Johnny Sexton gets the green light to feature in ‘scary’ French test
Johnny Sexton has been cleared to face France after training with Ireland yesterday. → Read More
Bring on the French – This Ireland team has a Grand Slam in them
Andy Farrell’s Ireland can measure their progress across their hat-trick of Six Nations defeats to France. → Read More
Ireland get Six Nations campaign off to winning start with bonus point victory over Wales in Cardiff
A chaotic day in the Cardiff cathedral. Ireland leave with a bonus point win thanks to a devastating start, but bear the scars of a bruising contest that felt closer than it ever was. → Read More
Rúaidhrí O'Connor: Fast start will help Ireland stamp superiority and get Six Nations bid up and running
All of the available evidence points to a win for Ireland in Cardiff this afternoon. → Read More
Mack Hansen making international rugby look like child’s play after whirlwind 12 months
Mack Hansen strides out of the empty children’s playground where he’s been obligingly posing for some quirky photos, and grasps the hands of the assembled media. → Read More
‘I’m not playing against Warren Gatland, I’m playing Wales’ – Johnny Sexton focused on now, not Lions snub
Two red jerseys hang side by side on a wall in Johnny Sexton’s house. They were put up in 2021 when the dream of a third died. → Read More