The Counter Ruck: The Irish Times Rugby Podcast

After round one saw all four Irish provinces lose to kick off the URC season, this weekend brought a more encouraging set of results spearheaded by impressive outhalf displays. Gordon D’Arcy joins Nathan Johns to review all the action as Connacht and Munster secured victory, Ulster took a draw away in Glasgow and Leinster wrapped up their South African tour with a losing bonus point.On Friday night, Ciarán Frawley scored two tries in his first Connacht game since moving west from Leinster, the second a vital late contribution as the western province withstood a creaking scrum to beat Benetton away in Italy. Frawley offered an exciting window into what life might be like at Connacht with Frawley linking with Mack Hansen and Sam Gilbert, while Sean Jansen impressed off the base of the scrum.Munster had their own impressive outhalf, youngster Charlie O’Shea also scoring two tries as the province continues to look to fill the gap left by Jack Crowley’s injury. Using O’Shea’s willingness to be brave in attack, the pod analyses a wider shift in Irish rugby to trust players willing to take risks and impact games in a positive way.In this vein, Todd Lawlor at Leinster comes in for more praise despite Leinster’s loss, as does Ethan McIlroy at Ulster after their draw in Scotland.However, we also look at some weakness up front with many a provincial scrum struggling over the weekend, particularly against South African opposition.Produced by John Casey.

Andrew Trimble and London Irish chairman Daniel McKeown want to examine rugby’s governance. Looking at the money flowing in at a the international level, they want to know why so many clubs are still struggling. Worcester, Irish themselves and Wasps have all had well-documented financial troubles, while clubs further afield in Argentina and Australia have also gone under.Is rugby doomed to only succeed at international level, or should the governance structure be changed, featuring more control of star players for clubs and better initiatives to get more people watching the club game?Speaking from their experience attempting to revive London Irish, Daniel and Andrew discuss their plans with Nathan Johns and John O’Sullivan.

For the first time since 2009, all four Irish provinces started their domestic campaign with defeat. With Connacht and Ulster both losing at home on Friday night, Gordon D’Arcy and John O’Sullivan reflect on the teams they selected as their ones to watch heading into the season. Is it time to row back on preseason positivity or will reinforcements of senior players in the weeks to come right the respective ships?On Saturday, Leinster lost away to the Lions despite promising performances from a number of young players. Gordon picks out who impressed him from a counter-attacking sense as we wait to see how Leinster will shift their style in a bid to be more competitive against the bigger European sides. We also discuss Munster’s loss at home to Glasgow despite the likes of Ben O’Donovan and Kieran Brookes putting in positive displays.The panel also pays tribute to Béibhinn Parsons after she became Ireland’s record try-scorer in Sunday’s win over Japan.Produced by John Casey.

On Sunday, international rugby returned to these shores as Ireland women took on the USA in Tallaght. Despite an impressive first half showing, not to mention pulling 19 points clear after half-time, Ireland nevertheless succumbed to arguably the biggest upset defeat of the Scott Bemand era as a lower ranked American side mauled their way to a surprise victory. John O’Sullivan, covering the game for The Irish Times, joins Nathan Johns and former Leinster and Ireland centre Gordon D’Arcy to pick through where it all went wrong.Meanwhile, the United Rugby Championship returns as the wait for domestic rugby action comes to an end. Teams have been named as Connacht take on the Stormers, Ulster host Edinburgh, Munster take on Glasgow while Leinster travel to Johannesburg to take on the Lions.Gordon, John and Nathan pick through all the talking points ahead of the new campaign. Why have Leinster picked a strong outfit for this South African tour, naming a number of internationals who normally get this fortnight in the calendar off? What to make of Munster’s outhalf availability crisis, and how might we expect them to play under a new attack coach? With Ulster and Connacht both enjoying largely successful campaigns last season as they went through some transition, can these two continue their positive trajectory under Richie Murphy and Stuart Lancaster respectively?Produced by John Casey.

As the rugby season continues to draw closer, Gerry Thornley joins Nathan Johns to talk Leinster’s return to the RDS, Munster’s outhalf crisis, optimism for Connaht and Ulster ahead of the new campaign plus World Rugby’s continuing bid to crack the American market.Produced by John Casey and Andrew McNair.

John O'Sullivan joins Gordon D'Arcy and host Nathan Johns to discuss his recent chat with Leo Cullen as he heads into his final season as Leinster head coach.Several successors have been discussed on this podcast and elsewhere, but is there one potential candidate that could provide the continuity Leinster will need?And why have the province brought in so few new faces while their rivals have added squad depth?Plus, as New Zealand and South Africa head into the fourth and final test of their much-hyped 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry' series, the panel mull over what they've learned a year out from the World Cup.Produced by John Casey.

As world rugby moves away from multi match tours, instead preferring the nations championship, two of its biggest brands are going the other way. Ditching traditional southern hemisphere competitions, New Zealand are embarking on a lions style tour of South Africa. Is this good for the game or a shameless cash grab, two bigger nations going out on their own? South African journalist Daniel Gallan joins Nathan Johns to discuss.Produced by John Casey.

Noah Byrne, a member of the Irish U20s, recently opted to move to Aussie rules instead of taking a Leinster academy contract. Is a move like this, often seen in GAA circles, going to become more prevalent in rugby, or are we dealing with a fascinating one off?Produced by Andrew McNair and John Casey.

After defeat to the All Blacks wrapped up Ireland’s season, Nathan Johns, Gordon D’Arcy and John O’Sullivan talk through Ireland’s ups and downs. Firmly ranked below the world’s top sides, where do Ireland go from here as they look to close the gap next season?How does the team balance its need to improve the attack with the personnel available? And what positions are looking stronger than others sixteen months out from the next World Cup?Produced by John Casey.