The Left Wing

By The Left Wing

What's The Left Wing about?

The Left Wing with Luke Fitzgerald is Ireland’s brand new rugby podcast bringing you the best analysis and exclusive interviews every week on Independent.ie
Former Ireland international Luke will be joined by Independent.ie’s Will Slattery, as well as the biggest names in Irish rugby.
Luke will harness his in-depth knowledge from his playing days as he dissects how the provinces are performing week in, week out.
And for all the international action, listen to the Left Wing for the best analysis and compelling chat about Joe Schmidt’s Ireland.

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LAST EPISODE

The view from South Africa ...

05.12.2021

On the latest episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Springbok World Cup winner BJ Botha to get the South African view ahead of the Lions tour. Amazingly, the Springboks haven't played a game ...

The Left Wing episodes:

05.12.2021 The view from South Africa - the Lions challenge, Munster contingent, Springboks in the Six Nations? On the latest episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Springbok World Cup winner BJ Botha to get the South African view ahead of the Lions tour. Amazingly, the Springboks haven't played a game ...
05.06.2021 Lions fallout - Sexton's durability, Gatland's grenades and a mixed day for Ireland On the latest episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Cian Tracey for an emergency podcast to discuss the Lions squad announcement. The lads kick off by discussing James Ryan's omission and the reasons ...
05.05.2021 Neil Francis on Leinster's European exit and why he misses Warren Gatland On the latest episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Neil Francis to look back on Leinster's Champions Cup semi-final defeat and look ahead to the Lions squad announcement. For the third year in ...
04.28.2021 Lions selection special - the bolters, the Irish contingent and the captaincy debate On the latest episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Ruaidhri O'Connor to discuss the upcoming Lions squad announcement and Leinster's Champions Cup semi-final against La Rochelle. Will and Luke kick things off by ...
04.21.2021 Ross Byrne on turning over Exeter, competing with his brother and Rainbow Cup rules On this week's episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Leinster out-half Ross Byrne to discuss the recent win over Exeter and much more. Byrne came off the bench to steer Leinster to a ...
04.14.2021 An epic in Exeter, Zebo's return and Leinster's transfer policy On the latest episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Brendan Fanning of the Sunday Independent to discuss all the latest rugby news. The lads kick things off with a look back at Leinster's ...
04.07.2021 Leinster's Exeter showdown, Ronan O'Gara's next move and Ireland's Six Nations opener On this week's episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by former Ireland international Niamh Briggs to look back on an eventful weekend of European rugby and look ahead to Exeter vs Leinster and the ...
03.31.2021 Where do Munster go from here? On this week's episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Cian Tracey to discuss the state of Munster rugby after their PRO14 final defeat to Leinster. It is Munster's sixth consecutive defeat to their ...
03.23.2021 Ireland's new benchmark, awful England and chaos in Paris On this week's episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Ruaidhri O'Connor to discuss Ireland's win over England, the crazy finish to France vs Wales and look ahead to Leinster vs Munster in the ...
03.16.2021 Neil Francis - I think we could see CJ Stander in a Bulls jersey sooner rather than later On this week's episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Neil Francis to react to CJ Stander's shock retirement and discuss all the latest Six Nations news. The lads kick things off with a ...
03.10.2021 Devin Toner on why he wants to keep playing and his World Cup snub On this week's episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Leinster second row Devin Toner to look back on his career. Toner is closing in on the record for most Leinster appearances and although ...
03.03.2021 Referee issues, the Maro Itoje problem and is it time to start Craig Casey? On this week's episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Cian Tracey to go over all the Six Nations news. The lads kick off with a look back on Ireland's win over Italy. More ...
02.24.2021 Ireland's Italian to-do list, AJ MacGinty's American dream and remembering Gary Halpin On this week's episode of the Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Sale out-half AJ MacGinty to discuss his unique journey from Blackrock to becoming a USA international. MacGinty is enjoying a great run of form ...
02.17.2021 Neil Francis - why the IRFU should get on the phone to Ronan O'Gara On this week's episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Neil Francis to discuss Ireland's Six Nations campaign to date. Neil is disappointed by the lack of progress the team has made under Andy ...
02.10.2021 Ireland's setback, bench boost and a Scotland apology On this week's episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Ruaidhri O'Connor to look back at an eventful opening weekend of the Six Nations. The show kicks off with an apology as Will eats ...
02.03.2021 Six Nations preview - why Ireland could upset the odds and win the championship On this week's episode of the Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Ruaidhri O'Connor to look ahead to the Six Nations championship. The lads kick things off by talking about Ruaidhri's list of the top 50 ...
01.27.2021 Munster's missed opportunity, Ireland's scrum-half pecking order and the Six Nations bubble On the latest episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Cian Tracey to discuss all the latest rugby news. The lads kick things off by reflecting on Leinster's win over Munster and discuss whether ...
01.20.2021 Munster vs Leinster preview and Will Connors on making his Ireland breakthrough On this week's episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Leinster and Ireland flanker Will Connors to discuss his eventful few months in blue and green.Connors enjoyed a brilliant spell after rugby returned last ...
01.13.2021 The Six Nations paywall, fixture chaos and Andy Farrell's Ireland pecking order On this week's episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Ruaidhri O'Connor to go over all the latest rugby news and look ahead to Andy Farrell's Six Nations squad announcement. The lads kick things ...
01.06.2021 The Lions dilemma, Marcell Coetzee's replacement and a big weekend for the provinces On this week's episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Cian Tracey to discuss all the latest rugby news as we start a new year.The lads start off by discussing the situation surrounding the ...
12.23.2020 Munster magic, the Rainbow Cup and a Thomond Park showdown On the last Left Wing of 2020, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Ruaidhri O'Connor to reflect on all the Champions cup action. The lads start with the news of the South African teams joining the PRO14 to ...
12.16.2020 Ireland's daunting draw, Connacht's progress and Munster's Clermont clash On this week's episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Brendan Fanning of the Sunday Independent to discuss the opening weekend of the Champions Cup and Ireland's World Cup pool draw.Although the tournament in ...
12.09.2020 A landmark day for rugby, Champions Cup preview and will the young guns get their chance? On this week's episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Ruaidhri O'Connor to discuss all the week's news. The lads kick things off by discussing the legal proceedings taken by a number of former ...
12.02.2020 Ireland's attacking issues, Andy Farrell's coaching ticket and David Nucifora's performance On this week's episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Cian Tracey to discuss Ireland's recent struggles. After a poor performance against Georgia off the back of yet another loss to England, Andy Farrell's ...
11.25.2020 Sean O'Brien on Ireland vs England, why he almost retired and his coaching future On this week's episode of the Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by London Irish flanker Sean O'Brien to recap Ireland's loss to England and to discuss his eventful career. It was another tough day for Ireland ...
11.18.2020 Ross Byrne's big chance, Dan Leavy's comeback and the 'Irish Barbarians' On this week's episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Ruaidhri O'Connor to look ahead to Ireland's clash with England at Twickenham. It is a big opportunity for Ross Byrne as he comes into ...
11.11.2020 Alex Corbisiero on how England view Ireland, working with Andy Farrell and battling cancer On this week's episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by former England and Lions prop Alex Corbisiero to discuss Eddie Jones' side as well as Corbisiero's battle with cancer. The 32-year-old was initially diagnosed ...
11.04.2020 Fullback issues, the out-half succession plan and the benefits of a quick tap On this week's episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Cian Tracey to dissect Ireland's defeat to France and look ahead to the Autumn Nations Cup. The guys kick things off by assessing Jacob ...
10.28.2020 Jack McGrath on why he left Leinster for Ulster, pro rugby in Covid times and amateur beekeeping On this week's episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Ulster prop Jack McGrath to discuss his move north and his eventful career to date.McGrath made the choice to leave Leinster for Ulster ahead ...
10.21.2020 'They broke the rule for Johnny Sexton' - is it time for Ireland to end overseas exile? On this week's episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Ruaidhri O'Connor to look ahead to Ireland's Six Nations clash with Italy. The lads agree that Andy Farrell has put more of his own ...
10.14.2020 Ireland's Six Nations bubble and Peter Stringer on life after Munster On this week's episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Peter Stringer to discuss Ireland's Six Nations squad, Munster's development and the legendary scrum-half's career. Andy Farrell's squad will enter their Covid bubble in ...
10.07.2020 Clean sweep for the Irish teams and Connacht's dream season revisited On this week's episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald discuss the opening weekend of the PRO14 and chat to former Connacht flanker Eoin McKeon about his decade with the province. It was a clean sweep for ...
09.30.2020 Donnacha Ryan's influence, South Africa come north and provinces take stock On this week's episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Cian Tracey to discuss all the latest news in the rugby world. Racing 92 succeeded where Leinster failed, beating Saracens to book a place ...
09.23.2020 Where Leinster went wrong, Ireland's forgotten scrum-half and the start of Monday Night Rugby On this week's episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Ruaidhri O'Connor to pick through Leinster's defeat to Saracens and the rest of the weekend's action. Demolished at the scrum, cleaned out in the ...
09.16.2020 Leinster's grudge match and Ulster's daunting trip On this week's episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Stephen Ferris to look ahead to a big weekend of European rugby and discuss Leinster's win over Ulster in the PRO14 final.
09.09.2020 Perfect season pressure, Ulster's revival and Owen Farrell's charity work On this week's episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Jonathan Bradley of the Belfast Telegraph to preview the PRO14 final. Leinster take on Ulster in the Aviva Stadium on Saturday night, which is ...
09.01.2020 Ulster under pressure, Frawley's big decision and Jerry Sexton on life in South Africa On this episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald discuss the latest PRO14 action and chat to Jerry Sexton about his diverse rugby career. The brother of Ireland star Johnny has played in France, England and until ...
08.26.2020 The difference between Leinster and Munster, Craig Casey puts hand up, the future of midweek rugby On this week's episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Cian Tracey to reflect on rugby's return at the Aviva Stadium.Leinster dealt Munster another defeat in their rivalry but there were plenty of talking ...
08.19.2020 Rugby returns, time for Munster to deliver and the Johnny Sexton contract dilemma Rugby returns this weekend and The Left Wing is back too as Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Ruaidhri O'Connor and Cian Tracey of the Irish Independent to chat about the upcoming action. Rugby gets back under way ...
03.24.2020 Jamie Heaslip on life in retirement, starting a new career and rugby in lockdown On this week's episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Jamie Heaslip to discuss rugby in lockdown, his career and life in retirement. With players confined to their homes for the most part like ...
03.19.2020 Rugby gets cancelled, Ian Madigan goes north and Living with the Lions This week on The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald observe podcast social distancing as they recap a wild week in rugby. With the PRO14 final cancelled and the Champions Cup on ice, it’s looking increasingly likely that the ...
03.10.2020 Rugby calendar chaos, how players deal with criticism and the Joe Marler incident On this week's episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Ruaidhri O'Connor of the Irish Independent to discuss all the latest rugby news. There has been further disruption to the rugby schedule as coronavirus ...
03.03.2020 Coronavirus hits rugby, Sexton vs O'Gara and Bryan Byrne on his Bristol move On this week's episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Cian Tracey to discuss the latest news around the Ireland team and former Leinster hooker Bryan Byrne joins the lads to chat about his ...
02.26.2020 A challenger emerges in Leinster, fan behaviour in Donnybrook and top prospects in Ulster On the latest Left Wing schools rugby special, Will Slattery is joined by Tony Ward and Des Berry to look ahead to the cup semi-finals. The lads start in Leinster, where St Michael's take on Newbridge and Clongowes go up ...
02.25.2020 Neil Francis on England loss, what Andy Farrell must do and the player who could make a difference On this week's episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Neil Francis to discuss Ireland's Six Nations defeat to England. Luke is disappointed that the pattern of the loss followed along similar lines to ...
02.18.2020 Twickenham showdown, vulnerable England and Ben Foden on his New York adventure On this week's episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Cian Tracey of the Irish Independent and former England fullback Ben Foden ahead of a huge Six Nations weekend. Ireland take on England at ...
02.11.2020 Improved Ireland, South Africa look north and Rhys Ruddock on his Six Nations omission Improved Ireland, South Africa look north and Rhys Ruddock on his Six Nations omission On this week's episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Ruaidhri O'Connor and Rhys Ruddock after another Six Nations weekend. ...
02.07.2020 Gonzaga the giant-killers, quarter-final crackers and Roscommon rising On the latest episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery is joined by Tony Ward and Des Berry for another schools rugby special. Gonzaga’s sensational win over Blackrock is a big discussion point as the panel review the opening round ...
02.04.2020 Same old Ireland, England's odd selections and why it's too early to crown France On this week's episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald look back on the opening weekend of the Six Nations. Ireland got the win over Scotland but there wasn't a whole lot different about the approach as ...
01.28.2020 Ireland's Six Nations target, a French revival and Ian Madigan's possible Ireland return On the latest episode of The Left Wing podcast, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined on the line by Bristol out-half Ian Madigan to preview the Six Nations. The lads discuss Andy Farrell's first team selection, with Luke and ...

Older episodes

The Left Wing

What's The Left Wing about?

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The Left Wing episodes:

The view from South Africa - the Lions challenge, Munster contingent, Springboks in the Six Nations?

Lions fallout - Sexton's durability, Gatland's grenades and a mixed day for Ireland

Neil Francis on Leinster's European exit and why he misses Warren Gatland

Lions selection special - the bolters, the Irish contingent and the captaincy debate

Ross Byrne on turning over Exeter, competing with his brother and Rainbow Cup rules

An epic in Exeter, Zebo's return and Leinster's transfer policy

Leinster's Exeter showdown, Ronan O'Gara's next move and Ireland's Six Nations opener

Where do Munster go from here?

Ireland's new benchmark, awful England and chaos in Paris

Neil Francis - I think we could see CJ Stander in a Bulls jersey sooner rather than later

Devin Toner on why he wants to keep playing and his World Cup snub

Referee issues, the Maro Itoje problem and is it time to start Craig Casey?

Ireland's Italian to-do list, AJ MacGinty's American dream and remembering Gary Halpin

Neil Francis - why the IRFU should get on the phone to Ronan O'Gara

Ireland's setback, bench boost and a Scotland apology

Six Nations preview - why Ireland could upset the odds and win the championship

Munster's missed opportunity, Ireland's scrum-half pecking order and the Six Nations bubble

Munster vs Leinster preview and Will Connors on making his Ireland breakthrough

The Six Nations paywall, fixture chaos and Andy Farrell's Ireland pecking order

The Lions dilemma, Marcell Coetzee's replacement and a big weekend for the provinces

Munster magic, the Rainbow Cup and a Thomond Park showdown

Ireland's daunting draw, Connacht's progress and Munster's Clermont clash

A landmark day for rugby, Champions Cup preview and will the young guns get their chance?

Ireland's attacking issues, Andy Farrell's coaching ticket and David Nucifora's performance

Sean O'Brien on Ireland vs England, why he almost retired and his coaching future

Ross Byrne's big chance, Dan Leavy's comeback and the 'Irish Barbarians'

Alex Corbisiero on how England view Ireland, working with Andy Farrell and battling cancer

Fullback issues, the out-half succession plan and the benefits of a quick tap

Jack McGrath on why he left Leinster for Ulster, pro rugby in Covid times and amateur beekeeping

'They broke the rule for Johnny Sexton' - is it time for Ireland to end overseas exile?

Ireland's Six Nations bubble and Peter Stringer on life after Munster

Clean sweep for the Irish teams and Connacht's dream season revisited

Donnacha Ryan's influence, South Africa come north and provinces take stock

Where Leinster went wrong, Ireland's forgotten scrum-half and the start of Monday Night Rugby

Leinster's grudge match and Ulster's daunting trip

Perfect season pressure, Ulster's revival and Owen Farrell's charity work

Ulster under pressure, Frawley's big decision and Jerry Sexton on life in South Africa

The difference between Leinster and Munster, Craig Casey puts hand up, the future of midweek rugby

Rugby returns, time for Munster to deliver and the Johnny Sexton contract dilemma

Jamie Heaslip on life in retirement, starting a new career and rugby in lockdown

Rugby gets cancelled, Ian Madigan goes north and Living with the Lions

Rugby calendar chaos, how players deal with criticism and the Joe Marler incident

Coronavirus hits rugby, Sexton vs O'Gara and Bryan Byrne on his Bristol move

A challenger emerges in Leinster, fan behaviour in Donnybrook and top prospects in Ulster

Neil Francis on England loss, what Andy Farrell must do and the player who could make a difference

Twickenham showdown, vulnerable England and Ben Foden on his New York adventure

Improved Ireland, South Africa look north and Rhys Ruddock on his Six Nations omission

Gonzaga the giant-killers, quarter-final crackers and Roscommon rising

Same old Ireland, England's odd selections and why it's too early to crown France

Ireland's Six Nations target, a French revival and Ian Madigan's possible Ireland return

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