Share
The Second Captains Podcast
Ep 3351: RIP Ricky, Donovan Beaten In Belfast, Ireland Lose To France In RWC QF - 15/09/25
•
Two-weight world champion Ricky Hatton, who was one of the best-known and most loved fighters of his generation, has died at the age of 46.
Gavan Casey of the42 is in studio today along with Mike Costello, who was working at all the big Hatton fights in Vegas.
We also analyse Paddy Donovan's rematch against Lewis Crocker in Belfast; despite two knockdowns Donovan thought he’d done enough to win the fight, as did the DAZN commentators, but Crocker edged it on two of the judges' scorecards.
Plus there's Aoife O’Rourke winning world gold in Liverpool, Terence Crawford creating history in beating Canelo Alvarez and we look back at a narrow defeat for Ireland in the Rugby World Cup QF.
IF YOU’RE STRUGGLING WITH SOME OF THE TOPICS DISCUSSED ON TODAY’S SHOW, THERE’S ALWAYS HELP AVAILABLE. HERE’S SOME PEOPLE WHO CAN HELP:
WWW.AWARE.IE - AWARE IS THE NATIONAL MENTAL HEALTH ORGANISATION, PROVIDING FREE SUPPORT, EDUCATION AND INFORMATION.
WWW.SAMARITANS.IE - SAMARITANS PROVIDE CONFIDENTIAL, NON-JUDGEMENTAL EMOTIONAL SUPPORT, 24 HOURS A DAY
More episodes
View all episodes
The World Cup Dream is Dead, Prague Week Ends
35:08|The World Cup Dream is Dead, Prague Week EndsIt’s goodbye to Prague, farewell Denmark, so long Azteca Stadium. Over and out from Czechia. We reflect on the final whistle.We’re in Berlin after one of the great weeks on The Second Captains Podcast (before the extreme heartbreak took over).
Ep 3506: Prague Week Beginneth, In The Studio With Kenneth, Man City Cup Winneth - 23/03/26
01:09:04|Prague Week starts with Kenny Cunningham joining us in studio to talk about how he wants to see Ireland approach the World Cup playoff on Tuesday night. Caution: Kenny's team may shock you. We talk about the Carabao Cup final, and whether the tactical match-up of baiting the press vs refusing to press is the worst thing ever to happen to football. While all this is happening Ken goes out to Abbottstown to hear the latest from the Ireland camp, where John O'Shea and Nathan Collins were holding court. Plus Arne Slot's use of resources, Chelsea's misbegotten alignment strategy, and whether basic overexposure to football is making Ken more irritable with the kinds of goals he sees teams giving away.
Ep 3505: National Football League Drama, Michael Lyster Memories - 23/03/26
48:26|Kerry and Donegal are in the Division 1 final, Cork and Meath have won promotion, Armagh and Galway survive, Dublin are relegated, and even that fails to tell the full story of a thrilling last day’s action in the national football league. Ger Brennan lost his composure at half-time in Salthill, and his team lost their composure thereafter; David Clifford continues to do David Clifford things; and Meath are no longer a breath of fresh air, they’re a real threat - Paul Flynn is in studio to talk us through it all. We also remember Michael Lyster, the man who presented coverage of 77 All-Ireland finals for RTE in a stellar broadcasting career with the Sunday Game, who died yesterday aged 71.
Prague Week, Heimir Seeks Calm, Retro Mo, Pep's Legacy
20:48|Welcome to our World Service taster show and this week it's all about the build-up to the World Cup Playoff against Czechia. We will be in Prague next week, in the heart of the action, broadcasting two shows a day from our balcony.We also had retro Mo, Pep's legacy, Rosenior's notes, Saint Parrott's Day, and coming up we have Gary Breen on the Iran 2001 playoff, and next week its more build up to the match in Prague, and the fallout from Man City V Arsenal.To become a member and hear our shows all week it costs 5 euro a month and there’s no ads, no sign up fee, no minimum stay, no contract, and we’re independent and member led – go to secondcaptains.com/join
Ep 3500: Ireland's Crown, Rugby Fun, Murph's Sixth Nation Sense - 16/03/26
01:03:14|Thomas Ramos' kick in the 83rd minute of the last game decided the championship, broke Irish hearts, and was one of hundreds of epic moments that made up the greatest Six Nations yet.We chat to Shane Horgan and Andrew Trimble about the quality of rugby on display, Ramos' reliability, Pollock's winner/loser moment, McCloskey's massive influence on Ireland, Crowley's best performance in green, Farrell's contract situation and all the positives that have come out of this tournament for Ireland.Plus there Murph's Sixth Nations Sense, a Roscommon divided and Baloucoune showing Darcy Graham he was there for the taking.
Ep 3499: Chelsea Respect The Ball, Pep's Annus Mirabilis, Max Power, Anfield Slot Changed, Save Us Didzy
01:06:32|Is the future like a black highway at night? What does it really mean to 'respect the ball'? And is there anything in the game with such universal appeal as an implausibly aged footballer? We pick the likely player of the year candidates and discuss why Manchester United's transformation under Michael Carrick is Arne Slot's biggest problem in more ways than one.Rory Smith and Rich Jolly join us to talk about the weekend's football. Max Dowman brings joy. Has this been Guardiola's worst week? And are Liverpool really serious about backing Arne Slot all the way through to 2027?
Spurs Spiral, ROG's Advice, Panenka Kick, The Trip To Prague
25:04|Welcome to our world service taster show.To become a member and hear our shows all week it costs 5 euro a month and there’s no ads, no sign up fee, no minimum stay, no contract, and we’re independent and member led – go to secondcaptains.com/join
Ep 3494: Old School Old Firm, Hell Ball, Brother Turns Against Brother - 09/03/26
57:02|Rangers and Celtic timed their run well, staging a chaotic Scottish Cup quarter-final heightened by some old-school “disgraceful scenes” on an FA Cup weekend to finally get some overdue coverage on here. But are Old Firm riots as stirring as they used to be? The archive audio suggests otherwise.But - as we bemoan the violence crackling everywhere in the air, what about journalist-on-journalist violence - or journalist-on-influencer, or ant-on-elephant, or whatever you would call the astonishing attack launched by one of the people in this studio on the world’s most famous football reporter? Ken explains why he was wielding his tiny knifeTom English was at Ibrox to see the Cup quarter-final between Rangers and Celtic, and shares his impressions of the Day of Shame (plus a few thoughts on Scottish rugby’s Day of Pride).
Ep 3493: Swashbuckling Scots Set Sail For Dublin, Making History In Rome, Perms-a-Plenty, Plans For Prague - 09/03/26
01:02:29|Scotland defeated France 50 points to 40 on Saturday in one of the greatest northern hemisphere performances of the professional era, and are now in the frame for the 6 Nations championship… after losing to Italy in the first round.They face Ireland in Lansdowne Road next Saturday, a team Gregor Townsend has lost to 11 times in a row. We chat to Shane Horgan and the BBC's Chris Jones about the swashbuckling Scots, Ireland's predictable but winning rugby against Wales, France's old frailties, the Italians creating history in Rome, and where to next for Steve Borthwick's shambolic England team.The Scotland rugby whisperer takes his latest victory lap, then puts on his permutations man hat ahead of the final weekend of games, and we have some exciting plans for the playoff game in Prague.