# Defence

All time

# defence wins championships

Schmidt: 'We can't afford to keep conceding three tries a game'

Scotland’s success in attacking Ireland out wide last year will give Joe Schmidt and Andy Farrell plenty of headaches.

7.7k

Feb 27th 2018, 4:09 PM

# Prolific

'With the Ireland U18s, I was eight tries in five games, so I'm dropping off now!'

21-year-old Jacob Stockdale has scored eight tries in his first seven Tests for Ireland.

26.7k

Feb 26th 2018, 8:00 AM

# narrow

Ireland well positioned to claim Six Nations but Schmidt concerned about defence

After Scotland’s win over England, Ireland are five points clear at the top of the table.

16.1k

Feb 25th 2018, 7:00 AM

# standards

'Average is not acceptable' - Farrell left fuming by conceded tries against Italy

The Ireland defence coach was not a happy man as Ireland switched off against Italy.

11.7k

Feb 20th 2018, 2:53 PM

# apologetic

Phil Neville insists 'just battered the wife' tweet referred to a game of table tennis

The new England women’s head coach believes he is the right man for the job.

9.8k

Jan 29th 2018, 5:06 PM

# d

Leinster's 'brothers' look to dig in for each other without the ball

Leo Cullen’s side have produced several compelling defensive passages in recent times.

23.5k

Jan 6th 2018, 12:00 PM

# Tension

US Defense Secretary warns North Korea of 'massive military response'

Pyongyang in recent months has sparked global alarm by conducting a sixth nuclear test and test-launching missiles capable of reaching the US mainland.

14.6k

Oct 28th 2017, 11:33 AM

# Defence

Lovren critics like rubberneckers, says Klopp

The defender was substituted after only 31 minutes of Liverpool’s 4-1 defeat to Tottenham.

4.4k

Oct 27th 2017, 8:49 PM

# Defence

Reid working hard to tighten up Leinster's midfield channel after 53 missed tackles

Leinster have enjoyed a perfect start to their European campaign, but defensively they have been exposed by Montpellier and Glasgow.

8.0k

Oct 24th 2017, 7:00 AM

# Defence

'99% of teams in world football would lose to Manchester City at the moment' - Klopp

The Liverpool boss leapt to the defence of his side, citing the fact that they have only lost one Premier League match this season to the leaders

5.4k

Oct 16th 2017, 8:27 PM

# innocent

'You can disagree with those views but he wasn't guilty of terrorism': Ibrahim Halawa's former cellmate

Peter Greste – who spent over a year in an Egyptian prison with Halawa – said that it was “wonderful” that he had been released.

49.9k

209

Sep 19th 2017, 9:29 AM

# Defence

'One of the most gender blind people I've ever worked with': Ciara Kelly strongly defends George Hook

Hook was suspended on Friday following widespread condemnation of his comments about rape.

163k

187

Sep 16th 2017, 3:33 PM

# Defence

Bale a key player despite Madrid boos – Zidane

The Welshman was jeered by a section of the Real support on Sunday.

7.7k

Aug 28th 2017, 11:43 PM

# myerd in controversy

Members of Irish Jewish community defend Kevin Myers after controversial column

Some people have claimed Myers has done a lot to educate people about the Jewish faith.

37.0k

109

Jul 31st 2017, 9:38 PM

# big hits

Analysis: The defensive passage that drove the Lions to their Wellington win

The likes of Jamie George, Jack McGrath, Maro Itoje and Kyle Sinckler all fronted up.

13.6k

Jul 3rd 2017, 8:46 AM

# test time

The Lions have earned respect in New Zealand but they're still outsiders

The tour is back in Auckland after a whirlwind three weeks that have seen Warren Gatland’s side grow.

19.3k

Jun 21st 2017, 12:01 PM

# Call to arms

'No bitching or moaning' - No-nonsense Farrell looks for defensive leaders

The Lions’ defence was superb against the Crusaders but there is more to come.

9.8k

Jun 12th 2017, 10:00 PM

# that's the enda it

Kenny says he raised human rights with Saudis but that 'obviously includes women's rights'

The Taoiseach has sought to clarify that Ireland had conveyed its concerns over Saudi Arabia’s record on women’s rights.

8.4k

108

May 5th 2017, 6:29 PM

# Damages

Judge says chasing should not be banned in schools after student loses damages claim

The presiding judge said games of chase in schoolyards could not be prohibited.

42.2k

Apr 3rd 2017, 5:04 PM

# On the attack

'I try not to get distracted by people who throw out opinions and not back it up'

Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt has defended the nature of his team’s attacking tactics.

18.8k

Feb 24th 2017, 7:51 AM

# Black gold

'We're not here for your oil': US Defense Secretary tells Iraq

Trump has repeatedly said the US should have grabbed Iraqi oil to help fund its war effort.

13.9k

Feb 20th 2017, 8:54 AM

# like dem apples

Ireland spent €440k on a report defending Apple months before the EU's scathing tax ruling

But European officials said the unsolicited report from PwC ‘misinterpreted’ the relevant rules.

7.3k

Feb 18th 2017, 7:00 AM

# Reads

Analysis: Whatever about the try, Ringrose's defence will have excited Schmidt

The 22-year-old showed promising signs in defence against Italy last weekend.

13.4k

Feb 13th 2017, 6:17 PM

# destroy and enjoy

'We should love defending', says Farrell as he vows to fix Irish inaccuracies

The defence coach was irked by the absence of Ireland’s appetite without the ball.

6.5k

Feb 7th 2017, 1:00 PM

# video review

Analysis: Basic folding and spacing problems cause Ireland's defence failures

Andy Farrell and his players will be deeply unhappy with their defensive display in Edinburgh.

13.3k

Feb 6th 2017, 6:36 PM

# Analysis

How different is professional rugby to the good old days of amateurism?

We’ve taken a look at the Ireland v Scotland games from the 1995 Five Nations and 2016 Six Nations.

39.7k

Jan 30th 2017, 8:00 AM

# River Lee

Flood defence plan for Cork finally unveiled to the public

The plan will be on display to the public until the 20 January next year.

9.9k

Dec 12th 2016, 3:15 PM

# Defence

Analysis: Tiny details make a massive difference against the All Blacks

Ireland are eager to improve their defensive performance against the All Blacks.

9.9k

Nov 19th 2016, 7:30 AM

# end of discussion

Arsene Wenger insists that drinking culture is no longer an issue for English football

The Arsenal boss has spoken out in the wake of this week’s Wayne Rooney saga.

2.8k

Nov 18th 2016, 1:31 PM

# Defence

Wayne Rooney is not finished - Gary Neville

The former Manchester United defender believes the Red Devils star still has a role to play at the Premier League club, if he can adapt

4.2k

Nov 17th 2016, 9:43 AM

# Defence

Southgate backs Man United duo after Mourinho rebuke

Luke Shaw and Chris Smalling were criticised by the Red Devils boss recently.

5.6k

Nov 7th 2016, 11:53 PM

# Cyber Wars

"Hack-back vendors" and private security firms could be used to fight cybercrime

The debate around how to strike back against hackers is ongoing around the world.

5.7k

Nov 6th 2016, 8:00 AM

# side effects

Giving anti-malaria drug Lariam to Irish troops "beggars belief", says support group

Support group Action Lariam for Irish Soldiers has said that the official policy on the drug needs to change.

14.7k

Oct 19th 2016, 2:56 PM

# clarity

Analysis: Encouraging signs for Munster as Erasmus' men make solid, simple start

The victory over the Scarlets last weekend was unglamorous but promising.

19.8k

Sep 6th 2016, 5:06 PM

# Defence

Antonio Conte is no fool, the criticism of David Luiz has been wildly disproportionate

Can a supposedly poor player really get away with winning 16 trophies?

8.4k

Sep 4th 2016, 7:00 AM

# Defence

Nice not taking a risk in signing me - Balotelli

The 26-year-old completed a one-year deal at the Allianz Riviera after being allowed to leave Anfield.

5.7k

Sep 2nd 2016, 2:01 PM

# Defence

I'm 61 and Sanches is 18 - Portugal coach slams age slur

Guy Roux’s accusations that the Portugal teenager is older than his official age were swiftly dismissed.

10.7k

Jul 5th 2016, 11:44 PM

# faz

'I don’t think we’ve set the bar anywhere yet' - Farrell wants Ireland benchmark

The defence coach believes there is more to come from Ireland in the final game of the season.

5.3k

Jun 24th 2016, 4:28 PM

# Comeback kings

Analysis: Springboks' clever attack leaves Ireland's defence floundering

Joe Schmidt’s men will have been disappointed with the drop-off in their defence.

5.9k

Jun 20th 2016, 5:53 PM

# resilience

Analysis: Paddy Jackson's performance the epitome of Ireland's defensive grit

Ireland’s first-ever win against the Boks on South African soil was built on their 14-man defence.

12.4k

Jun 13th 2016, 8:00 PM