The Second Captains Podcast

It's been quite a few seasons since Connacht have been in the Champions Cup and an opening game against three-time winners Saracens wasn't exactly a gimme. But after trailing early doors, they pulled it back in an amazing 80-point game at the Dexcom Stadium. Munster got the win in another big-score game against Racing 92 on an emotional night in Cork, ten years on from the death of Anthony Foley. Shane Horgan and Jack Carty are with us to chat through both wins, as well as Leinster's away victory against Clermont just a week out from meeting Munster at the Aviva. Plus there's bonus point confusion, bringing back the banana kick, and a bumper Monday night of sport.

Welcome back to the podcast where you can receive your news from inside the mind of Howard Webb three to four weeks before Howard Webb himself announces it. Arsenal have announced job cuts, with £20m-a-year Mikel Arteta explaining that the redundancy programme is all part of the club's relentless drive towards excellence. Coventry maybe better not follow suit, what with the fuss their manager's wristwear is causing. A despondent David Sneyd joins us in studio to deny there really is a League of Ireland title race. Luckily, not everybody agrees.

Your World Service taster menu features, this week, a platter of football for your gorging pleasure. Man Utd and Martinez, Man City, Haaland's moral core, and Alan Reynolds' right of reply at Bohs. If you like what you hear, you can sign up to the World Service with no obligations and no ads at secondcaptains.com/join for just €5 a month + VAT.

George Gibney was yesterday sentenced to 15-and-a-half years in jail for the sexual abuse of four girls in the 1970s and 1980s, bringing to an end a decades-long fight for justice. Two of the survivors from the 1990's case against Gibney join us in studio today, and they are very familiar to listeners of our “Where Is George Gibney?” podcast. Ber Carley and Tric Kearney stood behind Orla Poole, one of the complainants in the current case, as she waived her anonymity and delivered a powerful statement to the assembled media on the steps of the Central Criminal Court yesterday. When Orla ended her historic speech, she turned and embraced Ber and Tric.They talk to us today about their feelings in the aftermath of the sentencing, what this process has taken from them and what it has given them, and, along with Mark, we reflect on how a journey that began as an attempt to document this monster’s crimes became the catalyst for yesterday’s final judgement and headline news.

Leinster are back at the RDS, and notwithstanding some teething problems (no scoreboard, floodlights blinding their out-half, 40 minutes without scoring), they cruised to a win over Cardiff in front of a capacity crowd.Munster and Ulster played out a thrilling draw of questionable quality on Saturday night, but both teams will have regrets about not getting the win. Erstwhile RDS kingpin Shane Horgan and former Connacht schemer-in-chief Jack Carty are with us to pick apart where the Irish provinces are ahead of the start of the European Rugby Champions Cup this weekend.Plus there's Sam Prendergast's guns, telescopic tees, wing craft and searching for that 5th star.

A crushing win for Manchester City at Anfield, who went a man up in the second half then tore Andoni Iraola's scufflers to pieces. A beaming Enzo Maresca hailed his players and supporters for creating a big noise of their own to counteract all the noise the hater media has been making since City were found guilty of the biggest cheating scandal in the history of English football. City fans certainly looked like they were enjoying it - though according to the Manchester press, the situation is more complicated than it perhaps appears. Neil Atkinson and Jonathan Wilson join us to talk about Liverpool v City, what it means for the league to be stuck in limbo, the Eliott Andersons vs the Florian Wirtzes, and whether Iraolaball is going anywhere.

On this week's Second Captains World Service we discussed Maresca’s blind faith in Man City, how the Liverpool and City fans will react on Sunday and Ken and Branno headed off to the Garvaghy Road in Armagh to ask what defines “a long time ago”?Plus there's Ronaldo's rant, Ireland under 21's beating England, all the young dudes in Irish rugby and next week we review Liverpool V City, the Rovers run-in is getting salty and the European Rugby Champions Cup is back.To listen to all our programming throughout the rest of the week, join the Second Captains World Service. There’s no contracts, no hidden fees and shows can be listened to on all good podcast apps, on Spotify or through our website. It’s independent, commercial-free and member-led with feature interviews, breaking news, Ken’s Football Show, The Politics Podcast, and lots of added extras. You’ll also be supporting the development of our longer-form work, such as our international series’ ‘Where Is George Gibney?’ and Stakeknife.

Galway is one of only two counties to have won an All-Ireland football title with an outside manager, and they’re endeavouring to do it again with the unveiling on Saturday morning of their new manager, Kerry legend Eamonn Fitzmaurice. Dara Ó Cinnéide played with him for years, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t fundamentally opposed to the appointment, notwithstanding the diamond Galway have gotten for themselves as he tells us on today’s show. And Murph is punching up for a change, as he takes aim at the no-doubt extremely worried Mark Zuckerberg for meddling in the West Waterford junior B hurling championship.

Ireland ended their four match run with five points leaving them third in the table. But, bar a Troy Parrott goal for the ages, these last few weeks will be remembered long into the future for the debate off the field and the rancour inside press conference rooms, more of which occurred this weekend.We chat to Ken from northern Serbia before he high-tails it for Belgrade and home.