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1 week ago | 
balls.ie | Rob O'Halloran |Patrick McCarry |Eoin Harrington |Donny Mahoney
Incredibly, the Aviva Stadium is 15 years old. Officially opened by Taoiseach Brian Cowen on the 14th May 2010, the new stadium didn't host a game until 31st July when the O2 Challenge rugby game was played, followed a few days later by the visit of Manchester United to take on a League of Ireland XI. The development of Lansdowne Road was a long time coming, finally getting the go ahead after plans for The Bertie Bowl (Stadium Ireland) and Eircom Park went array.
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2 months ago | 
balls.ie | Eoin Harrington |Patrick McCarry |Niall McIntyre |Joshua Bell Curran
Munster went to the well on Saturday and came back with one of their greatest European wins in years. Their dramatic one-point win over La Rochelle harked back to the old days of grinding out dramatic results in the Heineken Cup when under the kosh, during the heyday of Messrs O'Connell, O'Gara and co. That it was Ronan O'Gara in charge of the opposition last weekend only added to the storyline of one of Munster's finest away days in recent memory.
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2 months ago | 
balls.ie | Eoin Harrington |Patrick McCarry |Niall McIntyre |Joshua Bell Curran
It's not exactly a new line at this stage, but it was a serious night to forget for Andre Onana in Europe on Thursday night. Onana was at fault for both of Lyon's goals as Manchester United first came from behind and then let an injury-time lead slip at the death to throw away a potentially massive away win in the Europa League quarter-final first leg.
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2 months ago | 
balls.ie | Patrick McCarry |Niall McIntyre |Joshua Bell Curran |Eoin Harrington
"Rory McIlroy was the alpha in that group, all day. Now it looks like he's going to shoot the worst score."For 14 and a half holes, Rory McIlroy was looking serene. By the 18th hole he was, according to Rich Beem, just trying to staunch the bleeding. McIlroy, seeking to win his first ever Masters green jacket, was -4 after 14 holes and had not dropped a shot. His drive on the par-five 15th was exactly where he wanted it.
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2 months ago | 
balls.ie | Patrick McCarry |Joshua Bell Curran |Eoin Harrington |Daniel Carpenter Byrne
Katie Taylor was uncharacteristically abrasive in her kickoff press conference ahead of her eagerly anticipated fight against Amanda Serrano this summer, describing Serrano’s repeated claims that she won each of the previous two fights between the pair as “delusional.” Taylor and Serrano will complete a trilogy of fights in Madison Square Garden on 11 July after Taylor scored narrow wins against her Puerto Rican opponent in two previous bouts, including a split-decision victory at the Garden...
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2 months ago | 
balls.ie | Joshua Bell Curran |Eoin Harrington |Patrick McCarry
Leinster defeated Harlequins 62-0 in emphatic fashion last Saturday, booking their spot in this weekend's Champions Cup quarterfinal. It was a ten-try massacre that saw Leo Cullen's men cross the whitewash through eight different try-scorers, all the while depriving their Premiership opposition of even the faintest sniff of a point. While many Premiership sides opted to field weaker teams in the European competition, Harlequins could not claim they were one of them.
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2 months ago | 
balls.ie | Eoin Harrington |Joshua Bell Curran |Conor Cantwell |Patrick McCarry
At long last, it was announced on Wednesday that Jack Crowley has signed a two-year extension to his contract with Munster and the IRFU. The 25-year-old fly-half had been caught up in a contract saga since midway through the Six Nations, which saw him lose his place in the Ireland team to youngster Sam Prendergast for the opening four games. Reports late in the tournament suggested that Crowley had received a big-money offer from Premiership side Leicester Tigers.
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Mar 26, 2025 | 
balls.ie | Joshua Bell Curran |Eoin Harrington |Lee Costello |Patrick McCarry
Andy Farrell made his first major appointments of the 2025 Lions tour to Australia on Wednesday morning, naming an Irish-dominated list of five assistant coaches. Ireland defence coach Simon Easterby, attack coach Andrew Goodman and scrum coach John Fogarty will all tour Australia with Farrell. While Scotland forwards coach John Dalziel and England assistant coach Richard Wigglesworth will also travel, making up the five-strong team.
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Mar 26, 2025 | 
balls.ie | Eoin Harrington |Lee Costello |Joshua Bell Curran |Patrick McCarry
Andy Farrell announced on Wednesday the team of assistant coaches he will bring with him to Australia on this summer's Lions tour. Alongside Farrell Down Under will be fellow Ireland coaches Simon Easterby, Andrew Goodman, and John Fogarty, while Scotland's John Dalziel and England's Richard Wigglesworth will also join the coaching team.
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Mar 26, 2025 | 
balls.ie | Joshua Bell Curran |Patrick McCarry
Michael Foy is just 19 years of age, but after a stellar Six Nations campaign with the Ireland U20s, the 'determined gritty warrior' is already being likened to Peter O'Mahony in his home province. Irish rugby's development paths are some of the most respected in the world, and recent years have not only seen the Ireland U20s enjoy huge success but also develop players like Sam Prendergast, Gus McCarthy and Jack Boyle all of whom have been fast-tracked into the Ireland senior squad.
