ALL BLACKS HEAD coach Steve Hansen says he expects Conor Murray to play for Ireland against the Kiwis next weekend in Dublin. The scrum-half last played in June on Ireland’s tour of Australia and has been managing a neck injury since. Murray is in the frame to feature against the All Blacks. Source: Dan Sheridan/INPHO With Murray not named in Ireland’s November Tests squad, Luke McGrath started Ireland’s win over Italy in Chicago two weekends ago, while Kieran Marmion was in the nine shirt yesterday versus Argentina. But Ireland boss Joe Schmidt yesterday refused to rule Murray out of a sensational return against the All Blacks, saying it will be the player’s…

CONNACHT HAVE BEEN dealt a major blow with scrum-half Kieran Marmion ruled out for the next three months due to an ankle injury. Kieran Marmion passes to Johnny Sexton during Saturday’s game. Source: Billy Stickland/INPHO Marmion first picked up the injury playing for Connacht in October’s historic win in Ulster and suffered a recurrence in the Ireland shirt against Argentina, but still managed to deliver his best international performance in last weekend’s memorable win against New Zealand. Connacht and the IRFU have decided that surgery is now the best option for Marmion, who will undergo the procedure tomorrow, which will rule him out for the next 12 weeks. “He was…

IRELAND LEGEND BRIAN O’Driscoll believes the lure of an Olympic gold medal could see more players swap the 15-a-side game for sevens in future. The men’s 2018-19 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series gets under way in Dubai on Friday, with four places at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo up for grabs over the course of the campaign. Men’s and women’s team captains in Dubai. Source: Getty Images Sonny Bill Williams was the highest-profile player to make the switch when sevens made its Olympic debut in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, although an early injury curtailed his involvement in a tournament won by Fiji. O’Driscoll expects more players to try…

CONNACHT WILL HEAD to Perpignan this week hoping to keep their Challenge Cup campaign alive without their talisman Bundee Aki but boosted by confirmation that he will be back for their showdown with Leinster the following week. The Irish centre has returned home to New Zealand to get married and will miss the trip to Stade Aime Giral where Connacht need a win to keep their qualification hopes alive. Aki played in the 22-10 win over Perpignan in dreadful conditions at the Sportsground at the weekend but fears that he might miss the Pro14 clash with champions Leinster at the RDS on Saturday week have been dispelled. Forwards coach Jimmy…

MUNSTER HAVE MADE their intentions clear, as Johann van Graan has recalled his frontline internationals for duty ahead of Saturday’s Guinness Pro14 showdown against Leinster at Thomond Park [KO 5.15pm, eir Sport/Premier Sport]. The Munster head coach makes 12 changes in personnel from last week’s defeat in Belfast, handing the likes of Andrew Conway, Keith Earls, Joey Carbery, Conor Murray, Tadhg Beirne and CJ Stander starts. Stander and Murray both start. Source: Laszlo Geczo/INPHO Peter O’Mahony is the only notable absentee from Munster’s matchday 23 for the round 12 inter-pro, and the captain’s armband is given to Stander in the flanker’s absence.   Mike Haley, Fineen Wycherley and Jean Kleyn, who makes…

Murray Kinsella reports from Kingsholm THERE WERE HIGHLIGHTS aplenty to choose from in this Joey Carbery performance. The grubber kick for Andrew Conway’s try was chief among them. Having nearly teed up Munster’s right wing for a first-half try with a grubber off his right foot, Carbery pulled the act off with a deft touch from his left foot in the second half. Carbery was man of the match in Gloucester. Source: Dan Sheridan/INPHO The kick came after Munster switched play to the right, Carbery spying the empty Gloucester backfield as he moved and then releasing his grubber just before meeting a tackle, the perfectly-weighted touch leaving Conway with an…

DEFENDING EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS Leinster will host Ulster in an All-Ireland Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final at the Aviva Stadium following the completion of the pool stages. Leo Cullen’s side secured top spot in Pool 1 with a bonus-point victory over Wasps this afternoon, and will continue the defence of their crown against provincial rivals Ulster at the national stadium on the final weekend of March.  Leinster celebrate their win over Wasps. Source: Dan Sheridan/INPHO Click Here: cheap converse shoes Munster, meanwhile, will travel to Murrayfield to face Richard Cockerill’s Edinburgh in the last eight, as the quarter-final line-up is confirmed. Top seeds Saracens will go head-to-head with Glasgow Warriors at Allianz…

DAVID SISI IS the sole debutant in Conor O’Shea’s Italy side for their Six Nations opener against Scotland on Saturday [KO 2.15pm, Virgin Media One]. The German-born former England U20 player will partner Dean Budd in the Italian second row for this weekend’s game at Murrayfield. Sisi, who joined Zebre from Bath in 2017, qualifies to play for Italy via his grandparents. He’s also eligible to represent Saturday’s opponents as his father was born in Scotland. The 25-year-old, whose mother is English, came through the London Irish academy. The Italy team will be captained by Sergio Parisse. It will be a record-breaking outing for the Stade Francais number eight, who…

Italy 15  Wales 26 WALES MADE HISTORY by equalling their best run of 11 straight Test wins with a 26-15 victory over Italy in the Six Nations in Rome this evening.  Josh Adams and Owen Watkin touched down after the break after Dan Biggar had kicked four first-half penalties for the visitors to lead 12-7 at the interval. Italy got two tries through Braam Steyn and Edoardo Padovani but the Azzurri fell to their 19th consecutive defeat in the tournament. The Welsh last achieved 11 consecutive wins in 1910, and will bid to break the record against England at the Principality Stadium in two weeks’ time. Having staged a remarkable…

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