Author: THEJOHNANTONIOBLOG

CONNACHT HAVE TODAY announced the signing of James Cannon from Wasps. The 28-year-old lock joins Pat Lam’s side for the 2016/17 season, having made 93 appearances during his six-season Wasps spell. “James has been part of a competitive mix of second row players at Wasps but has shown his talent when given the chance,” said…

Edinburgh 7Ulster 29 Lewis Stuart reports from Murrayfield ULSTER BOUNCED BACK in style from their recent disappointments to secure a home quarter-final it the Guinness Pro14 as they won comfortably against error-strewn Edinburgh at the home of Scottish rugby. Dan McFarland’s men secured the scoring bonus point late in the game but by then had…

Ryan Bailey reports from the Aviva Stadium  THIS WAS LEINSTER BACK in big-game mode, Leo Cullen’s defending champions clinically and surgically dismantling Toulouse with the level of mastery and quality we had not seen this season. This was Leinster of yesteryear, of 2018 vintage, as the province proved far too hot for the Top 14…

CORK CON ARE not usually in the business of talking their chances down. So having stormed into their fourth consecutive All-Ireland League final on the back of a campaign in which they ended 11 points clear of the chasing pack, they have every reason to be confident in the hunt for a sixth title this…

SARACENS HAVE MADE two changes to the side which beat Munster in the last four for Saturday’s Heineken Champions Cup decider with Leinster. Sean Maitland has shaken off a hamstring complaint to line out on the wing for the English powerhouses, while Will Skelton’s impressive recent form has earned him a spot at lock. Skelton’s…

SEÁN O’BRIEN IS battling to shake off a hip injury in a bid to line out for Leinster one final time in Saturday’s Guinness Pro14 final against Glasgow Warriors.  The flanker missed last weekend’s semi-final win over Munster after failing to come through the training week, and remains a major fitness doubt for the decider…

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WORLD RUGBY WILL take the first steps towards introducing player welfare-based law amendments this week as an expert review group convenes to discuss proposals for the next World Cup cycle. On the back of a player welfare and laws symposium held in France last March, six potential law changes have been put forward for discussion…

LONDON IRISH HEAD coach Les Kiss has defended the club’s decision to sign Paddy Jackson, claiming that most fans backed the fly-half’s arrival. Speaking on Wednesday, former Ulster head coach Kiss admitted he understood that the player’s past would follow him and that there would be stories written about the club’s decision to sign him….

TODAY, THE42 BEGINS an exciting new phase as we launch our membership scheme. You know us, we don’t usually like to brag; but over the past nine years, we’ve become Ireland’s favourite online sports news source and your go-to place for proper analysis, interesting long-reads, breaking news and lively conversation. Now, we want to produce…