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Trying Times

with Nghia Mai and Jack Dolan

Trying Times is a rugby podcast where two comedians talk the sport they love that doesn't always love them back. Nghia Mai and Jack Dolan talk all things rugby with people they barely know to see if people are as obsess

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  • 9. Ep. 25 Six Nations 2025 Week 5 Recap

    54:07||Season 2, Ep. 9
    And with that the 2025 Men's Six Nations Season comes to a close. Ep.25 France have won and where do we go from here? Who's happy? Who's Sad? Who's thrilled that Stand-up Comedian and 1/3 of the sketch comedy group the Cronie Bros Patrick Conlan is here to join us? WE ARE. Are Irish Fans overly pessimistic? Will Scottish Fans ever know joy? Are headbutts now legal? It's all here. You can follow Patrick Conlan @patrickconlan123Thank you to Eoin Brosnahan (@brostheman) for the theme music. Thank you to Becky Cheatle for the artwork (@becky.cheatle).Please like and share this pod with your friends/lovers/enemies and acquaintances. You can follow the pod on all social media @tryingtimesrugby and keep up to date with the hosts gigs and other activities by following @nmaicomedy and @goodenoughgang on Instagram/Bluesky/TikTok/Threads etcIf you like this please review it. If you don't go away.

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  • 8. Ep. 24 Six Nations 2025 Week 4 Recap

    59:40||Season 2, Ep. 8
    Well there goes that dream... Ep 24 and Week 4 of the 2025 Six Nations was where France establish themselves as one of the most frightening teams on the planet. Lose your captain and best player- no worries, lose a centre and have to play a flanker in the middle of the park- too easy, go to your biggest rivals for the tournament who beat you last season- completed it mate. My god France were good. Like Soo soo good. Joining us this week to talk about how good France were is the equally good Sinead Walsh (@sineadwalshcomedy). Sinead is a phenomenal standup, host of the "Queer as Fluich" podcast, and all round delight. You can catch Sinead's Work In Progress "Bye Bye Baby" in Sin é in Dublin at the Hysteria Comedy Club on the 19th of March. There were also two other games on but who cares? Thank you to Eoin Brosnahan (@brostheman) for the theme music. Thank you to Becky Cheatle for the artwork (@becky.cheatle).Please like and share this pod with your friends/lovers/enemies and acquaintances. You can follow the pod on all social media @tryingtimesrugby and keep up to date with the hosts gigs and other activities by following @nmaicomedy and @goodenoughgang on Instagram/Twitter/TikTok/Threads etc
  • 7. Ep 23. Six Nations 2025 Week 3 Recap

    01:04:53||Season 2, Ep. 7
    Ep 23. Six Nations 2025 Week 3 recap. So Wales can still play...Who knew? Join us for another Six Nations 2025 recaps as we review week 3 with the fantastic Allie O'Rourke. We talk Wales resurgence, Scottish frailties, Italian pain and French ruthlessness as well as what kind of world Gatland leaves behind. Are Ireland building depth? Are they too cocky? Are we the baddies? We talk about it all. Allie is about to bring her show " Girl Dick Energy" tour so be sure to follow her at @allie.orourke to get more details of these dates.Thank you to Eoin Brosnahan (@brostheman) for the theme music. Thank you to Becky Cheatle for the artwork (@becky.cheatle).Please like and share this pod with your friends/lovers/enemies and acquaintances. You can follow the pod on all social media @tryingtimesrugby and keep up to date with the hosts gigs and other activities by following @nmaicomedy and @goodenoughgang on Instagram/Bluesky/TikTok/Threads etc
  • 6. Ep. 22 Six Nations 2025 Week 2 Recap

    47:25||Season 2, Ep. 6
    Ep. 22 Six Nations 2025 Week 2 Recap. THIS IS THE ONLY GAME IN TOWN. The Six Nations is in full swing as we have our first upset as England downed France in the last minute, Scotland and Ireland served up business as usual as Scotland fail to land a punch, and Italy marked a passing of the guard seeing off Wales. We are joined by Pat Ryan (@notions_comedy), a standup comic, host of Notions Comedy Club and a behind the scenes audio-fixer-upper that has saved Jack's sanity on more than one occasion. We discuss what a good welsh tournament looks like, why Scotland can only seem to get up for England and Ireland quietly getting down to winning. We also mention the Super Bowl. regrettably. Thank you to Eoin Brosnahan (@brostheman) for the theme music. Thank you to Becky Cheatle for the artwork (@becky.cheatle).Please like and share this pod with your friends/lovers/enemies and acquaintances. You can follow the pod on all social media @tryingtimesrugby and keep up to date with the hosts gigs and other activities by following @nmaicomedy and @goodenoughgang on Instagram/Twitter/TikTok/Threads etc
  • 5. Ep. 21 Six Nations 2025 Week 1 Recap

    56:51||Season 2, Ep. 5
    It's the most wonderful time of the year! The Six Nations is back and we are all in on the action. Join Jack Dolan and Nghia Mai as they talk to friends and colleagues about all things Rugby. This week, regular guest and charm personified Neil Green(@neilgreencomedy) joins the hosts to discuss the opening round of the Six Nations where France battered Wales, Scotland overcame Italy and Ireland turned it on against England. The audio is a little shakey in places but we're all grown ups here it'll be okay. Thank you to Eoin Brosnahan for the theme music (@eoinbrosnahanmusic). Thank you to Becky Cheatle for the artwork (@becky.cheatle). Please like and share this pod with your friends/colleagues/lovers/enemies/family/acquaintances. You can follow the pod on all social media @tryingtimesrugby and keep up to date with the hosts gigs and other activities by following @nmaicomedy and @goodenoughgang on Instagram/Bluesky/TikTok/Threads etc
  • 4. Ep. 20 Olympic 7s: An Introduction and Overview with Guest Conor Fennell

    01:11:19||Season 2, Ep. 4
    Ep. 20 Olympic 7s: An Introduction and Overview. Friends, once every 4 years we are greeted to loads of random ass sports every hour of the day for a glorious few weeks. In 2016, Rugby joined the party. But not Rugby like you remember it, sleek, fast, shorter rugby. 7s is all the bullshit of Rugby with none of the difficult to explain set pieces or pundits complaining everytime someone kicks the ball. It's different. It's hip. To bring us up to speed we have invited guest (and probably 30% of our listenership) Conor Fennell to catch us up to speed with what to expect as we bandwagon on to Rugby's sleek little brother. Filled with genuine insights, 5 a-side analogies, Come Dine with me references (what a sad little life Jane) we unpack and give a road map of what to look for and which players to tell your mates you knew they were great before the olympics. It's a fun one. Thank you to Eoin Brosnahan for the theme music. Thank you to Becky Cheatle for the cover art. Please like and share this pod with your friends/lovers/enemies and acquaintances. You can follow the pod on all social media @tryingtimesrugby and keep up to date with the hosts gigs and other activities by following @nmaicomedy and @goodenoughgang on Instagram/Twitter/TikTok/Threads etc
  • 3. Ep. 19 South Africa vs Ireland: Tie-Game, Tied Series.

    01:00:03||Season 2, Ep. 3
    Ep. 19 Ep. 19 South Africa vs Ireland: Tie-gameWell, it ends in a draw. Ireland land a killer blow right at the death and we leave it honours even as Jack's blood pressure probably couldn't hack a third test. We talk to resident South African Neil Green and breakdown the second test in Durban. We talk Irish ferocity, South African goal kicking, Sasha's impact and Frawley's absolute balls resolve. We could have used a third game, but we will make do with a third podcast. Who knows we may stay on topic we may not. Thank you to Eoin Brosnahan for the theme music. Thank you to Becky Cheatle for the artwork. Please like and share this pod with your friends/lovers/enemies and acquaintances. You can follow the pod on all social media @tryingtimesrugby and keep up to date with the hosts gigs and other activities by following @nmaicomedy and @goodenoughgang on Instagram/Twitter/TikTok/Threads etc.