Irish Rugby

Richard Petrie
BBC Sport NI Journalist

Image source, Getty

United Rugby Championship, round 16

Benetton (5) 29

Tries: Garbisi, Mendy, Gasperini 2 Cons: Umaga 3 Pens: Umaga

Leinster (14) 26

Tries: O'Tighearnaigh, Van der Flier, Gibson-Park, Frawley Cons: Byrne 2, Prendergast

Leinster passed up an opportunity to improve on the fourth place they currently occupy in the United Rugby Championship table as they suffered a dramatic last-gasp 29-26 comeback loss away to Benetton.

The Italian side trailed by 14 points early in the second half but battled back to draw level with eight minutes remaining, before Jacob Umaga's penalty in the final minute secured a bonus-point victory.

With both sides scoring four tries, Leinster had the consolation of leaving with two bonus points.

Tommy O'Brien won an early foot race to the line to deny Benetton a try but soon after Alessandro Garbisi went over in the corner after accepting an off-load.

Conor O'Tighearnaigh rumbled over from close range, Harry Byrne converting, to edge Leo Cullen's charges 7-5 ahead.

Leinster continued to put on the pressure and were denied a second score when Ciaran Frawley dotted down under the posts but after a consultation with the television match official (TMO), the try was chalked off for a forward pass by Jack Conan in the build-up.

Josh van der Flier then marked his return to action after injury by burrowing over the whitewash shortly before half-time.

Five minutes after the restart, Jamison Gibson-Park got in on the try-scoring action.

Dan Sheehan broke clear and passed to the scrum-half, who weaved his way through the home defence and ran in behind the posts.

Benetton responded with two converted scores to draw level at 19 apiece.

First, Ignacio Mendy picked up a loose ball and sprinted into the corner, dodging an attempted tackle by Gibson-Park in the process, then Nicholas Gasperini barged over after emerging from the back of a maul.

The see-saw nature of the game continued as Frawley scored after collecting a long pass to the wing after Leinster had gone through the phases.

Cian Prendergast added the extras to push Leinster's advantage to seven but back came the home side again as Gasperini claimed his second converted try to level the scores once again, repeating the play in much the same fashion as his first touchdown.

Umaga's penalty in the final minute proved decisive for the Italian side.

After their Champions Cup semi-final against Toulon next weekend, Leinster host the Lions and the Ospreys in their concluding games of the regular URC season, with Benetton heading on their travels to South Africa to face the Sharks and the Bulls.

Benetton: Gallagher; Mendy, Menoncello, Fekitoa, Odogwu; Umaga, Garbisi; Aminu, Bernasconi, Pasquali; Marini, Favretto; Zuliani, Lamaro, Cannone

Replacements: Gasperini, Nemer, Gallorini, Cannone, Fa'aso'o, Snyman, Uren, Marin

Leinster: Frawley; O'Brien, Ioane, Osborne, O'Brien; Byrne, Gibson-Park; Byrne, Sheehan, Furlong; O'Tighearnaigh, Deeny; Conan, Van der Flier, Doris

Replacements: McCarthy, Cahir, Clarkson, Soroka, Penny, Gunne, Prendergast, Tector

Richard Petrie
BBC Sport NI Journalist

Image source, Inpho

United Rugby Championship round 16

Lions (21) 33

Tries: Davids, Van Wyk 2, Mahashe, Cronje Cons: Smith 4

Connacht (0) 21

Tries: MDevine 2, Boyle Cons: Naughton, Gilbert 2

The Lions boosted their hopes of making the United Rugby Championship's end-of-season play-offs and simultaneously dealt a blow to Connacht's ambitions with a bonus-point 33-21 victory over the Irish province at Ellis Park on Saturday.

The South African side scored five tries to their opponents' three in Johannesburg and will aim to advance to the last eight knockout stages with home advantage as the competition moves into the final two rounds of regular fixtures.

The defeat brought to an end a run of six URC wins in a row for Connacht.

The Lions took the lead in the fifth minute when wing Angelo Davids had the relatively simple task of dotting down in the corner unchallenged after the hosts had moved the ball quickly through the hands and stretched the Connacht defence.

Centre Henco Van Wyk showed a superb turn of pace to race clear and score soon after the midway point of the half and then Siba Mahashe put the finishing touch to another flowing move by diving over in the corner on the stroke of half-time.

Erich Cronje touched down to complete another clinical build-up soon after the interval but Matthew Devine replied for the visitors when he gathered possession and burst over from close range.

Van Wyk rounded off some more slick ball handling with try number five for his side but Stuart Lancaster's team finished strongly, albeit too late to have a chance to salvage any points.

After Shayne Bolton's score was ruled out after consultation with the television match official [TMO] for a knock-on in the build-up, Devine skipped in under the posts for his second try and then Paul Boyle touched down for a score in the dying seconds.

The Lions face testing trips to Leinster and Munster in their final two matches of the regular URC campaign, with Connacht at home to Munster and away to Edinburgh.

Lions: Horn; Davids, Van Wyk, Kriel, Cronje; Smith, Van den Berg;Kotze, Botha, Ntlabakanye; Venter, Landsberg; Mahashe, Hlekani, Horn

Replacements: Brandon, Davids, Lombard, Nothnagel, Qoma, Pretorious, Steyn, Mpeku.

Connacht: Gilbert; West, J Devine, Gavin, Jennings; Carty, Reilly; Dooley, Tierney-Martin, Aungier; Murray, Joyce; Prendergast (capt), Hurley-Langton, Boyle.

Replacements: Victory, Bohan, Barrett, Murray, Jansen, M Devine, SNaughton, Bolton.

Image source, Inpho

Injury-hit Ulster will hand debuts to three academy players in Saturday's crucial United Rugby Championship trip to inter-provincial rivals Munster.

Flankers James McKillop and Tom Brigg and winger Aitzol Arenzana-King will make their senior bow for the derby at Limerick's Thomond Park (17:30 BST).

Faced with a raft of injuries and with one eye on next week's Challenge Cup semi-final against Exeter, head coach Richie Murphy has made 15 changes from last week's defeat by Leinster in Belfast.

Without props Angus Bell (foot), Scott Wilson (ankle) and Tom O'Toole (hand), Eric O'Sullivan and Bryan O'Connor - the latter making his first start - have been recalled at loose-head and tight-head as James McCormick returns at hooker.

Harry Sheridan and Charlie Irvine start in the second row, while Lorcan McLoughlin joins debutants McKillop and Brigg in the back row.

Joining fit-again full-back Michael Lowry - who will captain the side - in the back three are former Leinster wing Arenzana-King and Ben Moxham, who makes his first start since November 2023 after recovering from two anterior cruciate ligament injuries.

With James Hume (neck) and Jude Postlethwaite (hand) ruled out, Ethan McIlroy and Ben Carson start in midfield, while Conor McKee and Jake Flannery are paired at half-back.

Prop Tom McAllister and centre Jonny Scott, both of whom made their debut last month, are named on the bench alongside John Andrew, Callum Reid, Joe Hopes, Marcus Rea, Dave Shanahan and Jake Humphreys.

Murphy is without Nick Timoney (hip), James McNabney (knee), Rob Herring (calf), Robert Baloucoune (elbow), Rory McGuire (shoulder) and Stewart Moore (knee), while Ireland internationals Jacob Stockdale, Stuart McCloskey and Iain Henderson are among those not included in the squad.

Ulster are fifth in the URC table, a point above sixth-placed Munster, in the race for the play-offs.

Munster, who earned a much-needed 45-15 win over Benetton in Treviso last week, make just one change with Oli Jager replacing Michael Ala'alatoa in the front row.

Head coach Clayton McMillan has included experienced Ireland internationals Jack Crowley, Craig Casey and Tadhg Beirne.

Munster: Daly; Nash, Farrell, Nankivell, Smith; Crowley, Casey, Loughman, Barron, Jager, Kleyn, Beirne (capt); Ahern, Hodnett, Coombes.

Replacements: Barron, Milne, Ala'alatoa, Edogbo, Gleeson, O'Donovan, Kelly, Kendellen.

Ulster: Lowry (capt); Arenzana-King, McIlroy, Carson, Moxham; Flannery, McKee; O'Sullivan, McCormick, O'Connor, Sheridan, Irvine, McKillop, Brigg, McLoughlin.

Replacements: Andrew, Reid, McAllister, Hopes, Rea, Shanahan, Humphreys, Scott.

Image source, Getty Images

Ireland's Nations Championship fixture against Japan will take place at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle, Australia on 11 July (11:00 BST).

Andy Farrell's side open the inaugural tournament against Australia in Sydney on 4 July and will face the Brave Blossoms before travelling to New Zealand to take on the All Blacks at Auckland's Eden Park on 18 July.

Ireland have won 10 out of 11 Tests with Japan, the sole defeat coming at the 2019 Rugby World Cup at Shizuoka Stadium. Ireland won the last meeting 41-10 in Dublin last November.

After July's fixtures, Ireland will host Argentina, Fiji and South Africa in November at Aviva Stadium.

The biennial 12-team Nations Championship comprises six rounds of matches across the summer and autumn Test windows before a 'finals weekend' on 27-29 November at Twickenham's Allianz Stadium.

After each team has played the other six from the opposing hemisphere once, they are ranked within their own hemisphere.

The finals weekend in London will start with the sixth-placed northern hemisphere side taking on their southern hemisphere equivalent, and culminate in the two group winners taking each other on for the title.

The results on the finals weekend will also contribute to a north v south overall score and title.

Ireland's fixtures (times BST)

4 July

Australia v Ireland, Allianz Stadium, 11:00

11 July

Japan v Ireland, McDonald Jones Stadium, 11:00

18 July

New Zealand v Ireland, 08:10

6 November

Ireland v Argentina, Aviva Stadium

14 November

Ireland v Fiji, Aviva Stadium

21 November

Ireland v South Africa, Aviva Stadium

Finals weekend

27 November

Sixth-place North v Sixth-place South

Third-place North v Third-place South

28 November

Fifth-place North v Fifth-place South

Second-place North v Second-place South

29 November

Fourth-place North v Fourth-place South

First-place North v First-place South

Image source, Inpho

Defence coach James Scaysbrook hopes Ireland's experience of playing in front of a record Women's Six Nations crowd this year will help their bid for a historic win in France this weekend.

Les Bleues have won all 11 Women's Six Nations meetings on French soil and have not lost to Ireland since a 21-5 reverse in Dublin in 2017.

But Scaysbrook feels turning out in front of a 77,120-strong crowd in the 33-12 loss to England at Allianz Stadium earlier this month was a good high-pressure test for the renewal of Ireland's rivalry with France at Clermont's Stade Marcel-Michelin.

"I think they've had a reasonable practice in front of 77,000 at Twickenham," said Scaysbrook.

"We're really looking forward to thriving in that environment. We're looking at it as a challenge and something to be really excited by and not worried about."

Saturday's game (20:10 BST, watch on BBC Two NI & BBC iPlayer) will be the first meeting since last year's thrilling World Cup quarter-final when France roared back from 13-0 down to win 18-13.

But Scaysbrook suggested heartache is not driving the squad by insisting the main focus is "growing as a team".

"We're all human beings and we all remember what happened," he added.

"Our focus is on growing ourselves and growing our performance and getting better week on week."

Ireland are aiming for back-to-back wins after a thumping 57-20 win over Italy in Galway, while France beat Italy and Wales in their first two games.

Image source, Inpho

Ireland believe they can deliver a historic Women's Six Nations win over France in Clermont after Saturday's impressive demolition of Italy in Galway, says Aoife Wafer.

Wafer scored one of Ireland's nine tries as Scott Bemand's side bounced back from an opening-weekend loss to England with a 57-20 victory over the Italians at Dexcom Stadium.

Ireland have never won a Women's Six Nations game in France, but Wafer believes the current group are capable of creating history.

"I think this group has always had belief and it'll be no different in France," the 23-year-old Harlequins flanker told the Ireland Rugby Social podcast.

"I think we owe them one. The key factors will be that physicality fight again. That first half against England, we lost that battle, got a bit of a telling off at half-time and came out and were a lot more physical than England.

"Doing that for the full 80 minutes will be crucial. The maul tries and forward tries will be really big as well because France have a big pack as well."

Wafer, who scored in Ireland's 38-17 loss to France in Le Mans in 2024, says silencing the noisy home support at Stade Marcel-Michelin will be crucial.

"They've got brass bands in all the corners and our job is to make sure they go as quiet as possible," she added.

"You put a challenge up to them and all of a sudden the trumpets stop and the crowd stops and we start to impose ourselves on the game and just be absolutely dominant in it."

Wafer also said the squad will be fuelled by the pain of last year's World Cup quarter-final defeat.

Ireland led 13-0 at Exeter's Sandy Park but ultimately succumbed to a French comeback to lose 18-13.

"Like everyone, we'll probably have a little bit of that quarter-final hurt in them," said Wafer, who added France back row Axelle Berthoumieu's bite on her during the World Cup game "is in the past".

"It's probably something that'll stay with us for a little while. I know personally I probably think about it a lot still. We get another week to rip into them."

Image source, Inpho

Captain Erin King said Ireland "showed what we are all about" in Saturday's nine-try Six Nations win over Italy in Galway.

Ireland bounced back from an opening defeat by world champions England with a 57-20 win over Italy, as wing Beibhinn Parsons scored three tries.

The victory moves Ireland up to third in the table before travelling to France on Saturday.

"We place a lot of emphasis on putting our words into action," said King, who was named Ireland captain ahead of the Six Nations at the age of 21.

"We talk a lot about working hard and enjoying the game that we play.

"We went out there and played with smiles on our faces. We showed what we are all about and capable of."

King said Ireland would enjoy their win, which came in front of a record crowd of 9200, and she said there was some "unbelievable work" from her team-mates.

While Parsons got the headlines with her hat-trick, Emily Lane, Aoife Wafer, Robyn O'Connor, Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald, Ellena Perry and Brittany Hogan also crossed in Galway, while Dannah O'Brien landed 12 points from the tee.

Ireland prepare to France with hope of gaining revenge for their narrow Six Nations loss in Belfast last year, as well as a defeat in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals in England in the autumn, and King admits it will be a "big job" for Scott Bemand's side.

"It meant so much to us after last week to come out and put in a dominant performance.

"We will enjoy this win and we will get our heads down for our next job.

"We are probably a little bit disappointed that we did let them in on a few occasions. But with a few minor tweaks we will regroup and go again."

Image source, Inpho

Ulster head coach Richie Murphy said he was "massively disappointed" to come away from Friday's United Rugby Championship derby with Leinster empty-handed after their second-half comeback fell short.

James Culhane and Jimmy O'Brien scored to give Leinster a 15-0 lead after a dominant first-half display before Robbie Henshaw and Sam Prendergast tries stretched the advantage to 29-0 at Affidea Stadium.

Ulster cut the deficit to 29-21 through Bryn Ward and Zac Ward's double as Max Deegan's yellow card for a high hit on Werner Kok was upgraded to a 20-minute red, but the hosts were unable to find the late try that would have given them two bonus points.

And Murphy said the officials missed a hit on Jude Postlethwaite as Ulster chased the game late on.

"Yes, massively disappointed. Even towards the end of the game, they're obviously down to 14," said the Ulster boss.

"Jude gets hit in the head and that's missed and it's another opportunity to get a penalty and get back down into the corner and get them under more pressure. We definitely deserved something out of the game."

Ulster went into the game on the back of Challenge Cup knockout wins over Ospreys and La Rochelle.

And while Leinster made 12 changes after reaching the Champions Cup last four, Murphy believes Leo Cullen's side displayed the momentum that comes from winning top-tier European games.

"It's not that we went out there with the intention of not playing well in the first half," he said.

"I'm extremely proud of the players in relation to how they reacted when they were under massive pressure at 29-0 down and managed to put together some really good things.

"We've a fair bit of learning to do in relation to that first half. It's probably a little bit of the difference of the level of the Challenge Cup the last couple of weeks.

"You go up and you're playing against a Champions Cup semi-final team, even though they're heavily rotated but there's good learnings in that for us and it'll help us going forward."

Having fallen to fourth and four points behind Leinster in the table, Ulster travel to Munster on 25 April and host Exeter in the Challenge Cup semi-finals on 2 May before their final regular-season URC games against second-placed Stormers and leaders Glasgow.