Share
The Counter Ruck
The gap between club and international rugby is widening - here's why it matters
•
This weekend saw a series of thrilling, high scoring matches in the United Rugby Championship. Leinster, Munster and Connacht all lost - Ulster provided the sole Irish win of the weekend - but fans of attacking rugby cannot say that they were bored.
Is this what we want to see from rugby matches, though? Do we want a basketball style, end-to-end product wherever whoever has the ball last takes on the final shot to win?
Gordon D’Arcy and John O’Sullivan join Nathan Johns to pick through the weekend’s action and assess the state of the game. Is this an issue of how rugby is officiated? What to make of defence coaches’ role in all this? Are we catering too much to new audiences or younger people with shorter attention spans?
Plus, we review the women’s Six Nations where Ireland lost to France, albeit in a way which avoided the heavy defeats of years gone by. Did Ireland’s coaching staff cleverly manage to stick a plaster on the talent gap, or are Ireland making serious strides? Is the domestic game adequately preparing the players for the top level?
More episodes
View all episodes
Are Leinster being set up tactically for success?
31:44|A number of narratives have emerged in an attempt to explain Leinster’s European malaise under the current coaching staff. Is Jacques Nienaber’s new system the problem or, rather, has he been given enough coaching power to truly take control? Are Leinster still a well coached team or are they tactically behind the curve given the way the game is being played at the moment? Analyst Sam Larner joins Nathan Johns to cut through all the headlines and figure out what is actually going on in Leinster HQ.Produced by John Casey.Have Leinster hit their ceiling this season?
35:29|The season has come to a close for Connacht and Munster after their respective URC quarter-final defeats. Leinster meanwhile beat a lacklustre Lions side to stay alive and reach the semi-finals.Gordon D’Arcy joins Nathan Johns to review the action, analysing why Connacht have had a season to remember, Munster a year to forget while looking at how Leinster can, if at all, look to improve things for next year.Produced by John Casey.How Bordeaux outfoxed Leinster and URC quarter-finals preview
20:00|Former Leinster and Scotland analyst Brett Igoe joined Nathan Johns for a deep dive into the tactics Bordeaux used to outthink Leinster in the Champions Cup final.Brett also casts his analyst’s eye over Connacht and Munster’s season to date, and their prospects going into their URC quarter-finals against Glasgow Warriors and Bulls respectively.Produced by John Casey.Where do Leinster and Ulster go from here?
38:49|After sobering defeats for both Leinster and Ulster in European deciders, Nathan Johns and Gordon D’Arcy look back at the weekend. Analysis of where things went wrong plus thoughts on how Irish teams might be able to narrow the gap to their French counterparts.Is player recruitment key for both provinces? And should Leinster rethink their focus on defence?Produced by John Casey.Leinster suffer Champions Cup humbling at the hands of Bordeaux
28:28|Both Leinster and Ulster struck early in their respective finals, only to be pegged back soon after as both sides suffered chastening defeats.Is this Leinster's most damaging final defeat since they last won the Champions Cup in 2018?Did the heat and conditions suit the French sides? And how do the provinces close the gap on Bordeaux, Montpellier and others from the Top 14?Nathan Johns and Gerry Thornley are in Bilbao as they dissect defeats for Leinster and Ulster on a damaging European weekend for Irish rugby.Produced by John Casey.Can Leinster break their European hoodoo?
25:29|Cautious optimism has started to build as Leinster bid to break their finals losing streak in European action. Underdogs against Bordeaux, is this the year they finally win a coveted fifth star? What of Ulster’s chances, shorn of big players due to injury and needing a Challenge Cup win to guarantee top tier action next year? Gordon D’Arcy joins Nathan Johns to preview this weekend’s European finals.Produced by John Casey.How Leinster and Ulster warmed up for their European showdowns
26:12|In front of a record-breaking crowd, Ireland women powered past Scotland to finish their Six Nations campaign. Meanwhile Connacht and Munster secured their top eight spots in the URC, Ulster narrowly missed out while Leinster warmed up for their Champions Cup final with a win over the Ospreys. Gordon D’Arcy joins Nathan Johns to discuss.Produced by John Casey.How all four Irish provinces can make the URC knockouts
25:10|John O’Sullivan joins Nathan Johns to preview the weekend’s rugby action. How can all four Irish provinces make the URC top eight? Are Ulster prioritising the Challenge Cup final over their last URC outing? Plus, how Ireland built towards a record day at the Aviva Stadium when they host Scotland on Sunday.Produced by John Casey.How Connacht are proving a stark contrast to reeling Munster
29:17|Did Connacht’s stability off the field manifest itself in their dominant victory over Munster, given the chaos engulfing their provincial rivals? What of a glut of refereeing decisions that prompted debate over the weekend, including Nathan Doak’s late concession of a penalty try in Belfast? After wins for Leinster, Connacht and a draw for Ulster, Did Connacht’s stability on the field manifest itself in their dominant victory over Munster, given the chaos engulfing their provincial rivals? What of a glut of refereeing decisions that prompted debate over the weekend, including Nathan Doak’s latest concession of a penalty try in Belfast?After wins for Leinster, Connacht and a draw for Ulster, Nathan Johns and Gordon D’Arcy pick through the action and look at what each province needs to qualify for the top eight.Plus, Ireland women returned to winning ways thanks to a victory over Wales. and look at what each province needs to qualify for the top eight. Plus, Ireland women returned to winning ways thanks to a victory over Wales.Produced by John Casey.