The Counter Ruck

Ireland’s front-row injury crisis plummeted to a further low when Jack Boyle was carted off with an Achilles issue for Leinster against Connacht. Given the absentee list at loosehead, should he - alongside other Ireland Six Nations players - have been wrapped in cotton wool over the weekend? Gordon D’Arcy joins Nathan Johns to discuss this along with Leinster’s victory over Connacht, Ulster’s defe...

It’s squad week ahead of the upcoming Six Nations. Both the senior group, the squad selected in the second string and the U20s have all been revealed. Is Andy Farrell’s selection overly safe or a fair reflection of newer players pushing through? Who has been hard done by? Can anyone from the second string push their way into the upper ranks? And what of the U20s, who are looking to bounce back aft...

The final European weekend for a while threw up plenty of intrigue. Munster are out of the Champions Cup, their latest love affair with Europe’s top tier proving to be a short lived one. Leinster once again won in difficult circumstances to ensure they are the lone Irish team flying the flag in the Champions Cup. Ulster and Connacht safely guaranteed their progression to the knockout stages of the...

Gerry Thornley joins Nathan Johns to pick through the rugby news of the day. The quality of the on-field product certainly improved during last weekend’s European action, a badly needed injection of life after some difficult outings for Irish sides in recent months. Meanwhile the rugby transfer story mill has picked up into overdrive while the All Blacks shocked the world with the decision to move...

Leinster get out of jail against La Rochelle while Munster fall in Toulon in the Champions Cup. Meanwhile Ulster are snowed off while Connacht let a late lead slip against Montpellier in the Challenge Cup. A weekend of entertaining rugby, but what did we learn, if anything, about Irish rugby’s trophy prospects this year? Gordon D’Arcy and John O’Sullivan join Nathan Johns to review the weekend’s a...

An ex-Ireland captain is now in charge of the rugby department at one of the country’s four provinces. Rory Best, Joe Schmidt’s on-field lieutenant towards the back end of the 2010s, is back in Irish rugby as general manager of his native Ulster. This is worth a deep dive in and of itself - what is a general manager? Why has Best gone into this role instead of coaching? Is he the Jason Wilcox to U...

The end of the festive interpro season is nigh but that means Europe is back in focus as the provinces gear up for continental rugby once more. All while Andy Farrell ruminates on his Six Nations squad which is expected to be named in the coming weeks. Whose performances may have turned his eye after three weeks of Irish derbies? Will any of Ulster’s in-form youngsters prompt a shake-up? What to m...

The now infamous 7-1 forward split on the bench hit the headlines last year 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 2025 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, ag...

The Christmas interpros have been and gone, Leinster and Ulster prevailing over Munster and Connacht respectively. Thomond Park was notable not so much for the quality of rugby but barbs which came off the pitch post-match. Leo Cullen and Simon Zebo were more than happy to jest with each other, while Tadhg Beirne added his name to the long list of players lamenting the game’s tactical direction of...

Inevitably, before their success in the United Rugby Championship last season, plenty of public commentary focused on Leinster’s inability to get over the line in big games. Clearly, they had the talent. Was the problem instead to be found in the top two inches? Enda McNulty, a former All-Ireland winner with Armagh, worked with both Leinster and Ireland as a sports psychologist. He joins Gordon D’...

Another week, another round of games featuring Irish provinces winning ugly. Leinster and Munster secured bonus point victories despite being far from their best. Are we being harsh by focusing overly on performances instead of bottom lines at this stage of the year? Ulster put it up to Leinster but succumbed to a lack of depth. Are they still trending in the right direction? And what to make of C...

Not for the first time this year, Welsh rugby is awash with speculation of the downfall of one of its clubs. The Ospreys, four-time winners of the URC in its various guises over the year, are the latest team which could be on the chopping block, according to various media reports. With high profile players leaving the club, word that owners are looking to jump ship and the CEO taking to his person...

Leinster won on their travels but looked far from convincing against Leicester. Munster also flattered to deceive albeit they got a winning bonus point at home to Gloucester. Ulster rotated their side with one eye on an interpro against Leinster and lost in the dying embers against Cardiff while Connacht won easily against Black Lion of Georgia. Should we be overly concerned about dicey performanc...

With Leinster and Leicester squaring off in Europe this week, Jimmy Gopperth - a former outhalf for both sides - joins ex-teammate Gordon D’Arcy and Nathan Johns. We look back at an interesting time in Leinster’s history, the years when they were coached by Matt O’Connor. We also chat about Irish rugby’s tactical evolution in the last 10 years, as well as the direction of travel of the sport more...

Round one of European action has been and gone as Leinster won in unconvincing fashion over an understrength Harlequins side, Munster fell away to Bath, Connacht lost to Ospreys and Ulster hammered Racing at home in Belfast. Are Leinster leaving it till too late in the season to kick into gear? Is Munster’s defeat terminal to their European ambitions? Were Ulster the only Irish province to actuall...

Two years out from the World Cup, Ireland now know who they are playing after Wednesday’s draw. The fixture dates come next February as World Rugby look for spikes of ‘hype’, a tactic which divides the opinion of our panel. Nathan Johns is joined by Gordon D’Arcy and John O’Sullivan to look at Ireland’s draw and preview the upcoming European action. Leinster may well have a chance to blood a few n...

During the November window, the IRFU released their financial accounts for the previous year. Inevitably, they were asked about rising ticket prices for games at the Aviva Stadium. Irish Times rugby correspondent Gerry Thornley reported that the cost of a ticket has increased by 80 per cent in the past 12 years. Why does rugby charge more for the in-ground experience, compared to other sports? The...

There have been postmortems aplenty on the state of Irish rugby after the November window. But what of the international window as a whole. Officiating is arguably a hot a topic as it ever has been - and not in a good way. Stylistically, law tweaks have more and more teams striving for efficiency and playing in similar styles, ones which are not always popular among the crowds. Whatever about resu...

Saturday was shambolic. Chaotic. Insert your choice of adjective here. A rugby match took over 130 minutes to complete. Seven cards were handed out - one rescinded. Somewhere in between, South Africa bullied Ireland, Andy Farrell’s side ultimately doing well not to lose by a heavier margin. What to make of all the chaos, and of Ireland’s November window as a whole? John O’Sullivan and Gordon D’Arc...

South Africa come to town this weekend with two World Cup winners’ medals in the back pocket of plenty of squad members. Yet one of the few frontiers this side under Rassie Erasmus has yet to cross is winning in Dublin. Daniel Gallan is a South African journalist for Rugbypass and the Guardian. He joins Nathan Johns to explain just how Rassie has done it for so long. How does he keep his players m...

Ireland secured a record victory over Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies on a wet Saturday night at the Aviva Stadium. It was comfortably the best display of this November window from Andy Farrell’s side, but where does it leave them ahead of next week’s Springbok challenge? Gordon D’Arcy and John O’Sullivan once again join Nathan Johns to discuss, amongst other things: Sam Prendergast’s impressive starting...

After beating the Lions in the last Test and running them close in the series as a whole, Australia have gone downhill. They started this November window with a scare against Japan while last weekend saw a damaging defeat to Italy. Where did it all go wrong? Joe Schmidt is in the twilight of his tenure in charge, finishing up next July. After the Lions recovery but subsequent demise, how will his...

Ireland 41 Japan 10: back on track after the Chicago disappointment or a worrying, laboured victory? Did Ireland get what they needed from returning players? Did newer faces step up? Gordon D’Arcy and John O’Sullivan join Nathan Johns to give their thoughts. Meanwhile over in Spain, Ireland’s second string impressed against the tier two nation. Can anyone from that group force their way into senio...

Two Irish sides take to the pitch on Saturday; Andy Farrell’s senior outfit takes on Japan before a second-string side play Spain. Plenty of interesting selection calls have been made, while a number of high-profile players - Caelan Doris included - return to starting roles. What are the storylines and performances to watch? Who needs a big display to keep their spot, and who might force their way...

Where does Ireland’s defeat to the All Blacks leave them in world rugby’s hierarchy? After a solid if unspectacular opening hour, Ireland collapsed to a two-score defeat in the final quarter. The Irish kicking game brought plenty of joy, but New Zealand’s bench ultimately turned the contest. Gordon D’Arcy and John O’Sullivan join Nathan Johns to pick through the action from Ireland’s Chicago trip....