The Counter Ruck

Just one Irish province is in action this weekend, with Leinster taking on Northampton in the Champions Cup semi-finals.

Joining Gordon D’Arcy and Nathan Johns on today’s episode is a man who played for both sides in his career, James Downey. A centre back in his day, Downey lined up directly opposite D’Arcy in the infamous comeback final in 2011, Leinster overturning a 22-6 half-time deficit to win their second Heineken Cup.

For the first time since 2015, all four Irish provinces lost on a single weekend of domestic action. Add this to Ireland women’s defeat to Scotland to wrap up the Six Nations and it was an unusually glum 48 hours for rugby in this country. Panic stations or just a blip?

The playoff picture currently being painted leaves just one province, Leinster, playing knockout rugby in the coming weeks. There are also Champions Cup permuta...

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

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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...

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 unti...

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 ...

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, Go...

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 ...

The weekend’s rugby action brought a result to remember for Munster in their first competitive outing against La Rochelle, coached by their former outhalf Ronan O’Gara. With wins elsewhere for Leinster and Connacht, plus a valiant defeat for Ulster, John O’Sullivan and Gordon D’Arcy join Nathan Johns to pick through the weekend’s action.

How did Munster pull off the upset in France? Is this another peak for the province to be f...

Irish players prepare for another European weekend of action, with Leinster taking on Harlequins, Munster playing La Rochelle in the Ronan O’Gara derby, Ulster away to Bordeaux and Connacht lining out against Cardiff.

The past few weeks of URC action, while throwing up plenty of intriguing storylines, has been a reminder of how much interest in the national game drives the sport here. Rugby is at somewhat of a crossroads, finan...

Gordon D’Arcy joins Nathan Johns to review the weekend’s action.

How did Connacht fail to take advantage of Munster’s red card in the test in the west? How much do we read into the Leinster youngsters beating the Sharks, or is that particular South African team always prone to madness? Are we finally seeing Ulster’s exciting back line turn a corner?

Speaking of back lines, Ireland finally take the handbrake off in a record ...

On Wednesday, Andy Farrell confirmed three Irish coaches would be his assistants for the upcoming Lions tour. Simon Easterby, John Fogarty and Andrew Goodman join England’s Richard Wigglesworth and Scotland’s John Dalziel on the coaching ticket.

The launch event was impressive in parts, a reminder of the corporate behemoth the Lions has become. But does this commercial standing come at the cost of the Lions ethos?

John O’Su...

This weekend saw a series of thrilling, high scoring matches in the United Rugby Championship. Leinster, Munster and Connacht all lost - Ulster provided the sole Irish win of the weekend - but fans of attacking rugby cannot say that they were bored. 

Is this what we want to see from rugby matches, though? Do we want a basketball style, end-to-end product wherever whoever has the ball last takes on the final shot to win?

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Attention turns to provincial action and the women’s Six Nations after a lengthy men’s international campaign. With senior internationals set to be rested domestically, which young prospects can further their summer tour aspirations with a strong display over the next few weeks? How are Ulster fixed sitting as low as 14th in the table? Connacht seem set for coaching upheaval, how will they fare for the rest of the season? Will Lein...

Ireland’s final standing in the Six Nations depends on how you frame it. Third in Europe behind France and England doesn’t sound ideal. But plenty are young enough to remember when campaigns featuring four victories were gold dust. Is the glass half full or half empty?

John O’Sullivan and Gordon D’Arcy were in Rome to take in a clunky victory over Italy and they join host Nathan Johns to dissect the game and the tournament as a...

Steve Aboud is widely credited with revitalising Italy’s youth development. A number of the players leading the country’s rise from the bottom of the Six Nations pile, names including Garbisi and Menoncello, benefited from the structures he put in place. After a stint in charge of Canada Rugby’s high-performance department, Aboud returns to Rome later this year to head up the professional game. In a previous life, Aboud worked with...

It’s been a long time since Ireland were beaten as badly as Saturday’s French shellacking. Back in 2022 they also lost to 15 points away in New Zealand. Not since 2019, against England, have Ireland been left feeling so shell-shocked at home.

Where did it all go wrong?

Gordon D’Arcy joins Nathan Johns to pick through what was a French defensive masterclass. Following on from last week’s episode on talent development, the pair discu...

For the third time in as many years, it looks that the winner of Ireland’s clash with France will go on to win the Six Nations. Who, then, are the favourites for Saturday’s clash in Dublin and why?

Irish Times rugby correspondent Gerry Thornley joins Nathan Johns to preview the clash. What does Ireland’s selection of Jamie Osborne as Mack Hansen’s injury replacement tell us of the impending game plan? Will Ireland continue to be...

A regular talking point when Ireland take on France is the competitively younger age of the French line up. Louis Bielle-Biarrey debuted when he was still eligible for France U20s. Where are the 20-year-olds making their way to the Irish senior team?

Is this just a case of a different system of talent development, or is France ahead of Ireland? For all the talk of Ireland’s impressive U20 pipeline, is it producing enough to keep...

Last weekend, either side of Ireland’s Six Nations victory in Cardiff, other Irish sides struggled. The U20s were on the wrong side of the result in Newport, the first time they’ve lost to Wales at that level since 2018. Ireland A were also in action in a rare second team fixture, losing to England A in Bristol. 

Ireland’s development pathway receives regular praise for punching above its weight. However, was last weekend...