Absolutely up to my eyes this week so this is not going to be much of a report. Not that the ever are I hear you reply!

Anyway, things on Saturday went pretty much as expected with Ireland having enough class to see off the brute force and ignorance of the English pack.

Bowe (2) and Earls (1) scored the tries for Ireland despite England dominating most aspects of the game and while a win is a win Ireland still have a lot of concerns to take out of this game.

The chief problem is still in the front row and with the commendable Hayes now reaching the milestone of 100 caps the coaching staff must now start and look at the alternatives for the world cup.   More ... (475 words, 1 image)

France 33 Ireland 10

My goodness, last week I was complaining about the lack of excitement in the opening games of the RBS 6 Nations. This week there was nearly too much excitement for this old man to bear as first Scotland and Wales and then France and Ireland served up two fascinating games.

The Scotland v Wales encounter certainly had thrills, spills, drama and excitement in a pulsating encounter, but the France v Ireland game had all the class. Unfortunately for Ireland the bulk of the class was on the French side as they ripped apart the remnants of Ireland’s Golden Generation.   More ... (776 words, 1 image)

I’m finding it increasingly difficult to get excited about the RBS Six Nations to tell the truth.

As regular readers will know we popped down to Navan last Thursday night to watch a cracking game between Ulster Ravens and Leinster A and on Saturday morning I had the pleasure of watching an enthralling match between Friends School Lisburn and Sullivan Upper School in the Northern Bank Schools’ Cup.

Comparing these two games of skill and passion to the over-hyped formulaic dross served up in the opening weekend of the Six Nations is like comparing chalk to cheese and is an indication of how the pressure of the occasion is stifling the performance.   More ... (531 words, 1 image)

I recall watching guitar legend B.B. King on television over the Christmas break. It was late night and I can’t remember the exact circumstances in which I listened to him play and sing. I am not a B.B. King fan and never have been, other than immensely liking ‘Stand By Me,’ his seminal song.

I have found watching him in recent times, as his career declines, an act of extreme irritation with his easy come, easy go manner. Nevertheless, there he was on stage at some sort of compilation concert and he was doing his thing, which usually involves a few trademark licks as intro to a song before abandoning the fret board in lieu of singing.   More ... (1076 words, 1 image)

Ireland held on to win this game in a tense encounter at a misty Croke Park on Saturday afternoon.

Despite the euphoria over Irelands victory the game was hardly a classic and as a spectacle it reminded me more of two old and punch drunk heavyweights posturing and posing in the centre of the ring as they tried to reclaim their glory days.

Ireland landed enough scoring jabs to edge the game as the Bokkes, despite getting through with one haymaker, ran out of steam before they could inflict any lasting damage. In fact you could almost see the energy drain out of the South Africans legs as the mist came down and their penalty attempts fell short.   More ... (432 words, 1 image)

Ireland eventually pulled clear in the second half to comfortably win this encounter 41 – 6 scoring five tries in the process.

Earls scored in each half and O’Driscoll, Kearney and Horgan put the icing on the cake as Fiji tired. Sexton converted all five tries and added two penalties to cap an impressive debut.

Unfortunately the Fijian game plan was somewhat curtailed by the weather and the Pacific Islanders veered away from their flamboyant play and concentrated on taking the ball up through their forwards leading to a disappointing game. In fact so un-enthralling was the match that I spent most of the last quarter flicking over to the Scotland v Australia coverage.   More ... (359 words, 1 image)