The Counter Ruck

Former Leinster and Scotland analyst Brett Igoe joins Nathan Johns to pick through the facts, figures and trends of last weekend’s Nations Championship action. We also look at Ireland’s heavily rotated team selection for this weekend in a bid to assess what Andy Farrell is looking for against Eddie Jones’ side. Produced by John Casey and Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mo...

Fresh off Ireland’s victory over Australia in Sydney, Gerry Thornley dials in from Australia to discuss that win as well as the weekend of Nations Championship rugby as a whole with host Nathan Johns. What did we learn from the narrow win over the Wallabies? Are we likely to see many Irish debuts handed out over the three tests? And could Japan prove to be a potential banana skin given their winin...

Ireland squeezed home against Australia after a Thomas Clarkson try and a missed kick from Ben Donaldson with the clock in the red. Was this a gutsy, narrow win on the road or a worryingly rusty start to their summer window? Gordon D’Arcy and John O’Sullivan join Nathan Johns to discuss. Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andy Farrell and Ireland begin their latest bloc of fixtures with a clash against Australia in Sydney. Jonathan Drennan of the Sydney Morning Herald joins Nathan Johns to discuss why Joe Schmidt is still in charge of the Wallabies, will they put out a better showing than what we saw in Dublin last November and why both teams have selected in the way that they have. Produced by John Casey. Hosted o...

Ireland U20s began their Under-20s World Championship campaign with defeat in Tbilisi, and it was déjà vu as Toulouse secured another Top14 title.  It’s also the start of an Ireland test week as the build-up to a clash with Australia kicks into gear.  Nathan johns discusses it all with Gordon D’Arcy and John O’Sullivan. Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for m...

No Irish senior rugby this weekend but Ireland U20s do get their World Cup campaign underway in Georgia on Saturday. John O’Sullivan joins Nathan Johns to pick through the players to keep an eye on and Ireland’s hopes while we also look back on the 10-year anniversary of the stellar Ireland group that both beat New Zealand and reached the U20s World Cup final. Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Aca...

Monday saw Leinster announce that Leo Cullen will leave the province once his contract expires at the end of next season. Gerry Thornley joins Nathan Johns to pick through why he’s going and who could replace Cullen atop the Leinster tree. Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Reaction: Leinster outclass the Bulls to win URC crown   Gordon D’Arcy and Nathan Johns pick through Leinster’s URC final victory over the Bulls. After Champions Cup disappointment in Bilbao, Leo Cullen’s side have ended the year with silverware after a comprehensive victory over the South African outfit.   Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informati...

Shorn of multiple players due to injury, Andy Farrell has named his group to tour Australia and New Zealand this summer.  Gordon D’Arcy and John O’Sullivan join Nathan Johns to pick through who is in and who might consider themselves unlucky.  Plus, we build up to the URC final as Leinster and the Bulls name their teams for Friday night’s decider. Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast....

With confirmation arriving that James Lowe will leave Leinster, in theory ruling him out of Ireland’s World Cup bid next year, Irish Times rugby writer John O’Sullivan joins Nathan Johns to discuss how talks broke down.  Why is Leinster’s record try scorer leaving despite, by all accounts, wanting to stay?  Plus, we chat through Munster’s hire of Jared Payne instead of Roger Randle and t...

Leinster beat the Stormers on Saturday to secure another URC final appearance as they once again meet the Bulls in the final.  Gordon D’Arcy joins Nathan Johns to pick through the action, look at where Leo Cullen’s side just about had enough to work past the Cape Town outfit and how they might fare against another South African juggernaut.  Plus, we look at excitement elsewhere with Glas...

A number of narratives have emerged in an attempt to explain Leinster’s European malaise under the current coaching staff.  Is Jacques Nienaber’s new system the problem or, rather, has he been given enough coaching power to truly take control?  Are Leinster still a well coached team or are they tactically behind the curve given the way the game is being played at the moment?  Analys...

The season has come to a close for Connacht and Munster after their respective URC quarter-final defeats.  Leinster meanwhile beat a lacklustre Lions side to stay alive and reach the semi-finals. Gordon D’Arcy joins Nathan Johns to review the action, analysing why Connacht have had a season to remember, Munster a year to forget while looking at how Leinster can, if at all, look to improve thi...

Former Leinster and Scotland analyst Brett Igoe joined Nathan Johns for a deep dive into the tactics Bordeaux used to outthink Leinster in the Champions Cup final. Brett also casts his analyst’s eye over Connacht and Munster’s season to date, and their prospects going into their URC quarter-finals against Glasgow Warriors and Bulls respectively. Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.c...

After sobering defeats for both Leinster and Ulster in European deciders, Nathan Johns and Gordon D’Arcy look back at the weekend. Analysis of where things went wrong plus thoughts on how Irish teams might be able to narrow the gap to their French counterparts. Is player recruitment key for both provinces? And should Leinster rethink their focus on defence? Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast....

Both Leinster and Ulster struck early in their respective finals, only to be pegged back soon after as both sides suffered chastening defeats. Is this Leinster's most damaging final defeat since they last won the Champions Cup in 2018? Did the heat and conditions suit the French sides? And how do the provinces close the gap on Bordeaux, Montpellier and others from the Top 14? Nathan Johns and Gerr...

Cautious optimism has started to build as Leinster bid to break their finals losing streak in European action. Underdogs against Bordeaux, is this the year they finally win a coveted fifth star? What of Ulster’s chances, shorn of big players due to injury and needing a Challenge Cup win to guarantee top tier action next year? Gordon D’Arcy joins Nathan Johns to preview this weekend’s European fina...

In front of a record-breaking crowd, Ireland women powered past Scotland to finish their Six Nations campaign. Meanwhile Connacht and Munster secured their top eight spots in the URC, Ulster narrowly missed out while Leinster warmed up for their Champions Cup final with a win over the Ospreys. Gordon D’Arcy joins Nathan Johns to discuss. Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priva...

John O’Sullivan joins Nathan Johns to preview the weekend’s rugby action. How can all four Irish provinces make the URC top eight? Are Ulster prioritising the Challenge Cup final over their last URC outing? Plus, how Ireland built towards a record day at the Aviva Stadium when they host Scotland on Sunday. Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Did Connacht’s stability off the field manifest itself in their dominant victory over Munster, given the chaos engulfing their provincial rivals? What of a glut of refereeing decisions that prompted debate over the weekend, including Nathan Doak’s late concession of a penalty try in Belfast? After wins for Leinster, Connacht and a draw for Ulster, Did Connacht’s stability on the field manifest its...

Controversy surrounded the weekend’s Champions Cup action after a number of head contacts were supposedly missed by the officials. Was this genuine error, issues with TV directors or something else wrong with the process? Former referee Owen Doyle joins Nathan johns to assess the state of rugby officiating. Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gordon D’Arcy and John O’Sullivan join Nathan Johns to review the weekend’s action. Leinster and Ulster are both heading to European finals but with varying degrees of positivity surrounding their performance. Do Leinster have enough to beat Bordeaux or does the nervy Toulon endgame leave them second favourite? What of Ulster’s chances against Montpellier after seeing off Exeter? Plus, the panel a...

During the week, it was announced that Leinster’s Champions Cup semi-final with Toulon had sold 30,000 tickets. Now, closer to kick-off, that figure is likely to rise, but it is notable that on the week of a big European game, there were still 20,000 seats available. Gerry Thornley joins Nathan Johns to chat through why this may be - is there an Aviva fatigue with Leinster calling the stadium home...

Provincial action, women’s Six Nations and the business end of the AIL club season - this weekend had plenty. Gordon D’Arcy joins Nathan Johns to review it all. Is the battle for the URC top eight just going to come down to whoever has enough fit players? A week out from their European semi-final, what to make of Leinster’s upset defeat away to Benetton? Have Ireland shown enough progression to ge...

John O’Sullivan joins Nathan Johns to preview the weekend’s rugby action. From Munster’s key interpro with an injury-ravaged Ulster to Ireland’s Six Nations French revenge tour, not to mention AIL finals weekend, there is plenty to discuss as the rugby season continues towards the business end. Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.