'I kept trucking away. I knew my time would come if I just kept at it'
24-year-old Will Connors was man of the match on his Ireland debut against Italy.
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24-year-old Will Connors was man of the match on his Ireland debut against Italy.
Attack coach Mike Catt also believes newcomer Hugo Keenan has “a huge future.”
The flanker has been close to making a return in recent weeks, but the path has not been a straightforward one.
The 24-year-old openside flanker was dogged and destructive in defence.
Leinster openside Will Connors earned an Ireland call-up thanks to his excellent season.
John Fogarty says reputation counts for nothing as the province assess their options at seven for the closing stages of the season.
Sean O’Brien’s experience is tempting after Josh van der Flier was ruled out.
Josh van der Flier is looking to make good decisions on both sides of the breakdown.
19-year-old openside flanker Scott Penny has already made four senior starts for Leinster.
The Tullow Tank has agreed to join London Irish from December.
The 25-year-old is looking likely to be wearing Ireland’s seven shirt on 2 February.
Sean O’Brien and Ciarán Frawley are still unavailable for selection.
The South African will miss three to four months of action.
Josh van der Flier appears to have won the race to start on the openside.
‘The way they work rotation you never know when you are going to be in the 15 or the 23 so you just take the opportunities as you get them.’
Warren Gatland confirmed the Wales openside has an ankle issue.
The Hurricanes openside ripped up Super Rugby this year.
The Tullow Tank suffered a massive setback in his rehab in the last weekend of the regular season and will miss Ireland’s tour to South Africa.
Jared Payne is looking increasingly unlikely to feature against England in Twickenham.
Ireland’s head coach places huge value in familiarity when picking squads and Henry hopes to prove himself fit for Twickenham this Sunday.
The 22-year-old is not content merely to win Leinster caps; he wants to dominate games.
The 25-year-old back row has been in excellent form for Anthony Foley’s side.
There’s only room for one lucky seven at a time the starting line-up.
These four turnovers from the Ireland captain showed his quality on the deck.
The 27-year-old has been out of action since suffering a mini-stroke in November.
Openside flanker Nepia Fox-Matamua will join the province on a two-year deal.
The Kiwi openside has come through two extensive runs to recovery, so knows plenty about shoulder rehab.
The Munster back row is keen to add to his collection of six international caps.
The openside flanker suffered a temporary blockage of a small blood vessel in his brain.
The Leinster flanker turned 24 today and now feels a settled part of Joe Schmidt’s group.
The 27-year-old Tipp native discusses competing for steals and CJ Stander’s impact with ball in hand.
‘I’m not going to name myself down to a position at the moment,’ says the Munster captain.
The 22-year-old openside flanker tells TheScore.ie how he works on his breakdown skills.
The flanker is raring to go in a new season after playing only three times in 2014.
The 23-year-old has bolstered Ulster’s back row options after impressing in the Ulster Bank League.
With late call-ups to the senior squad, Stuart McCloskey, Ricky Lutton and Billy Holland are packing their bags for Romania.
The number seven suffered a knee injury in October last year, and now hopes to be involved with Boyne RFC.
The flanker admits that the reigning champions could prove Leinster’s toughest opponent to date, but that will not mean a change in approach.
The young Kiwi flanker will keep his international options open, but he will become a leader in Connacht’s pack long before that decision must be made.
The Ireland flanker feels it’s time for Ireland to string wins together, with Wales next in their sights.