Four years after failing to qualify for the World Cup, few would argue that a valiant quarter-final defeat to France represents progress for the Irish women’s side. How do they keep that going, capitalising on the support which followed them for a month over in England? Lynne Cantwell is the IRFU’s head of women's strategy. A former player, she is tasked with making the sport more visible, helping to improve the standard of player while increasing the commercial viability of the game. With better domestic structures needed, the chance for players to develop both at grassroots and professional level, funding is a necessity for the future of the sport. But how is it all paid for? The financial success of women’s sport more generally is a question plenty of people are grappling with. Lynne Cantwell explains how Irish rugby is doing just that. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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44:33
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44:33
Provincial rivals get a head start on Leinster
The opening weekend of the URC season has been and gone with three out of the four Irish provinces recording victories. Stuart Lancaster and Clayton McMillan opened their accounts with victories for Connacht and Munster respectively, while Ulster saw off the Dragons with their attack impressing under the influence of Richie Murphy’s assistant Mark Sexton. Leinster, though, turned in a horror display down in South Africa. Could they be staring into a 10-point deficit to their rivals just two weeks into the season? How did the other provinces impress after round one? John O’Sullivan joins Nathan Johns to discuss. Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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36:13
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36:13
Provincial previews - How will Connacht and Leinster fare this season?
Our province-by-province preview series concludes out West and in the capital. Connacht have a new coaching staff led by Stuart Lancaster while Leinster have extended their group spearheaded by Leo Cullen and Jacques Nienaber.Can Connacht bring through their young players into Ireland contention? Will Leinster finally break their European curse?John O’Sullivan joins Nathan Johns to discuss.Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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25:42
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25:42
Provincial previews: How will Munster and Ulster get on this season?
The return of the URC is upon us as all four provinces gear up for the new campaign. New coaches, new players, teams looking to improve on a down season for Irish rugby as a whole domestically, there are plenty of storylines to keep an eye on. Joining host Nathan Johns to pick through Munster and Ulster’s prospects is Irish Times rugby writer John O’Sullivan. Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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41:00
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41:00
Biting controversy overshadows Ireland’s quarter-final near miss
Ireland came close to upsetting France in the World Cup quarter-final, only for an improved display to come up short. How did they nearly pull off the unthinkable? What to make of the bite on Aoife Wafer and subsequent punishment? Where does this Irish team go from here? John O’Sullivan joins Nathan Johns to discuss.Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ireland