Irish bench made 'massive impact' - Sheehanpublished at 16:54 22 February
16:54 22 February
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Irish replacements Bundee Aki and James Ryan played a key role in Saturday's win in Cardiff
Ireland captain Dan Sheehan hailed the impact of his side's bench in Saturday's 27-18 win over Wales in Cardiff as they survived a major scare to clinch the Triple Crown and keep alive their Grand Slam hopes.
"That was exactly what we expected, a proper Test game in a beautiful stadium in front of some seriously passionate fans," Sheehan told BBC One.
"Fair play to Wales, that was a proper Test match and I'd say we'll feel it for a few days, but I'm proud of the boys.
"We said it all week, they'd have their purple patches and their moments of strength.
"We just have to stick to what we do all the time, that's our process, it's staying calm, we didn't panic and we had to eke it out one minute at a time. That's what all those lads have practised for years.
"We rely heavily on our bench. They came on and made a massive impact, James Ryan, Bundee [Aki] both made a huge impact to lift the boys with fresh energy.
"That was the making of the game there, relying on our bench to bring that energy."
Gibson-Park pleased to beat 'unbelievable' Walespublished at 16:37 22 February
16:37 22 February
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Gibson-Park was named player of the match in Ireland's win over Wales
Ireland scrum-half and player of the match Jamison Gibson-Park gave his thoughts on his side's 27-18 Six Nations win over Wales in Cardiff.
"We have to give a lot of credit to Wales, it was very tough out there today," Gibson-Park said on BBC One.
"They're an unbelievable team, a proud nation and they sure showed that today.
"It'd be a dangerous thing to come over here with any pre-conceived ideas, playing here against Wales was always going to be tough and sure they proved that to us today.
"It's mentally tough more than anything. We're lucky to have a some pretty good coaches so we were well prepared for those things."
Lions selection 'in the back of my mind' - Porterpublished at 07:00 22 February
07:00 22 February
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Porter missed out on the British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa in 2021 through injury
Men's Six Nations:Wales v Ireland
Venue: Principality Stadium Date: Saturday, 22 February Kick-off: 14:15 GMT
Coverage: Watch live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website and app; listen live on BBC Radio Ulster; text commentary and highlights on BBC Sport website and app
Ireland prop Andrew Porter admits being picked for this summer's British and Irish Lions tour to Australia "burns away" in the back of his mind.
Porter was selected for the squad that toured South Africa in 2021, but was forced to withdraw with a toe injury sustained playing for Leinster.
The 29-year-old harbours ambitions of being picked for this year's series but knows he cannot think too far ahead with so much rugby to come for club and country.
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thinking about it [selection], it's in the back of my mind but I can't let it distract me," said the Leinster loose-head.
"I've got so much going on in my personal life with my wife pregnant and with everything going on here with Ireland, I have plenty on my plate to keep me busy in the meantime."
Ireland have maximum points from their opening two Six Nations games after bonus-point victories over England and Scotland.
They travel to Cardiff on Saturday to take on Wales, who are playing their first game under interim head coach Matt Sherratt.
The Welsh are currently on a 14-game losing streak, but Porter insists Ireland will not take the challenge lightly.
"We know the talent Wales have in their squad and when they're on their day they can play some great rugby," he explained.
"We're preparing as best we can, and our standards have been great so far and we're looking to raise them again."
He is also excited at the prospect of playing at the Principality Stadium once again, where Ireland spoiled Warren Gatland's return as coach with a 34-10 win in 2023.
"Wales are a different team when they play at home, and they take a lot of pride playing at the Principality.
"I've been on both sides of it, winning and losing over there and it's always a great atmosphere under the closed roof."
Ireland can secure the Triple Crown with victory over Wales, who have lost their past 14 Test matches.
"I've made a point to myself not to think about it too much," said Sheehan, who added it was a "big deal" to join some of Ireland's most established names as captain.
"I'm very comfortable in the group and it hasn't got to me too much. I've been enjoying the week, really. It's been nice. My phone has been blowing up a bit.
"We've had a great week of prep and everyone is looking forward to it."
'All eyes are on Wales'
While it will be a proud day for Sheehan, the Leinster hooker said his sole focus was helping Ireland to victory in Cardiff.
They have beaten England and Scotland in their opening Six Nations matches and are favourites to beat Wales, who will be led by Cardiff boss Matt Sherratt after Warren Gatland left his role as head coach.
"That's the only thing on my mind, getting a performance," added Sheehan, who admitted the Principality Stadium can be a "daunting" venue.
"We've done well in the last two weeks but we had patches in the games where we weren't at our best.
"There were areas we really needed to work on to get an 80-minute performance, so that is one of he things we've talked about.
"All eyes are on Wales and there's not been one word talked about any other game. It's massive for us and it's a great stadium to play in."
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Kidnapping their dads, crazy tattoos & hairy shoulders
Ulster trio to start for Ireland 'A' in Bristolpublished at 12:53 21 February
12:53 21 February
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Ulster trio Tom O'Toole, Jude Postlethwaite and Nathan Doak will start for Ireland 'A' at Ashton Gate in Bristol
Ulster trio Jude Postlethwaite, Nathan Doak and Tom O'Toole have been named in the Ireland 'A' starting team for Sunday's game against England 'A' in Bristol (13:00 GMT).
O'Toole joins skipper Max Deegan, Ciaran Frawley and Shane Daly as the four Ireland full caps named in the starting side for the Ashton Gate contest.
The replacements bench also including full internationals Oli Jager and Harry Byrne.
Scrum-half Doak, who was a late call-up to the squad after Ben Murphy was ruled out, partners Frawley in the half-backs with Jude Postlethwaite named at centre alongside Connacht's Hugh Gavin.
Munster's Daly starts at full-back with Tommy O'Brien and Shayne Bolton occupying the wing berths.
In the pack, O'Toole joins Diarmuid Barron and Jack Aungier in the front row with Evan O'Connell and Darragh Murray selected in the lock roles.
Deegan leads the side from blindside flanker as he joins Alex Kendellen and Sean Jansen in the back row.
"There has been a good edge to training this week and I've been really impressed by the application of the squad since meeting up on Monday," said Ireland 'A' coach Mike Prendergast.
"With a summer tour to Georgia and Portugal coming up, Sunday presents another chance to impress."
Ireland 'A': Shane Daly (Munster); Tommy O'Brien (Leinster), Jude Postlethwaite (Ulster), Hugh Gavin (Connacht), Shayne Bolton (Connacht); Ciaran Frawley (Leinster), Nathan Doak (Ulster); Tom O'Toole (Ulster), Diarmuid Barron (Munster); Jack Aungier (Connacht); Evan O'Connell (Munster); Darragh Murray (Connacht); Max Deegan (Leinster) capt, Alex Kendellen (Munster), Sean Jansen (Connacht)
Replacements: Stephen Smyth (Leinster), Paddy McCarthy (Leinster), Oli Jager (Munster), Conor O'Tighearnaigh (Leinster), Alex Soroka (Leinster), Fintan Gunne (Leinster), Harry Byrne (Leinster), Brian Gleeson (Munster)
Djougang to start for Wolfhounds in Edinburghpublished at 11:52 21 February
11:52 21 February
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Ireland prop Linda Djougang returns to the Wolfhounds starting line-up for Saturday's game in Edinburgh
Ireland prop Linda Djougang will start for Celtic Challenge pacesetters the Wolfhounds in Saturday's away game against fourth-placed Edinburgh.
Djougang's inclusion is the only change to the starting Wolfhound pack for the Round 8 game at Hive Stadium (14:00 GMT).
Ella Roberts has been named in the Ireland Sevens squad for this weekend's tournament in Vancouver so Amy Larn switches to full-back with Katie Corrigan drafted in at wing.
Leah Tarpey replaces Eve Higgins to partner Aoife Dalton in the centre while Ellie O'Sullivan Sexton starts at 10 alongside the experienced Molly Scufil-McCabe.
Ulster player Claire Boles will skipper the Wolfhounds as she is named in a starting line-up that includes her provincial team-mates Maebh Clenaghan, Fiona Tuite and Brittany Hogan.
The Clovers, meanwhile, face Brython Thunder at Parc Y Scarlets in an 11:30 GMT kick-off on Saturday.
Amee Leigh Costigan will skipper the Clovers as she's joined in the back three by Méabh Deely and Chisom Ugwueru
Anna McGann and Kate Flannery are drafted into the centre roles with Caitriona Finn partnering Emily Lane in the half-backs.
There's an all new front row with Grainne Burke, Emily Gavin and Saoirse Crowe handed starts
Aoibhe Flynn comes in to the second row to partner Jane Neill while Brianna Heylman is joined in the back row by Faith Oviawe and Jemima Adams Verling.
The 21-year-old scored 12 points against the Scots in his first away game for Ireland and Gibson-Park has praised his impact amid the intense scrutiny that comes with being a starting fly-half.
"He's been very good for someone of his age, he's been impressive, and he has taken everything in his stride," said Gibson-Park.
"It is the nature of the best, being an Irish 10 you come under huge pressure, but he's handled it unbelievably well and I'm happy for him."
Gibson-Park also reflected on what has aided his own good start to the tournament which has helped leaders Ireland register maximum points ahead of facing Wales.
"Over the autumn, things were tricky, we didn't perform to our level, so I was looking forward to getting back in and righting a few wrongs that way," added the 32-year-old.
"I think I'm really enjoying it here and my start to the season with Leinster. I'm happy to be part of two pretty successful teams.
"My drive to keep getting better is still there and long may it continue."
Easterby has had 'no contact' about Wales jobpublished at 11:14 20 February
11:14 20 February
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Simon Easterby has led Ireland to wins over England and Scotland in his two games as interim boss
Ireland interim boss Simon Easterby says he has had no contact from the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) about replacing Warren Gatland as head coach.
Wales parted ways with Gatland last week, and while Matt Sherratt has taken interim charge, Easterby is thought to be one of the WRU's top targets.
However, Easterby - who lives in Wales and formerly captained and coached Scarlets - dismissed "speculation" around his future.
"I didn't really know that I had been linked, but of course there's been speculation and that's all it is: speculation," Easterby said after naming his team to face Wales in Saturday's Six Nations gam in Cardiff.
"I'm not in control of that. I love what I do here. I've been in this position with the team for a long time and I'm very fortunate with the people I get to work with, both management and players, and for me that's a dream job.
"Speculation is exactly that, it's speculation and it's not something I can control."
Former Ireland international Easterby began his coaching career with Scarlets before joining the Irish backroom team in 2014.
The Yorkshire-born 49-year-old has stepped up to lead the team this year while head coach Andy Farrell is seconded with the British and Irish Lions.
"Right now, this is my only focus and whatever happens in the future... in a year's time you could lose your job and we know in sport it's fairly fluid around people moving from thing to thing," added Easterby.
"Whatever's gone on, I've had no contact from the WRU, so for me it's all guns blazing towards Cardiff on Saturday and making sure me and the other coaches prepare the team in the right way. Whatever speculation goes on outside of that is outside of my control."
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Kidnapping their dads, crazy tattoos & hairy shoulders
Ireland must 'push on' in Doris absence - Conanpublished at 08:06 20 February
08:06 20 February
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Ireland's Jack Conan has predicted the team's back row will be under a "huge amount of pressure" to fill the void left by Caelan Doris' injury when they face Wales in the Six Nations on Saturday (14:15 GMT).
Simon Easterby's side have won their opening two games of the championship against England and Scotland, but they have been forced into changes for this weekend's trip to Cardiff with captain Doris and Ronan Kelleher both ruled out.
Doris, who has played in every one of Ireland's Test matches since the 2021 Six Nations, will miss out because of a knee injury sustained in training.
"How do you fill that role? It's very difficult," said Conan.
"He's played 42 in a row which is a testament to how professional he is, how durable he is, how consistent he's been as a player.
"There'll be a huge amount of pressure on the entirety of the back row, whoever is on the bench and the lads that are starting, to keep on pushing from where he left off because he's been unbelievable."
Conan, a 2021 British and Irish Lion, has performed well off the bench in the opening two games and will fill the jersey vacated by his Leinster team-mate Doris.
"We get on very well. We compete hard against each other and I think we've spurred each other on to be at a really good level," said the 32-year-old.
"He's someone who sets the standard for the rest of the back row and without him we're going to have to push on and make sure we're at that level."
Wales will be under the charge of interim head coach Matt Sherratt for the first time, having lost their past 14 Tests, a run dating back to the 2023 World Cup.
"I've no doubt it's been unbelievably tough for the Welsh lads," said Conan.
"They'll be galvanised by a new coach coming in, everything that's gone on the last few weeks.
"They're a nation that gets behind Welsh rugby incredibly well, and playing over there with the roof closed is going to be special."
Why will Ireland wear white against Wales?published at 21:02 19 February
21:02 19 February
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Ireland last wore their alternate white jersey in the 2023 Rugby World Cup against Tonga
Wales against Ireland in the Six Nations has traditionally been a battle between red and green.
But on Saturday, Ireland will swap green for white as they look to secure the Triple Crown in Cardiff.
It comes after World Rugby introduced a directive to assist supporters who are affected by colour vision deficiency (CVD) by limiting the amount of kit clashes in the sport.
It can be difficult for those who have CVD, also known as colour blindness, to differentiate between colours, including red and green.
One in 12 men and one in 200 women worldwide are colour blind.
The last time Ireland wore a white jersey was against Tonga, who played in their home red shirt, at the 2023 World Cup in France.
Ireland have defeated England and Scotland in their opening two matches and can win the Triple Crown against Wales, who are winless in 14 matches and will be led by Matt Sherratt after Warren Gatland left his role as head coach.
Ireland depth keeps 'pushing the bar' - Henshawpublished at 07:12 19 February
07:12 19 February
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Ireland are aiming to secure the Triple Crown against Wales in Cardiff on Saturday
Robbie Henshaw believes competition for places is helping Ireland's players get "the best out of each other" in their Six Nations campaign.
Led by interim head coach Simon Easterby, the back-to-back champions remain on course for a third title in succession after opening wins over England and Scotland and will secure the Triple Crown with victory over Wales on Saturday.
Henshaw started against Scotland after coming off the bench against England with Easterby also able to call upon Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose for his midfield spots.
The trio have rarely all been fit for the duration of the same Test window but the 31-year-old says the switches in personnel have been "seamless" so far.
"We know each others' strengths inside out at this stage," he said.
"A lot of work goes on to make sure everyone is singing off the same hymn sheet.
"Everyone is delighted to have contributed in the first games. We're always pushing the bar to keep improving each other and keep getting the best out of each other."
Ireland will be without captain Caelan Doris due to a knee injury, but Henshaw thinks the side have an able replacement in the shape of Jack Conan who excelled off the bench in the first two games.
"It's unfortunate for Caelan to be missing this week, hopefully he'll be back soon," said Henshaw.
"To have someone like Jack coming in, it goes to show the talent we have across the board in terms of the competition for places, the strength and depth.
"It's great that we have people of that talent to step in."
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Kidnapping their dads, crazy tattoos & hairy shoulders
Ireland to face New Zealand in Chicago rematchpublished at 16:18 18 February
16:18 18 February
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Ireland recorded a first win over the All Blacks at the 29th attempt in Chicago in 2016
Ireland will play New Zealand at Soldier Field in Chicago in November, nine years on from the historic victory which was one of Irish rugby's greatest days.
The match on 1 November is a repeat of the 2016 fixture at the same venue when Ireland ended an 111-year wait for a first men's Test win over the All Blacks.
Ireland have also played Italy at the home of the National Football League's Chicago Bears, winning 54-7 in 2018.
Ireland will play the remainder of their autumn fixtures back in Dublin starting with a visit from Japan on 8 November.
They will welcome Australia to the Aviva Stadium a week later, before finishing off the four-game slate by hosting back-to-back world champions South Africa.
"We are delighted to see international rugby return to Chicago for this historic 'rematch' between Ireland and New Zealand," said Kevin Potts, chief executive of the Irish Rugby Football Union.
"The 2016 encounter at Soldier Field is one of the greatest moments in Irish rugby history, and the rivalry that has grown between our two teams since then is a testament to the quality, passion, and the respect that Ireland and New Zealand have for each other."
The All Blacks fixture will provide a return to the Ireland coaching box for Andy Farrell after he leads the British and Irish Lions in a three-Test tour of Australia this summer.
Assistant coach Simon Easterby is currently in charge of the team for the Six Nations and will be interim head coach again for Test matches in July.
Ireland have not yet confirmed opposition or dates for those games
Saturday, 1 November: Ireland v New Zealand, Soldier Field, Chicago, 20:10 GMT
Saturday, 8 November: Ireland v Japan, Aviva Stadium, 12:40 GMT
Saturday, 15 November: Ireland v Australia, Aviva Stadium, 20:10 GMT
Saturday, 22 November: Ireland v South Africa, Aviva Stadium, 17:40 GMT.
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Kidnapping their dads, crazy tattoos & hairy shoulders
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