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The Counter Ruck: The Irish Times Rugby Podcast
Will Champions Cup blowouts come back to haunt Leinster?
Watching the Champions Cup rugby action over the weekend, Gordon D’Arcy was taken by young Henry Pollock. The 20-year-old England flanker scored twice for Northampton in their quarter-final win over Castres, a result which tees up a last four trip to Dublin to take on Leinster. But which familiar face closer to home does Pollock remind D’Arcy of? Is the comparison a foreshadower of things to come?
Alongside the Northampton game, Gordon joins John O’Sullivan and Nathan Johns to discuss the weekend’s rugby. Munster’s lineout woes cost them dear in Bordeaux, but what else is holding them back from a magic European run? Toulouse were tested by Toulon on Sunday, does this indicate they may not be the same juggernaut which beat Leinster last year? After back-to-back games where their opponents failed to score, are Leinster in imperious form or have they simply not been battle tested by quality opposition? What does this say for their semi-final and final prospects?
Plus, Ireland in theory narrowed the gap to England after a defeat in the women’s Six Nations. How did they go about closing the gap to the title favourites, and are they continuing to build positively ahead of the World Cup?
Produced by John Casey.
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Why are New Zealand embarking on their own Lions tour?
25:09|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.The AFL comes for Irish rugby
15:37|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.Where do Ireland go from here?
46:37|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.Reaction: New Zealand ease to victory over Ireland
18:42|What to make of Ireland’s 40-21 defeat to New Zealand on Saturday? A chastening, worrying performance or simply a fair reflection of Ireland’s place in the current global pecking order? Gordon D’Arcy joins Nathan Johns to analyse the final Ireland game of the season.Produced by John Casey.Underdog Ireland gear up for All Blacks test
23:52|Nathan Johns and John O’Sullivan pick through Andy Farrell’s team selection ahead of this weekend’s clash with the All Blacks. Are Ireland deservedly underdogs or are we gearing up for another famous win on Kiwi soil?Produced by John Casey.Irish rugby's state of the union down under
32:04|Gerry Thornley joins Nathan Johns on the line from Auckland to give his take on being at Ireland’s victory over Japan on Saturday. We also delve into David Humphreys’ media roundtable last week after the IRFU’s performance director discussed Munster’s Roger Randle U-turn, James Lowe’s departure and Leinster’s hunt for a new head coach.Produced by John Casey.Reaction: Ireland run in five tries as they beat Japan
22:08|After a 36-20 victory over Japan, Gordon D’Arcy, John O’Sullivan and Nathan Johns analyse Ireland’s performance in their latest Nations Championship action.What debutants put in strong performances? Did established players take responsibility? And was there enough on show to generate optimism going into next week's clash with New Zealand?Produced by John Casey.What to make of Ireland's rotation for Japan?
29:52|Former Leinster and Scotland analyst Brett Igoe joins Nathan Johns to pick through the facts, figures and trends of last weekend’s Nations Championship action. We also look at Ireland’s heavily rotated team selection for this weekend in a bid to assess what Andy Farrell is looking for against Eddie Jones’ side.Produced by John Casey and Andrew McNair.Where do Ireland now stand in the Nations Championship?
37:31|Fresh off Ireland’s victory over Australia in Sydney, Gerry Thornley dials in from Australia to discuss that win as well as the weekend of Nations Championship rugby as a whole with host Nathan Johns.What did we learn from the narrow win over the Wallabies? Are we likely to see many Irish debuts handed out over the three tests? And could Japan prove to be a potential banana skin given their wining display against Italy in their Nations Championship opener?Produced by John Casey.