Tuesday 17 May 2022
There are plenty of locks bigger than Billy Holland about, but few have left such a footprint on rugby in Munster.
The Jackal had set out hoping to become a three-weight world champion in Dubai.
Jess Breach scored the pick England’s eight tries against Scotland,while Caroline Boujard ran in a hat-trick for France against Wales.
Andy Friend’s side take on Leicester Tigers in Welford Road this weekend, but wins on English soil are rare indeed for the Westerners.
Tadhg Beirne helped scupper Munster’s last attempt to win a final, but he is a key man in a Munster side that have come a long way since.
‘He’s a big scrum-half who makes a lot of tackles.’
The Munster head coach has tasted success just once against Leinster, but ha confidence that his side can upset the odds on Saturday at the RDS.
Johann van Graan is banking on Munster’ s fundamentals giving them an edge in Saturday’s Pro14 final.
It’s coming up on 10 years since Munster claimed silverware, beating Leinster would be a fine way of ending comparisons with the golden age.
The former Limerick FC man made just four appearances for the League One outfit
The young lock has quickly filled out into a force in the Connacht engine room.
‘I don’t think you guys listened to us,’ said Jonathan Sexton after Ireland delivered the best performance of the Andy Farrell era.
The Munster back row is set to return after serving his suspension for a red card against Wales.
The Munster and Ireland star is putting his family first by stepping away from rugby.
Peter O’Mahony is hoping to create a few special memories before CJ Stander bids farewell to Munster.
‘The reality is I know people are going through this every day.’
It’s a Connacht side with debuts and full debuts to celebrate.
The 22-year-old is a more imposing figure than the average hooker.
‘The place for a workhorse second row that hits rucks all day, I don’t know how long more there is in the game for him.’
‘We want to get as many Irish people on that trip as possible.’
The young pack leader was sorely missed in defeats to Wales and France, but is keen to put O’Connell’s ‘intricacies’ to work against Scotland.
Andy Friend and Denis Buckley have their eye on European silverware.
Stuart Lancaster is thrilled to see Jamison Gibson-Park rise to the big stage.
Paul O’Connell admits it has been a challenge to hold back some detail from Ireland players.
The Ulster flyer was hamstrung as Hugo Keenan and Shane Daly made their way onto the international stage last year.
There is cause for optimism in Ireland’s adventure tourism sector as ‘the crisis before the current crisis’ takes a tentative step towards reform.
The fullback knows Connacht must whittle Munster’s lead by at least four points tomorrow.
The southern province profited from the set-piece in January, but Connacht are wary of getting stuck in the same trap.
The 23-year-old had to wait a year between Ulster appearances due to a hamstring avulsion last summer.
The 21-year-old scrum-half was made to wait over 140 minutes as a replacement before winning his first cap.
The western province are riding high in Conference B and ought to have plenty in reserve in Treviso.
The brilliant playmaker could be last piece of the jigsaw needed by Munster.
The loosehead admits it took time to adapt to the game again after a year sidelined with a terrible knee injury.
The second row endured a long wait and rehab before he got to pull on the green jersey this month.
The Ireland playmaker has endured a torrid run of injuries, but is finally off Munster’s injured list.
‘The hard part in international rugby is creating the chances and we’ve done that.’
‘I’m just going to focus on this campaign and, if I’m around next year, just focus on that and try and make the most of whatever is left.’
The centre is an irreplaceable personality in any team, but Connacht have worked at how they operate in his absence.
The Dutch coach lamented missing out on Euro 2022, but is heartened by a quickly improving side.
