#BUNDEE AKI

Lineen played for the Scots from 1989 and 1992, sharing in their 1990 Five Nations grand slam. There has since been a continuous Kiwi influence in the Five Nations/Six Nations since 1994. This year's tournament kicks off this weekend, with seven New Zealand-born players and two Kiwi head coaches involved. Some - notably French prop Uini Atonio -…

Scott Barrett has been replaced at blindside flanker by Akira Ioane, with Tupou Vaa'i moving onto the bench, while Karl Tu'inukuafe replaces prop Aidan Ross on the bench. Barrett is understood to have an Achilles injury which has hampered him all week. Seconds out, round three. After the poor display and historic loss in Dunedin last weekend, the…

2039 total views, 8 views today Connacht look to win their second game of the Challenge cup this Friday night when they travel to take on struggling French side Brive. Another win for Connacht will go a long way to seeing them make the knockout stages of the competition and with Brive struggling, this is a great opportunity to do so. Connacht have…

Scotland recorded their first win over England in a decade a fortnight ago, Huw Jones' first-half double and a try from Sean Maitland leaving the defending champions reeling. England could not mount a comeback and lost 25-13, only their second defeat since the 2015 Rugby World Cup debacle. The result echoed around Ireland and Joe Schmidt's side…

And although Ireland finished second behind Grand Slam winners France, this campaign only reaffirmed that they are moving in the right direction under head coach Andy Farrell. TALE OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP Ireland demonstrated their title credentials in Round 1 with a comprehensive 29-7 victory over Wales at Dublin's Aviva Stadium. Bundee Aki strolled…

IRELAND have secured their first ever win in New Zealand as they overcame a 14-man All Blacks side. Andrew Porter scored an early try for the Irish and their chances have now dramatically improved after Angus Ta'avao was given a red card for a head-on-head collision. Beauden Barrett then scored on the stroke of half time to get the All Blacks back…

One of these sides' hopes of a Grand Slam will come to an end on Saturday, as the two bookies' favourites to win the Six Nations go head-to-head in Paris Arguably the two best sides in the Six Nations go head-to-head on Saturday afternoon, as France welcome Ireland to Paris for their second match of the tournament. Both sides harbour hopes not just…

Leinster, Connacht and Ulster will all name their teams for their respective Champions Cup games today. Leo Cullen's side host French side Montpellier in Dublin after the reverse fixture was cancelled due to Covid-19 cases within Leinster's squad. Montpellier were awarded a 28-0 win by rugby bosses which infuriated Leinster as other games that were…

Ireland have a shot at keeping their Six Nations 2022 title hopes alive when they face Scotland on Super Saturday in Dublin. The permutations for the Irish are simple. Win the game and hope France lose or lose the game and that's the end of the matter. Andy Farrell's side made a meal of their clash with England, who were down a man for 78 minutes…

reland will be expected to brush aside Italy when the two sides clash in the Six Nations in Dublin this afternoon. Andy Farrell's hosts are hoping to keep their championship hopes alive after suffering a potentially crucial defeat to France last time out. Ireland more than played their part in a thrilling tussle in Paris in round two with tries…

With each of the 15 players that make up a rugby team playing a vital part, we take a look at the roles they all play during a match ahead of Rugby's Greatest Championship getting underway. Loosehead prop Wears the No.1 jersey, stands to the left of the hooker at the scrum Plays a key role in helping a team get on top at scrum time Often involved…

Ireland skipper Johnny Sexton kept New Zealand at bay with his kicking game in Dunedin Free rugby union tips, best bets and analysis for Saturday's third Test between New Zealand and Ireland at Sky Stadium, Wellington. Sky Sports Main Event & Action, 8.05am Saturday Ireland+10.5 2pts 8-11 bet365 New Zealand rugby is still reeling after the All…

Leinster are favourites to win this Irish derby but Connacht are a tough prospect on home soil. Munster found that out last weekend and I'm backing the hosts to get within seven points of the visitors. Connacht vs Leinster Predictions Head to Head Connacht Form Connacht Injuries & Team News Leinster Form Leinster Injuries & Team News Connacht vs…

The only nation not to reach the last eight from my predicted route is Argentina. This is particularly frustrating as they should have won their 23-21 defeat to France 10 times over, missing eight points with the boot and scoring just two tries from eight visits to the'red zone', but that is sport. The only other difference is Japan climbing to…

Connacht are first of the Irish provinces to head to the Southern Hemisphere this season with the second URC game of their South African tour taking place against the Bulls this weekend. Here's all you need to know about the game. Where and when is it on? The match takes place at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria at 5.30pm Irish time on…

The 2022 Six Nations looms in four weeks time. Six storylines are apparent. Five are about the rugby. Take your pick. Parity is the new rarity Five of the teams are capable of winning the tournament. Three (France, England, and Ireland) seem able to win a Grand Slam. Whilst France is the clear favourite of the bookmakers, courtesy of a dream draw…

Connacht vs DHL Stormers. DHL Stormers' Manie Libbok makes a break past John Porch of Connacht before scoring a try United Rugby Championship, Sportsground, Galway. Photo by Tom Maher/INPHO/Shutterstock (12824138x)/BackpagePix Connacht vs DHL Stormers. DHL Stormers' Manie Libbok makes a break past John Porch of Connacht before scoring a try United…

We were treated to a stunning spectacle of rugby last weekend which saw all four Southern Hemisphere nations take the chocolates, while France was the only team from up north to collect a win. With several series on the line can England, Ireland or Wales fight their way to victory in Game 2? Read on for all the line-ups and key team news as it…

New Zealand could not cope with the precision and accuracy of Ireland's phase-play Clearly, courage is a fairly valuable attribute in rugby union. But, to cite Commodus, the villain of Ridley Scott's epic film'Gladiator', played wonderfully by Joaquin Phoenix, there are many forms of courage. The C-word was obviously an in-house theme of Ireland's…

After the logistical omnishambles of the pool stage foreshadowed the intriguing introduction of two-legged ties in the last 16, we have a compelling line-up of Champions Cup quarter-finals. Headlining it is a meeting between Leicester Tigers and Leinster. For a number of reasons, this clash already feels like a European classic in the making. Given…