The Counter Ruck: The Irish Times Rugby Podcast

Gordon D’Arcy and Gerry Thornley join host Nathan Johns to pick through the final round of the Six Nations championship.

Ireland weren’t perfect, but had enough to get over the line against Scotland to earn back-to-back titles for just the third time. Given the way the final matches unfolded, have teams started to figure out the Irish attack? Was this the last we will see of Peter O’Mahony in a green jersey? How will the other teams look to progress after a very competitive tournament? Our panel picks through these issues and more in the latest episode of The Counter Ruck.

Produced by John Casey.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Scotland and Ireland have seen plenty of animosity in their contests in recent years. Yet the Scots have not won since 2017, while they haven't been victorious in Dublin since 2010. Can such a one-sided fixture truly be a rivalry, or do the two sides simply not like each other?

Gordon D'Arcy and John O'Sullivan join host Nathan Johns to preview this weekend's Six Nations title showdown.

Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

England’s best performance in recent memory sent Ireland to a narrow defeat in London.

Hopes of back-to-back Grand Slams are gone, offering a timely reminder of just how difficult it is to win it all.

Gordon D’Arcy and Gerry Thornley join host Nathan Johns to pick through where it all went wrong for Ireland, where England excelled and why a Six Nations title, even without a Grand Slam, is not to be sniffed at.

Produced by John Casey.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gordon D'Arcy and John O'Sullivan join host Nathan Johns to preview Ireland's upcoming clash with England.

Where are England in this transition period? Will their blitz defence cause problems? Have we learned anything new from the Ireland team selection? All this is and more is discussed as the panel predict a strong England performance that will test Ireland's Grand Slam ambitions.

Produced by John Casey and Suzanne Brennan.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this extended chat with England’s World Cup-winning number eight, Nathan Johns and Gordon D’Arcy preview this week’s Six Nations clash at Twickenham.

We also discuss how Dallaglio could have declared for Ireland, his memories of touring for the Lions with D’Arcy as well as England’s muddled thinking in this year’s championship.

Produced by John Casey.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Ireland’s current crop of U20s training against the senior side today at the Aviva Stadium, we took a deep dive into the underage structures in Irish rugby.

John O’Sullivan has covered age grade international sides for a number of years, and he joins host Nathan Johns to recall his memories of following Irish teams around the world.

From dramatic penalty shoot-outs vs South Africa to meeting players’ parents, John has plenty of stories regarding Ireland’s young players.

We also look at the efficacy of the system. Does Ireland bring their U20 graduates through to senior level quickly enough? Do our young players get enough game time? Can the provinces alone offer the best youth talent an outlet to grow?

Produced by John Casey.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ireland were not at their fluid best on Saturday but they did not have to be, beating Wales 31-7 at the Aviva Stadium.  

How did Wales stilt the Irish attack somewhat? Just how good is Ireland’s defence? Does Andy Farrell have a replacement bench to rival the South African bomb squad? 

The panel chats through all the talking points from the Irish victory, as well as the other notable games from the weekend. England, Ireland’s next opponents, come in for some heavy criticism after their defeat to Scotland, while France’s downfall under Fabien Galthié brings to mind memories of the end of the Joe Schmidt Ireland era in 2019.  

Produced by John Casey 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is fullback Ciarán Frawley’s best position? How much of a loss will Hugo Keenan be? What to expect from debutant Oli Jager? 

Gordon D’Arcy and John O’Sullivan join host Nathan Johns to react to Andy Farrell’s team announcement. The panel looks at if there were any other options to replace Keenan, is picking a 6/2 split on the bench somewhat of a risk and why Stuart McCloskey makes the bench instead of Garry Ringrose. 

Saturday’s opponents, Wales, also are analysed in detail. We look at if Sam Costelow will change their game plan at outhalf. Given the threat of Tommy Reffell to the Irish breakdown, Gordon D’Arcy recalls preparing to face previous dangerous Welsh flankers and how Ireland can nullify the Leicester backrow. 

Produced by John Casey.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Despite being tipped by some as wooden spoon contenders for this year’s Six Nations, Wales have lost their opening two matches by a combined margin of just three points. 

A second half comeback against Scotland and a strong opening 40 minutes in Twickenham vs England have allowed Wales to already exceed the expectations. Ahead of their trip to Dublin to take on Ireland this weekend, Mike Bubbins, a former Cardiff and Wales underage backrow, joins Gordon D’Arcy and host Nathan Johns to talk through Wales’ resurgence of sorts. 

The panel discuss Wales coach Warren Gatland’s decision to rely on a younger cohort of players, the attacking brand of rugby displayed by domestic sides and how the country looks to recover from a turbulent 12 months of financial trouble, administration controversies and middling performances on the pitch. 

Produced by John Casey.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For all the positivity surrounding Ireland’s two wins to open up this year’s Six Nations, a concern for the concession of scrum penalties remains simmering in the background.

Against France, Andrew Porter was penalised twice in quick succession in the first half. After half-time, the French replacement front row eked out a further penalty, cementing a clear advantage.

Scrumming down against Italy, Ireland fared much better, winning as many as four scrum penalties, but still conceding a handful of decisions.

“Your reputation precedes you, good or bad,” says Mike Ross, the former Ireland tighthead prop.

“For some reason we’ve been identified as a side that can give penalties away in the scrum. Sometimes I would question if the referees are actually looking at what they’re seeing or going with preconceived notions.”

When there can be such volatility, Ireland finding themselves on the back foot one week only to dominate in the next fixture, questions arise. Is it the opposition, personnel, a different referee interpretation?

Ross joined host Nathan Johns on The Counter Ruck Podcast on this Six Nations down week to take a deep dive into Ireland's scrum. Is the scrum a concern, how important is it and do officials referee the set piece consistently? 

Produced by John Casey.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.