Rob Kearney’s impressive return for Ireland provided a silver lining during an underwhelming 10-6 defeat to Scotland on Saturday.

NINE frustrating months on the sidelines with a knee injury came to an end for Rob Kearney at Murrayfield on Saturday.

DONNCHA O’CALLAGHAN insists the ticket turmoil and empty seats that greeted Ireland on a historic day at the Aviva Stadium will not be used as an excuse for Saturday’s defeat tostruggling South Africa.

Leicester captain Geordan Murphy has signed a new contract with the Guinness Premiership champions.

JOHNE MURPHY wasn’t prepared for his Ireland call-up for this tour to New Zealand and Australia.

THIS time there were no really hard calls, allowing Declan Kidney to announce an unchanged Ireland team to take on Wales at Croke Park next Saturday.

WELL, we might as well get the big question out of the way early doors.

IRISH captain Brian O’Driscoll moved last night to allay concerns that he could miss today’s big Six Nations clash at Twickenham against England with a stomach bug.

A WEEK ago today, Donncha O’Callaghan’s prospects of being considered for a starting place on the Irish team against England at Twickenham appeared remote at best.

Declan Kidney admits Geordan Murphy’s knowledge of English rugby was instrumental in his recall for Ireland’s RBS 6 Nations trip to Twickenham on Saturday.

WITH more than half the Six Nations campaign remaining, Ireland’s casualty list is beginning to cause some concern, but Declan Kidney was at least presented with the boost of a fit-again Donncha O’Callaghan in Killiney yesterday.

DECLAN KIDNEY believes Jerry Flannery has no case to answer after his clash with Alexis Palisson in Saturday’s Six Nations defeat at the Stade de France. And the coach remains quietly confident that his team can bounce back from what was a comprehensive 33-10 defeat at the hands of the rampant French.

Leicester Tigers coach Richard Cockerill has acknowledged the role played by Geordan Murphy in stepping in for injured club captain Martin Corry.

LEICESTER coach Richard Cockerill yesterday hailed the leadership of Geordan Murphy, the Leinster man on the cusp of captaining the Tigers to a third domestic and European double.

YOU gotta hand it to this competition.

Ireland arrived in Wellington today buoyed by Munster and Leinster’s recent successes but minus their captain Brian O’Driscoll, scrum-half Eoin Reddan and full-back Geordan Murphy.

Eoin Reddan has urged the Irish Rugby Football Union to move swiftly as they begin their search for Eddie O’Sullivan’s successor.

Eoin Reddan is thrilled by the idea of Pat Howard becoming the next Ireland coach after looking to Wales for inspiration on what a new management team can achieve.

Eddie O'Sullivan expects Ireland will face an England side fired up by memories of last season's horror show at Croke Park.

FOR many, Saturday’s Twickenham clash between England and Ireland represents no more than a dead rubber, a fight for third place in the Six Nations table and a chance of redemption for two beleaguered head coaches.

ONE moment during the victory over Scotland convinced rugby aficionados that Ireland had unearthed a rare gem in the person of Rob Kearney.

TWO salient points stood out for the Irish management as they yesterday reflected on the 34-13 victory over Scotland at Croke Park.

Ireland coach Eddie O’Sullivan acclaimed the finishing that underpinned the 34-13 RBS 6 Nations victory over Scotland at Croke Park today.

Brian O’Driscoll has challenged Geordan Murphy to inflict fresh misery on ailing Scotland after making a dramatic return to the Ireland team.

Geordan Murphy will start Ireland’s RBS 6 Nations clash against Scotland tomorrow, after Girvan Dempsey was ruled out with a hip injury.

Ireland coach Eddie O’Sullivan is confident Brian O’Driscoll will be fit for Saturday’s RBS 6 Nations clash with Scotland.

LEICESTER’s Johne Murphy has the unusual experience of sitting in the away dressing room at Welford Road tonight.

Geordan Murphy was today finally given the chance to prove he should not have been confined to idling on the sidelines during a frustrating World Cup.

Ireland have turned to Eoin Reddan to revive their fading World Cup ambitions as Eddie O'Sullivan once again opted against making wholesale changes.

Ireland coach Eddie O’Sullivan insists Geordan Murphy’s display in Saturday’s 31-21 defeat at Murrayfield has thrust him back into the first-team reckoning.

Eddie O’Sullivan blasted Ireland’s feeble work at the breakdown after they were bullied into submission by Scotland in yesterday’s 31-21 defeat.

SPEAKING to a very obviously disappointed Marcus Horan on Sunday evening, I asked him which hurt more: the fact that they had lost this historic game at Croke Park, or the fact that they had lost a Six Nations match, and another chance at history, the fabled Grand Slam.

EDDIE O’SULLIVAN’S body language told its own story after yesterday’s defeat by France.

Ireland head coach Eddie O’Sullivan admitted he felt “sick” by the heartbreaking manner of today's 20-17 RBS Six Nations defeat by France.

WHAT do you do when you’re recognised as one of the finest full-backs in rugby, yet you can’t get your place on your own national team?

Brian O’Driscoll has told Ireland’s new arrivals the heroics against South Africa must be reproduced in Sunday’s showdown with Australia.

GIRVAN DEMPSEY is one of the great rugby survivors, and he hopes to prove it against Australia at the Subiaco Oval on Saturday.

GEORDAN MURPHY has been dropped from the Irish team to meet Australia at the Subiaco Oval on Saturday night, with Girvan Dempsey returning.

Ireland boss Eddie O’Sullivan believes improving defences are responsible for the closest championship in Six Nations history.

Ireland international Geordan Murphy is no longer the one and only "Murphy" at Leicester Tigers as young Lansdowne utility back Johnny Murphy has signed for the English giants.

IT’S a long haul this Lions tour to New Zealand and when you’ve flown so far from the nest for no apparent reason, it can even affect your mental stability.

THE midweek Lions face their toughest assignment when they take on NPC hotshots Auckland in their final game at Eden Park tomorrow morning (8.10).

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