Author: isport

Joe Schmidt is the head coach for IRFU; he has to take a crucial decision as to whether he will extend the four year contract that exists with the team at present. He has certain family commitments that he needs to consider that would affect his decision as to whether he will continue or end the contract.

Joe Schmidt has an important role to play as the head coach for the Irish rugby team. He is deferring a decision for his future with the regional team. Some are optimistic about his extending contract period while others are unsure about his decision.

The pre-season friendly match played in August looked as if it was held in late November because of the heavy winds and rain.

The gusty weather conditions did not upset the rhythm and performance of the Munster team as they won their game 17-0 against Zebre in Waterford. This was the first win for Rassie Erasmus after being appointed as Munster’s director of Rugby.

Rob Herring and Andrew Trimble will be sharing the captaincy of the Ulster province for the forthcoming season. Ireland skipper Rory Best has stepped down from the role of the captain of Ulster and both Herring and Trimble have been chosen as the captains this season.

Herring, the hooker, was a deputy to Best on plenty of occasions last season and has a bit of experience in captaining the Ulster team. Trimble is the most capped player in the squad and this explains why he has been chosen by the Ulster management to lead the team this season.

The Ireland rugby international Finlay Bealham has signed a new contract with his team Connacht Rugby and he will be seen playing for the team till the 2019 summer. It looks like the Connacht team management was pretty much impressed with the show that Bealham put up last season.

The 24 year old prop is capable of playing on both sides of the scrum and this was showcased during the last season. Bealham had featured in all the 31 games played by Connacht Rugby team last season that involved PRO12 and European Rugby Challenge Cup. This could be one the reasons for Connacht to extend his contract.

Leinster was quick to react after the surprise departure of defense coach Kurt McQuilkin. The Leinster province did not waste much of its time and started to carry out discussions with many coaches to fill the shoes of Kurt.

There is no doubt that Kurt had left a void, according to Leo Cullen, the head coach. He had to leave due to family reasons and it is for Leinster management to bring in someone with a positive attitude into the squad.

This Six Nations returns this weekend having taken a well deserved breather last week, with teams again set to battle it out for victories over their Northern hemisphere rivals.

It is hard to look anywhere else for the tie of the round, as England host Wales at Twickenham on Saturday evening in what could well be the title decider.

Having started confidently in their new era under Eddie Jones, England will be looking to banish painful memories of their World Cup exit to their neighbours, which eventually contributed to their exit at the group stage. For Wales, Warren Gatland’s side will be looking to build upon recent victories against Scotland and France.

Ireland have won the last two Six Nations competitions and will be chasing down a third consecutive success in the tournament. Although they have lost a number of key personalities, Joe Schmidt’s side is still extremely talented and the Irish will be quietly confident of achieving their ultimate goal in 2016. We take a look at their chances of success in spring’s competition.

2015 Player of the Tournament Paul O’Connell hung up his boots after Ireland’s disappointing exit in October’s World Cup. The Irish lock suffered a tournament-ending injury that cost him the opportunity to lead his team out against Argentina and they missed his presence as they fell to the Pumas at the quarter-final stage of the competition.