The results during the first two rounds of this season’s Heineken Cup were a clear indicator that the Pro12 League, sponsored by RaboBank, has become a strong league in European Rugby. Just how strong remains to be seen – possibly by season’s end – but evidence-based assessments suggest that it is right up there with France’s Top 14 and England’s Premiership competitions.
Sevens - A Hornet's Nest
The mighty Fangio’s recent article in the Sunday Tribune provided some good talking points on the Munsterfans website, and resurrected the topic of the state of Sevens in the Irish game. Continue reading
"Kick it into the corner, then maul it over. Else drop a goal."
Failing to get out of the pool stages of last year’s Heineken Cup was perhaps a blessing in disguise for Tony McGahan and his need to find replacements for Generation Ligind. The journey was always going to have to end somewhere but until then it was difficult for McGahan to jettison proven campaigners. Kidney’s silverware gave him the status to make some structural changes, notably introducing O’Leary and Hurley against Gloucester. McGahan’s status as an “outsider” without silverware meant he lacked the political capital to rock the boat too much. The fact that Munster finished the season by winning the league and beat Leinster in a match that mattered was very important for Dumper. Continue reading
With the second pick of the first round, Connacht select Ian Nagle, Munster Academy
Afficionados of American Football will be familiar with the NFL Draft. Each year in April, the best players from college are distributed amongst the 32 NFL teams in a manner designed to maximize competitiveness in the league: thus the team with the worst record gets the first choice in the first draft, and the team who won the last Super Bowl gets the thirty-second choice. It runs over seven rounds, so 224 players are selected. The last player selected is cruelly titled ‘Mr Irrelevant’, but funnily enough, that’s totally irrelevant to this article. Continue reading
Eoin O'Malley doing that thing that he does ... what's it called again?
Eoin O’Malley didn’t start against either Munster or Montpellier. Fergus McFadden was chosen in the No13 jersey for those games in the absence of Drico, and while he didn’t set the world alight, he certainly had his moments. There’s every likelihood that he would have started the HEC fixture against Glasgow if he hadn’t injured his leg. As it went, O’Malley got the start and grabbed his chance with both hands … and then passed it. Continue reading
Kev McLaughlin and Jean Bouilhou: they don't just look alike
Kev McLaughlin could be Leinster’s version of Toulouse’s Jean Bouilhou, a player for whom the Mole has a whole heap of time. Bouilhou got his first cap for France back in 2001 as a 22 year old down in New Zealand, then got a second two years later in 2003 on tour to Argentina before the World Cup … and that’s the sum of his international career. Continue reading
Johno in happier times. Doesn't look like it, though.
Having been out of the country and very, very far away from a television set for the Grand Slam decider in 2003, the Mole never experienced the visceral reaction that Martin Johnson’s red-carpet stance prompted from so many Irish rugby fans. Continue reading
Ooooooh, James Downey! (With apologies to Whiff of Cordite)
On the strength of the weekend’s games, James Downey is Ireland’s best number 12 at the moment. This Mole has long rejected calls for Downey to be included in squads, never mind teams, but his displays over the last year have not only been impressive, they’ve shown improvement. Continue reading
Moles dig. Sometimes to make a molehill. Sometimes to get to the bottom of something. Sometimes for no reason other than curiosity. Just as spiders can’t help spinning webs, moles can’t help digging. DNA is something we don’t fully understand, but we know it exists. Continue reading
News of the departure of Simon ‘Give Us A Hug Shawsy’ Shaw from London Wasps comes a day after the announcement of Joe Worsley’s retirement from the game. Continue reading
Digging Like a Demented Mole 