The dust has settled, the flags have been lowered, and as the curtains close, a message displays. It happens to be the same as when we started off.

Munster are the best in the land.

Hyperbole? Not really. Since 2023, the Munster women have played 16 interprovincial fixtures, winning 14 and taking home back to back titles in 2025 and 2026.

Impressive.

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Matt Brown has been head coach for each of those most recent campaigns, with Maeve Óg O’Leary his leader-in-chief. Between them, and a talented array of coaches and players, we are witnessing domination that the armchair viewer may miss.

The Leinster backline in Saturday’s final featured seven test internationals alone, with three more in the pack. The Munster starting XV contained just seven in total, of which Aoife Corey is stuck on one, and Maeve Óg has not featured in recent years.

Reflective? Silly question.

Whether Ireland head coach Scott Bemand decides to read the tea leaves is his prerogative, but recent selections would suggest a swaying of thought. Naturally.

Across the four week tournament - which has been described as a sprint and a marathon depending on which player you speak to - there was one deserving winner, and three competitors.

In the round robin stages, the girls in red recorded 20, 62 and 35 point wins; matching a clearly clinical attack with a ruthlessly defensive meanness. Playing as a side without weakness, it was like watching the Red Roses in all their glory.

If they were a PWR side, they would be playoff contenders at the very least.

Eilis Cahill was their Sarah Bern. A lockdown anchor who would scrummage you off the park and win every collision. In Jane Clohessy and Sally Kelly, you had defensive weapons shooting out to stifle half-backs. Beth Buttimer was a try scoring queen, Grace Moore an abrasive figure and then the glue - O’Leary, who shone when on-field but was mainly a hype woman on the sideline due to injury.

Shifting out wide and you had playmakers, speed merchants, game breakers and physical collision winners; making them a jack of all trades and a master of all too.

Come final day, some predicted another walkover on their north-easterly neighbours. It never came, and instead we tuned in to a gruelling tête-a-tête between two street fighters.

But the result did not change, and red conquered blue in the age old colour clash.

With WXV fast approaching, decisions must be made. Bold and brave, and trusty friendships. The most notable omission - Siobhán McCarthy - continues to baffle this writer, as it leaves Ireland thin on the ground in terms of quality, minutes and form at loosehead prop.

Her front-row confidants Buttimer and Cahill have done all they can to progress to starting berths, even if Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald and Linda Djougang are poised to be retained.

And then comes the big one, the fabled number ten debate. Finn vs O’Brien. Young hot shot versus the incumbent. The eerie similarity to Crowley vs Prendergast (a swashbuckler vs a general) is almost too rich for any blood.

In this writer’s opinion, there is nothing more Finn can do to wrestle the shirt off of O’Brien, bar a hasty move east to the PWR and dominating over there.

She has torn up the AIL, leading UL Bohs to back-to-back titles. Her Celtic Challenge form, across 10 and 12 has been a joy, while also tearing it up with the Ireland Under-21s and Munster over the past 13 months.

Even if the USA seems too soon, a bench role is a must with starts against Japan to follow. Otherwise what is the point.

Like Leinster’s player of the tournament Robyn O’Connor; these girls have the ability to be thrown into the ocean and swim home despite shark-infested waters. Gritty and talented, with the mental poise to match.

The same can be said for McInnerney and Clohessy too, as Munster hands soar above the rest.

Your move Mr. Bemand, there is no wrong answer. The depth is there for real competition to form, the backbone to greatness

Defending champions Munster claimed a big scalp on the opening day of the 2026 of the 2026 Vodafone Women’s Interprovincial Championship as they breezed past Leinster in Cork on Saturday.

Four tries from player of the match Beth Buttimer plus scores from Alana McInnerney, Eilís Cahill and Katie Corrigan helped the home side to a big win over their arch rivals.

First blood went the way of the hosts, capitalising off a Leinster penalty from the kickoff as a rampant rolling maul led to Beth Buttimer dotting down for Munster. It was Matt Brown’s squad who dominated the early proceedings, taking the game to their opponents across the opening quarter.

They made that pressure count on the 13th minute, again off the back of a powerful maul charge. This one was brought down by Leinster but there would be no stopping Alana McInerney from close range, with the Clare woman slicing through the defence after a patient passage.

Despite multiple attacking efforts in the interim, it would be another 13 minutes before Leinster landed their opening rebuttal. Captain Sarah Delaney was the beneficiary from the back of an impressive maul charge, with Ireland out-half Dannah O’Brien adding the extras from the left touchline.

Try number three soon followed for Munster however, striking with their first attacking sequence following the restart. Buttimer diving in for her second try after a defensive lapse at ruck time from the visitors.

Maggie Boylan bravely charged down Enya Breen’s conversion attempt, so the lead stayed at eight points, as it would remain until the break with Munster taking a 15-7 advantage into the interval.

Matt Brown’s squad picked up where they left off in the second half, having been catapulted upfield off the back of a deft 50/22 from out-half Breen. Captain Maeve Óg O’Leary, who was briefly replaced before half-time broke through the defence and towards the Leinster line, before Beth Buttimer looked to dot down but was adjudged to have been held up.

They secured the bonus point from the next attack however with Ireland prop Eilís Cahill powering her way over from a yard out. Cahill was one of Munster’s most impactful performers across the 80, bringing a powerful edge alongside the likes of Jane Clohessy who also stood out.

Try as they might, Leinster failed to take advantage of Munster losing a player to the bin, instead the home side got their fifth midway through the second half. An excellent touch finder from replacement Caitríona Finn led to another rolling maul, from which Beth Buttimer dotted down for her hat trick score.

The youngster then converted from the right hand touchline to give Munster a 20 point buffer with 20 minutes remaining.

Ireland captain Erin King attempted to drag the visitors back into the tie with an excellent break before being dragged down by her opposite number O’Leary, but the red wall eventually creaked with King darting over a few phases later.

Old Belvedere winger Katie Corrigan put the game out of reach in the 71st minute as she raced home down the right flank to score her first try in red, following a lengthy period of Leinster knocking on the door.

The 2024 winners struck late on courtesy of prop Hannah Wilson before Buttimer got her fourth as Munster took the full five points, and continued their winning run in Cork.

Scorers:

Munster: Tries: Beth Buttimer (4), Alana McInnerney, Eilís Cahill, Katie Corrigan

Cons: Caitríona Finn (2)

Yellow card: Aoife Corey

Leinster: Tries: Sarah Delaney, Erin King, Hannah Wilson

Cons: Dannah O’Brien (2)

Yellow card: Linda Djougang

Munster: Aoife Corey; Katie Corrigan, Alana McInerney, Lucia Linn, Chisom Ugwueru; Enya Breen, Emily Lane; Siobhan McCarthy, Beth Buttimer, Eilís Cahill; Clodagh O’Halloran, Jane Clohessy; Sally Kelly, Grace Moore, Maeve Óg O’Leary (capt).

Replacements: Emma Dunican, Tuathla Ryan, Alisha Flynn, Aoibhe O’Flynn, AnnaKate Cournane, Abbie Salter-Townshend, Caitríona Finn, Ellen Boylan.

Leinster: Robyn O’Connor; Maggie Boylan, Aoife Dalton, Eve Higgins, Vicky Elmes Kinlan; Dannah O’Brien, Jade Gaffney; Caoimhe Molloy, Sarah Delaney (capt), Linda Djougang; Ruth Campbell, Kate Jordan; Rosie Searle, Roisín Kinch, Erin King.

Replacements: Emma Jane Wilson, Hannah Wilson, Shona White, Alma Atagamen, Aoife Corcoran, Alex Connor, Ellie O’Sullivan Sexton, Emma Tilly.

New Zealand 40-21 Ireland

Stop the lights and read the room. Eventually the clues have to be noticed as a pattern, and not as some random consortment of mysteries scattered like a crime scene.

And Auckland was just the latest crime scene of which Ireland were the victim of a massacre, by their lofty standards. A steep half-time deficit was the true reflection of another one-sided contest in which Ireland were outmatched by a superior opponent.

Trailing by 21 points at the break, it’s hard to paper over the cracks of the Titanic.

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If you want to look at the positives, Ireland did front up in defence to stop a hefty scoreline from being a rout. On paper, this squad was second best and always likely to lose by more than two scores, especially considering that was the margin in Chicago.

No Porter, Doris, Crowley and others makes a difference, and can limit the Kiwi rearguard; but that merely flattens the gradient rather than making the climb a walk in the Garden of Eden-Park.

And as much as praise can be merited for effort, it’s also the bare minimum. For all the talk of Andy Farrell being able to “get a tune out of this team”, Ireland failed to register any known hit today.

I am also reminded of Roy Keane who once claimed players should not need motivation.

This is test rugby, it’s visceral and should be void of the dependancy on a motivational speech to help you to pitch up.

In some ways, the on-field display was everything we feared. Overpowered, outplayed and never in with a sniff of a scalp. To end the season, that’s just really disappointing.

After Ireland righted the wrongs in the Six Nations to smash Scotland; ending July without even a whimper leaves a lot to be desired.

The one-two punch of scores from Tuipulotu and Savea was where this game really ended, with the second quarter still in it’s infancy. Ireland had worked hard to mount territorial pressure to start the game, but New Zealand scored with their first meaningful opportunity down the other end.

That’s our jib.

Within about eight minutes Ireland went from hopefuls to scramblers, and not even the reprieve of Jacobsen yellow card and chalked off try could offer any real path back into the game.

Jack Conan pulled one back before Will Jordan evaporated the fightback from the restart and that, in all reality, was game over.

Asafo Aumua’s try on the stroke of half-time was merely adding the dirt back onto the coffin already six feet under.

And yet Ireland refused to lie down and take a record hammering, even winning the second half 12-10; but yet that would be a false celebratory narrative I just cannot stand.

After all, Ireland are now 0/6 against New Zealand, France and South Africa since November 2024, losing all by 10+ points.

If England went on this run, knives would be sharpened like the hatewatch in Atlanta on Wednesday.

Still, despite the loss, it’s borderline stupid to rubberstamp with “the quality is not there.”

It absolutely is. Look at how Robert Baloucoune, Nick Timoney and Sean Jansen have taken their chances this season alone. Build it and they will come; back the players and they will perform.

How that unfolds remains to be seen, especially in a landscape where praising a 19 point loss has become commonplace. Add in Farrell’s allergy to evolution and you can foresee two full bore squads to face Argentina and South Africa.

But, if they do, I would fully back the players. Tom Clarkson, Cormac Izuchukwu, Cian Prendergast, Craig Casey, Jude Postlethwaite, Jamie Osborne.

You name them, we have depth. Watch them with their provinces and tell me they’re not good enough.

Off with the head of that lazy analysis.

If club form was the only metric worth watching, South Africa would not have two World Cups under Rassie Erasmus.

And they are the standard bearers that we will be hunting down for more than 18 months.

On the Whistle Player Ratings:

Hugo Keenan - 7; Rob Baloucoune - 6, Garry Ringrose - 5, Stuart McCloskey - 6, Jimmy O’Brien - 6.5; Sam Prendergast - 5.5, Jamison Gibson-Park - 5.5; Tom O’Toole - 5.5, Dan Sheehan (capt) - 6, Tadhg Furlong - 6; Joe McCarthy - 7.5, James Ryan - 6; Tadhg Beirne - 6.5, Josh van der Flier - 6.5, Jack Conan - 7.

Rónan Kelleher - 6, Jeremy Loughman - 7, Thomas Clarkson - 5.5, Nick Timoney - 5.5, Sean Jansen - 6, Craig Casey - 6, Ciarán Frawley - 6, Bundee Aki - 7.

So far, so good. Even an analyst like myself can claim that Ireland have gotten everything they needed from their first two games of this brand new Nations Championship.

Sure it was imperfect, but two wins, ten points and 33 players used is good news for all ranges of observer. Work ons and deficiencies can be accounted for down the line, but right now, as we head into the final game week of the 2025/26 rugby season, Ireland are in a decent place.

However, they must not celebrate too early as Saturday presents a chance to kill or be killed, where every reaction is multiplied and the danger levels soar.

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Auckland’s iconic Eden Park fortress is the next venue to open their gates to Ireland, following a fortnight in Australia. The final act being the most daunting leads to the marquee game of the weekend, by almost every metric.

That said, this is not the Ireland we can all recite. Andrew Porter, Ryan Baird, Caelan Doris, Jack Crowley, James Lowe, Mack Hansen and Tommy O’Brien are all unavailable, so the beacon of responsibility gets passed along the line.

After all, after a record number of Lions tourists 12 months ago, this should be no problem… right?

Well…

Eden Park is practically a No-Fly Zone because no one comes back to earth safely there. Ireland’s most recent visit perfect encapsulates what it means to face the All Blacks in a graveyard of opposing dreams.

That day Ireland fell to a pretty hefty 42-19 loss in the opening test of their 2022 Tour Series, before winning the next two tests in dominant fashion. But the voodoo in Auckland rendered Andy Farrell’s squad - who were at their peak that summer - stagnant and starstruck.

Overcoming this mental and physical wall is challenge numero uno this weekend.

It is also not for nought that the Ireland v New Zealand “rivalry” has started to die a death since that infamous summer tour. Three meetings since, all going the way of the All Blacks, and by increasing margin of victory over that spell.

That’s what makes Saturday’s fixture more ominous than usual.

New Zealand are not where they want to be, and in spite of all the toxic positivity, Ireland are not either; and yet they seem to be slipping. So getting a positive performance from the final game of this test window is paramount.

In many ways, this game is almost standalone in nature.

The Australia and Japan tests can be taken as their own window, as means of studying for the examinations that lie ahead. The Wallabies reminded us that Ireland are a tough team to beat unless you are levels above them.

Japan gave us a chance to clear out the dirty diesel, get valuable minutes into depth options; all while leaving with a full five points.

And now it’s New Zealand. It’s a new test, a new challenge, and a new subject. Ireland must now return to the scene of the crime, of their most relentless nightmares, and see where they stack up against the world’s best.

A repeat of Paris or Chicago simply will not do, even if they have more excuses on flash cards at the ready. 14 months out from next year’s World Cup, Ireland need to announce themselves again with a statement. That is the task of this test.

Pass or fail, we shall see. But anything less than 40% would leave us struggling when Andy Farrell’s squad return to Australia next year.

My Predicted Ireland 23:

Hugo Keenan; Robert Baloucoune, Garry Ringrose, Stuart McCloskey, Jamie Osborne; Sam Prendergast, Jamison Gibson-Park; Tom O’Toole, Dan Sheehan (capt.), Tom Clarkson; Joe McCarthy, James Ryan; Tadhg Beirne, Nick Timoney, Jack Conan.

Replacements: Ronan Kelleher, Jeremy Loughman, Tadhg Furlong, Cormac Izuchukwu, Josh van der Flier, Sean Jansen, Craig Casey, Ciarán Frawley.

Ireland are unbeaten in Nations Championship history. So are Wales, Japan and Scotland; but so too are Andy Farrell’s Ireland. The substance of the performance can be picked apart on another day, but it was a good win. Performance and result are not intertwined, as we all know.

Next up it’s a clash with Japan, in Australia, as Ireland look to go two from two. There will be a push to keep the shackles on this week, but given the form of the Brave Blossoms, Ireland should not have any fears regarding victory on Saturday.

With that in mind, here is the matchday 23 that I would select in Newcastle.

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Front Row: Billy Bohan*, Rónan Kelleher, Tom Clarkson

With a change guaranteed across the six, with Jeremy Loughman sidelined, fortune could favour the brave, and the young Billy Bohan. The Connacht prop has enjoyed a dream breakout season with the province, and is poised to win his test debut on Saturday wearing either the #1 or #17 shirts.

For me, a starting role could be a baptism without the fire for a player more than capable of shining bright. Adding in the scrum-savy duo of Kelleher and Clarkson, who themselves are in need of enhanced test minutes; could kick off a very exciting lineup.

Second Row: Darragh Murray, Joe McCarthy

The second row tandem offers Ireland a chance to mix and match accordingly. Cormac Izuchukwu could very easily lay claim to a starting berth, but the option of pairing Murray and McCarthy almost makes too much sense.

A lineout operator alongside a more robust option; the duo could compliment each other and bring the best out of one another. Although Murray will have a sizeable challenge to hold off the Baird-Izuchukwu-Ahern trio in 12 months time; handing him the starting jersey, alongside a test Lion, would set him up for success.

Back Row: Tadhg Beirne (capt), Nick Timoney, Jack Conan

Choosing an Irish back row has long been a tricky prospect, and nothing changes this weekend. Having elected for two switches on the flanks, it seems shrewd to hold Jack Conan in the number eight jumper as a safekeeping exercise.

Tadhg Beirne’s return from injury has come at the best possible time, and opting for his recall on the flank would help free up some of the newer combinations around him; while Timoney and Conan’s all round abrasiveness can secure Ireland the go forward momentum to let the new look half-back pairing thrive.

Half-Back: Craig Casey, Ciarán Frawley

Rested after 80 minute showings; out goes Gibson-Park and Prendergast, in come Casey and Frawley from the reserves; with Doak and Byrne returning from the bench. Sounds logical, right?

Although a starting role at out-half would be Frawley’s first of the season in a competitive game; you pick players to play them, not to be training bodies; so why not back it up? Alongside him in Casey is a reliable option who knows exactly what Ireland want, and can be a pressure release valve for Frawley.

Centre: Bundee Aki, Jamie Osborne

A new look midfield pairing next, but another selection that, I feel, would get the most out of one another. The unstoppable wrecking ball of Bundee Aki alongside the sophisticated Jamie Osborne, a man who despite being often miscast, is well suited to what Ireland want from that outside channel.

With smart running lines and a trusty left boot to help those around him, getting Osborne a full game in the Irish midfield would be a good use of minutes, after an okay performance in Sydney.

Back Three: Zac Ward, Hugo Keenan, Robert Baloucoune

Rounding out the matchday side is one of the most electric back threes you will see an Irish team select, should the coaching ticket follow suit. Pace, pace and more pace; you cannot help but be excited by another Ward-Baloucoune tramline tandem, as seen at Ulster.

Between them, Hugo Keenan should once again get the nod after a Player of the Match performance last time out; thus giving Ireland a potential first run out for the trio as a group, before Eden Park perhaps?

Replacements: Tom Stewart, Tom O’Toole, Sam Illo*, Cormac Izuchukwu, Bryn Ward*, Nathan Doak, Harry Byrne, Jimmy O’Brien.

Two more debutants complete the matchday squad in Sam Illo and Bryn Ward; but for me it’s all about how Ireland use the bench. In tests gone by, Andy Farrell has been slow to deploy the cavalry, so with that in mind I have added the timings I would opt for the bench, regardless of the flow of the game; in order to maximise valuable minutes across the playing group.

Sub timings:

Stewart for Kelleher: 50-60’ range, O’Toole for Bohan: 50-55’, Illo for Clarkson: 60-65’;

Izuchukwu for McCarthy: 55-65’, Ward for Timoney: 60-65’;

Doak for Casey: 60-65’, Byrne for Keenan: 55-60’, J O’Brien for T O’Brien: 55-60’.

There is one clear non-negotiable in professional sports. Synomyms of the one idea; as we all look for the same thing. Heart, fight, character. Call it what you want, it is a necessity.

Rugby, if anything, demands it more than other sports given it’s physical and confrontational natute. Failing to pitch up mentally can lead to devestating effects physically.

Right now, Ireland feel like a team full of oomph, but not much behind it. An aging squad looking to get to the World Cup unscathed; this coming summer could be a shot in the arm or a deathknell to their chances of competing.

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There is no doubt that Ireland’s current injury list, their worst of the Andy Farrell era, is debilitating. Andrew Porter, Paddy McCarthy, Ryan Baird, Caelan Doris, Jack Crowley (above) and Mack Hansen all ruled out, while James Lowe’s test career came to an abrupt halt.

It makes a team built on cohesion, harder to read or predict; so to try our best we must reflect on the trends of recent windows.

The Six Nations, by and large, has been a success if you want to use that shade of paint. 1st-2nd-2nd over the last three years is certainly not bad; although their last two losses to France by a combined 37 points is pretty grim.

Their southern hemisphere record since the World Cup has not been much better either. Three straight losses to the All Blacks, and one win from three to the Boks tells you all you need to know.

Tier 1.5 of the top, top nations

Having been a legitimate contender in 2023, it does feel like Ireland have stagnated at best, or simply regressed from the top of the mountain back towards the chasing pack.

So what is the aim for the Summer?

For my mind: caps, freshness and evolution.

But… that’s hard to see.

Assistant coach Paul O’Connell has already decreed that they are heading down under to win and not to hand out caps like sweets, but that attitude feels incredibly dangerous.

With so little time until they return in actual tournament mode, is there much danger in trying to test out all four corners of your depth chart? Sure you could argue there’s enough rugby IP already sidelined as is, but what more does Bryn Ward (above) have to do to get capped?

It is this gatekeeping effect that the Andy Farrell era has had that frustrates fans country-wide. At a time where even Wales and Scotland rotate about as often as Ireland; it just feels incredibly naive.

Sleepwalking into the next brick wall.

It is critical that Ireland have a full three game run of competitive fixtures this July, the type we have not seen in some time. The Six Nations of 2026 was stop start in nature, while last November was bookended with drab performances.

One would hope that experimentation will breed competition for places and thus, bring greater form to the matchday side; but we shall wait and see.

If my own prayers are answered, Ireland will head into the Autumn with the consensus first 23 looking something like this:

15. Hugo Keenan; 14. Robert Baloucoune, 13. Garry Ringrose, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 11. Mack Hansen; 10. Jack Crowley, 9. Jamison Gibson-Park; 1. Andrew Porter, 2. Dan Sheehan, 3. Tadhg Furlong; 4. Joe McCarthy, 5. James Ryan; 6. Tadhg Beirne, 7. Josh van der Flier, 8. Caelan Doris (capt).

16. Rónan Kelleher, 17. Tom O’Toole, 18. Tom Clarkson, 19. Edwin Edogbo, 20. Jack Conan, 21. Craig Casey, 22. Sam Prendergast, 23. Tommy O’Brien.

Is this group, plus about 10 “next man up” guys, good enough to feel more confident 12 months from now? Absolutely. But it’s about finding the correct path.

Time after time Andy Farrell has sauntered down the road most travelled, but if we learned anything from the Six Nations; it’s that the one less travelled, with more scope to change things up; is not quite as scary as we are told.

Just look at the emergence of Tom O’Toole and Robert Baloucoune.

As for this Saturday, it is all up in the air. I risk dissenting a large cohort of Aussie readers with this next bit but if I am honest; I would not trust the Wallabies to beat the stretch in the evenings in their current guise.

Joe Schmidt’s men feel like they are both more and less than the sum of their parts simultaneously.

Add in the fact that we could yet see Joe return to Irish rugby, via Leinster, it adds a slim layer of intrigue however unlikely that eventuality is.

A week that promised excitement and intrigue, turned into one of mourning around South County Dublin and its leafy surrounds. Man of the hour for the better part of a decade James Lowe, will not be at Leinster next season, and with the news came an avalanche of anguish.

Natural, and never to be apologised for, a charismatic emblem at the forefront of “this era” of Leinster Rugby; there is no doubt that the loss of the winger’s talents are as much about his on-field abilities as much as his everyday persona.

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The destination remains unconfirmed, albeit it matters little to the national conversation sparked up in the aftermath of a failed contract negotiation. Neither James Lowe, his adoring fans, Leinster, nor the IRFU wanted this unsatisfactory ending to the 33-year-old’s stint in Ireland; yet here we are.

But how?

The most blasé route to take the conversation is one not too dissimilar to “it is what it is”. Not designed to poo-poo the departure, but rather accept that once a generation is a decent return between losses of marquee players.

Not since Johnny Sexton in 2013 have Leinster lost such a talismanic figure, as they became the primary beneficiaries of the old Central Contracting model, where the IRFU began to pay 100% of the wages of five, then six, then eight and then 11 Leinster players.

To go that long without a major loss is a blessing that not even the rich French clubs would have. Yet it has been portrayed, in some rarified air, as an attempt by the IRFU to derail their “most successful province”. Utter horse manure if you ask me.

The IRFU are in place to serve the best interests of the entire game in Ireland, not to fund a quest for stars on one jersey. I for one believe James Lowe remaining in Ireland is better for everyone; but far be it for provincial fans to feel sympathy given their own harsher financial restrictions in years gone by.

Another firm argument would be that Leinster are merely counting the cost of borrowing from their future. The David Nucifora infused push across 2022 to 2024, at a time where other provinces were tightening their belts in a manner Charlie Haughey would be proud of; Leinster were moving Irish stars off budget, and signing Jordie Barrett, RG Snyman and later, Rieko Ioane.

That was unsustainable, at least in a provincial construct.

^{My chat with Jamie Wall of the DSPN Rugby, chatting all things Ireland}

Although Leinster are a club with some wealthy benefactors, a decent chunk of their playing budget is funded by a Union. Therefore, their actions cannot be disconnected from their local rivals with a mere waving of a hand.

It’s why comments of “make it work”, that were bandied about about Peter O’Mahony in 2024, could just as easily be thrown at Leinster now. But again, that would miss the point.

The point being that Leinster were in fact also living way beyond their means, and like Saracens, borrowed money from their future to pay for the now; but it’s time to cough up. When that happens, there will always be casualties of top billing.

It could also be argued that James Lowe’s decision to apparently turn down a truncated contract, has added a threat to Irish contracting in a way not seen for quite some time. Donnacha Ryan and Simon Zebo’s moves to Racing 92 were the last time players in an Ireland squad did not sit around and instead jumped ship.

Both players signed in 2017. It’s a long time ago.

As a bastion of the overall game in Ireland, and someone who wants to see every national and provincial side thrive, I do not envy the feeling of apathy Leinster fans may feel towards the Irish rugby ecosystem in the weeks, months and maybe even years to come.

They will walk a lonely path, but not the one less travelled. Connacht went first. Then Ulster and then Munster. Being the last one to walk down the road, if anything, is a privilege.

It is because of Leinster’s consistency that they have had to delay the inevitable for so long, but now it is here. Ross Byrne, James Lowe, Luke McGrath, Ross Molony, Ciarán Frawley all gone over the last three seasons, and it will continue.

And with it, Leinster fans, however incensed they are now, will have to come to terms with the natural life cycle of team sport that they had forgotten about for a long time.

Andy Farrell is to remain as Ireland head coach until 2031. By then, he will be in season #16 in Ireland, an unprecedented reign for any coach in post-2000s rugby. The cult-like following of the Englishman will mean large scale praise for the move, but it is a risk.

A conservative gamble

After all, the last Six Nations was a perfect dichotomy of opinion depending on your persuasion. A blinkered, results-based viewpoint would say it was a massive success, only undone by the boot of Thomas Ramos. A more harsher and arguably ignorant claim would be my camp, where Ireland were a rollercoaster ride of very convincing and very underwhelming performances.

But the fact that any doubt lingers makes today’s extension a bold call from the IRFU, who have been burned at this very juncture before.

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Comparing Farrell to Eddie O’Sullivan (above) is not my intention, but from a purely contracting perspective, it’s the most recent precedent. Back in August of 2007, on the eve of a dismal RWC showing, the IRFU backed their man by handing him a four year deal.

Coincidentally, that too followed a Six Nations where Ireland hammered England and were pipped by France.

At the time it made sense. The Cork man was building an Irish team who went from plucky underdogs to Six Nations contenders, backed by a generational group of stars.

However, as Munster and Leinster kicked on, Ireland stalled with an almost-impressive handbreak pull. A World Cup nightmare and Six Nations capitulation juxtaposed to Munster waltzing to another European crown meant O’Sullivan was replaced by Declan Kidney, and the rest is history.

History often repeats itself, even if it varies it’s sentencing. There is no reason, as of right now, that this super talented Irish crop would suffer the same fate as 2007, but there’s also a few similarites in terms of age profile, lack of rotation and above all else, a coach who hit the accelerator at the wrong time.

That is a fear with Farrell’s “style”.

It’s not that long ago that myself and others were left questioning the diesel left in the tank after Ireland were handsomely dispatched by France back in February. An exhibition of transition rugby, versus a team who looked a shell of themselves and what we know they can be.

When Ireland turned the tide in Twickenham, Andy Farrell rightly received a lions share of the praise, but winning and losing is shared and should not be divided up depending on allegiances. Maybe this most recent window, more than any of the previous ones post RWC 2023, best shows what some fear.

That an aging squad are susceptible to varying performance levels.

Which is fine in isolation, but will add to the frustration. Seeing McCloskey, Baloucoune and others like them shine in the spring was a tonic to the throat of those roaring out for further evolution of the playing group. Injury enforced it may have been, it was eye-opening.

That will be the main task now as Ireland head into a summer series where, with all due respect, they should expect two wins with their eyes shut. And even if they mirrored Les Bleus and sent a scratch team to slaughter, would anyone really care when there’s a greater good?

Ultimately this is a bold move to hand out a five year extension based on results over the past 24 months. The IRFU may have felt the pressure of the RFU lurking with a contract in hand, as they should, but only time will tell.

Ireland still have another Six Nations and a World Cup before the opportunity for knife turning will really gather any real appetite, and even then, Farrell may have enough credit in the bank.

His primary task before a stint down under is the get his squad primed and ready to go, but right now they do feel to have slipped behind the eight ball. New Zealand have won their last three versus Ireland, France their last two (handsomely), and South Africa two of the last three.

There are mountains that need climbling before the final four years of this contract extension kick in, and they feel steeper than what lay before Ireland en route to the 2023 tournament.

Come good here, and Farrell will have proven he is the right man to call this decade his own. Fail to do so, and there might just be egg on some important faces.

“At the end of the day, sport is about winners and losers and there comes a tipping point where supporters and the media demand another win”. That was the words of Ian Madigan when he spoke to me last week, to preview the 2026 European Cup finals.

At the time, it made perfect sense. Win or bust for a side who have been knocking on the door so long, that they need to take the hint. Fast forward to 5pm Irish time on Saturday, and our perception of Irish rugby has changed, changed utterly.

A less than full-strength Ulster squad shipped 59 points in the Challenge Cup final, and were followed up by Leinster losing 41-19 to Union Bordeaux-Bégles a day later. A sad and sorry sight for Irish rugby fans, but one that has been coming in it’s own way.

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Far from me of all people to accuse others of jumping the gun, but hindsight does make the clearest vision. Ireland’s celebration of a lack of a discernible ‘World Cup hangover’ was fair at the time, but always a touch premature. A little under 28 months since the massacre in Marseille and everything is not what it seems.

2024 Six Nations, 2025 URC and possibly a further league crown in 2026 are the few highlights. The lowlights however include being man-handled by France, New Zealand and South Africa twice, three more European heartaches for Leinster, and consistently underwhelming European & URC campaigns for the other provinces.

It’s not good.

You can apply context all you want, but there is no doubt in my mind that Irish rugby is underperforming, practically across the board. The bubble has burst, the aura is lost, and yet still, not everyone wants to recognise this.

Chart my own work last November or beyond and you will hear or read me saying this very thing. Slowly at first then all at once, the Irish rugby ecosystem is degreading bit by bit, inch by inch; because sport will always be cyclical.

You can’t outhink or outscheme away from the troughs that always follow the peaks.

Watching Leinster’s latest European disappointment on Saturday was a sharp reminder that the symmetry between club and country means a loss like that, effects everyone.

Like seperating church and state, opinion does not matter as long as decision makers keep the two intertwined. In total, there were 21 Ireland internationals and one All Black in Leinster’s matchday squad, with almost 1,000 caps between them.

And yet it’s said that you can’t link the two.

If anything, you cannot untangle Leinster and Ireland, and how yet another continental themed no-show could come back to bite the national team on their derrière.

Sure Ireland were a kick of a ball away from a title and went 4/5 in the Six Nations; but let’s not pretend that it was a return to past glories.

It was a mixed bag with one decrepit Parisian performance akin to Bilbao, a near-catastrophic loss to Italy, a malaise vs Wales and two much improved wins over England and Scotland.

If that’s not a mixed bag, then I don’t know what is.

If you want to be cruel, you would say that sweeping changes are needed across the board, and that there’s a mental glitch in some key players and coaches. I would not go that far, but when it comes to Leinster and their European pilgrimage, there are countless talking points.

After five final defeats and numerous other knockout blows, everything and anything is fair game.

That is the nature of sport.

Leo Cullen and Jacques Nienaber will be under pressure for the next 12 months if they stay in Dublin, despite leading Leinster to a remarkable level of consistency.

Personally, I feel like Leo Cullen is the right man at Leinster, but that could be more as a Director of Rugby than head coach. The Nienaber experiment has ultimately failed, but he too should be given the good grace to see out the remainder of his contract.

As for the players, maybe they just need a reprieve from the pressure cooker.

When the majority of games you player are test matches or club games of serious consequence, there is sure to be an emotional toll grinding away at your energy levels. The case for a rotated Summer tour grows stronger with every passing day, as Ireland’s “core group” look more and more human.

Age + setbacks = taxation.

Of course it would be remiss of me if I did not discuss Ulster’s defeat in some way, and how it too reflects on the abject and sustained mediocrity of the “other three” provinces in recent years.

Celebrated and heralded without a hint of irony, Ulster’s business end of the season unravelled quickly, leading to a URC run-in of 1 win from 6, and a near-historic European final defeat. As James Hume confessed to the media, they are right back at square one.

As an Irish rugby enthusiast who wants four competitive provinces, I hope Ulster bin off the Challenge Cup next season, and focus solely on the URC. 10+ wins to secure playoff rugby has to be the minimum, after a turbulent last half decade.

Their compadres Connacht and Munster are in URC Quarter-Final action this weekend, and arguably, need a win more than Leinster. A Connacht victory in Scotstoun would show true progression, after what was admittedly, a more favourable second half of the season versus the first.

Munster on the other hand will be looking to park pages worth of “off-field noise” when they return to Pretoria, a place where their record is impressive. Winning is a tall order, as is the case for Connacht, especially with Tadhg Beirne and Jack Crowley as injury doubts. Yet, can a province like Munster ever settle for last eight elimination in a league with the lowly Welsh and Italian sides?

No.

Irish rugby needs a spark to show begrudgers, myself chief amongst them, that there is life in the old dog yet. However, it’s a foggy path towards salvation as you just hope that someone can, “Rage, rage against the dying of the light” (Dylan Thomas).

Pressure comes in all forms, in all walks of life, and no one is exempt from its clutches. It’s also a term you will hear floated around a lot at this time of year. From rugby to GAA to soccer, finals season is where pretenders are separated from contenders, and the best get crowned more often than not.

Ian Madigan is no stranger to this phenomenon. It was his last-gasp winning penalty that kicked Ulster to their most recent final appearance back in 2020, while he also featured in Leinster’s 2012 Heineken Cup triumph, in Twickenham, against the province he would one day return to play for.

Little did any of us think then that the mighty Leinster, who make their ninth Champions Cup final appearance on Saturday, would be crowned champions of Europe just once more in the next 13 years.

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They have built up a troublesome list of defeats in that spell, including an historic three final losses in a row, but for the former Ireland out-half, the memory of losing is likely to be more of a galvanising effect than a heavy burden.

“I don’t think it weighs on them” the Premier Sports pundit said during the week. “It’s a driver, it’s going to improve their performance.”

It feels somewhat symbolic that Leinster return to the scene of their last victory for this year’s showdown. That day they crept past a strong Racing 92 outfit, and on Saturday will face another French juggernaut, who themselves are looking to go back to back.

One way or another, we will leave this weekend talking about one of this era’s most iconic club sides. Harnessing that belief is going to prove vital for Leo Cullen’s men, if they are to pull off an all-time scalp and cement themselves as a dominant force of the decade.

“Finals are different”, Madigan continued.

“You don’t want to be going into a final with the fear of losing.

“You want to be going in having the belief that you’re going to find the opportunity to win it. I think the complexion of this Leinster team changes completely with a win.

“You’re then saying they’ve competed in seven of the last nine finals and they’ve won two of them. Whereas if they lose this one and you’re saying they’ve only won one in the last 10 years, it’s certainly not a good enough return.

“But if they win this year and they back it up next year then suddenly they’re the dominant team of this era. So there is a huge amount on the line for this team and this coaching team but I think they have the nuts and bolts to get over the line and they deserve it because of competing at the top end for the last 10 years and they’ve really only been the only team to do that.”

Leo Cullen’s comments after their narrow win over Toulon painted the picture of a team with their backs against the wall, as he queried just how much support the Irish media has for its most successful club side.

Having played in winning Leinster squads, as well as spells at Ulster, Bordeaux and Bristol; Madigan can see both sides to the argument on the province’s achievements.

“It’s very easy to look at the Leinster squad and count the number of internationals and look at their budget and the facilities that they have and with that comes an expectation that they should be competing at the tail end of Europe and the URC every year and the expectation is that they should be winning it more often than not”, he continued.

“The other way of looking at it is you count all those Irish internationals. Leo has to tell 10 plus of them every week that they’re not in the 23 or they’re not in the starting 15. He’s had to do that for 10 years.

“So he’s managed to keep that squad happy for that period of time.”

He goes on to say, “at the end of the day, sport is about winners and losers and there comes a tipping point where supporters and the media demand another win. For the squad that Leinster had at their disposal, that was the feeling last season.

“That feeling is different this year because Bordeaux are a really good side and I don’t think there’s as much expectation on Leinster to actually win the Champions Cup this year.

“But they probably need to.”

However off-broadway it may seem to some, the task facing Richie Murphy’s Ulster is largely the same. A club of their stature without a trophy in two decades, you feel their time is now.

Montpellier are a fearsome prospect under the blistering Bilbao sunshine, but having played with a lot of the integral members of the squad, the sense of being due has lingered since Madigan’s time in Belfast.

“There was definitely a feeling that the squad that we had when I was there, that it was good enough to win trophies, whether it was a URC or to compete at the tail end of a Champions Cup”, he explained.

“We were beaten fair and square by Leicester Tigers in Welford Road in a {Challenge Cup} game that we probably should have won.

“You look at the game we lost in the last minute to the Stormers, had we won, we would have had a home final.”

“You think of the quality players, the likes of Stuart McCloskey, Iain Henderson, that have been at the top of their game for a long period of time. They certainly deserve some sort of silverware.

“I feel for them that they’re not going to be playing, but they’ll still have a big part in the week’s preparation.”

When you hit the busy end of the season, preparation can be the difference between winning and losing. The sheer determination of complacency to spoil the party is one factor Madigan attributes as the difference between Leinster’s semi-final loss to Northampton, versus their win over Toulon three weeks ago.

Preparation is also a large reason why Madigan has taken to sporting punditry with ease. Now a regular face and voice on Premier Sports, the former Ireland international will be working on both finals in the Basque region this weekend.

Ryle Nugent is now the lead driver at Premier, following his long tenure at RTÉ, and it should be no surprise that his rugby and football panels give off an air of the old RTÉ panels of yesteryear.

Fun, and rarely stale.

From one Blackrock buachaill to another, Madigan speaks highly of Nugent’s role in assembling a dream team of pundits, and helping the international to find his feet on air.

“I’ve been very lucky that I’ve had a great mentor in Ryle Nugent on the commentary side and seeing his passion for how he calls a game and his willingness to kind of bring the next crop through in the likes of myself and Simon Zebo”, he says.

“I’ve really enjoyed that process of it. I’ll certainly be nervous before the two games this weekend but what a luxury that is.”

The 37-year-old has taken to the air alongside the likes of Stephen Ferris, Ryan Wilson, Andy Goode and Lawrence Dallaglio in recent times, all of which bringing unique experiences without ever feeling lost for talking points.

This mirroring effect of fan bases and wanting to be an entertainment product is front and centre for those involved.

“I think for myself, Zeebs (Simon Zebo), Fez (Stephen Ferris) and Ryan (Wilson) we genuinely want to see teams doing well as well and putting out the best version of themselves”, he explains.

“We’re always trying to look for the positives as opposed to pointing out the negatives and that’s also Premier Sports as a channel. They’re looking to provide entertainment for the viewer and it’s a luxury that we have to be part of that.

“Life’s tough, people have work and family stuff going on. When you’re tuning in for a rugby match we should be bringing a smile to your face and bringing an insight that maybe you’re not seeing yourself.”

“We take a lot of pride in that but at the end of the day we’re still supporters and there’s times when I have to pinch myself and refocus and get back to calling the game as opposed to cheering it on and that’s part of the fun of it.”

So don’t be surprised if Madigan is beaming from ear to ear in the case of an Irish double. But does he think they will reign victorious?

“I think Montpellier will have enough power to get over the line but I think it will be a one-score game”, he says of Friday’s curtain raiser.

“It’s going to be a one-score game but I can see Bordeaux throwing the kitchen sink at them in the final play and Leinster just about holding on three points or so.”

There’s always a symmetry to seasonal sports. As I type this, it’s 20 years to the day since Munster first conquered their Everest. That matters because dates synonymous with major moments in life always hold a special place in our hearts.

Not mine per say, I have no memory of Saturday May 20th 2006 as I was less than 5 and a half years old at the time; but it will long be remembered as a defining moment in Irish rugby.

If I told you that Leinster’s 2009 triumph in the Scottish capital will be 17 years old on Saturday, when the four time champions take the field in Bilbao, you might even start to think that fate has a role to play.

The same applies for Ulster, who’s “20 year famine” doesn’t kick in until the middle of next week, if you are being pedantic.

That symmetry between past memories and current events would almost make you start to believe.

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Even if the squad’s personality can often feel a bit blasé, Leinster’s European odyssey over the past decade has been nothing short of blockbuster.

Just 1 win (2018), but also 4 losing finals (2019, 2022-2024), 3 semi-final defeats (2017, 2020, 2025), and 1 quarter final exit (2020).

It has been an exhibition in being so close, but coming up just short; to the point that even Mayo football fans must feel a bit of sympathy for the boys in blue… their Caelan Doris connection notwithstanding.

It has also been a tale of emotional torture for a fan base who, for all their faults, have stood by them for a cursed last seven years of heartache. Their heaviest defeat in that entire run was 10 points, highlighting that not only are they close to scaling the mountain, but if anything just run out of energy in the final moments.

But all that agony, all that hurt and all that borderline trauma will be worth it, if or when they get over the line. The question is, will Saturday be that day?

Standing in the way of Ireland’s European front runners is Bordeaux. Or as their parochial fans would vehemently remind you, they are “UBB”. Union Bordeaux-Bégles, for those otherwise unaware.

The latest success story of a thriving French model, the merger between two regional club sides only took place in 2006, making them, technically, the youngest EPCR winning club ever.

Irish fans often point to their growing budget and a backline filled with high-class, high-earning flair players; but it would take a cynic not to enjoy this project, which too has an Irishman front and centre.

For Clare’s Noel McNamara, he might just have the greatest job in any sport. An attack coach to rugby royalty, you can be sure there’s more briefings than “you do you”, but personality glistens when UBB are on the ball.

How Leinster going about stifling their opponent’s self-expression remains to be seen, but could boil down to belief and past memories. In some ways, the worst defeats have happened for Leinster. Nothing will ever compare to the heartache in the last four seasons. So what are they waiting for?

This is Bilbao, this is destiny. Either they win, claim a 5th crown and can finally park the scar tissue, or they lose and it’s same-old, same-old, with another new heavyweight rival to contend with.

But this gallant band of Leinster men will need to park their learnings and work-ons and win this with the strident belief that helped them to their first four stars. This isn’t Ospreys in Dublin after all.

The curtain raiser will be the true temperature check of the weekend when Richie Murphy’s plucky Ulster take on two time champions Montpellier. If it becomes a battle of experience, then the Top 14 side will have an advantage, but for the neutral observer, a pulsating thriller is all you can hope for.

Since our most recent trip to Bilbao, where Cardiff pipped Gloucester, only Montpellier’s narrow win over Leicester Tigers in 2021 has given us the sufficent drama of a one-score decider. This one promises to buck a trend, but you cannot say for certain.

The reason as to why confidence in the Red Hand is dwindling is largely of their own doing. Club legend and captain Iain Henderson misses out due to suspension, Stuart McCloskey and Rob Herring through injury, while they have won just one of their last five games, culminating in falling out of the URC’s top eight entirely.

Along with a multi-generational wait for glory, there is a financial burden that comes with a silver medal. Ulster’s books have needed a good cooking for a while now, especially in light of the late Jonny Petrie years, and going without Champions Cup rugby two years straight would be another hit.

To make matters worse, their 2026/2027 URC home games is really just interpros plus acquaintances:

Leinster, Munster Connacht; Edinburgh, Zebre; Scarlets, Ospreys; Sharks, Lions.

So the pressure is palpable for Richie’s men heading into the Basque city.

They can call upon the returning Robert Baloucoune to start but the task will be larger than the impact of this particularly feral Fermanagh cat. His importance is vital, but without the likes of McCloskey, one of the great provincial standard bearers of all time, you wonder whether this is right place, wrong time.

Ulster can win, they have the components; but whether or not they have the full 23 to do so remains to be seen. Glory’s last shot I guess.

Predictions:

EPCR Challenge Cup: Montpellier

Investec Champions Cup: Leinster

Reporting from Aviva Stadium

Context is king is this business, and when you start to come down from a state of euphoria in order to rationally reflect to what we witnessed in Dublin, you start to seek out little nuggets that help to tell a fresh new story.

You could look at Aoife Wafer for example, and how a legend is being forged in front of our very eyes. Maybe even Scott Bemand, and the remarkable rise from the ashes that he is bringing Ireland through.

But few stories compare to that of one Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald.

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Back in 2021, the Galway native landed herself into the public eyeline, courtesy of some strong comments against the then ‘Women’s rugby director’ Anthony Eddy. The outspoken leader labelled his response as “slurry spreading” after the Australian defended the then minimal backing to Ireland’s 15s side, following their failure to qualify for the World Cup.

At the time, only 7s players were contracted to the IRFU, which led many to believe that the target had shifted to the Olympic sport. Moloney-MacDonald took to Twitter, as did many of her past teammates, but with major repercussions.

In spite of the official word from then head coach Greg McWilliams, many felt her omission from Ireland squads was politics driven, given her 24 month wait to get a positive phonecall from inside the HPC.

Fast forward to April of 2024, as Ireland looked to turn the page and qualify for the following year’s World Cup, the then 30-year-old was recalled, bringing with it a wave of support following the exile.

Now skip ahead to today (18th of May 2026) and Moloney-MacDonald has:

• Represented Ireland at a Rugby World Cup

• Led them to a win over the Black Ferns

• Won her 50th cap, in Twickenham, against her wife

• Played an international in Galway and one in the Aviva

It’s truly remarkable!

Speaking to a media huddle pitchside after yesterday’s thrilling win over Scotland, Moloney-MacDonald was asked (by me and later by Murray Kinsella) to sum up her thoughts on a whirlwind last four years.

Question 1:

“On your own career, two years ago you came back into the fold. You got your 50th cap, you played against your wife, you played at the Aviva, you’re a Galway woman who got to play at the Dexcom.

“Did you ever think any of those were going to happen?”

Answer 1:

“No, definitely not. No, it’s been pretty surreal.

“And look, it’s probably one of the best games I’ve got a chance to play for after all. Yeah, it’s been amazing.

“The team, the fans are super. We’re all just enjoying every minute of it together. It’s pretty special.”

Question 2:

“Did you always hope that it was going to come back, or did you say that’s that?”

Answer 2:

“Yeah, no, I did. But I just wasn’t really sure how things would play out or whatever. Yeah, very lucky to have been brought back.

“The team is now in a great place, and it’s just very enjoyable to be part of.

“Yeah, it feels like I have maybe two careers.

“Very different times, completely different squads and crowds and everything. So it’s a bit bizarre, but it’s brilliant. It’s a good time to celebrate.”

When you hear the half-centurion speak, you listen. She’s one of the wily veterans in the playing squad at the moment, the oldest in the squad at just 32, but also, she has a story to tell.

And to my mind, that’s what sets this team apart.

We have all become accustomed to the run of the mill stories and press conference answers of the professional male athletes of this era, with few breaking the fourth wall where their personality lies in wait.

For the Ireland women however, as I spoke about in Green Wave #5: Ireland v Scotland Preview, this is a group of players with more personality in each singular braid of hair, than most men’s rugby teams have in their matchday 23. It’s infectious, and it captures the imagination.

And although not every story is akin to Aoife Wafer attending the only other Ireland women’s game in the Aviva Stadium, and some deal with grief, exclusions and so much more; there is a story, and it is being told.

It was a truly memorable day in the stands and on the field with Ireland running out such comprehensive victors, led by the likes of Moloney-MacDonald and Player of the Match Aoife Wafer (above).

All in all, you have to feel like this was a perfect start to a new World Cup cycle. New players, new coaches, new fans; but also more wins and greater statistical metrics. It just shows what can be done.

The remainder of 2026 won’t be a write off like it would have been in pre-Covid seasons either. WXV will give Ireland a real shot at momentum and talent ID, while the 2026 inter-pros are sure to bring some fire and spice, with the home-based internationals all set to line out.

We will be back in the Aviva within the next 12 months you would imagine, so if you haven’t hopped on the hype train just yet, don’t worry, there will be a load more carriages coming very shortly.

Scorers:

Ireland: Brittany Hogan, Aoife Wafer 2T each, Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald, Robyn O’Connor, Erin King, Stacey Flood 1T each; Dannah O’Brien (7C)

Yellow card: Ruth Campbell

Scotland: Aicha Sutcliffe 1T

IRELAND: Stacey Flood; Béibhinn Parsons, Aoife Dalton, Eve Higgins, Robyn O’Connor; Dannah O’Brien, Emily Lane; Ellena Perry, Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald, Linda Djougang; Sam Monaghan, Fiona Tuite; Brittany Hogan, Erin King (capt), Aoife Wafer.

Replacements (all used): Neve Jones, Sadhbh McGrath, Eilís Cahill, Ruth Campbell, Dorothy Wall, Katie Whelan, Vicky Elmes Kinlan, Niamh Gallagher.

SCOTLAND: Chloe Rollie; Rhona Lloyd, Rachel Philipps, Meryl Smith, Shona Campbell; Helen Nelson (capt), Leia Brebner-Holden; Leah Bartlett, Elis Martin, Elliann Clarke; Emma Wassell (vc), Louise McMillan; Becky Boyd, Eva Donaldson, Emily Coubrough.

Replacements (all used): Aicha Sutcliffe, Demi Swann, Molly Poolman, Hollie Cunningham, Holland Bogan, Rhea Clarke, Lucia Scott. Coreen Grant.

Referee: Aurélie Groizeleau (France)

At first it felt like a lifetime away, now it is tantalisingly close. A standalone Women’s Six Nations game, in the Aviva Stadium, with over 30,000 tickets sold.

Cynical or empathetic, but your mind wanders towards players who’s career was never allowed reach these days. With constraints put in front of them and almost settling for the doldrums. What if Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald was never allowed to return, or Scott Bemand wasn’t an instant success?

None of that matters now, even if it adds greater context. This week is about celebrating the uptick and acknowledging that this team, and the state of the game in Ireland, is only just getting started.

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This Means More

To expand on that, without getting tangled in a shrub of woe-weeds, this game has significance for reasons far greater than just a rugby game. It’s about progress, equality, being taken seriously, and the evolution of women’s sport in Ireland.

It could be argued that no team on the entire island has benefitted more from a social media presence than the Ireland Women’s rugby team. Anna McGann and Eve Higgins are stars for their off-field charisma and openness; and everything else is a subsection of similar growth patterns.

These opportunities stem from the top down, ultimately. It would be easy for IRFU Execs or Irish coaches to be stricter, and try and supress this pressure release valve. Instead, it’s been nurtered into one of the most important points of growth. Gareth Steenson has his own podcast while Brittany Hogan’s interview with The Left Wing was a breath of fresh air. Then you add in BBC Northern Ireland’s weekly podcast interviews and you have a catalyst.

Has this attitude and open doors approach got a shelf life? We don’t know; but it certainly does not damage the team or the brand as is often feared.

For Moloney-MacDonald, who debuted back in 2015, these opportunities not only weren’t a thing when she started, but simply did not exist. But the art of following the times is one to be admired.

Yet, despite basking in a new era, the mind wanders.

You think of Nichola Fryday’s torrid time as captain, fronting up to the media bravely after a string of losses. Still only 30, in another world, she would be leading Ireland out on Sunday.

You think of 2014, when good intentions lost out to the reality of the situation, and the clash with Italy that took place after the men, was met with plenty of vacant seats.

Now however, four and a half years on from that bitterly disappointing failure to qualify for the World Cup, and the game feels so much healthier. The AIL is thriving, inter-pros are as good as any club game worldwide, the U21s are a top side and the seniors are constantly knocking on the door.

If this continues, Ireland can become a real force in women’s rugby

Back To The Pitch

It’s up to the journalists and long-form writers to discuss the magnitude of this weekend’s fixture, but for the players, they will need to remain focused. Six of the last seven meetings between Ireland and Scotland have been decided by just one score, with Ireland edging the head to head by four to three.

So in that context, it’s going to be another humdinger that goes down to the wire.

Well…

This time in the cycle is often one where it can be hard to get a gauge on teams. The Scots have won just three of their last ten test matches, against Wales (twice) and Fiji. Despite the introduction of David Nucifora to the SRU, the women’s team have arguably regressed in recent years.

Colour me shocked.

The Ireland team that they beat in last year’s fixture was ravaged by injury and Scotland themselves are not at the full complement in this championship, hence why the hammering to Italy failed to surprise too many.

It was going to be a year of growing pains for the world #6 ranked team, but yet they will rock into Dublin looking to play the role of pantomime villain. Having come through their own record-setting day out against England back in round one, Scotland will know the sort of pressure Ireland feel come 2:30pm on Sunday.

Whether that can help them rise from the ashes remains to be seen but unburdened and playing without fear is not the type of opponent that Ireland have had to deal with since their renaissance begun.

Delivery Time

Although the table has Wales pinned to the bottom, there is a strong argument to be made that in fact it is the Scots who have been least impactful. In this year’s championship so far they rank:

• 1st in points conceded and missed tackles +

• Last in tries, carries, offloads, lienout steals and dominant contacts

That doesn’t make them a pushover, but rather helps the suggestion that Ireland are deserving of their favourites tag. The basic rugby maths says Ireland beat Wales by much more, lost to England by much less and beat Italy vs Scotland’s defeat.

Yet, there are workons needed if Ireland are to feel like they are ending this championship on a high. As nebulous as it seems, if the tournament ended right now, how many Irish players would be in Team of the Tournament contention? More forwards than backs anyway.

It is a strength of Ireland’s game to have a set of loose forwards that measure up to any outfit, but you would be hopeful that the expansive pastures of Lansdowne Road lends itself nicely to a statement attacking win. Similar to Galway, better than Belfast.

Prediction: Ireland by 15

SQUAD SELECTION (Revisited)

28 tests, 0 unchanged selections. It’s not overly surprising, and somewhat welcomed, but despite a date with destiny Scott Bemand has once again decided to tinker with his winning formula. Sam Monaghan (above) starts in the second row with Dorothy Wall on the bench.

It’s a welcomed and borderline wholesome move to see the former Ireland co-captain start her first championship game of 2026 in the Aviva, while Vicky Elmes Kinlan’s recall on the bench feels like a move destined to pay off on the grand D4 playing surface.

That said, failure to rotate with more volitility over the past fortnight puts the spotlight firmly on the English man when we reconvene for WXV later in the year. Of the 38 players called into his squad; 11 have seen no gametime:

That leaves a 27 player roster for the five game slate, of which:

I say it often about Andy Farrell and will do so for Scott Bemand, no exceptions.

The proof of squad evolution is in selection and the comfort to include new, fresh faces. Failure to expand his talent pool further now merely kicks the can down the road, which hopefully he will pick up in the Autumn.

Team News

IRELAND: Stacey Flood; Béibhinn Parsons, Aoife Dalton, Eve Higgins, Robyn O’Connor; Dannah O’Brien, Emily Lane; Ellena Perry, Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald, Linda Djougang; Sam Monaghan, Fiona Tuite; Brittany Hogan, Erin King (capt), Aoife Wafer.

Replacements: Neve Jones, Sadhbh McGrath, Eilís Cahill, Ruth Campbell, Dorothy Wall, Katie Whelan, Vicky Elmes Kinlan, Niamh Gallagher.

SCOTLAND: Chloe Rollie; Rhona Lloyd, Rachel Philipps, Meryl Smith, Shona Campbell; Helen Nelson (capt), Leia Brebner-Holden; Leah Bartlett, Elis Martin, Elliann Clarke; Emma Wassell (vc), Louise McMillan; Becky Boyd, Eva Donaldson, Emily Coubrough.

Replacements: Aicha Sutcliffe, Demi Swann, Molly Poolman, Hollie Cunningham, Holland Bogan, Rhea Clarke, Lucia Scott. Coreen Grant.

Reporting from Dexcom Stadium

On April 16th, in an article entitled No Mercies For McMillan’s Munster Now, I claimed that Munster are a team less than the sum of their parts. Just a few weeks later, and this proclamation gets more accurate after the latest dud performance.

They limbered into the Dexcom in Galway as underdogs, but played with a forced fear that enabled Connacht to take them down with ease. It was like as if Munster let the circumstances of losing Tadhg Beirne and Jack Crowley dictate how they would pitch up.

Unforgivable and a worrying trend

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When you look at Munster’s expeccted ‘depth chart’ for next season (below) there’s a real mixture of class, youth, filler and areas that need re-imbursing and trimming. So far they have just announced the signing of Springbok hooker Marnus van der Merwe, while Jack Aungier is a done deal yet to be confirmed publically.

It’s an underwhelming transfer window for the southern province as things stand, especially in the aftermath of a string of disappointing performances in 2026, and an experienced crop of departures set to leave.

When you’re losing two NIQ spots (Kleyn & Abrahams), over 400 caps of club experience in the front row alone, and a handful of depth players; you need to at least give off the sense that they are being replaced. That will be of concern for fans and possibly the coaching staff heading into next season.

It should also be said that the expected academy signings (in blue above) is a quality group of Year 1 talent, but they are left quite stretched at a number of positions as it currently stands.

Oli Jager and Roman Salanoa’s injury records means that even if they are still reporting to UL in July, that the safe bet would be another reliable backup to go alongside them. Conor Bartley has all the tools to be that guy, as he has shown this season when fit, but it feels like a gamble, as does second row.

With Kleyn off to Gloucester and Evan O’Connell and Conor Ryan barely featuring this season, Munster are possibly hopeful of Michael Foy making the step up, and backing the talented youngster, but it remains to be seen.

And this doubt and uncertainty is the last thing the group needs.

The signing of Ben O’Donovan has been an early slam dunk, but there will be concern around the back 3 with conflicting reports regarding who is staying and who is leaving. Even if, for instance, we see Andrew Smith remain, you would be hopeful that they can pull off another utility back signing, maybe even one that can slot into the first receiver role.

It’s messy, it’s avoidable, and that’s before you discuss the coaching reshuffle!

It all leaves you with a feeling that despite their top end talent, led by Casey, Crowley, Beirne etc.; that Munster’s floor is dipping. Clayton McMillan (above) said in pre-season that this was his major target when taking up the job, but bar a couple of mini-runs of form, it’s going in the wrong direction.

Now, that said, when they get a full complement of players available, that’s when we see the quality. Turning over Leinster in Croke Park, a big win in Benetton, narrow losses to Leinster (H) and Toulon, and that unbeaten start to the season tells one half of a complicated story. But in reality, you need to judge a team off of the full 18+ game slate, not dribs and drabs.

For instance, if you told Munster fans in Thomond Park at half-time of the Stormers game, (which they led 21-6) that they would not have guaranteed playoff rugby by round 18, you would have been laughed at.

Rightly so.

Had a late winning try not been ruled out there for instance, Munster would be four points better off, and sitting in fourth place. So before you look at the no-shows in Belfast, Glasgow, Durban and Galway, or being pipped by the Bulls and Leinster, you see a sign in big bright neon lettering.

Close, but no cigar.

And ultimately from there, you start to see the reasons behind the turbulence. A middle layer of the depth chart not performing, a side void of leadership outside of the obvious candidates, and a style of game that is no longer fit to serve the group they currently have.

All of these things happen, but usually at the natural end point of a team’s cycle. Munster skipped that potential closing chapter across 2023 to 2024 because they were still competitive, and are now counting the cost. The same could be said for failure, or more accurately blockings from signing elite front row forwards to replace the likes of Niall Scannell, John Ryan and Stephen Archer.

Every action has an equal and opposite reaction and for Clayton McMillan, a man who must be getting fed up of answering questions on frugal matters, he is learning this. Munster is a hard place to succeed at from a boardroom point of view, but also because Irish rugby is a difficult eco-system.

Just being Irish Qualified makes you more valuable than a Welsh or English counterpart. Our signings are either southern hemisphere or IQ, and Munster need both.

Otherwise the dipping floor will be reverberating and leave fans, players and coaches feeling like they’re standing on a surfboard, not solid ground.

Scorers:

Connacht: B. Murphy, S. Hurley-Langton, S. Bolton, S. Jansen 1T each; S. Gilbert (3C)

Munster: C. Casey 1T; JJ Hanrahan (1C)

20-min red card: Diarmuid Barron 16’

CONNACHT: Sam Gilbert; Shane Jennings, Harry West, Bundee Aki, Shayne Bolton; Josh Ioane, Ben Murphy; Billy Bohan, Dylan Tierney-Martin, Sam Illo; Darragh Murray, Josh Murphy; Cian Prendergast (capt), Shamus Hurley-Langton, Sean Jansen.

Replacements (all used): Eoin de Buitléar, Peter Dooley, Finlay Bealham, Joe Joyce, Paul Boyle, Matthew Devine, Jack Carty, Seán Naughton.

MUNSTER: Mike Haley; Thaakir Abrahams, Dan Kelly, Alex Nankivell, Andrew Smith; JJ Hanrahan, Craig Casey (capt); Jeremy Loughman, Diarmuid Barron, Michael Ala’alatoa, Edwin Edogbo, Fineen Wycherley; Tom Ahern, John Hodnett, Gavin Coombes.

Replacements (all used): Lee Barron, Josh Wycherley, Conor Bartley, Jack O’Donoghue, Brian Gleeson, Ben O’Donovan, Seán O’Brien, Alex Kendellen.

Referee: Peter Martin (IRFU)

It feels like the gap week came at both the best and worst time for Ireland, depending on who you are. For the players, having come through two incredibly physical test matches, it was overdue. For fans, not so much.

This weekend’s penultimate Six Nations showdown of 2026, with Wales arriving into Belfast, serves as a bit of a misdirect. A lot of bandwidth is already taken up by the Aviva a week later while some air left the balloon with defeat in Clermont.

It’s new ground for this Irish side, dealing with expectation, but it can be a valuable lesson if they kick on and finish the championship on a high.

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Rising to Expectations

When you are trying to reinvent yourself, and evolve from lowly chasing pack to serial contenders; you will always be met with a changing wave of support, expectations and standards.

For instance, before this Six Nations, I outlined the following goals for Ireland:

Right now, Ireland are having a comfortable night’s sleep. There’s no sweat-inducing nightmares (yet), and no reason to wake up feeling joyous after an incredible fever dream. That’s fine, only fine, but the last two games are vital to leaving in the positive column.

If Ireland were to lose to either Wales or Scotland, both of which they are favourites for at home, then the tournament at large takes on a whole new complexion. Slip up somewhere on this road, and the lack of further player rotation and new caps gets put on the dock for examining.

Yet, there is no real reason to be scared. Although Wales claimed a rare try bonus point vs England in Bristol last time out, and Scotland turned over the Welsh in round one; Ireland are favourites.

And they need to remind us why.

There is no doubt in my mind that Ireland’s round three loss to France was another one that got away. Cue the Katy Perry song as background noise, but ultimately Ireland were within milimetres of racking up a four try bonus point in the first half; yet they lost comprehensively.

That can be damaging to a young squad if we don’t see a reaction, but to this team’s immense credit, they are quite good at bouncing back. Take some of their bigger or frustrating losses in recent years:

• 2024 6N: Lose first 2 games, respond with TBP win over Wales

  • Beaten heavily by England, then beat Scotland to take third

• 2024 WXV: Frustrating loss to Canada, then beat USA

• 2025 6N: Defeated Italy and Wales comprehensively after losing game prior

  • Beat Scotland in RWC Warm-Up after 6N loss

• 2025 RWC: Nilled by New Zealand, then should have beaten France

• 2026 6N: Loss in Twickenham followed by big win over Italy

If I was in Scott Bemand’s illustrious shoes, this would form part of my messaging this week. His grá with this group of stars is spell-binding, and I hope he reminds them that they are often at their best after being knocked down.

If they rise to that challenge, and shoot back up in order to derail their Celtic cousins, then we can roll into WXV on the back of a high, with hopefully a formative afternoon in the Aviva as the catalyst to greater things.

Team Selection Chat

Arguably the major talking point coming into this game has been Ireland’s squad selection, following on from the opening block. Should all 23 players take to the Ravenhill field, then Ireland will have used 27 players in four games, with four debutants.

Not bad, but that’s just the surface level.

Beneath those numbers you have no rotation with your starting front row, back row or half back; Katie Whelan limited to under 30 minutes so far, while the likes of Sadhbh McGrath, Sam Monaghan, Aoibheann Reilly, Enya Breen and Anna McGann are yet to start a game, with Reilly, Breen and the uncapped Beth Buttimer and Caitríona Finn not playing at all.

It’s fine, but this was a week to kick on.

It is very possible that Ireland are in win-now mode in this Six Nations, with a view to further experimentation in the WXV tournament this coming Autumn. With multiple second tier fixtures likely to be on the schedule, you can bank the scope for change until it’s time for team sheets to mirror the leaves on the trees.

But, like with Andy Farrell, it does add pressure on the need to win games.

Prediction: Ireland by 15

Team News

IRELAND: Stacey Flood; Béibhinn Parsons, Aoife Dalton, Eve Higgins, Robyn O’Connor; Dannah O’Brien, Emily Lane; Ellena Perry, Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald, Linda Djougang; Dorothy Wall, Fiona Tuite; Brittany Hogan, Erin King (capt), Aoife Wafer.

Replacements: Neve Jones, Sadhbh McGrath, Eilís Cahill, Ruth Campbell, Sam Monaghan, Grace Moore, Katie Whelan, Niamh Gallagher*.

WALES: Kayleigh Powell; Hannah Dallavalle Carys Cox, Courtney Keight, Jasmine Joyce; Lleucu George, Keira Bevan; Gwenllian Pyrs, Kelsey Jones, Sisilia Tuipulotu; Branwen Metcalfe, Georgia Evans; Jorja Aiono, Bethan Lewis (capt), Bryonie King.

Replacements: Molly Reardon, Maisie Davies, Donna Rose, Natalia John, Alisha Joyce, Seren Lockwood, Freya Bell, Nikita Prothero*.

With a little over 160 minutes of rugby to be played this season, no Irish province is guaranteed Champions Cup / playoff rugby just yet. It’s mathematically impossible for any less than three Irish teams to qualify from this juncture, we just have to wait a little while longer.

Connacht are the outsiders, needing two wins and a slice of luck, with Ulster looking over their shoulder. Leinster and Munster can target the top four, and a home Quarter-Final in the URC, but they too must remain precise and perfect to stave off their rivals.

Ahead of this weekend’s crucial penultimate round of domestic action, here’s the full run-down on each of the four Irish contenders.

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Leinster (4th, 53 points)

Fixtures: R17: Fidelity Securedrive Lions; R18: Ospreys (both at home)

Being back in a Champions Cup final is all that matters for Leo Cullen and the Leinster A-Listers; but on the ground in Donnybrook, there is still lots to play for. Two winnable home games to close out the season, but with threats looming all around.

You have to go back to 2015 for the last time Leinster finished the regular season outside the top four, and as we enter the final fortnight, there is a slim chance that the trick is repeated again.

Neither the Lions nor the Ospreys should have the mettle to claim a rare Dublin scalp, but if they did, the media would only love it… apparently. However, you have to back Leinster to not only get two wins, but maximum points.

Should they do that, then it’s a shootout for the top spot. Ulster could be a massive help there, but they too have an eye on Bilbao.

Predicted Results: 2 wins → 10 points

Predicted Finish: 2nd

Munster (5th, 51 pts)

Fixtures: R17: Connacht (A); R18: Fidelity Securedrive Lions (H)

A week is a long time in the “Problem Child” province, and a month can feel like a decade. Since the announcement of a redundancy programme in late March, Munster have: lost in Pretoria by a score, crashed out of the Challenge Cup, hired Roger Randle, won two games for 10 URC table points and parted ways with Randle.

Never straight forward.

Because of the previous slate, Munster are within touching distance of a potential home semi-final, but with a harder path than others. Their final round clash with the Lions is the must-win given both sides’ league position, but there’s a freedom in the potential free hit in Galway.

Win by any amount, 3-0 if needs be, and Clayton McMillan’s men will close in on a return to the top four, for just the second time in five years. A loss would not be detrimental, top six is still the baseline at this point you feel; but it just changes the complexion of the #narrative.

Predicted Results: 1 win with tbp, 1 loss with lbp → 6 points

Predicted Finish: 5th

Ulster (8th, 47 pts)

Fixtures: R17: DHL Stormers; R18: Glasgow (both at home)

Ulster’s form since the Six Nations has dragged them from high-flyers to scramblers. Five points from a possible 20 over the last four games has Richie Murphy’s men needing at least one major scalp to bring Champions Cup rugby back to Belfast next October.

The top two sides in the league currently will waltz into Ravenhill over the final two rounds looking to cement their home path to a final, but you can be sure that the road will go through Belfast in some capacity; just a question of who it will benefit.

The northern province can still, mathematically, qualify for top four with two wins and a decent chunk of help; but the target should be this coming Friday. Slay the Stormers, surpass the 50 point buffer, and hope that Munster defeat Connacht to guarantee playoff rugby, and allow Richie to rotate ahead of their Challenge Cup final showdown with Montpellier.

Fail to win, and Ulster could be facing two cup finals, one defacto, in the space of just seven days.

Predicted Results: 1 win, 1 loss with lbp → 5 points

Predicted Finish: 7th

Connacht (9th, 44 pts)

Fixtures: R17: Munster (H); R18: Edinburgh (A)

Sitting in ninth place with only nine teams still in the hunt, Connacht are the true bolters this season. On the balance of things, playoff rugby remains unlikely for Stuart Lancaster’s men, but form lines tell a different story.

Six wins on the trot has catapulted them into contention, but despite losing in Johannesburg, the task remains the same: Win and in.

In some ways, it’s all within reach of the westerners, with neither of their remaining fixtures serving as any serious danger. When you add in a potential lack of jeopardy of it being slightly out of their own hands, and Connacht are primed to pick up the points needed to return to the top eight.

Predicted Results: 2 wins → 8 points

Predicted Finish: 8th

It has not been a marquee year, but there will be a high point in the sun, regardless of results. Leinster and Ulster have qualified for the Champions and Challenge Cup Finals respectively, courtesy of (predominantly) one-sided wins on Saturday.

The curtain raiser, in time only, saw Leinster scrape past a dogged Toulon 29-25 on a perfectly dry Dublin day, helped by a last ditch tackle from their blockbuster NIQ, Rieko Ioane.

Then, a little over two hours later, Ulster booked their ticket to the Spanish city as they defeated the Exeter Chiefs 29-12 in a stress-free Ravenhill performance.

And now, despite two mega-important URC rounds still to come, all eyes are on May 22nd and 23rd; and a date with destiny for Irish rugby.

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Leinster Back in Bilbao

It has been said across the online ether already that there is a sense of destiny about Leinster returning to the scene of their last triumph, looking to stitch that fifth star that has long alluded them.

Since Isa Nacewa’s late winner in 2018, Leinster have been the Mayo of European Rugby.

• 4 final losses

  • 1 at home and 1 in extra time

• 2 lost semi-finals

  • 1 at home

• 1 quarter-final exit

  • also at home

Comparing them to the nearlymen of GAA might just be my Galway bias, but when we reflect on this era of Leinster in 20 years time, you can be sure that it will be a harsher conversation than now.

Because of the consistent underperfomances, the Spanish test will be the most era-defining of the lot.

Back in Dublin, Leinster were dominant until they weren’t and were very nearly pipped at the post by an enigmatic Toulon team. Are they good? Are Brex and White good? Is Sinkler past his best? All of these are questions that I found myself asking while watching a very strange semi-final unfold.

The first half lacked that killer intensity that we saw last year for example, although that was one of the greatest weekends of action. Leinster led by a single score at the break, leaving the door ajar with two yellow cards in quick succession.

Yet they steadied the ship, scored first in the second half, and briefly led by 18 points when Caelan Doris scored try #5, and Harry Byrne added the extras. And then the benches started to tell, Toulon played with freedom, and we had a game in the offing.

The criminally underrated Baptiste Serin pounced first, then Gael Drean after some wanting defensive efforts, and if not for a late knockon, this could have been another heartbreak from an unfathomable position of earned comfort.

With the palpitations reverberating around the Dublin venue, we are left feeling like we did at 2:59pm.

Just how good are Leinster?

On paper, this has been a season of regression, partly linked to their bloated Lions representation. Six URC losses through their first 16 games is a record more akin to a rival province, while their European run is tough to gauge.

On paper, they faced a similar strength of opponent across the board, only really putting Quins and Sale to the sword; and ground out victories over Leicester, La Rochelle and now Toulon.

None of that makes you a bad team, not if you are finalists, but it does raise a few eyebrows towards your credentials, especially when compared to years gone by.

Can Leinster win a fifth title in Bilbao? Yes.

Do they look like a better team than 2022-2025? No, absolutely not.

But never say never.

Spirit of ‘99 for Ulster?

For just the third time in their history, Ulster are heading to a European final.

1999 needs no introduction, 2012 was fun but fell short; and now Richie Murphy’s squad have the chance to add 2026 to the pantheon of great Ulster squads.

Ulster’s form since January, as I have discussed here before, has been patchy, but there’s hope in how they may have saved one of their better performances for the end. With a daunting challenge of Stormers, Glasgow, Montpellier and a probable URC quarter-final upcoming; a fine finish is needed to save face and seek silverware.

Exeter are no duds, in spite of the noise you may have heard after they eliminated Munster. Although they ran into a brick wall coated in white paint on Saturday evening, where Ulster’s extra gears and a Bryn Ward fuelled bomb squad proved the difference.

Leading by just three at the interval, Ulster ran amok in a 20-minute period in the second half, diving into a comfortable 29-7 cushion heading into the final stages.

With it, the songs could be sung in earnest, and routes to the Basque region planned; just a year on from a run of form where Ulster lost their last five games of the season and fell to a dire 14th place in the 16-team URC table.

For them to do the opposite now, and win five-in-a-row would extend it’s way to making a URC semi-final and taking continental honours.

If, and it’s a big IF, Ulster stay fit and maybe even get the likes of Angus Bell back on field, then they have a chance. But like Leinster, all of their effort, both good and bad, will be defined by what happens over the next six weeks.

May the best team(s) win.

There is a strange and almost mystifying air of uncertainty around Irish rugby this week. If you wish to park Munster’s avoidable messes for just a moment, you would see that talk of a European Semi-Final weekend has seldom been quieter.

Only once since 2016 has there not been an Irish team in the final four, which plays into the fatigue angle; but how can any fan be tired of striving for the best?

Unless there’s a palpable fear brewing.

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For Leo Cullen and Leinster, the litmus test of their seasons has always been Europe. A consistent force who reach semis like the land of their captain, Mayo, it has long felt overdue that the perennial contenders claimed a fifth crown. An extra star on the jersey, if you are so inclined.

Year after year however they have fallen short, with the most recent defeat, a first home SF loss at the hands of Northampton, easily the most damaging.

You can always take solace in coming up second best in a final; that’s harder when it’s a round earlier and you have twice the budget and three times the test players.

Yet, should the unthinkable happen and Toulon continue their unbeaten run against Leinster; then further questions will be asked of a team who fall short more often than not.

As is the result of a strange quirk, I have watched both of these semi-finalists, in person, this season. By virtue of that original Leinster fixture being October in Croke Park; Toulon were the more impressive of the two, almost by default.

Their late come-from-behind win over Munster in the Stade Felix Mayol was more like the Toulon arc we have become accustomed to in recent years, compared to their pretty dismal Top14 form.

To their credit, Europe has been more reflective of their quality in general. An opening round loss in the Scottish capital was followed by five wins on the bounce over Bath (H), Munster (H), Gloucester (A), Stormers (H) and Glasgow (A).

It might not be a juggernaut run that one could say tournament favourites UBB have been on, but it is also tougher than their hosts in Dublin, who have been on the easier half of the draw.

Will that lead to a more wounded outfit rocking up? Leinster would argue their injury list tells more of a story there.

For the first time in what feels like a generation, Leinster approach a knockout game more akin to the walking wounded than anyone left in the competition. Andrew Porter is fit enough to start, but they are still without Paddy McCarthy, Jack Boyle, Tadhg Furlong, RG Snyman, Ryan Baird, Max Deegan (suspended) and James Lowe.

Barring a strange tactical adjustment, you have to assume that at least five of the seven absentees listed would be in the matchday squad if available.

That’s not nothing, but with their heralded strength in depth, it’s hard to see it being a major factor in how this game pans out.

If Jerry Cahir can act as a capable replacement to a literal test Lion all season, why can’t others?

That will be the message Leo Cullen and his coaching staff will look to drum into the squad this week. They have the quality and are being backed to perform. Now it’s time to do it.

Last year they stacked the bench against Northampton, and it backfired. The coaches got the strongest point of the blowback; but it would have been a non factor if not for an underperformance in which Tommy Freeman and Henry Pollock were given the freedom of South Dublin.

Any plausible trepidation surrounding this game seems to stem from a lack of trust around the leafy suburbs. Depending on who you ask, it varies from Leo Cullen overstaying his welcome to Jacques Nienaber’s defensive system thwarting the “Leinstertainment” way.

Personally, I don’t susbscribe to either of those half baked theories, but I do think this Leinster team can be got at, in a way I haven’t sensed since 2019.

Of the four remaining teams in the competition, Leinster rank:

• 3rd in tries scored

• 1st in passes & carries

• 3rd in offloads

• 3rd in defenders beaten

• 2nd in line breaks

• 2nd best in penalty concession

• 4th in tackle percentage

• 4th in turnovers won

The positive is that they lead Toulon in the majority of those categories; but unfortunately don’t lay a finger on UBB either.

That’s not to say Leinster will walk to the final and then be blown out of the water by the defending champions, stats are not gospel, but they can indicate certain things. And the indication is that this Saturday’s semi will be closer to the two Northampton clashes than the two previous against Toulouse, when Leinster ran the French side ragged.

The home town favourites should prevail on both sides of the draw, as has happened in 16 of the last 20 semi-finals.

But there is always a chance of an upset.

Prediction: Leinster by 10

Team News

Leinster

15. Hugo Keenan, 14. Tommy O’Brien, 13. Garry Ringrose, 12. Robbie Henshaw, 11. Rieko Ioane, 10. Harry Byrne, 9. Jamison Gibson-Park, 1. Andrew Porter, 2. Dan Sheehan, 3. Tom Clarkson, 4. Joe McCarthy, 5. James Ryan, 6. Jack Conan, 7. Josh van der Flier, 8. Caelan Doris (capt).

Replacements: 16. Ronan Kelleher, 17. Jerry Cahir, 18. Rabah Slimani, 19. Alex Soroka, 20. Scott Penny, 21. Luke McGrath, 22. Sam Prendergast, 23. Jamie Osborne.

RC Toulon

15. Melvyn Jaminet, 14. Gaël Drean, 13. Nacho Brex, 12. Jérémy Sinzelle, 11. Setariki Tuicuvu, 10. Tomas Albornoz, 9. Ben White, 1. Jean-Baptiste Gros, 2. Teddy Baubigny, 3. Kyle Sinckler, 4. Corentin Mezou, 5. David Ribbans (capt), 6. Junior Kpoku, 7. Charles Ollivon, 8. Mikheil Shioshvili.

Replacements: 16. Gianmarco Lucchesi, 17. Daniel Brennan, 18. Beka Gigashvili, 19. Matthias Halagahu, 20. Zach Mercer, 21. Baptiste Serin, 22. Esteban Abadie, 23. Mathis Ferte.

Reporting from Thomond Park

The final block of the season should be a culmination of teams finding out who they really are.

Are your injuries crippling chances, or are those grey skies clearing? Does the warmer and dryer weather suit you, or was the slower game state more of your style?

It’s also where your bottle and grit gets tested, as is your coaching and tactics.

But somehow, Munster look shortchanged when they should be clicking.

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There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that on paper, this Munster team are at least top 6 in the URC. I can stretch to top four when they play the correct brand of rugby, given how strong and consistent their spine is.

I feel this way about most of the provinces to be fair; all of which are to my mind, top 10 at worse. Failing to hit these levels year on year can be tracked back to the macro setting of provincial rugby, but this is not one of those times

For today’s Thomond clash was an exhibition in a sticky performance, where the home side played like merely arriving on time would be enough to get the job done.

Trailing 7-0 at the 20 minute mark was not on the script, but it at least served as a gentle reminder that all was not as it seemed. A catalyst for sure, but an unnecessary spark into life.

With Jack Crowley ruled out at the 11th hour through injury, McMillan’s men played like a team void of confidene, and not one who has produced a stellar 80 minute performance just seven days prior.

Sure Crowley is the conductor, lynchpin or whatever other word you use; but one man’s absence does not explain the continuation of a gameplan that seems to produce more handling errors than prime attacking moments.

It was a game that highlighted the importanct of Munster’s mercurial half-backs, with Casey’s refusal to dip below 110% effort always evident and welcomed. As rugby leans into the LinkedIn or Maslow mantra of learnings and work ons, there is always a place for brute power, intensity and steely determination.

It’s one of areas in which Munster fall between two stools.

At times, they look like a decent bish-bash-bosh team, who can thrive when winning the contact zone and allowing Casey and Crowley to exploit unwanting defenders. It suits their ball carrying threats in the midfield even they decide to use it.

But Munster will face much stiffer challenges between now and season’s end than this Ulster side. Spirited and weirdly cohesive, but this was a scratch Ulster team in which nearly the full starting 15 featured in a recent ‘A’ game between the two provinces.

Connacht and the Lions will be much stronger than this, and will be vying for playoff spots too. With just four more points needed to mathematically ensure playoff rugby, I cannot shake the feeling that there is more in this team if they open their eyes.

Leinster, Scarlets, Benetton, Ospreys, Toulon. Best performances of the season; but with a tactical balance on show.

The reality is that Munster are at their brilliant best when they play simple rugby designed around their top players. But a continuance to back an intricate scheme based style could haunt them in the final few weeks of the 2025/26 campaign.

Scorers:

Munster: J. Hodnett 4T, A. Kendellen 3T; JJ Hanrahan 3C.

Ulster: A. King, J. Andrew 1T each; J. Flannery 2C.

MUNSTER: Shane Daly; Calvin Nash, Tom Farrell, Alex Nankivell, Andrew Smith; JJ Hanrahan, Craig Casey; Jeremy Loughman, Diarmuid Barron, Oli Jager; Jean Kleyn, Tadhg Beirne (Capt); Tom Ahern, John Hodnett, Gavin Coombes.

Replacements (all used): Lee Barron, Michael Milne, Michael Ala’alatoa, Edwin Edogbo, Brian Gleeson, Ben O’Donovan, Dan Kelly, Alex Kendellen.

ULSTER: Mike Lowry (Capt); Aitzol King*, Ethan McIlroy, Ben Carson, Ben Moxham; Jake Flannery, Conor McKee; Eric O’Sullivan, James McCormick, Bryan O’Connor; Harry Sheridan, Charlie Irvine; James McKillop*, Tom Brigg*, Lorcan McLoughlin.

Replacements (all used): John Andrew, Callum Reid, Tom McAllister, Joe Hopes, Marcus Rea, David Shanahan, James Humphreys, Jonny Scott.

There’s a semblence of similarity to the Ireland men’s and women’s opening block of Six Nations fixtures. A flat opening day defeat, and a chance to right some wrongs in round three.

It’s never easy to flip the script, especially as an underdog. For all we hear of the ‘Green Wave’ mantra; it’s easy to forget that Ireland are fifth in the world, which in the women’s game, is essentially Tier 1.5.

They trail France, and would need to win by 16+ points to leap frog them in the rankings.

It’s highly unlikely, but they do need to show flashes of their best, and genuine level raising, if we are to count this Six Nations as one of further, evident, strides.

This weekend is a chance to break down the next glass ceiling.

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Stats Watch from Round 2 vs Italy

• Ireland’s nine try haul was their most in a Six Nations game since their 73-3 win over Scotland in 2015.

• Béibhinn Parsons’ hat trick made it 17 tries in 32 games for the Ireland winger.

• Captain Erin King was second across both sides for tackles (16), carries (14) and lineouts won in an all-court performance.

• Despite slowing down in the second half, Ireland still managed an impressive 4 points per fourteen entries to the Italian 22.

• Robyn O’Connor became the third player to score a try on debut under Scott Bemand (Nancy McGillivray vs Scotland in 2025 & Sarah Delaney vs Kazakhstan in 2023).

The Revenge Game

There is a giant elephant in the room approaching this game, that of course being the World Cup quarter final last September. A 13-point lead gone with the wind in Devon as Les Bleues gritted their teeth to get over the line.

Puns and gripes aside, the sense of what could have been was strong enough to slap you across the face. The stinging type that you feel on both cheeks. But you do feel, after a 2025 of near misses, that it is long overdue that Ireland strike back.

Playing in a rugby cathedral like the Stade Marcel-Michelin will provide a serious home advantage for the French, but having come through Twickenham unscathed, it should not be a venue to fear.

Respect it, sure, but don’t get intimidated.

Path to Victory

Winning in France is never easy, but it’s also far from impossible. With a fresh feel compared to their World Cup squad, the #CohesionFactor skews green, even if the history books could not be more blue.

Ireland have not beaten France since 2017, and have never beaten Les Bleues in their own back yard. And yet, 40% of our way through this Championship, confidence is growing with every waking second.

Speaking to the BBC earlier in the week, influential captain Erin King said she would be disappointed if Ireland didn’t crack the top two this season. Meanwhile fellow back-row forward Brittany Hogan admitted to this being a grudge match.

But that mental motivation is only one part… what can Ireland do on the field?

Ultimately, little seperates Ireland and France on the eye test entering this weekend, but with the home side having a more favourable opening, the stats tell a different story. Some of the standout points of interest include:

• Tries scored: France 12, Ireland 11

• Carries: France 359, Ireland 237

  • Metres per carry: France 4, Ireland 3.3

• Kicks: France 41, Ireland 38

  • Metres per kick: Ireland 35, France 26.2

• Tackle %: France 89, Ireland 80

• Lineouts %: France 92, Ireland 75

• Defenders beaten: France 67, Ireland 40

Across the 160 minutes of rugby so far, Ireland have looked really good in two halfs of action (second half vs England & first half vs Italy) and average to below-par in the other two. It’s not quite which Ireland will turn up, but it’s a thought that lingers.

Still, it is an incomplete team with their own clear weaknesses.

The first will be lineout and maul where Ireland have looked haphazard at best. It’s the one area of the game where France could torment Ireland, even before you look at their athletic prowess.

It’s a big task for Alan O’Connor but winning just 3 out of every 4 lineouts is unacceptable if you want to win here. Similarly, Ireland’s maul defence has already conceded three tries directly and will need to be more resolute, or sharper to adapt.

The inverse is also, weirdly true, in so far as Ireland have been more proactive with their attacking maul, and defensive lineout work.

Rugby is a simple game… no set-piece, no win

Targets:

• One score game at a minumum.

• No 50m+ try concessions.

• Less than 10 penalties conceded.

• 75+% total set-piece completion

Prediction: Ireland by 3 (why not)

Team News

FRANCE: Pauline Barrat; Anais Grando, Aubane Rousset, Teani Feleu, Lea Murie; Carla Arbez, Pauline Bourdon Sansus; Ambre Mwayembe, Mathilde Lazarko, Assia Khalfaoui; Kiara Zago, Madoussou Fall Raclot; Axelle Berthoumieu, Manae Feleu (capt), Lea Champon.

Replacements: Elisa Riffonneau, Yllana Brosseau, Rose Bernadou, Cloe Correa, Siobhan Soqeta, Charlotte Escudero, Alexandra Chambon, Lina Queyroi.

IRELAND: Stacey Flood; Béibhinn Parsons, Aoife Dalton, Nancy McGillivray, Robyn O’Connor; Dannah O’Brien, Emily Lane; Ellena Perry, Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald, Linda Djougang; Dorothy Wall, Fiona Tuite; Brittany Hogan, Erin King (capt), Aoife Wafer.

Replacements: Neve Jones, Niamh O’Dowd, Eilís Cahill, Ruth Campbell , Sam Monaghan, Katie Whelan, Eve Higgins, Anna McGann.