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 Johns to discuss all this and more, including centres being thrown at the lineout, RG Snyman vs Dupont and the impact of the new laws on the game. 

Produced by John Casey.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 injury.

Produced by John Casey.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 thinks do not bode well for the future. 

Who is right in this debate? Only time will tell. 

On this edition of The Counter Ruck, the panel also discusses another European night in Thomond to remember for Munster, Connacht’s prospects of winning the Challenge Cup and Ulster’s implosion away to Leicester. 

Produced by John Casey.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Leicester now? Why is Cheika seen as ’the turnaround man’, the coach to call when a side needs an upturn in fortunes?

Produced by John Casey.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 most likely go on to have strong professional careers? What to make of the latest young outhalf talent?

Produced by John Casey.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 side while also earning game time, or is this a once off move which only works in these particular circumstances? Gordon D’Arcy joins Nathan Johns to pick through the transfer news and its implications for the wider Irish rugby system. 

Produced by John Casey.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 boring? The power game is good enough to beat injury-hit sides such as Munster, but can they also show the required flashes of creativity to beat better teams? Gordon D’Arcy joins Nathan Johns to pick through Leinster’s current development, as well as the issues which prevent sides like Munster form keeping pace with their provincial rivals.

We also chat through Ulster’s shock win over Connacht. Have they turned a corner, or did they simply come up with a one-off game plan which cannot be replicated in the coming weeks?

Gordon also tells us about the difficulties of being a player over the Christmas period, while he compares the differing, but no less complex challenges of running through Munster defences to keeping children asleep for Santa.

Produced by John Casey.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 competitive balance in the provinces?

Gordon D'Arcy joins Nathan Johns to discuss the issue, how we got here and what can be done about it. 

This episode was first published in April 2024.

Produced by John Casey.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 silverware?

Gordon D’Arcy and John O’Sullivan join Nathan Johns to look back on the year that was, while also pointing to what needs to improve for 2025 to bring more success to Irish rugby.

Produced by John Casey.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 director of rugby at AIL champions UL Bohemian, and John Cronin, a senior coach at Railway Union. As women’s rugby looks to expand and introduce more professionalism, what needs to happen at domestic level to ensure the current national success continues?

Produced by John Casey.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Bordeaux. Even some of the French teams lost their home matches, ones which they are in theory supposed to take more seriously.

All of which begs the question, is the Champions Cup on its last legs? Why should TV companies pay for the rights and fans pay for tickets if the early stages of the tournament only matter to a handful of teams?

Gordon D’Arcy and John O’Sullivan join Nathan Johns to talk through the ramifications, as well as this weekend’s provincial and club rugby action.

Produced by John Casey.

Clips: A charging deer takes out a player / A razzle dazzle chip and chase for St Marys.

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