Person: C Gallagher

Kelly the hero as Dundalk cruise to win over Finn Harps

Daniel Kelly ripped Finn Harps apart at Oriel Park last night with a first hat-trick of his career.

Fri, 19 Apr, 2019

Andy Friend: Fringe Connacht players missed their opportunity

Andy Friend believes his players let themselves down after they missed a golden opportunity to move into the PRO14 play-off places by slipping to a narrow defeat against the Cardiff Blues in Wales.

Mon, 28 Jan, 2019

Connacht's Friend must instil a killer instinct for side to progress

Connacht 26 Glasgow Warriors 27

Mon, 03 Sep, 2018

Andy Friend says Connacht ready for the fray ahead of Glasgow test

Connacht’s decline after winning the PRO 12 title in 2016 started immediately in the first game of the defence of the crown when they fell to a record 41-5 loss to Glasgow Warriors at the Sportsground.

Sat, 01 Sep, 2018

Euro route now clearer for rampant Connacht

Connacht 50 Oyonnax 14: The road to Bilbao has now become clear for Connacht.

Mon, 22 Jan, 2018

Kieran Keane: A performance like that warms your heart

Connacht 55 Brive 10: Connacht coach Kieran Keane is relishing facing into three consecutive inter-pro derbies with a squad high on confidence after their latest European masterclass.

Mon, 18 Dec, 2017

Connacht’s love affair with France goes on

Their PRO14 form is dodgy to say the least, but Connacht’s pedigree in the European Challenge Cup is obvious and on Saturday night they took a big step not only towards securing a quarter-final spot, but ensuring that they will enjoy home advantage in the last eight.

Mon, 11 Dec, 2017

Pita Ahki takes centre stage for Connacht in Italy

Connacht coach Kieran Keane says a resurgent Zebre will pose a huge threat in Parma this afternoon as his side aim to bounce back to winning ways before refocusing next week to the European Challenge Cup campaign.

Sat, 02 Dec, 2017

Connacht v Worcester Warriors - European Rugby Challenge Cup Pool 5 Round 2

Connacht make heavy weather of win

Connacht 15 Worcester Warriors 8: You suspect the more Kieran Keane settles into life in Galway the more he appreciates exactly what his predecessor Pat Lam achieved, not just with limited resources but the manner in which he got them to play in the difficult climatic conditions.

Mon, 23 Oct, 2017

Italy v Ireland - RBS U20 Six Nations Rugby Championship

Ireland U20s scrape home against Italy

Italy U20 26 Ireland U20 27: The Ireland U20s withstood a powerful challenge from Italy in Prato last night, before securing their second consecutive one-point victory in this year’s Six Nations Championship.

Sat, 11 Feb, 2017

UCC up to seventh after win in derby survival battle

Ulster Bank League Division 1B

Sat, 04 Feb, 2017

Cillian Gallagher ready to hit highs again for Ireland U20s at Six Nations

New campaign, new batch of players, but Connacht’s Cillian Gallagher feels the appearance by Ireland’s U20s in last year’s World Cup final has set a bar that this and future generations of talent should aspire to match.

Thu, 02 Feb, 2017

Louth labour to break students

Louth 1-13 Maynooth University 1-8: A win or a draw at home to Carlow on Sunday will send Louth through to the O’Byrne Cup semi-finals, following a laboured win over Maynooth University.

Thu, 12 Jan, 2017

Cork Con too strong for battling Highfield

Cork Constitution 31 Highfield 15: Highfield battled hard but just didn’t have enough overall class to see their way past holders Cork Constitution in an entertaining Munster Senior Cup semi-final clash at Temple Hill last night.

Sat, 07 Jan, 2017

Paul O’Connell enthusiasm rubs off on Munster's young guns

Munster Development XV - 35

Sun, 01 Jan, 2017

Second-half Leinster blitz too much for Ireland U20s

Leinster Development XV 57 Ireland U20 XV 26: The Leinster Development XV produced a second-half blitz at Donnybrook yesterday to finish with 31 points to spare in a high scoring encounter with an Ireland U20 side.

Thu, 22 Dec, 2016

Lights out for UCC as Dolphin prevail

UCC 15 Dolphin 25: Dolphin gave their Ulster Bank League Division 1B survival hopes a huge boost with a victory over UCC at the Mardyke last night.

Sat, 26 Nov, 2016

Another tough day for Shannon

UCC 17 Shannon 9: Lee Nicholas is from a different generation to Anthony Foley and he didn’t know the rugby legend personally, but the pair are inextricably linked.

Mon, 31 Oct, 2016

Ireland power into World U-20 semi-finals

Ireland U20s 35 Georgia U20s 7: The Etihad Stadium was rocking to 51,000 fans last night as Manchester favourites The Stone Roses blasted out, but 200 metres away it was the Fields of Athenry which heard in the evening sunshine as Ireland celebrated getting to the World Rugby U-20 Championship semi-finals.

Thu, 16 Jun, 2016

Pack drives Ireland U20s to first All Black scalp

Ireland 33 New Zealand 24: As winger Malo Tuitama raced in for his second try to cut the gap to six points with as many minutes remaining, up on the press bench we started preparing another hard luck story for Irish rugby against New Zealand.

Mon, 13 Jun, 2016

Ireland U20s dig deep to stun fancied Wales

Wales U20s 25 Ireland U20s 26: These underage tournaments are supposed to be more about character-forming than winning but Ireland managed to achieve both aims in an astonishing start to the World Rugby U20 Championship.

Wed, 08 Jun, 2016

Boost for Ireland U20s with clean bill of health

Ireland will be bidding to prevent a fourth successive loss at this level when they take on Six Nations Grand Slam winners Wales in the opening game of the World Rugby U-20 Championship in Manchester today (5.30pm).

Tue, 07 Jun, 2016

Donnacha Ryan back on duty for Munster after head injury comeback

Munster A 26 - Ireland U20s 24

Fri, 20 May, 2016

Old Crescent overwhelm depleted UCC

UCC 12 Old Crescent 43: This long-awaited Bank of Ireland Munster Senior Cup quarter-final ended in emphatic triumph for Old Crescent at the Mardyke on Saturday, with the recently crowned Ulster Bank Division 2C champions romping to victory against an understrength College team.

Mon, 11 Apr, 2016

Smart UCC keep promotion dreams alive

UCC 13 Nenagh Ormond 0: A spectacular late try sealed victory for University College Cork and clinched a place in the play-off stages for promotion to Division 1B of the Ulster Bank League.

Mon, 04 Apr, 2016

Sunday’s Well dig out win to dent Highfield hopes

Sunday’s Well 13 Highfield 6: This Ulster Bank League Division 2B local derby at Musgrave Park last night provided plenty of excitement for a crowd of more than 2,000 as Sunday’s Well all but ended Highfield’s ambitions of being crowned champions.

Sat, 26 Mar, 2016

Ragged display but Ireland U20s sign off with third victory

Ireland 26 Scotland 18: Despite a ragged performance Ireland signed off on their championship campaign with a win over Scotland thanks to a bit of luck and a dominant second-half.

Sat, 19 Mar, 2016

Nigel Carolan’s call on his team to ‘respect ball’

Nigel Carolan insists his Irish U20 side must show the ball “more respect” if they are to finish their Six Nations campaign with a win over Scotland in Donnybrook tonight (7.35pm).

Fri, 18 Mar, 2016

Close call as Ireland U20s dig deep for victory

Ireland 19 Italy 13: Fitful, imprecise and, for large periods, distinctly unimpressive.

Sat, 12 Mar, 2016

Nigel Carolan wary of dangerous Azzurri

Joe Schmidt’s side may still seek a first win of the campaign, but it is hard not to look at their U20 counterparts and suspect that their corner has already been turned.

Fri, 11 Mar, 2016

Falcons starlet Connon delighted to play his part in green

Brett Connon is used to the sound of Callum Chick’s voice. Clubmates at Newcastle Falcons, the pair are housemates as well.

Thu, 10 Mar, 2016

Nigel Carolan’s Ireland heroes stage amazing recovery

England 20 Ireland 26: Nigel Carolan’s U-20 side staged a remarkable comeback to defeat England in Newcastle last night.

Sat, 27 Feb, 2016

Peter Claffey confident Ireland U20s can turn fortunes around against England

Peter Claffey didn’t offer any excuses as he looked ahead to tonight’s meeting of the English and Irish U20s on the 4G pitch at Newcastle’s Kingston Park.

Fri, 26 Feb, 2016

Four changes as U20 boss Nigel Carolan bids to revive flagging Irish fortunes

Ireland coach Nigel Carolan has made four changes to his U20 side for tomorrow night’s clash with England in Newcastle (Sky Sports 3, 6pm).

Thu, 25 Feb, 2016

France U20s break Irish resistance

France 34 Ireland 13: First-half tries from Peter Claffey and James Ryan weren’t enough to secure Ireland’s first win in five Six Nations outings, as the French were too good at Narbonne.

Sat, 13 Feb, 2016

Peter Malone ready for step-up

Peter Malone has coached a winning side in France before, but tonight in Narbonne will be different. He knows that.

Fri, 12 Feb, 2016

Colossus Andrew Porter about far more than just raw power

If you watched Ireland’s U20s take on Wales in Dublin last Friday evening then chances are that the sheer size of the Leinster loosehead prop Andrew Porter stood out every bit as much as the abandon with which Nigel Carolan’s offloading side played.

Thu, 11 Feb, 2016

Ireland U20s foiled in frenetic battle

Ireland 24 Wales 35: A disappointing opening to the U20s Six Nations campaign for Ireland but for those home supporters present, there was the considerable consolation of watching a cracking contest, sprinkled with a magnificent seven tries and some exhilarating rugby.

Sat, 06 Feb, 2016

Nigel Carolan names powerful Irish U20 side for daunting clash with Wales