Which Ireland players will step up for the summer squad while the Lions are away?
It may be URC semi-final week, but the rugby news cycle has been dominated by events away from Leinster. Connacht have pulled off a big-name managerial signing by securing the services of Stuart Lancaster, while Paul O’Connell has named his Ireland squad for the summer tour of Georgia and Portugal. With the Lions contingent away in Australia, this tour will be vital for plugging the gaps and filling areas of weakness as we start to inch towards another World Cup. Gerry Thornley joins Nathan Johns to discuss all this while looking at why Leinster’s URC playoff run appears to be struggling to capture the public imagination. Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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27:53
Munster’s shootout defeat - the dark arts in rugby, yay or nay?
Gordon D’Arcy joins Nathan Johns to talk through a dramatic URC quarter-final weekend. Munster’s shootout defeat to the Sharks in Durban has dominated the headlines, no least for the home side’s attempts to throw Munster’s kickers off their game. This inevitably opened up a wider chat on kick tricks and the dark arts in rugby more generally. Plus, do Leinster look like a side on the cusp of a title after their unconvincing Scarlets win? What do we need to see from them over the next fortnight to end their silverware drought? Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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28:05
How can the provinces break France’s dominance?
Gerry Thornley joins the latest episode of The Counter Ruck fresh off his trip to Cardiff to watch the Champions Cup final.He breaks down the future landscape for free-to-air rugby in Ireland, analyses France’s domination of the Champions Cup, looks at the chances of Noel McNamara returning home and more.Alongside host Nathan Johns, talk also turns to injuries ahead of the provincial run in the URC knockouts, and the importance of Leinster lifting the domestic trophy at the end of the campaign.We'd love to find out what you think of The Counter Ruck podcast and to understand a little more about our listeners. Please take our survey and you'll be entered into a prize draw to win a €100 One4All gift card: https://www.research.net/r/CounterRuckWebAppProduced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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29:52
Why Leinster now have to win the URC
This weekend was a quiet one for Irish rugby, with no provincial involvement in the Champions Cup final. Still, plenty of intriguing storylines emerged; Noel McNamara’s triumph, Henry Pollock’s return back to Earth plus the curious level of antipathy towards this game in Ireland.Gordon D’Arcy joins Nathan Johns to discuss rugby’s place in the sporting calendar, how important it is that Leinster win the URC this year, the mentality of winning and losing as well as the newly announced Club World Cup set for 2028.We'd love to find out what you think of The Counter Ruck podcast and to understand a little more about our listeners. Please take our survey and you'll be entered into a prize draw to win a €100 One4All gift card: https://www.research.net/r/CounterRuckWebAppProduced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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29:42
Is French club rugby becoming more popular than Ligue 1?
Bordeaux seem to represent a rare enough phenomenon; a domestic rugby team growing in both on-field and commercial success. They are the best attended club in France, to the extent they can boast to be more popular than the local football team.We all know of their on-field talent, the likes of Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Damian Penaud and Mathieu Jalibert playing a brand of rugby which is easy on the eye.Of course, with Joey Carbery and Noel McNamara involved, there is Irish interest in the French side as they prepare for Saturday’s Champions Cup final. But how has the on-field product built into their off-field success? Is their rise an indication of France’s domestic success, as rugby’s television rights continues to dwarf those of football’s Ligue 1? To what extent can this story be repeated elsewhere?Host Nathan Johns is joined on the podcast by France-based rugby journalist James Harrington.We'd love to find out what you think of The Counter Ruck podcast and to understand a little more about our listeners. Please take our survey and you'll be entered into a prize draw to win a €100 One4All gift card: https://www.research.net/r/CounterRuckWebAppProduced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ireland