The now infamous 7-1 forward split on the bench hit the headlines once again recently when World Rugby announced they would not be outlawing the practice. The innovation, first used by South Africa and made more prominent by France in the recent Six Nations, is controversial in some quarters. While not quite at culture war levels, the use of extra forwards has prompted a strong rebuke, as either dangerous, against the spirit of the game, or both, from plenty of those involved in the game. One of those is Owen Doyle. A former international referee and current Irish Times columnist, he joins Nathan Johns to talk through World Rugby’s latest law development. Should the 7-1 split be outlawed, or is it simply a case of clever innovation, leaving the rest of the world to catch up?Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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18:13
How to fix the Champions Cup?
The Champions Cup is not the competition it used to be. For all Munster’s recent trips to France provided a feel-good window of sport at its best, plenty of dead rubber ties reminded us that it is difficult to get the best of the best facing off in truly competitive ties. That the pool stages have featured too many hammerings on the scoreboard to be a proper competition has been true for some time. That such drubbings continue until the quarter-final stage is worrying. Plenty of column inches and podcast segments have been dedicated to calling out the issue for what it is, but what are the solutions? Gerry Thornley joins Nathan Johns to explore what can be done. How did it get to this stage in the first place? Are the English clubs truly dedicated to the competition? How have TV rights issues played into the problem? How can we fix the Champions Cup?Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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23:30
Why do Leinster keep signing All Blacks?
On any other day, an Irish provincial coach leaving his job with immediate effect would be front page news. As it happens, on the same day Pete Wilkins announces his departure from Connacht, Leinster revealed their next big name signing. Out goes Jordie Barrett this summer, in comes Rieko Ioane, his All Blacks centre partner. Gordon D’Arcy and John O’Sullivan join Nathan Johns to pick through the move. Does it make sense, both from a positional and character sense, given Ioane’s role as a pantomime villain when facing Ireland last year? Should Leinster be allowed to continually make these signings by the IRFU? Is it a case of the rich getting richer? Will Ioane block the development of younger Irish players? Or is Irish rugby right to let the free market do its work?John O’Sullivan, our resident U20s expert, also breaks down the shock decision of Reuben Crothers to retire from rugby just three years after leading Ireland to underage Grand Slam glory. Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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28:03
Will Champions Cup blowouts come back to haunt Leinster?
Watching the Champions Cup rugby action over the weekend, Gordon D’Arcy was taken by young Henry Pollock. The 20-year-old England flanker scored twice for Northampton in their quarter-final win over Castres, a result which tees up a last four trip to Dublin to take on Leinster. But which familiar face closer to home does Pollock remind D’Arcy of? Is the comparison a foreshadower of things to come? Alongside the Northampton game, Gordon joins John O’Sullivan and Nathan Johns to discuss the weekend’s rugby. Munster’s lineout woes cost them dear in Bordeaux, but what else is holding them back from a magic European run? Toulouse were tested by Toulon on Sunday, does this indicate they may not be the same juggernaut which beat Leinster last year? After back-to-back games where their opponents failed to score, are Leinster in imperious form or have they simply not been battle tested by quality opposition? What does this say for their semi-final and final prospects? Plus, Ireland in theory narrowed the gap to England after a defeat in the women’s Six Nations. How did they go about closing the gap to the title favourites, and are they continuing to build positively ahead of the World Cup?Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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45:14
Joey Carbery, Munster and Ireland - where did it all go wrong?
Munster’s reward for their victory in La Rochelle is a Champions Cup quarter-final tie away in Bordeaux. Their former outhalf, Joey Carbery, started for the French side last weekend against Ulster. The coach leading their famed attack, is another man with Munster roots, the Co Clare native Noel McNamara. Irish Times rugby writer John O’Sullivan joins Nathan Johns to explore the Irish links to the French club. Was moving to Bordeaux the right move for Carbery? Where would he sit in the Irish outhalf pecking order if he moved home? Should Irish rugby look to get McNamara back involved in their system given the performances of Bordeaux’s attack? How did a non-traditional rugby city start churning out the best attendance numbers in the Top 14? Can Munster pull off another upset on the road in France? Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ireland