OTB Rugby

Welcome to Friday's Rugby Daily, with Cameron Hill.

It's a URC Grand Final special for you today - we'll hear from both the Leinster and Bulls camps,

Some Off The Ball regulars will offer their thoughts ahead of tonight's games,

And there's a couple of highlights from chats we had this week with bona fide Leinster royalty....

Rugby on Off The Ball with Bank of Ireland | #NeverStopCompeting

Welcome to Thursday's Rugby Daily, with Cameron Hill.

Coming up, the Leinster and Bulls teams are out for the URC Grand Final,

Isa Nacewa admits he was "shocked" by James Lowe's decision to leave this summer,

A few big names out of the Ireland squad for their Nations Championship games this July,

And are we inching closer to tackles above the sternum being outlawed in elite rugby?

This is Rugby Daily on Off The Ball, with Bank of Ireland, a proud sponsor of Irish rugby. Never stop competing.

Welcome to Tuesday's Rugby Daily, I'm Cameron Hill,

Coming up, a big injury blow for Leinster just days out from the URC final.

The cause of Jack Crowley's recent injury struggles has finally been revealed - and it's not good news for Ireland,

Another van der Flier gets an international call-up for the July tests,

And Cam Roigard defends his action after being accused of feigning injury before setting up a try at the weekend.

Rugby on Off The Ball with Bank of Ireland | #NeverStopCompeting

Welcome to Thursday's Rugby Daily, I'm Cameron Hill.

Coming up, James Tracy fumes over the decision by the IRFU to let go of James Lowe,

Caelan Doris a doubt for the URC Final against the Bulls next Friday,

And Aoife Wafer is crowned the Women's Six Nations Player of the Championship once again.

Rugby on Off The Ball with Bank of Ireland | #NeverStopCompeting

Welcome to Wednesday's Rugby Daily, with Cameron Hill,

Coming up, James Lowe laments no "fairytale ending" as he confirms his Leinster exit,

Munster have snapped up a former Ireland international as part of their coaching team for next season,

And after Antoine Dupont's successful sevens Sabbatical, another France superstar could switch codes ahead of the next Olympics...

Rugby on Off The Ball with Bank of Ireland | #NeverStopCompeting

Welcome to Tuesday's Rugby Daily, I'm Cameron Hill.

Coming up, another Croke Park date for Leinster in the URC final, but is there enough buy-in from fans?

Tributes paid to former IRFU chief executive Philip Browne, who has died at the age of 66.

And with his Leinster exit imminent, news on where James Lowe will end up next...

Rugby on Off The Ball with Bank of Ireland | #NeverStopCompeting

Welcome to Thursday's Rugby Daily, with Cameron Hill.

Coming up, Irish rugby mourns the passing of legendary back-rower Fergus Slattery at the age of 77,

John Dobson sends out a warning to critics of Leinster coach Jacques Nienaber,

And Munster's hopes of signing All Blacks prop Tyrel Lomax have been dealt a fatal blow.

Rugby on Off The Ball with Bank of Ireland | #NeverStopCompeting

Welcome to Friday's Rugby Daily, I'm Cameron Hill.

Coming up, Andy Farrell signs a new deal with the IRFU to stay on as head coach through to 2031,

Leinster head coach Leo Cullen praises "genius" senior coach Jacques Nienaber,

And Maggie Alphonsi slams the RFU over a sexism row involving one of its council members.

Rugby on Off The Ball with Bank of Ireland | #NeverStopCompeting

Fergus Slattery, one of Ireland’s greatest rugby players, has died at the age of 77.

In a statement, Blackrock College RFC announced the news this morning, hailing their former flanker as a “Lion of Lions”.

Born in 1949, Slattery attended Blackrock College and won the 1966 Leinster Schools Senior Cup, before joining the club as a 17-year-old and excelling in senior rugby.

He went on to win 61 caps for Ireland, captaining the country and winning the Five Nations Championship in 1974 and Triple Crowns in 1982 and 1985 as part of a legendary back-row with Willie Duggan and John O’Driscoll.

He was also part of the 1979 series win in Australia.

Slattery is also a legendary Lion and was called up to the tours of New Zealand in 1971 and South Africa in 1974 where he played in the Test series win.

He was also a key part in the Barbarians’ most famous try against the All Blacks in 1973. In total, he played 18 times for the invitational club.

After retirement, Slattery remained heavily involved in rugby through his media work with the BBC and with Blackrock College where he was a keen proponent of the sport’s amateur values.

In recent years, his family disclosed that Slattery suffered from dementia, revealing the scale of his illness in an interview with The Sunday Times.

He is survived by his wife Margo, daughter Nikki, son Cameron and his grandchildren.

Here is former Ireland and Lion back row Slattery speaking to our own Nathan Murphy ahead of the Lions tour of 2017, and about his memories of being a Tourist back in the early 1970s.

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Munster greats Alan Quinlan and Fiona Hayes join Off The Ball's Ruairi O'Hagan to look back on the URC quarter final defeat to the Bulls, to reflect on the season as a whole, and to look ahead to the next campaign.

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