Sunday, February 28, 2021

Online comments after Italy v Ireland

A selection of the “keyboard warrior” reactions after the full-time whistle of our featured matches of the weekend.

If you’d like to contribute stay tuned to our Facebook page for our “Feel free to leave your thoughts…” posts which show up around full time after Leinster & Ireland matches.

Imelda Reidy Good first half performance. Some very positive play. Great to see the offloads. Second half was a bit wearisome. Italians absolutely atrocious. Going in the right direction.
Michelle Tobin Starting front row have given management a selection headache, they were excellent. Pack was very solid again. Still have defensive concerns, Larmour's wing was under constant attack in the first half and defence isn't Lowe's strong point. Two big games ahead and some players have a lot of minutes under their belt. I'm nervous.
Brian Corr Delighted with the result and the 38 point margin similar to France who won there by 40 and way better than England at home with a 23 point margin.

Felt in the first half Ireland were playing good cohesive rugby but when all the subs came on in the second they got a bit haphazard, not great considering a lot of the replacements were previous weeks starters.

Delighted both Casey and Baird got on and both had good impact, personally would have liked to see them get 25-30mins rather than the 18 they got.

While Scotland are improved I still think we will win by more than 7 there. England are wounded not sure why they are so bad this year but could it be, by the time they get here they’ll have the much needed game time under their belt to click.

I think Wales being triple crown champions is funny, there’s no other way to look at it, what a yo-yo team, grand slam champs to 5th last year and here we go again.
Iain O'Connor Very sloppy when you consider the opposition. Still not convinced by our style of play, its still just one pass, then contact. Would be interested to see our passing stats if you take scrum half passes (as in passes from the back of a ruck/maul/scrum, not just ones from a scrum half). I would be shocked if it was double digits.

In general, win is a win and we avoided wooden spoon which is nice. Still unconvinced we are headed in the right direction
Conor Cronin There's a lot of positive there. Don't worry what the opposition was, there was free flowing offloading rugby on show this afternoon. I'd love to have seen more of those opportunities turn into points, and for a few less mistakes but it's great to see some invention and some intent.
David Ryle (reply to Conor Cronin) first game in a while we’ve had free flowing rugby.
Kieran O'Callaghan Casey the messiah has arrived and here to stay IMO. The front row Killer and Ronan must start either of Tadg or Porter. Row as is. Great balance in the back row which I wouldn’t change. Johnny10 has to play until Joey is match fit. I’d have Stockdale in for Lowe. I just love Keenan at fullback a real under the radar type who makes a big impact. If Conway was match fit he could cover wing and FB from bench. Our midfield selects itself, Henshaw so underrated except by those who really know the game.
Noel Hewson B- for me. Sloppy at times. Some good individual performances but still not sure on the attacking approach and how it would go against better opposition
Gav Heg Let's not get carried away. It was a woeful Italian team. I actually think we could have put 80 on them.

How does Alan Quinlan get paid to talk rugby? Utterly clueless. He grasp of the game is tenuous at best.

What about the reffing? Zero sense. One scrum kilcoyne is clearly scrumming in and then drips it yet we get the penalty? No ref now knows how to ref the scrum properly. Solution is a 5th official (scrum pro) that comes on at scrum time and advises the ref.

Connors is class, great to see the jukebox back, CJ had a good game, sexton ok, cannot wait for Baird to get going, the guy has a very bright future ahead of him.

Big decisions to be made now but I'm leaning towards Indian, we had Chinese last six Nations weekend.
Monica Keeler  Great to see the young uns get their first caps..think we left that 21 points on the pitch..but it will boost the confidence for the last 2 games..assomeone else said..big games to come tho..
Richard Mifsud Much improved performance though discipline still a concern. Much better synergy between the forwards and backs and the cohesion among the backs was pretty evident. I wondered how a bunch of Leinster backs would be directed to play given the kick fest that has gone on before, the answer is obviously that they were allowed to express themselves as they do at provincial level. With all due respect to Italy will that work against Scotland and England? I think it can, but we shall see. Is this the Farrell/Catt Ireland at last? If it is I like it. Not getting carried away at all as sterner tests await. Oh how could I forget!!! What was Romain on today? Hendo’s was a try as was Lowe’s. Tadhg a worthy POTM but so could quite a few others and that’s a very good thing. #forwardalwaysforward
Laurence Norwood  It’s pretty simple, a good Ireland performance!!
Sean Michaels A much improved performance all around. It was easy to see the Leinster influence among the backs with some excellent performances with Sexton pulling the strings. Forwards looked strong with Kelleher looking every inch of a modern, mobile hooker, I would say the No 2 spot is his to lose. I think Sexton was making a point staying on the pitch for the duration. Thought Casey did reasonably well when he came on although the forward pass to Lowe was a bit of a blot on his copybook. Forwards generally looked rejuvenated. Italy were a poor side but you can only play who’s in front of you and Ireland have struggled in the past against poor Italy teams, so plenty to build on. Ryan Baird had a great 20 mins and my MOTM was Will Connors.
Ian Frizzell It’s hard to be critical after a 30+ points win. So I won’t be 😀
Simon Willis Ringrose did well today. Felt he was unshackled. Did no harm re his Lions chances
James Griffin Veni, Vidi, Vici.
Cathal Mone Good Result but let’s not get carried away !! Loads to work on still
Monica Keeler Great to see the young uns get their first caps..think we left that 21 points on the pitch..but it will boost the confidence for the last 2 games..assomeone else said..big games to come tho..
Éamonn Rogers One score while they were down to 13 and none when they were back to 14. Not good enough.
Ní Shithigh Lisa (reply to Éamonn Rogers) not like they didn't try, at least 1 of the disallowed tries was during this period and while yea the 2 in the 2nd half were forward passes, the margins were very small on it
Many thanks to all who offered opinions.

Look out Monday for our match writeup JLP
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Front Five - 28.02.21

Start your day with five eye-catching egg-chasing quotes & links from around the ruggersphere.


ICYMI click here for our
Leinster v Glasgow preview

"I suppose today was an accumulation of both weeks (v WAL & FRA) coming together, but it doesn’t mean everything is fixed now."

‘Scotland will be a step up but I just want to enjoy today’

Gavin Cummiskey - Irish Times
(possibly behind paywall)
It’s tempting to call this latter crew the Leinster B team...except there is nothing second-rate about the ones left behind to mind the shop. 

Every point counts as Leinster chase their 10th Pro14 final in 12 seasons

Garry Doyle - The42.ie
...three penalties from Callum Sheedy's boot moved Wales clear before Cory Hill completed the job in the dying minutes.

Wales 40-24 England: Reaction after Wales secure Triple Crown

Jon Doel,Katie Sands & Ben James - WalesOnline
There would be greater clarity over this case if the decisions of the Disciplinary and Appeal Committees had been published.

Zander Fagerson – A Six Nations Rugby Disciplinary Update

Rugby And The Law
"Toxic, embarrassing, disgraceful, appalling. Just some of the feedback I’ve had."

BBC’s Sonja McLaughlan reveals online abuse over Owen Farrell interview

Observer Sport
Feel free to share any interesting links you spot yourself about t’internet by email, Twitter, Facebook, blog comment or carrier pigeon – whatever works for you. JLP

Note - views expressed in "Front Five" links do not necessarily reflect those of HarpinOnRugby
at
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Saturday, February 27, 2021

Preview : Leinster v Glasgow Warriors

Given how the 2012 Pro12 Final finished, this might not be a good time to draw reference from it, especially when Leinster’s opposition was the Ospreys and not Glasgow.  But looking at the two lineups from that day at the RDS the comparisons are interesting, at least to my nerdy eye.


Let me get the less relevant links over with now.  Current Leinster coach Leo Cullen was the captain that day, no surprise there.  Devin Toner and Sean Cronin both started, as they do in this fixture, and also Dave Kearney was wearing 23 for the final.   But my research on the teamsheets had more to do with Friday evening’s match at the Kingspan between our Conference A rivals Ulster and the Ospreys.


Starting for the home side last night were John Cooney and Ian Madigan, and just as I suspected, both were on the bench for that final (though neither got a game) and just to complete the cycle, the one player to feature both then and now for the Welsh region was another halfback, namely Rhys Webb.


The reason I point this out is that much like Leinster in 2012, Ulster found out last night just how good the Ospreys can be in the second half of a campaign.  Maybe they eventually fell short on Friday, but they were very unlucky not to be ahead at the break and played with the kind of attacking rugby that could definitely put them in contention for honours should they repeat it for a whole season.


But as far as Leinster are concerned, two positives came from the encounter in Belfast.  First, although we must also face Toby Booth’s pesky birds before the season is out, that’s not until the final round.  The second is more obvious;  since Ulster failed to secure a fourth try and the bonus point that came with it, we now have a chance to extend our lead to six which would guarantee us staying in 1st whatever happens next weekend.  


And one final point to make ahead of looking at our chances...we were reminded during the week that it’s not just a pro14 title left to play for this season, as the EPCR announced how it had decided to play out the remainder of the Champions’ Cup.  It was pretty much as I expected, with a round of 16 to be played ahead of the quarterfinals and Leinster’s 2 wins from 2 ensuring us home advantage at least then. So even though there’s a higher-than-normal presence of boys in blue wearing green this weekend in the Six Nations, there are still plenty of places up for grabs in big knockout matches between now and the end of the campaign so there’s a lot to play for on Sunday evening in D4.


Sorry for going a bit overboard setting the scene!   Preview only from here on in, I promise...


What we have in this Leinster lineup is our first chance to see the exciting young creative trio of Harry Byrne, Ciarán Frawley and Jimmy O’Brien on the same pitch since the match against Cardiff in November, one of the biggest features of our impressive start to our Pro14 campaign.  Their ability to keep the opponents guessing has been a joy to see.


And it’s not unlike the rest of the backline is shabby either, which is amazing given the Irish 9-15 in Rome also hail from the province.  Luke McGrath is having an amazing season and is thus unlucky not to be in the Six Nations mix, while both Kelleher and Kearney have been among the tries and Rory O’Loughlin is a great crash ball option.


In the pack, Scott Fardy and Michael Bent join Cronin & Toner as the wise old heads and there’s an interesting switch in the back row as Penny moves to number 8 to accommodate the return of Josh van der Flier.  All in all it’s an extremely well rounded starting XV.


When it comes to the bench, well...recent history has taught us we should never question anyone making their debut for the province and on Sunday we add yet another to the ranks of our back row options if Alex Soroka takes to the field. 


But altogether our replacements have 40 Leinster appearances with Jack Dune being the “veteran” with 11.  I wouldn’t call this a concern, but another good feature of our performances this season has been an ability to defend in the final quarter so after shipping a couple of late tries against the Dragons, we’d be hoping this group of 8 younglings will be able to come on and keep the tackles rolling.


On Glasgow’s side of things, they have been able to benefit from the postponement of the France v Scotland match and will come to the RDS with a host of recognizable names like Nakarawa, Gray, Harley, Wilson and Jones.  With just 3 wins from their 11 matches to date they’ll be far from favourites but there’s certainly enough talent there to strike if we don’t meet our standards.


But when it comes to predictions I can’t see anything more than a home win and with that HB/CF/JOB axis restored to the lineup they really should be pushing for the bonus point we’re looking for.  Bookies have us winning by 17 but I’m going to put down a challenge to that young bench and say we’ll “only” win by about 8-10 pts in the hope that they prove me wrong and keep the visitors out.


Here’s to another good display by the boys in blue - as always follow me on Twitter throughout and at the full time whistle leave your thoughts on the Facebook page.  JLP
Glasgow Warriors : 15. Ollie Smith 14. Rufus McLean 13. Huw Jones 12. Sam Johnson 11. Cole Forbes 10. Adam Hastings 9. Jamie Dobie
1. Oli Kebble 2. Grant Stewart 3. Enrique Pieretto 4. Richie Gray 5. Leone Nakarawa 6. Rob Harley 7. Thomas Gordon 8. Ryan Wilson > (C)
16. Johnny Matthews 17. Aki Seiuli 18. D’arcy Rae 19. Gregor Brown 20. TJ Ioane 21. Sean Kennedy 22. Ross Thompson 23. Robbie Fergusson.

Guinness PRO14 2020/21 - Round 13
Sunday, February 28, 2021
KO 5:30pm
RDS Arena

Referee: Frank Murphy (IRFU)
AR1: Chris Busby (IRFU)
AR2: Robert O'Sullivan (IRFU)
TMO: Olly Hodges (IRFU)

Live on eir Sport 1, Premier Sports 1, Super Sport (SA), ESPN+ (USA), pro14.tv.

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Front Five - 27.02.21

Start your day with five eye-catching egg-chasing quotes & links from around the ruggersphere.

ICYMI click here for our
Italy v Ireland preview

The postponement of Scotland’s Six Nations match against France has allowed Glasgow coach Danny Wilson to name a stronger than expected line-up

Leinster v Glasgow: Scotland stars return for Warriors

Stuart Bathgate - The Offside Line
The four match points for Ulster leaves them a point behind Leinster at the top of Conference A, with Leo Cullen’s side having a match in hand

Frustration in victory for Ulster

Ciaran Donaghy - Belfast Newsletter
Carbery’s conversion was the moment to cherish, ending a nightmare 18 months

Joey Carbery return a sight to behold for Munster

Simon Lewis - Irish Examiner
...it is believed...that the Lions have block-booked two hotels for July and August on the island, which is among the places in the British Isles least affected by Covid-19

British and Irish Lions consider base in Jersey as contingency plan for tour

Gerard Meagher - The Guardian
 It may not have been their best performance but ambition and nerve deserves to be rewarded.

Bundee Aki's last minute try seals victory for Connacht in Treviso

Garry Doyle - The42.ie
Feel free to share any interesting links you spot yourself about t’internet by email, Twitter, Facebook, blog comment or carrier pigeon – whatever works for you. JLP

Note - views expressed in "Front Five" links do not necessarily reflect those of HarpinOnRugby
at
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Friday, February 26, 2021

Preview : Italy v Ireland

Let’s face it - there is absolutely nothing this Ireland team can possibly do this weekend that will appease the criticism which has been levelled at the Andy Farrell regime.  In fact, if we win, the bigger the margin, the more we’re going to hear “well that’s only because he put out his strongest team”.


Does this mean I’m setting myself up to defend them against all negativity?  Well I guess my opening paragraph makes it look that way doesn’t it.  But I wouldn’t see it so much as a defence, rather an attempted reset towards reality.


Obviously our match against Italy each season is meant to be an opportunity to give some game time to fringe players in the squad as well as young prospects.  But a lot of things are “meant to be” which aren’t these days.  


I suppose my stance on the Andy Farrell tenure so far can be summed up like this - while I agree with the view that we are yet to see a discernible approach that is much different to his predecessor, I find it hard to understand how he seems to be getting absolutely no mitigation whatsoever for all that has happened since his first match kicked off against Scotland over a year ago.


Sure, the COVID thing is a big factor in that, although it can’t be the only one since everyone on the planet has that on their plate right now.  I tend to be more sympathetic based on a spanner thrown in the works of BOTH his Six Nations campaigns before they had even lasted 20 minutes.


Ironically Peter O’Mahony was involved each time - we all know about the “chicken wing” a few weeks ago but also he was the one to come off the bench when Caelan Doris’ test debut was prematurely curtailed.  Just to be clear, this doesn’t mean I’m blaming “The War God”; my point is that when you go into a major tournament with a fixed formation and plan in mind, it really does pull the rug from under you when you have to go back to the drawing board before the team’s kit has gotten dirty.


All of which means I reckon the main reason this side is so strong for this is that Farrell & co want to show us at the earliest opportunity what he can do with his best available squad of players.  Maybe to use a poker analogy, an “all-in” bet that once we see them playing at full tilt and see what they can do, we might feel better about the upcoming challenges against Scotland and England.  


Remember - I’m not saying it’s a gamble that’s likely to pay off, but if it’s true I can definitely see the logic in it and I’d have to give respect to someone who sticks to their own beliefs rather than ripping up the playbook altogether as so many seem to want.


Well, that’s my “hot take” anyway, I guess we’ll never know.  What say we harp on how the match is likely to go.  If I had to name one position where I thought we’d certainly “take a punt” it’s at 9.  Starting Craig Casey against Italy would at least take some of the edge off not playing him against France.


But instead, we have Jamison Gibson-Park given another chance to show he’s more than just a “ good impact sub” at this level, a point he’s only really likely to prove once he’s allowed to go with his instincts as opposed to being forced to kick more often than not.


As for the rest of the back line, well, as soon as I saw it was entirely made of Leinster players I knew the judgement would be harsh.  To be fair, when it comes to James Lowe I understand the defensive issues which many have pointed out, although each time he has been found wanting there were also questions to be asked of others earlier in the sequence.


What we should be asking ourselves instead of “what they can do wrong” or “why are they all from the same province” is this : “what can they actually provide?” and given we’re likely to face an Italian defence which despite being at home is likely to attempt to “park the bus” without the ball, you have to admit there’s a lot of game-breaking ability from 9 to 15.


During the week in the podcast I spoke to Mark Jackson about how underused Garry Ringrose has been in our attacking set up since he got to senior level, and with our half-backs likely to kick for territory and such an explosive back three on call, we’re unlikely to see that change much here.  I just don’t think we employ Garry’s rugby brain to its full potential and when he does contribute it tends to be in broken play.


Anyway, into the forwards; I have to say I like this front row, and I wonder if this could be the day where Dave Kilcoyne puts the whole “Porter shifting to loose head” debate to bed once and for all.  I definitely see the logic in that shift mind you, it’s just I have long been a fan of “Killer” in green and I can imagine how all that talk must sound from where he’s standing.


Ronán Kelleher is another who was originally tapped by Andy Farrell only to succumb to injury so he too has a chance here to stake his claim for a regular spot.  His try against France might have had a touch of luck to it but he still finished it very well and he certainly put himself about.


The engine room needs no justification - both Hendo and Ryan are born leaders and if we can’t back them to link with Kelleher for the good supply of lineout ball we regularly crave (especially with the coach behind them) then we might as well give up.


Another thing we discussed on the pod was the back row.  With so much talent available around the four provinces, surely that gives us an “a la carte menu” or sorts that allows us to select based on our plan for a given opposition?  Tadhg Beirne switching to 6 seems to provide us with a trio that should punish the Italians for having the audacity for running at us.  Basically whenever Will Connors applies his trademark chop tackles, Tadhg or CJ should be on hand to contest.


Then there’s the bench.  It would of course be cruel not to give young Casey at least 15 minutes no matter what is happening on the scoreboard, but it’s more the introductions of Messrs Baird and Conan that will interest me, not because of their province rather one making his debut and the other making a much deserved return to this level.


Obviously I was as disappointed as anyone to see Rhys Ruddock’s name left out of the 23 altogether but like I said that may have been more of a tactical choice and besides, if this means he’s available to play in Belfast next weekend then at least Leinster get some benefit.  Whatever the reasons I’m sure they will have been explained to him.


What of the opposition?  Well, I never like to see them get an absolute tonking, though if they defend like they did in their first two matches this could be another one.  On the attacking side I reckon Canna’s presence at 12 is much better for both the young halfbacks as well as Brex outside him although with the Henshaw/Ringrose pairing assigned to snuff out their points of attack they won’t have things all their own way.


Before I give my expectations of the result, I first want to lay out what I want to see that will make me “happy” going back to my opening statement.  Basically if I’m right about their desire to show us what they have always meant to do with this team, I want to be shown it.  Hopefully the rugby gods will spare us the injury or controversy this time to make that impossible but I’m willing to admit I’m impressed if I see anything that warrants that, no matter what the opposition might be.


The bookies are saying we should win by 22.  I reckon that’s a reasonable target for us to try and beat.  Remember, Farrell says three wins is still very much doable so if we’re really going to go for that we’ll have to rack up the points to make sure that gets us into the top three.  So with a decent attack plan, good execution, solid set-pieces and D, rugby gods smiling….with all due respect to our hosts, I reckon we should expect a margin of 25 or more from all of that.


Now lads, there’s your challenge - go out and show all the doubters you can do it.  JLP


As always, be sure to follow me on twitter throughout and after the full time whistle head over to the Facebook page and leave your thoughts. 


Italy : 15. Jacopo Trulla 14. Luca Sperandio 13. Juan Ignacio Brex 12. Carlo Canna 11. Monty Ioane 10. Paolo Garbisi 9. Stephen Varney
1. Andrea Lovotti 2. Luca Bigi > (captain) 3. Marco Riccioni 4. Marco Lazzaroni 5. David Sisi 6. Sebastian Negri 7. Johan Meyer 8. Michele Lamaro
Replacements: 16. Gianmarco Lucchesi 17. Cherif Traore 18. Giosue Zilocchi 19. Niccolo Cannone 20. Maxime Mbanda 21. Callum Braley 22. Federico Mori 23. Mattia Bellini.

Six Nations 2021 - Round 3
Saturday, February 27, 2021
KO 2:15pm
Stadio Olimpico

Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France)
AR1: Mike Adamson (Scotland)
AR2: Craig Evans (Wales)
TMO: Romain Poite (France)

Live on Virgin Media One.
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Front Five - 26.02.21

Start your day with five eye-catching egg-chasing quotes & links from around the ruggersphere.

ICYMI click here for our weekly list of
upcoming rugby on Irish TV

"He's at the front of the class with his notepad the whole time, taking everything in. His attitude is infectious."

Farrell hails ‘sponge’ Casey as he backs Sexton to remain a key part of his plans

Ruaidhri O'Connor - Irish Independent
Carbery did make a brief return for Munster last season but his most recent appearance was in January 2020.

Carbery back in Munster's matchday 23 after over a year out of the game

Murray Kinsella - The42.ie
Stockdale returns to the side for the first time since the Munster match while...Baloucoune will make his first appearance of the season if he comes off the bench

Teams up for Ulster v Ospreys

The Front Row Union
Young half-back pair Stephen Varney, 19, and Paolo Garbisi, 20, are again entrusted by Smith

Ireland to face unchanged Italy side

RTÉ Rugby
...the panel will now review Fagerson's schedule and "consider the consequences of the postponement".

Zander Fagerson: Scotland prop could yet play in Six Nations despite losing appeal against four-game ban

SkySports.com
Feel free to share any interesting links you spot yourself about t’internet by email, Twitter, Facebook, blog comment or carrier pigeon – whatever works for you. JLP

Note - views expressed in "Front Five" links do not necessarily reflect those of HarpinOnRugby
at
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Thursday, February 25, 2021

Rugby on TV : Feb 25-Mar 4

Rugby on TV is brought to you by
the IrishRugby TV YouTube channel


I understand the TV companies pay for the right to dictate the rugby schedule but if I were a Dragons fan I'd be pretty pissed off my team was kicking off just half an hour after the Welsh started against England.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25

5PM
PRO 14 HIGHLIGHTS
FREESPORTS

5PM
DRAGONS V LEINSTER (R)
PRO 14
EIR SPORT 2

10:50PM
THE PRO 14 HOUR (R)
EIR SPORT 1

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26

5:30PM
BENETTON V CONNACHT (L)
PRO 14
TG4
PREMIER SPORTS 2

7:45PM
SALE SHARKS V EXETER CHIEFS (L)
PREMIERSHIP
BT SPORT 1

8PM
CARDIFF BLUES V MUNSTER (L)
PRO 14
TG4
EIR SPORT 1
PREMIER SPORTS 2

8PM
ULSTER V OSPREYS (L)
PRO 14
EIR SPORT 2
PREMIER SPORTS 1

8PM
SIX NATIONS HIGHLIGHTS
VIRGIN MEDIA SPORT

9:55PM
ULSTER V OSPREYS (H)
PRO 14
TG4

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27

10AM
CARDIFF BLUES V MUNSTER (R)
PRO 14
EIR SPORT 2

11:40AM
SOUTH AFRICA V LIONS (R-1997)
THIRD TEST
SKY SPORTS MIX

12PM
NEW ZEALAND V LIONS (R-2005)
SECOND TEST (DAN CARTER : THE PERFECT GAME)
SKY SPORTS ARENA

12PM
EDINBURGH V SCARLETS (L)
PRO 14
EIR SPORT 1
PREMIER SPORTS 1

1PM
BRISTOL BEARS V LEICESTER TIGERS (L)
PREMIERSHIP
BT SPORT EXTRA

1:45PM
DAN CARTER : A PERFECT 10
DOCUMENTARY
SKY SPORTS ARENA

2:15PM
ITALY V IRELAND (L)
SIX NATIONS
VIRGIN MEDIA ONE
ITV

3PM
NEWCASTLE FALCONS V HARLEQUINS (L)
PREMIERSHIP
BT SPORT EXTRA

3PM
WASPS V LONDON IRISH (L)
PREMIERSHIP
BT SPORT EXTRA

3:15PM
GLOUCESTER V WORCESTER (L)
PREMIERSHIP
BT SPORT EXTRA

4:45PM
WALES V ENGLAND (L)
SIX NATIONS
VIRGIN MEDIA ONE
BBC ONE
S4C

5:15PM
ZEBRE V DRAGONS (L)
PRO 14
EIR SPORT 1
PREMIER SPORTS 1

10:45PM
BENETTON V CONNACHT (R)
PRO 14
EIR SPORT 2

10:50PM
SIX NATIONS HIGHLIGHTS
VIRGIN MEDIA TWO
VIRGIN MEDIA SPORT

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28

1PM
NORTHAMPTON V BATH (L)
PREMIERSHIP
BT SPORT 2

3PM
FRANCE V SCOTLAND (L)
SIX NATIONS
VIRGIN MEDIA ONE
BBC ONE
(POSTPONED)

5:30PM
LEINSTER V GLASGOW WARRIORS (L)
PRO 14
EIR SPORT 1
PREMIER SPORTS 1

7PM
ITALY V IRELAND (R)
SIX NATIONS
VIRGIN MEDIA SPORT

10PM
PREMIERSHIP HIGHLIGHTS
BT SPORT 2

10:25PM
LEINSTER V GLASGOW WARRIORS (R)
PRO 14
EIR SPORT 2

11:15PM
SIX NATIONS HIGHLIGHTS
VIRGIN MEDIA SPORT

MONDAY, MARCH 1

5PM
BENETTON V CONNACHT (R)
PRO 14
EIR SPORT 1

5:30PM
CARDIFF BLUES V MUNSTER (R)
PRO 14
EIR SPORT 2

7:30PM
PREMIERSHIP HIGHLIGHTS
BT SPORT 2

8PM
AGAINST THE HEAD
RTÉ TWO

9PM
LEINSTER V GLASGOW WARRIORS (H)
PRO 14
TG4

TUESDAY, MARCH 2

7PM
LEINSTER V GLASGOW WARRIORS (R)
PRO 14
EIR SPORT 2

7:30PM
PREMIERSHIP HIGHLIGHTS
BT SPORT 2

9PM
CARDIFF BLUES V MUNSTER (R)
PRO 14
EIR SPORT 2

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3

5PM
IRELAND V AUSTRALIA (R-2011)
CLASSIC RUGBY WORLD CUP
EIR SPORT 2

9:50PM
THE PRO 14 HOUR
EIR SPORT 1

11:30PM
PRO 14 HIGHLIGHTS
BBC TWO

THURSDAY, MARCH 4

5PM
LEINSTER V GLASGOW WARRIORS (R)
PRO 14
EIR SPORT 1

5PM
BENETTON V CONNACHT (R)
PRO 14
EIR SPORT 2

11PM
PRO 14 HIGHLIGHTS
FREESPORTS

********************

L = LIVE
R = FULL REPEAT
T = TAPE DELAY
H = HIGHLIGHTS

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Front Five - 25.02.21

Start your day with five eye-catching egg-chasing quotes & links from around the ruggersphere.

Gary Halpin RIP

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The HarpinOnRugby Podcast

With James Ryan restored to the secondrow, such has been Tadhg Beirne’s form that he is likely to be moved to blindside at the expense of Rhys Ruddock.

New Ireland frontrow among expected raft of changes for Italy trip

Gerry Thornley - Irish Times
Halpin was responsible for one of the most iconic moments in Irish Rugby history

Former Ireland international Gary Halpin passes away age 55

Ciarán Kennedy - The42.ie
Leinster Rugby, along with Racing 92, Wasps, Bordeaux-Bègles and Munster Rugby will each be guaranteed a home fixture.

EPCR confirm 2020/21 Champions Cup knockout format

Conor Sharkey - LeinsterRugby.ie
"I have only ever had eyes for Ireland"

Grass not greener for Iain Henderson as Ulster captain toasts new deal

Independent.ie
"Forget it, it’s a poor call"

Mic’d up Rob Kearney shows fierce competitive streak in Super Rugby clash

Rugby Onslaught
Feel free to share any interesting links you spot yourself about t’internet by email, Twitter, Facebook, blog comment or carrier pigeon – whatever works for you. JLP

Note - views expressed in "Front Five" links do not necessarily reflect those of HarpinOnRugby
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D4tress
Taken by JLP from RDS press box on Nov 16, 2019