The Counter Ruck: The Irish Times Rugby Podcast

So much for the summer. There's no sun, the rain is down for the day, the hurling's gone boring. Thank God for the Ulster Championship, which served up another barnburner on Sunday between Armagh and Cavan. Keith Duggan was there and he's on the line to tell us about it and to look ahead to Tyrone v Donegal this Saturday.On Friday night, the feelgood factor around the Ireland soccer team will face its sternest test yet, with Mick McCarthy's side heading to Denmark for their latest Euro qualifier. Emmet Malone joins us from Abbottstown as we ponder the surprisingly golden late chapter in Glenn Whelan's career.All this plus watching the Champions League final in LA with Chris O'Dowd, coming atcha in your Tuesday Added Time, with Malachy Clerkin and Eamon Donoghue.

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Saturday brought the curtain down on the rugby season, ending with the heart-warming sight of Sean O'Brien lifting the Pro-14 trophy after Leinster beat Glasgow in Celtic Park. Sunday brought the news that O'Brien is going for hip surgery and will miss the World Cup, ending his international career. Gerry Thornley is in studio to pay tribute to the man he ranks as the best captain Ireland never had.Wexford and Galway played out a stop-start, weather-beaten draw in Salthill over the weekend, leaving the Leinster Hurling Championship on a knife-edge. What is up with Galway? Where are Wexford? And can we get a roof on Pearse Stadium please? Keith Duggan was there and he as all the answers.We'll also dig deep into Roscommon's win over Mayo in Castlebar, all in your Monday Added Time with Malachy Clerkin and Eamon Donoghue.

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The last knockings of the rugby season are upon us and Leinster are through to another Pro 14 final after their facile victory over Munster on Saturday. Gavin Cummiskey is in studio to dig through the unravelling of Munster's season and to look at where they go from here.The Ulster Championship has kicked into gear over the weekend and is delivering already. Paul Fitzpatrick of the Anglo-Celt newspaper joins us on the line to talk about Cavan's first win over Monaghan in 18 years on Saturday night.And in hurling, the All-Ireland champions Limerick are on the back foot already after Cork went to the Gaelic Grounds on Sunday and mugged them good and proper. Sean Moran was there for us.All this and the most boring golf major ever in your Monday Added Time, with Malachy Clerkin and Pat Nugent.

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In the end, Leinster's fifth Heineken Champions Cup final finished in their first defeat, squeezed till their pips squeaked by a Saracens side that is clearly the best in Europe. Gavin Cummiskey is in studio to tell us where it all went wrong and to sing songs of praise to an unstoppable Billy Vunipola.The Munster Hurling Championship is up and running and already there have been more home defeats than in the whole of last year's competition. Sean Moran was in Páirc Uí Chaoimh to see Tipperary find their mojo again and he joins us on the line.Plus we have plenty of Waterford v Clare and we wail our lament for poor sacked Chris Hughton.All in your Monday Added time, with Malachy Clerkin and Pat Nugent.

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Put the good china away, hide all the fancy photo frames, maybe put a bit of plastic over the furniture. Leinster and Saracens are meeting in the Heineken Champions Cup final and it's going to be rowdy.Gerry Thornley and Gavin Cummiskey are in studio to break down the biggest club game of the year between the no-argument two best teams in Europe. It's Sexton v Farrell, it's Itoje v Ryan, it's Conan v big bad Billy Vunipola. Seconds out, and all that.All in your extra bonus Added Time with Malachy Clerkin and Pat Nugent.

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DA! DA! DA! DA-DADA-DAAA!Play the music, play the games. The summer is with us and that means The Sunday Game. An Irish institution, it's 40 years old this season and there's a new presenter in the chair.Joanne Cantwell and programmer editor Rory O'Neill are in studio to bring us behind the scenes of the country's biggest GAA show. What happens when there's a big upset like Carlow beating Kildare and you've only sent one camera and no commentator? Why do people in every county think they're biased against them? And will they be attaching electrodes to Joe Brolly anytime soon?All this on your bank holiday Added Time, with Malachy Clerkin and Pat Nugent.

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The strictly wheat-from-chaff part of the rugby season is upon us, with the quarter-finals of the Pro-14 the next sort-out to be decided. Gavin Cummiskey is in studio to walk us through Munster v Treviso and Ulster v Connacht next weekend.While it's not too often we get too het up about distance running on the pod, when we go in, we really go in. In that vein, nothing could have pleased us more than the hilarious - if potentially serious - spat between 'Sir' Mo Farah and Haile Gebrselassie in the build up to the London marathon. Ian O'Riordan breaks it all down, along with Eliud Kipchoge's latest incredible marathon feat.We also have the brilliant story of the Irish Aussie Sinead Diver and Marcelo Bielsa saves the world - again.All in your Monday Added Time, with Malachy Clerkin and Pat Nugent.

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Get ready for a knock-down drag-out fight in this year’s European Rugby Cup final between unarguably the two best teams in the continent. Leinster had their Sexton-factor back during their impressive win over Toulouse at the Aviva on Sunday, while Saracens ignored the jeers of the crowd to record a comfortable win over Munster on Saturday. Gerry Thornley and Gavin Cummiskey are in studio to run the rule over the weekend’s action. The NFL draft takes place this week but already the off-season has thrown up far more stories than you’d expect, and probably many more than the NFL hierarchy would like. Daniel Comer joins us on the line from Miami to tell us about shock transfers, in-fighting and a bizarre sex scandal. All that and a look at how BT Sport and Channel 4 covered the Billy Vunipola controversy in their respective broadcasts, in your Added Time podcast, with Pat Nugent and Gavin Cummiskey.Times:Rugby - 07:34NFL - 28:00

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It might be time to get out the brochures for the Bulgarian property market again, folks - Tiger Woods is back winning majors. His victory at Sunday Masters reclaims him from the realm of YouTube golfers and puts him back on a level in world sport that no other golfer can imagine reaching. Philip Reid was on-site to see it all unfold in Augusta and he's on the line to tell us all about it.Although the Heineken Cup semi-final weekend is looming, the rugby has momentarily taken a back seat while Israel Falau doubles down on his homophobic worldview to become the biggest story in the sport. Gavin Cummiskey and Gerry Thornley are in studio to talk about the termination of Falau's contract with Rugby Australia - and, of course, to preview Munster and Leinster's semi-final matches.All this in your Monday Added Time, with Malachy Clerkin and Pat Nugent.Philip Reid at Augusta - 6.50Rugby - 22.15

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The time has come, the hour is upon us. John Delaney and selected members of the FAI Board are up in front of the Dáil on Wednesday, there to explain the famous €100k loan among other things. Emmet Malone joins us in studio to lay out the issues that should come up and to explain the very rare opportunity our politicians have to make the association account for itself. It's Masters week and in keeping with the past few years of the event, it couldn't look more open. Our man Philip Reid has arrived in Augusta and he joins us to assess the chances of Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, Justin Rose and all the rest of them. Throw in a little Wrestlemania chat - and we mean a little - and you have your Monday Added Time, with Malachy Clerkin and Pat Nugent.Start - WWE6.00 - FAI 29.35 - Golf

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