# 6Nations

All time

# selection battles

How many Irish players would make it into an Ireland/Wales composite team?

Both sides have excellent starting XVs, which makes it hard to narrow down.

10.5k

Mar 12th 2015, 5:48 PM

# playmakers

No concern over Sexton's hamstring but Ian Keatley travels with Ireland

Joe Schmidt also explained why Ian Madigan was not released back to Leinster last weekend.

5.9k

Mar 12th 2015, 4:48 PM

# Paulie

100 not out: O'Connell 'incredibly motivated' to play on for Ireland

Joe Schmidt says he hasn’t discussed any retirement plans with the legendary second row.

4.4k

Mar 12th 2015, 3:40 PM

# raw talent

How different would Saturday's game in Cardiff be if this dazzling out-half was involved?

He isn’t in Warren Gatland’s plans but James Hook is still capable of producing cheeky bits of brilliance.

6.0k

Mar 12th 2015, 2:57 PM

# looking sharp

The 11 best images as Ireland are put through their final paces before heading to Wales

Now, go beat Wales.

5.7k

Mar 12th 2015, 2:46 PM

# Kicking On

'Teams at Test level tend to be pretty complete' -- Schmidt ready for whatever Wales throw at him

“They have some very clear and obvious strengths,” says Schmidt. And he doesn’t expect Gatland to change tack.

4.1k

Mar 12th 2015, 2:26 PM

# winning momentum

Heaslip starts as Schmidt names settled Ireland team for trip to Wales

There’s just a single change to the Irish team searching for a fourth Six Nations win in Cardiff.

8.4k

Mar 12th 2015, 1:48 PM

# Blitzing Beast

Analysis: Sexton's decision making must be sharp against aggressive Wales

We’ve taken a look at what Ireland can expect from the Welsh defence.

8.3k

Mar 12th 2015, 11:16 AM

# land of the giants

'It's difficult when you concede 20 or 30 kgs to an opponent': Would Shane Williams make it in modern rugby?

Wales’ record try-scorer came late to the sport, but set it alight.

7.3k

Mar 12th 2015, 8:06 AM

# inside out

Shane Williams looks back on fearful days against 'best tactical defender' Tommy Bowe

One of Warren Gatland’s finest hours in charge of Wales involved the switch of the prolific try-scorer away from Bowe.

7.7k

Mar 12th 2015, 6:30 AM

# Rivals

Two changes for England as they aim to keep Six Nations heat on Schmidt's Ireland

Stuart Lancaster has brought Mike Brown and Courtney Lawes into his team to face Scotland on Saturday.

5.0k

Mar 11th 2015, 4:27 PM

# continuity

Heaslip to return but Schmidt keeping faith for Six Nations clash with Wales

The Ireland head coach looks likely to avoid changes as he aims to maintain winning momentum.

10.2k

Mar 11th 2015, 2:49 PM

# Impact

Snapshot: Paul O'Connell lined out for Ireland 'A' opposite the greatest bench of all time

You’d be tempted to throw them on well before the 60 minute mark.

13.8k

Mar 11th 2015, 2:26 PM

# some debut

He's about to win his 100th Ireland cap but Paulie's first one was pretty damn memorable

Ireland’s iconic second row gave an all-action performance on his debut at Lansdowne Road.

7.8k

Mar 11th 2015, 1:37 PM

# top tips

This advice from an Ireland international could really help you bulk up after the gym

While he recovers from injury, Andrew Trimble has some helpful advice for rugby players.

11.9k

Mar 11th 2015, 12:04 PM

# All it takes

He used to be a 10 and refused to make sandwiches -- Paul O'Connell's genesis story is absolutely brilliant

Here’s the story of how a swimmer became a superhero.

13.9k

Mar 11th 2015, 10:17 AM

# Fear of God

Paul O'Connell getting better as the years go on, he scares me -- Sean Cronin

The hooker says there has been extra bite between packs this week as players try to match the captain’s standards.

7.4k

Mar 11th 2015, 7:17 AM

# Calm head

Familiarity with Gatland not necessarily an advantage for Ireland - Best

The Ulster hooker says ‘have an idea of what Wales are going to come with,’ but it’s not always easy to stop.

6.8k

Mar 10th 2015, 9:22 PM

# Centre of attention

Henshaw not done tapping D'Arcy for tips while taking every chance to build Payne partnership

Ireland’s new centre partnership will sample the delights of the Millennium Stadium for the first time this weekend.

7.1k

Mar 10th 2015, 6:09 PM

# heartwarming

Photos of the Irish team making a fan's day will make up for all the money you lost on the horses

Jennifer Malone was very happy to run into her heroes at Carton House.

9.1k

Mar 10th 2015, 4:35 PM

# ramping up

Sexton reaching for 100% kicking capability as Ireland report full deck to take on Wales

All injury concerns around Carton House are alleviating.

5.5k

Mar 10th 2015, 2:53 PM

# strong selection

Warren Gatland has named the team he hopes will ruin Ireland's Grand Slam chances

There is no room for Alex Cuthbert in the Welsh matchday 23.

19.7k

Mar 10th 2015, 12:05 PM

# twelve

Unsung hero Gordon D'Arcy the man who made Ireland's backline tick

Joe Schmidt foreshadowed the end of an era for centres of D’Arcy’s stature, but the 35-year-old will hopefully receive a fitting send-off.

9.6k

Mar 10th 2015, 10:49 AM

# open debate

Ireland prefer to leave Millennium Stadium roof open, but will bide time before decision

Unless there’s a deluge, it’ll likely be open on Saturday.

5.9k

Mar 10th 2015, 8:48 AM

# Looking Back

The Gatland seasons: How Ireland fared during the four years when Warren was king

The Wales coach led Ireland between 1998-2001.

16.5k

Mar 9th 2015, 8:45 PM

# Partisan

A tweet from the World Rugby CEO has sent Wales into a bit of a panic

What do you make of Brett Gosper’s tweet?

19.8k

Mar 9th 2015, 7:32 PM

# veteran

'He's been written off a few times' - D'Arcy left on the outside by Ireland

The 35-year-old has been omitted from Joe Schmidt’s 36-man squad for the final rounds of the Six Nations.

8.2k

Mar 9th 2015, 2:44 PM

# Injury Update

Sexton on track to recover for Wales while Heaslip back in full training

Ireland are ‘very happy’ with the out-half’s progress after a hamstring injury.

5.9k

Mar 9th 2015, 1:35 PM

# extended

Schmidt adds three players to Ireland squad as Gordon D'Arcy dropped

Michael Bent, Tadhg Furlong and Dan Tuohy have been called to Carton House this week.

14.7k

Mar 9th 2015, 12:20 PM

# Hero

'I wanted to go out there and smash people' - The things you learn from a chat with Kevin Maggs

The former Ireland centre talked to The42 about crash balls, Warren Gatland and Mathieu Bastareaud.

17.5k

Mar 7th 2015, 12:00 PM

# gainline

Conor Murray outlines 5 core elements of his gym routine

The 93 kg scrum-half played every minute of the wins over England and France. Here’s a taster of what it takes to get in that condition.

23.2k

Mar 7th 2015, 9:30 AM

# creative influence

Wing Simon Zebo provides the unknown amidst Ireland's intelligent planning

The Cork man says he won’t sacrifice the game plan just to get his hands on the ball.

6.8k

Mar 7th 2015, 7:30 AM

# tod

Munster man O'Donnell welcomes Ireland's back row competition

The 27-year-old Cahir man has delivered strong performances against Italy and England.

4.9k

Mar 6th 2015, 7:30 AM

# best pics

Ireland's open training session marred by unnecessary use of a selfie stick

Irish rugby fans got plenty of snaps with their heroes at Ravenhill today.

13.0k

Mar 5th 2015, 6:07 PM

# MIDDLE MAN

(It's business) It's business time as Steve Walsh pulls out as referee of Wales-Ireland game

Wayne Barnes will be the man in the middle next weekend.

17.1k

Mar 5th 2015, 12:02 PM

# Rice Rice Baby

Sam Warburton is hoping this hi-tech icer can help him be fit to face Ireland

What ever happened to a bag of peas?

7.4k

Mar 5th 2015, 11:15 AM

# Stats

Analysis: Who did what for Ireland in the rucks against England?

We’ve detailed every single action by Irish players at the rucks and breakdown last weekend.

40.8k

Mar 4th 2015, 9:15 PM

# Framework

Ireland players are not just robots following Schmidt's orders -- Conor Murray

“Joe does not stop you from backing yourself,” says the star scrum-half.

15.8k

Mar 4th 2015, 8:00 AM

# deft

Here's Conor Murray's view on the 'pressure-off' kick that put Sunday's game beyond England

Ireland’s play-making number nine is almost completely satisfied with a job well done against England and is ready to get back to work tomorrow.

13.4k

Mar 3rd 2015, 6:23 PM

# game plan

Analysis: How did Ireland dominate England in the Six Nations?

Exiting, discipline, the halfbacks, and a solid set-piece were building blocks for an impressive win.

18.9k

Mar 3rd 2015, 12:00 PM