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PODCAST

The Counter Ruck

The Irish Times

A rugby podcast from The Irish Times. Produced in association with Harcourt Bar & Garden. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

sports rugby

All Episodes

26:34

Who will start at 10 for Ireland during the Six Nations?

The Counter Ruck ·

2025/01/27

It’s Six Nations week. Ireland get their campaign underway with a tricky assignment against England next weekend. Now under the leadership of Simon Easterby, Ireland are bidding to secure an unprecedented third consecutive Six Nations title. Did the likes of James Lowe and Dan Sheehan do enough to prove their fitness for Leinster to be included? Who will start in the coveted outhalf jersey? Who should line out at centre? Gordon D’Arcy joins Nathan Johns to preview the week ahead. Gordon also offers

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34:49

Who will win the Leinster Schools Rugby Senior Cup?

The Counter Ruck ·

2025/01/23

It’s that time of year when Schools rugby, the single most important development tool in Ireland, kicks into gear with the Senior Cup in all four provinces.Des Berry is the authoritative voice when it comes to covering the Leinster Schools Senior Cup. He joins John O’Sullivan and Nathan Johns to look at this year’s draw. Who are the young names we should look out for? Who have been the best schoolboy players down through the years? Are Blackrock College and St Michael’s once again the favourites

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39:01

Are Leinster and Toulouse destined for another...

The Counter Ruck ·

2025/01/20

Now we know the knockout draw for the Champions Cup, can anyone get in the way of another Leinster vs Toulouse showdown in the final? Can Noel McNamara and Bordeaux get in the way of Antoine Dupont and co on that side of the draw? Can Munster spring an upset in the first ever edition of the Ronan O’Gara derby? Would Ulster have preferred to go on a Challenge Cup run to facing Bordeaux once again? Is winning the Challenge Cup a realistic goal for Connacht?Gordon d’Arcy and John O’Sullivan join Nathan

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25:22

Ireland’s Six Nations squad, winners and losers

The Counter Ruck ·

2025/01/16

Ireland recently named their squad for the six nations. Widely seen as a continuity selection, there are still a number of talking points. What does Tom Ahern have to do to earn a call up? Are we finally starting to see the next generation of props? Who are the younger developmental players? Is this squad a good reflection on the Emerging Ireland programme? John O’Sullivan and Gordon D’Arcy join Nathan Johns to discuss all this and more, including Dan Sheehan’s apparent fast recovery from an ACL

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49:48

Leinster win in La Rochelle - grit or alarm bells?

The Counter Ruck ·

2025/01/13

Leinster have now beaten La Rochelle on three consecutive occasions. Is this a sign they have turned the corner against bigger French sides, or was it a smash-and-grab with worrying implications for the future?Gordon D’Arcy believes the bigger picture thinking should be placed to one side for now and that Leinster should be pleased to have come out of a difficult environment with the win. John O’Sullivan, on the other hand, points to a number of concerning trends in the Leinster performance which he

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28:11

‘I’ve been involved a lot in turnarounds’: Michael...

The Counter Ruck ·

2025/01/09

Michael Cheika was the head coach who guided Leinster to their first European crown in 2009. Now, coaching Leicester Tigers, he squares off against Irish opposition with Ulster travelling on Saturday night. Alongside Gordon D’Arcy, who Cheika coached, The Counter Ruck looks back on the Australian’s time in Dublin. How did he convince the top Leinster brass to take a punt on an unproven coach? Did the Leinster players need a good kick up the backside? Are there parallels between Leinster then and

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28:40

Who are Ireland’s next young rugby stars?

The Counter Ruck ·

2025/01/06

No provincial men’s rugby took place this weekend but Ireland U20s did play their final warm-up match before their Six Nations campaign gets underway in a few weeks’ time. Playing against a Leinster Development XV in Donnybrook, we got a chance to see how Ireland are shaping up under new coach Neil Doak. Nathan Johns and John O’Sullivan both attended Saturday’s game and run through the talking points. How does this crop compare to other years? Who are the young players to watch out for? Who will

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24:37

Should Irish rugby encourage more loan moves like...

The Counter Ruck ·

2025/01/02

Harry Byrne recently caused a bit of a shock by moving from Leinster to Bristol on a short term loan. On paper, the move makes sense, given Byrne’s lack of game time in the 10 shirt. But why don’t we see more players taking short term punts with a view to returning home an improved player? Should game time not be the primary concern? Have players become too comfortable being squad players in their home environment? Will Byrne’s move open the floodgates as a model for staying affiliated to your home

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23:42

Is the gap widening between Leinster and the other...

The Counter Ruck ·

2024/12/30

Munster defence coach Denis Leamy recently described Leinster as ‘brilliantly boring’ due to their current style of play. After watching the weekend’s festive interpro where Leo Cullen’s side secured a dominant 28-7 win, it’s hard to disagree. As South African World Cup-winning coach Jacques Nienaber spends more and more time working with the province, a clear plan focusing on set-piece dominance, power up front and a strong kicking game is starting to emerge. But are Leinster now too brilliantly

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31:09

Is Ireland's central contract system in need of...

The Counter Ruck ·

2024/12/26

When news of Leinster's signing of All Black Jordie Barrett broke back in April of this year, opinion was split. Was it a fair reflection of the dominant province flexing their muscle, or an unfair benefit of the IRFU paying their best players via national contracts?This season, 10 Leinster players have their salaries paid by the governing body via central contracts, the other provinces combined have three. Is this a cycle of dominance, or a worrying portend of Leinster pulling ahead and destroying

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27:16

Was 2024 a successful year for Irish rugby?

The Counter Ruck ·

2024/12/23

We may only be halfway through the rugby season, but the end of the calendar year presents an opportunity to reflect nonetheless. Ireland won a Six Nations, qualified for a women’s World Cup, competed at the Olympics, beat the Black Ferns and won three out of four in November, so was this a successful year? Does the country continue to punch above its weight, and have we become spoiled as rugby fans? Or are we at a stage now when more is needed, especially at provincial level in terms of

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31:44

Irish women’s rugby: ‘there are loads of structural...

The Counter Ruck ·

2024/12/19

The Ireland women’s team is riding on the crest of a wave after World Cup qualification and a victory over New Zealand in 2024. How does the game look below international level, how are things under the hood? There are a number of moving parts within the domestic structure, including the AIL, provinces and Celtic Challenge. The AIL, though, remains the entry point for many women into rugby. Joining Nathan Johns to review the women’s game in 2024 is Fiona Reidy, a former international and current

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33:50

Is the Champions Cup on its last legs?

The Counter Ruck ·

2024/12/16

This weekend, Sharks head coach John Plumtree made headlines for outlining the unsustainable nature of South African sides trying to compete in European competition. Both the Sharks and the Stormers sent rotated teams north to the UK and both were well beaten. This comes as Bath sent a rotated squad to Treviso and lost, Munster left behind a few regulars to take on Castres and came up short while Ulster’s policy of resting some frontliners last week failed to pay off as they lost this time around to

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28:34

Irish lions - Rob Henderson

The Counter Ruck ·

2024/12/12

Rob Henderson played for Munster, Ireland and the Lions. He was Brian O’Driscoll’s centre partner both during his infamous Paris hat-trick and the 2001 Lions tour of Australia. In 2002, he played twice for Munster against Castres on the province’s ultimately unsuccessful run to the final of the Heineken Cup. He was part of the group which eventually broke the European duck in 2006. With Munster returning to Castres this weekend and another Lions tour down under approaching, Henderson joins Nathan

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40:37

Why can't Irish rugby produce players with genuine pace?

The Counter Ruck ·

2024/12/09

As this year’s European action kicked off with a mostly positive weekend for the provinces, one difference between Irish sides and those they squared off with became apparent: pace. For some time now, Ireland has not produced game-breaking wingers with top end speed. Why is this the case? Gordon D’Arcy and John O’Sullivan join host Nathan Johns to pick through this issue which could become all the more pressing. One Irish wing did stand out from the weekend. Connacht’s Chay Mullins finally debuted

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21:28

Leinster’s Champions Cup opener brings a meeting with...

The Counter Ruck ·

2024/12/05

When Leinster square off against the Bristol Bears, Pat Lam, once in charge of Connacht but now bedded in with the Premiership side, once again finds himself in the Irish rugby bubble. Lam was an immensely popular figure during his time with Connacht, guiding them to a stunning Pro12 victory back in 2016. Famous for his attack-heavy philosophy, Lam’s teams are always fun to watch, with the man himself saying those tuning in this weekend can expect to see a lot of similarities between Bristol and

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41:54

Where do Ireland go after the Autumn Nations Series?

The Counter Ruck ·

2024/12/02

After a narrow win over Australia wrapped up a mix bag of an Autumn Nations Series, The Counter Ruck pores through where Andy Farrell’s side finds itself heading into the new year. How can the attack return to its world leading status? Are Ireland evolving to stay in the pack? What is the latest in the current outhalf debate? Does Jack Crowley once again have the upper hand? What are Ireland actually doing differently, and are enough young players being blooded to ensure exciting times are ahead

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33:03

Is Joe Schmidt the right man for Australia?

The Counter Ruck ·

2024/11/28

Former Leinster and Ireland boss Joe Schmidt looks to have begun a miraculous turnaround with the Wallabies. From failing to get out of their poor group at last year’s World Cup and finishing bottom of the Rugby Championship, Schmidt has taken his side to the Northern Hemisphere this November and earned wins over England and Wales. But are his methods conducive to long term Australian success? Towards the end of his time on these shores, he became renowned for prescriptive rugby, for instructing his

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34:39

Are Ireland back to their best after thrashing Fiji?

The Counter Ruck ·

2024/11/25

Ireland put in their best display of this November window with a 52-17 thumping of Fiji. Was this a return to the good form of old or was it a case of achieving the bare minimum against a Fijian side which flattered to deceive? Was Sam Prendergast fortunate to not be sent off? Where does his display leave the ongoing outhalf debate? Host Nathan Johns is joined by Gordon D’Arcy and John O’Sullivan to pick through the positives of Ireland’s performance.Andy Farrell was largely vindicated in his squad

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24:37

Are Fiji now capable of beating Ireland for the first...

The Counter Ruck ·

2024/11/21

Everyone seems to love to watch Fiji, but what is it about the Pacific Island nation that is so endearing? Is it their thrilling style of play, nostalgia for larger than life characters of years past, or simply the fact that they have improved to be a genuine threat at rugby’s top table? Gordon D’Arcy and John O’Sullivan join Nathan Johns to chat through their memories of Fijian rugby. Gordon recalls a difficult day marking Sevens legend Waisale Serevi, while John points out his fondness for a

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122 results

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