Once upon a time, and not so very long ago, the Irish rugby team were even more predictable than they are today.

One of the strengths that Niall Quinn brings to his new role as FAI Interim Deputy Thingummyjig is that he reminds many people of one of the happiest moments of their lives.

Is Jim Gavin the greatest Gaelic football manager of all time?

No one knows why good teams go bad, but they do. The Irish rugby team, for example, who, within the space of a year went from being very good to being really not very good at all.

While monitoring the fortunes of the Irish rugby team over the past month — indeed, the past year and a half — my mind has often thought back to something that came up at the inaugural Movement and Skill Acquisition Ireland conference in Cork IT in April 2018.

I’m showing my age, but does anybody remember Chubby Checker? Ah, you do. No, not the Welsh prop forward from the 1970s.

Ronan O'Gara has said the Irish rugby team need to learn how to chase a game.

I watched the Irish rugby team against England and Scotland. I like watching rugby and had become accustomed to seeing Ireland play with a certain style and confidence.

It may be unfair, yet it is inevitable that Irish sports fans will contrast the winning ways of our all-island rugby squad and its coach Joe Schmidt with the abject failure of the Republic of Ireland soccer team and the combined skills of Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane.

This was the day Ireland’s oldest international fixture, one which was first played in 1875, finally ended in triumph, writes Paul Rouse.

Stephen Barry is joined by Mikie Sheehan, Steve Neville and Rob McNamara to crouch, bind and set-tle the debate around Joe Schmidt's away-day failures in the Six Nations.

Here's your lunchtime news bulletin.

It is precisely because they understand this is a brilliant Dublin team Kerry people are so exercised, writes Paul Rouse.

Here's your lunchtime bulletin.

From counting shower heads to booking Usain Bolt, Mick Kearney’s duties during five years as manager of the Irish rugby team were as varied as they were challenging

Good afternoon. Here’s all the news you need to know this lunchtime.

There is a train in India that travels between Mumbai to Delhi, you’ve probably seen it in an old movie at some point.

Smiles all round as

Last weekend the Irish Rugby team gave the whole nation a lift with their superb win over South Africa.

Joe Schmidt must have big sleeves.

Brian O’ Driscoll might be done with rugby but he keeps on bagging the honours.

AS the Irish rugby team runs down the tunnel at Twickenham tomorrow afternoon, to take on England in the Six Nations Championship, their bagman, Patrick O’Reilly, will be standing in the wings, holding his breath and praying for a famous victory.

6-3 was the final score when Ireland beat Italy to clinch their first ever women’s Six Nations title.

The recent clamour among apparent followers of sport in Ireland for a unified football team is fanciful, notional and potentially downright dangerous.

The Irish rugby team beat New Zealand yesterday… well, as far as one bookmaker is concerned anyway.

Quick. Off the top of your head: which is the bigger game? Munster v Leinster tomorrow in the RaboDirect PRO12 at Thomond Park or Ireland’s November Series opener against Samoa at the Aviva Stadium.

HERE’S a scenario that I imagine that Joe Schmidt was not asked to address during his interview yesterday for the job as new Irish rugby coach.

The country’s three largest sporting bodies all said that a proposal to ban sponsorship of major sporting events by drinks firms would have a devastating impact on the funding of their respective sports, especially at club and community level.

Stringent new rules are needed to deal with increasing incidents of violence, verbal abuse and spitting, at GAA games.

Donegal will go into Sunday’s All-Ireland final against Mayo at Croke Park with a clean bill of heath.

The majority of the Oireachtas health committee has backed proposals to introduce minimum pricing for alcohol.

WELL, Happy New Year to ye all!

LET the party begin! Ten years to the day since Ireland qualified for the World Cup in Japan, the national soccer team has won a coveted place in the finals of Euro 2012.

Up to 300 people turned up at the Irish rugby team's hotel in Wellington today to wish them well as they start their journey home from the World Cup.

FOR some time now, the fortunes of the Irish rugby team can be directly aligned to the wellbeing of Munster and Leinster.

Home games against France next week and England next month should finally roar the wrapping off the new Aviva Stadium, says stadium manager Martin Murphy. He spoke to Michael Moynihan.

IT hasn’t quite reached the proportions of the economic collapse just yet, but the trajectory of the Irish rugby team seems set on a downward spiral.

LAST Saturday the Irish rugby team returned to its home stadium to host world champions South Africa. Amazingly fewer than 40,000 people turned up for what should have been a wonderful occasion.

CLARE senior football boss Michéal McDermott has secured the services of renowned fitness coach Mike McGurn for the 2011 season.

GAA President Christy Cooney expects the Allianz hurling league final to go ahead in Thurles, despite suggestions that the table toppers might get home advantage.

LIMERICK GAA chiefs have slammed the GAA and GPA for failing to help in resolving the hurling standoff in the county with one official claiming the Players’ Association ‘have held up progress and undermined the negotiations.’

THE new Aviva Stadium on Lansdowne Road will open with a pair of football and rugby blockbusters.

The IRFU has appointed a new doctor to the Irish rugby team.

THE Triple Crown, the Six Nations trophy, a boxful of specially commissioned medals and, as if there wasn’t enough silverware flying, music from silver plated trumpets.

Can you imagine Cowen responding to Kenny or Gilmore with the dignity Kidney employed to dispense with Gatland’s barbs? Kidney refused to be riled and didn’t lose focus. Cowen regularly shouts and snarls when under pressure and fails to think clearly as a result

Irish bookmaker Paddy Power has made Brian O’Driscoll its early odds-on favourite at 4/7 to win this year’s Irish Sports Personality of the Year, after Ireland’s Six Nations Grand Slam win at the weekend.

WEXFORD GAA chiefs have ruled out requests for warm weather training camps from their senior squads due to the economic downturn.

ONLY once in my career did I arrive at the last day of the Championship with a Grand Slam on the table for Ireland. Having secured a first Triple Crown since 1949 against Scotland in Lansdowne Road there was a four-week break before our final game against France in Paris. That proved three weeks too long.