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4 days ago | 
extra.ie | Hugh Farrelly
Irish rugby is in a strange place at the moment. The national side has fallen off where it was a couple of years ago, appearing uncertain in style and selection and with core players looking like their best years may be behind them. Between November 2021 and November 2023, it is no exaggeration to say that Ireland were setting the standards in world rugby and the rest were following. They have been caught.
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4 days ago | 
extra.ie | Hugh Farrelly
Three days on, and the stink from Munster’s URC quarter-final loss to Sharks in Durban lingers in the air. You sense the team has moved past it (the holidays are underway now and when you do not have to think about work, you tend not to) but the Munster ‘supporters’ incensed by what happened in the penalty shootout last Saturday are refusing to let it go.
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1 week ago | 
extra.ie | Hugh Farrelly
One of the staples of the entertaining ‘Offload’ podcast every Friday is Donncha O’Callaghan’s rants against Leinster and what he sees as their ‘blue media’ cheerleaders. It has been a hot topic all season, revolving around the central theme of O’Callaghan believing Leinster enjoy unfair advantages over the other provinces, and it ramped up big time in the wake of the province’s shock departure from the European Cup.
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1 week ago | 
extra.ie | Hugh Farrelly
One of the staples of the entertaining ‘Offload’ podcast every Friday is Donncha O’Callaghan’s rants against Leinster and what he sees as their ‘blue media’ cheerleaders. It has been a hot topic all season, revolving around the central theme of O’Callaghan believing Leinster enjoy unfair advantages over the other provinces, and it ramped up big time in the wake of the province’s shock departure from the European Cup.
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4 weeks ago | 
extra.ie | Hugh Farrelly
In the most obviously diplomatic way, Andy Farrell got a whole lot right with his Lions squad to tour Australia this summer. There were lots of potential landmines to negotiate but the Lions head coach navigated his way around them expertly.
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1 month ago | 
extra.ie | Hugh Farrelly
Andy Farrell made a powerful tactical statement with his Lions squad. Most especially at out-half. No Owen Farrell, no George Ford and three No10s who like the running game, although Fin Smith is slightly more conservative than Finn Russell or Marcus Smith. After the box-kicking horrors of the 2021 Lions tour to South Africa (a Test series that should be banished from history), this team looks designed to play fast, attacking rugby.
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1 month ago | 
extra.ie | Hugh Farrelly
It has not been a good season for Irish rugby. Internationally, a hugely underwhelming autumn was followed up by an unfulfilling Six Nations whilst, domestically, the provinces have all failed to meet expectations, in some cases, spectacularly so. With Andy Farrell away on his Lions head coach sabbatical since before Christmas, the expectation was that he would be taking a huge cohort of his tried and trusted Ireland players on this summer’s tour to Australia.
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1 month ago | 
extra.ie | Hugh Farrelly
. Leinster’s shock loss to Northampton in their European Cup semi-final has been given a thorough working over. Today's top videos STORY CONTINUES BELOW Practically every aspect of the Leinster preparation and performance has been studied and broken down at this stage – from resting the players the week before, to keeping their best players on the bench, to the failure of the Jacques Nienaber plan.
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1 month ago | 
extra.ie | Hugh Farrelly
The fallout from Leinster’s shock Champions Cup loss to a brilliant Northampton Saints effort has been intense and extreme. When it comes to social media, it is hard to think of any meaningful positives to weigh against the avalanche of negatives, yet it continues to pervade society, constantly showcasing people’s capacity to be truly horrible.
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1 month ago | 
extra.ie | Hugh Farrelly
Leo Cullen never seems to get the credit he deserves. First it was Stuart Lancaster garnering all the plaudits when Leinster were sweeping all before them a few years ago and now it is Jacques Nienaber being lauded for transforming the Blues into a leaner, meaner, more focused outfit. Not much fuss is made about the man who brought them both in — displaying a level of humility many others in his position would be incapable of in terms of allowing such high voltage onto his coaching ticket.
