October 31, 2025 • 7 mins
With the massive test match tomorrow morning its only right to hear from the other side of the world in Ireland.
Gordon D'Arcy is a former Irish international who played 82 tests between 1999-2015. He also represented the British and Irish lions across two tours.
Gordon caught up with D'Arcy to share his thoughts on the match.
LISTEN ABOVE
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldgrave from News Talk SEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Let's talk a bit of rugby now. Gordon Darcy former
Irish international eighty two tests between ninety ninety nine and
twenty fifteen. He was a British and Irish lines player
as well across a couple of tours. He joins us
now to share his thoughts on the Test match. Hello
Gordon Darcy, great name, my friend, great name?
Speaker 3 (00:35):
Yeah? Was the two living legends?
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Well, yeah, I'm barely alive that I mean, I don't
call me a legend. You are on Irish rugby circles.
It's great to make your acquaintance and have you on air.
Massive tests they always are, aren't they. But over the
last decade, since Soldier Field back in twenty sixteen, these
Irish All Black fixtures have been absolute gold. They've been
the most powerful brand of rugby you can imagine.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Yeah, it's been really like, it's been really good to
watch this rivalry developed. I suppose like I started playing
in ninety eight and finished in twenty fifteen, so I
got the very one side relationship where we had a
couple of matches where we almost won against New Zealand
and New Zealand always found a way to win. Maybe
(01:26):
one of them we found a way to lose, but
definitely up to about twenty thirteen when match in the
Aviva and that kind of felt like it was a
bit of a we closed the gap substantially and then
obviously kick on to Soldier Field in twenty sixteen and
we got that first historic win. But it's been pretty
impressive over the last nine years. Five wins apiece. Obviously
(01:51):
New Zealand with the two wins in the World Cup
and Ireland with the series win in New Zealand. So yeah,
it's been pretty heavyweight stuff.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
As you said, it's fair to say that the Old
Blacks and are a bit of position to gain success
in this game and the effect they've playing in a
rugby championship, a very tight rugby championship. Where's the rus
I don't think they've kicked an international ball on angus
since what on I started this year. Of the six
nations that they've not been busy.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
Well, players have been busy, just not playing collective. So
fourteen players in the Lions, so you know a lot
of that have been played, a lot of rugby, but
you know the connection of the R side. The move
towards this kind of global calendar has meant that the
Lions has gone on a lot longer than it traditionally does.
So a lot of players back into their prevent They
need their holidays, they need to have a break, they
(02:40):
need to rest from a big season last year. So
most of the Irish players have probably played two games
for their clubs. So yeah, it hasn't been much international rugby.
There hasn't been much rugby for a lot of the players,
so they've got a two week building. But yeah, that
you know, the unbiased man would say it probably is
in it should be in New Zealand's corner.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Where do the threats come from in the Irish twenty three?
Who should we be concerned.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
About all of them?
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (03:10):
Like I think like if you look at why how
Ireland have won and say maybe why New Zealand have won,
and I don't think that changes and won't change into
the into this game. Ireland are a collective as a
collective are more of a threat with some with some
kind of world class individuals kind of dropped dropped in
in around that and the collective performance gives those a
(03:32):
couple of players an opportunity to shine. Who we're talking
about there, Dan she and tyger Burne, you know, Cayln Darris,
Jack Colan, whoever's playing at eight and you know Gems Gibson,
Park Bundee probably in the in twelve it, you know,
and traditionally maybe James Low Mackanson have added that little
bit of individual flair. So but it generally is the
(03:54):
collective performance, and it's a collective outperformance. When you flip
that over to say New Zealand and you look at
the say the two wins in the World Cups, which
obviously the ones that jump out, it's that moment of
individual brilliance and they come from very different places. So
I think that individual threat that New Zealand pose is
(04:16):
obviously there are points of difference.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Again, the all Blacks go through this to unbeaten, they're
looking at the holy grail of the Grand Slam and
they've got to start with the Irish possibly the sternest opposition,
although that may be not paying enough credit to what
the Scottish can provide. And we know but the tyranny
of the English. But is this doable for scott Robertson's.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
Mean, yeah, of course, of course it is New Zealand
will always back themselves. I think the the either if
there is one of eater and I don't know, I
don't know, and it's impossible to know which which which
one of these two. It is either New Zealand aren't
as good as they used to be or the opposition
has closed that gap considerably. So there is a New
(04:57):
Zealand used to be in my ear where out and
out in the in the front they were, you know,
they didn't lose games. Now the win ratio was close
to seventy, so they don't win as many games as
they as they used to. So that's either you know,
as I don't know which it is, either everybody else
has got better or New Zealand just not producing the
quality players. I would say England. Look, England particularly will
(05:21):
be the team where you're looking at the strength and
death that they have and if they get the coaching
balance right, they would be a pretty hard team to
beat at home.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
Where do Ireland sit at the moment in the wider
rugby picture, They've very much been on the app Maybe
they've slid or they flat line at the moment, where
do they sit and will rugby do you think?
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Gordon like the problem with Irish rugby is like we sorry,
it's not the problem. The you know, the backdrop to
our rugby is we have one hundred and twenty professional
rugby players in Ireland. That's largely what we have. Four
problems is we have a good academy and everything.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
In behind that.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
We have a good academy academy system, but really like
we don't have the We have a very settled team
with the Irish team purely because we don't have enough players,
don't enough camp tiss too, you know, to make sweeping changes.
So if you look at the team that New Zealand's
going to play versus when we played the last time,
probably not. There won't be as many familiar phases where
(06:17):
there will be in the Irish team. And that's just
a reality of our system. So we don't get to
make the wholesale changes that say England are going to
make and have made for their opening test. We have
to play within the within the structures where we have.
So the reason I suppose that preamble is we have
the seeding and the World Cup draw coming in December
so there's very little opportunity for Ireland to expire, to experiment.
(06:40):
We have to defend our position, which at the moment
is third in the world. We have to defend that
top four every almost, at every opportunity the six nations.
Doing well in the Six Nations means that that's more
money into the game, and the Irish game is funded
by International Rugby. That's at the top of the that's
then the system feeds into the into the national team.
(07:01):
But the success of the Irish team is what drives
success of Irish rugby and that's hasn't changed. It's never
going to change. We have confines in our system and
we have to play and operate within that and there's
been a massive out performance in the professional leary in that.
So we're doing okay.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
For more from the All Sport Breakfast with Darcy Watergrave,
listen live to news talks it be on Saturday mornings,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldgrave from News Talk SEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Let's talk a bit of rugby now. Gordon Darcy former
Irish international eighty two tests between ninety ninety nine and
twenty fifteen. He was a British and Irish lines player
as well across a couple of tours. He joins us
now to share his thoughts on the Test match. Hello
Gordon Darcy, great name, my friend, great name?
Speaker 3 (00:35):
Yeah? Was the two living legends?
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Well, yeah, I'm barely alive that I mean, I don't
call me a legend. You are on Irish rugby circles.
It's great to make your acquaintance and have you on air.
Massive tests they always are, aren't they. But over the
last decade, since Soldier Field back in twenty sixteen, these
Irish All Black fixtures have been absolute gold. They've been
the most powerful brand of rugby you can imagine.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Yeah, it's been really like, it's been really good to
watch this rivalry developed. I suppose like I started playing
in ninety eight and finished in twenty fifteen, so I
got the very one side relationship where we had a
couple of matches where we almost won against New Zealand
and New Zealand always found a way to win. Maybe
(01:26):
one of them we found a way to lose, but
definitely up to about twenty thirteen when match in the
Aviva and that kind of felt like it was a
bit of a we closed the gap substantially and then
obviously kick on to Soldier Field in twenty sixteen and
we got that first historic win. But it's been pretty
impressive over the last nine years. Five wins apiece. Obviously
(01:51):
New Zealand with the two wins in the World Cup
and Ireland with the series win in New Zealand. So yeah,
it's been pretty heavyweight stuff.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
As you said, it's fair to say that the Old
Blacks and are a bit of position to gain success
in this game and the effect they've playing in a
rugby championship, a very tight rugby championship. Where's the rus
I don't think they've kicked an international ball on angus
since what on I started this year. Of the six
nations that they've not been busy.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
Well, players have been busy, just not playing collective. So
fourteen players in the Lions, so you know a lot
of that have been played, a lot of rugby, but
you know the connection of the R side. The move
towards this kind of global calendar has meant that the
Lions has gone on a lot longer than it traditionally does.
So a lot of players back into their prevent They
need their holidays, they need to have a break, they
(02:40):
need to rest from a big season last year. So
most of the Irish players have probably played two games
for their clubs. So yeah, it hasn't been much international rugby.
There hasn't been much rugby for a lot of the players,
so they've got a two week building. But yeah, that
you know, the unbiased man would say it probably is
in it should be in New Zealand's corner.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Where do the threats come from in the Irish twenty three?
Who should we be concerned.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
About all of them?
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (03:10):
Like I think like if you look at why how
Ireland have won and say maybe why New Zealand have won,
and I don't think that changes and won't change into
the into this game. Ireland are a collective as a
collective are more of a threat with some with some
kind of world class individuals kind of dropped dropped in
in around that and the collective performance gives those a
(03:32):
couple of players an opportunity to shine. Who we're talking
about there, Dan she and tyger Burne, you know, Cayln Darris,
Jack Colan, whoever's playing at eight and you know Gems Gibson,
Park Bundee probably in the in twelve it, you know,
and traditionally maybe James Low Mackanson have added that little
bit of individual flair. So but it generally is the
(03:54):
collective performance, and it's a collective outperformance. When you flip
that over to say New Zealand and you look at
the say the two wins in the World Cups, which
obviously the ones that jump out, it's that moment of
individual brilliance and they come from very different places. So
I think that individual threat that New Zealand pose is
(04:16):
obviously there are points of difference.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Again, the all Blacks go through this to unbeaten, they're
looking at the holy grail of the Grand Slam and
they've got to start with the Irish possibly the sternest opposition,
although that may be not paying enough credit to what
the Scottish can provide. And we know but the tyranny
of the English. But is this doable for scott Robertson's.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
Mean, yeah, of course, of course it is New Zealand
will always back themselves. I think the the either if
there is one of eater and I don't know, I
don't know, and it's impossible to know which which which
one of these two. It is either New Zealand aren't
as good as they used to be or the opposition
has closed that gap considerably. So there is a New
(04:57):
Zealand used to be in my ear where out and
out in the in the front they were, you know,
they didn't lose games. Now the win ratio was close
to seventy, so they don't win as many games as
they as they used to. So that's either you know,
as I don't know which it is, either everybody else
has got better or New Zealand just not producing the
quality players. I would say England. Look, England particularly will
(05:21):
be the team where you're looking at the strength and
death that they have and if they get the coaching
balance right, they would be a pretty hard team to
beat at home.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
Where do Ireland sit at the moment in the wider
rugby picture, They've very much been on the app Maybe
they've slid or they flat line at the moment, where
do they sit and will rugby do you think?
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Gordon like the problem with Irish rugby is like we sorry,
it's not the problem. The you know, the backdrop to
our rugby is we have one hundred and twenty professional
rugby players in Ireland. That's largely what we have. Four
problems is we have a good academy and everything.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
In behind that.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
We have a good academy academy system, but really like
we don't have the We have a very settled team
with the Irish team purely because we don't have enough players,
don't enough camp tiss too, you know, to make sweeping changes.
So if you look at the team that New Zealand's
going to play versus when we played the last time,
probably not. There won't be as many familiar phases where
(06:17):
there will be in the Irish team. And that's just
a reality of our system. So we don't get to
make the wholesale changes that say England are going to
make and have made for their opening test. We have
to play within the within the structures where we have.
So the reason I suppose that preamble is we have
the seeding and the World Cup draw coming in December
so there's very little opportunity for Ireland to expire, to experiment.
(06:40):
We have to defend our position, which at the moment
is third in the world. We have to defend that
top four every almost, at every opportunity the six nations.
Doing well in the Six Nations means that that's more
money into the game, and the Irish game is funded
by International Rugby. That's at the top of the that's
then the system feeds into the into the national team.
(07:01):
But the success of the Irish team is what drives
success of Irish rugby and that's hasn't changed. It's never
going to change. We have confines in our system and
we have to play and operate within that and there's
been a massive out performance in the professional leary in that.
So we're doing okay.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
For more from the All Sport Breakfast with Darcy Watergrave,
listen live to news talks it be on Saturday mornings,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
Popular Podcasts
Spooky Podcasts from iHeartRadio
Whether you’re a scaredy-cat or a brave bat, this collection of episodes from iHeartPodcasts will put you in the Halloween spirit. Binge stories, frights, and more that may keep you up at night!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.