Mark Doyle
Boasting incredible writing skills and an atrocious haircut, Mark is one of the most respected and recognisable journalists in Ireland.
A desperately cowardly figure, Mark had neither the bravery nor the talent to compete at even the lowest level of rugby or boxing and felt it would be wiser for him to hide behind his laptop instead.
After somehow managing to persuade DCU into giving him a degree in journalism, he joined Setanta Sports on a work experience programme in the summer of 2004 but, because of his aforementioned literary brilliance, and in spite of his aforementioned disaster of a barnet, he was quickly offered a full-time position.
Five years on, he is now rugby editor for the setanta.com website.
Mark has attended countless Magners League and Heineken Cup games and also the 2007 Rugby World Cup (on location in France). He will also be our man in South Africa for this summer’s British & Irish Lions Tour.
Mark is also a life-long boxing fan and currently occupies the role of Dublin correspondent for irish-boxing.com, a hugely popular site which he played an integral part in relaunching in early 2008.
Missed opportunity for Lions
A game which at one point looked set to see The Lions devoured ended with The Springboks on the run.
Indeed, the tourists left the King’s Park on Saturday evening bitterly disappointed at failing to have claimed the opening Test in what looks set to be an epic series. The Lions will know that this was a massive opportunity lost.
The Springboks had destroyed them in the scrum for about 50 minutes and been dominant in the air but the world champions did not play well. They were nowhere near their best. They had, as many thought they might, looked rusty, which was hardly surprising given that this was their first outing as a team in seven months.
But The Lions went out of their way to allow South Africa to settle back into Test rugby.
They afforded them an early try and also toiled hopelessly in the set-piece. Of course, it must be said that the visitors’ cause was not aided by the officiating of referee Bryce Lawrence. Paul O’Connell admitted afterwards that he had been left baffled by the New Zealander’s treatment of Phil Vickery.