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Liam Heagney

A seasoned rugby journalist, Liam hails from Limerick and has covered World Cups, Lions tours, Six Nations Championships and European Cup campaigns since 2000. He became a content editor at RugbyPass in 2019 after joining from the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday in Ireland.

'The reddest of red cards' missed by Wayne Barnes is belatedly punished as Toulouse skipper Marchand banned for Champions Cup final

Toulouse will have to play their Champions Cup final versus La Rochelle without their skipper Julien Marchand after his ban for fo…

Liam Heagney
Liam Heagney
13 May 2021, 4:59

What Pat Lam said to Kyle Sinckler in the Bristol dressing room last Saturday after his much-praised emotional reaction to Lions omission

The exclusion of Kyle Sinckler from the Lions resulted in Bristol boss Pat Lam seeing his prop react to adversity in an inspiring …

Liam Heagney
Liam Heagney
12 May 2021, 9:40

'One of the standout props in the Championship for quite a while': Wasps sign Bomber Hislop

Robin Hislop has long had dreams of joining a Premiership club on a permanent basis and Wasps have now chased down the prop's sign…

Liam Heagney
Liam Heagney
12 May 2021, 7:15

Tom Dunn learns his fate after second Bath red card in six weeks

Bath hooker Tom Dunn was sent off for the second time in six weeks during last Saturday's Premiership defeat at home to Bristol.

Liam Heagney
Liam Heagney
12 May 2021, 6:31

Mike Brown's career at Harlequins is over after hefty ban for red card

Mike Brown was red-carded for the first time last Sunday and he has now found out if he can play again for Harlequins before he le…

Liam Heagney
Liam Heagney
12 May 2021, 5:46

Bath explain why they didn't appeal Obano ban as they brace themselves for another Dunn red card suspension

Stuart Hooper was agitated when he learned Beno Obano has been banned for five games but he has reflected on that and other Bath r…

Liam Heagney
Liam Heagney
12 May 2021, 4:12

Bath react to reports that Toulon are courting Jonathan Joseph even though he is under contract until summer 2022

Bath centre Jonathan Joseph recently spoke of fears that his England career could be over, prompting an approach from Toulon in th…

Liam Heagney
Liam Heagney
11 May 2021, 12:30

'My girlfriend was looking at me like what the f***? I felt exactly the same': How one of the Lions' biggest surprise picks reacted to tour selection

The inclusion of Chris Harris in the Lions squad wasn't met by universal approval and selection even shocked the Scotland midfield…

Liam Heagney
Liam Heagney
11 May 2021, 8:25

'I like their kit, like where they play, like the place they are from... I might be a good fit': Danny Care names the MLR team he would love to play for

The Lions ultimately didn't want Danny Care last week but the Harlequins scrum-half has quipped there is one MLR team he could be …

Liam Heagney
Liam Heagney
11 May 2021, 7:00

'Ridiculously reckless': The Rugby Pod reacts to Mike Brown's red-carded stamp and gives its verdict on Marcus Smith's latest magic

Mike Brown and Marcus Smith were the two main talking points following last Sunday's epic 94-point encounter featuring Harlequins …

Liam Heagney
Liam Heagney
11 May 2021, 5:14

'We've been quite ruthless': The science behind the hectic Worcester recruitment drive amid huge exodus of 20 players

The 15-season Worcester Premiership history is perpetual lower-end suffering, but ambitious new boss Jonathan Thomas plans to shat…

Liam Heagney
Liam Heagney
09 May 2021, 5:44

'I felt sad that he couldn't speak to me because I had known him for a very long time'

Luther Burrell didn't play much for Warrington but the ex-England centre left league with an invaluable life lesson he is using at…

Liam Heagney
Liam Heagney
09 May 2021, 4:57

'I got slated by everybody under the sun but the quote I live by is the best revenge is living well'

Ex-England back-rower James Haskell is two years retired this weekend and his 24 months out of the game have been lively, to say t…

Liam Heagney
Liam Heagney
09 May 2021, 4:23

'I've got so much anger inside me right now... but I used it in a positive way': An emotional Kyle Sinckler's extraordinary post-game live TV interview

Emotional England and Bristol prop Kyle Sinckler had to fight back the tears when asked during a live TV interview about his Lions…

Liam Heagney
Liam Heagney
08 May 2021, 14:06

2021 Lions pick Dan Biggar lasts just 20 minutes of Saturday's Premiership outing with Northampton

Less than 50 hours after Lions selection, Dan Biggar was in the wars for Northampton as he lasted just 20 minutes of their Premier…

Liam Heagney
Liam Heagney
08 May 2021, 10:13

'Really got me excited': The persuasive effect that watching Elliot Daly in the Championship had on Lions assistant Townsend

England's Elliot Daly hasn't started a Test match at outside centre since 2016 but Gregor Townsend has explained why the Lions hav…

Liam Heagney
Liam Heagney
07 May 2021, 14:00

'You don't want to see your child hurt whatever': The emotional toll Jack Willis' latest serious knee injury had on his family

The day the Lions announced their 2021 squad coincided with injured England back-rower Jack Willis posting his latest mini-documen…

Liam Heagney
Liam Heagney
07 May 2021, 8:54

'It's going to be brutal at times': The chastening 2009 tour lesson that influenced Lions selection of Jonny Hill

All the pre-squad announcement Lions lock talk was Jones, Itoje and Ryan but Test rookie Jonny Hill forced his way in for a very g…

Liam Heagney
Liam Heagney
07 May 2021, 6:34

Warren Gatland names his official 2021 British and Irish Lions squad

Following months of speculation, Warren Gatland has finally unveiled his 36-strong 2021 Lions tour squad for South Africa.

Liam Heagney
Liam Heagney
06 May 2021, 6:54

'Do you want to go?': How shock Gatland call unfolded 32 days after Haskell's 2017 Lions rejection

James Haskell wasn't an original Lions pick in 2017 but a call from out of the blue four-and-a-half weeks later changed everything…

Liam Heagney
Liam Heagney
05 May 2021, 6:57
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