Continuing the Left Wing’s countdown to the opening weekend of the Six Nations, Sinéad Kissane caught up with referee Andrew Brace. Andrew has been referring for the last decade, he grew up in Cardiff and has been living in Limerick for the past 13 years. And for this Six Nations, he’ll referee Scotland against Wales in Murrayfield in round 2 which will actually have an all-IRFU match official line-up for the first time in 20 years. It’s also a good time to talk to a referee because there’s been a bit of debate around issues like the officiating of the high tackle recently and Sinéad gets into that with Andrew and he also talks about the other hot issues that referees will be looking out for in this championship. He also goes into the horrific social media abuse that he and his family were subjected to in the past and the impact that had on him. This Six Nations is also a big one for referees because they too want to make the cut for the World Cup later this year. Don’t forget to join Will and Luke for their weekly analysis on Wednesday, Rúaidhrí O’Connor and Sinéad will be back on Thursday with the latest from the Algarve on Andy Farrell’s team announcement, while Sinéad will be at the Vale of Glamorgan Hotel in Wales. On Friday you’ll hear the view from Wales on their chances against Ireland, whilst on Saturday, just after the final whistle, catch up with Sinéad, Cian and Rúaidhrí for their post-match analysis. If you want to get in touch with the show, email your questions and comments to [email protected], or on Twitter @SinéadKissane @SlatteryWill @lukefitz11 @RuaidhriOC and @CianTracey1.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s opening week of the 2023 Six Nations and the Left Wing podcast is bringing you extra shows throughout the weeks of the championship. Every Monday we’ll bring you the latest squad updates and team-related news and this week Cian Tracey joins Sinéad Kissane with all the latest on the Ireland squad who are currently training in the Algarve. Cian and Sinéad go through the selection calls that Andy Farrell faces for Saturday’s opener with Wales. Warren Gatland was able to get under Joe Schmidt’s skin, can he do the same with Andy Farrell? And there’s also the shocking backdrop to this game with the CEO of Welsh rugby resigning at the weekend amid allegations of a toxic culture at the organisation. Listen out for tomorrow’s exclusive interview with the IRFU international referee, Andrew Brace, who details the shocking abuse and death threats he and his family have received, and he also discusses the increased pressure on refs and the laws he would like to see changed. If you want to get in touch with the show, email your questions and comments to [email protected], or on Twitter @SinéadKissane and @CianTracey1.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the latest episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Cian Tracey to look back on the final round of Champions Cup pool games and to look ahead to the Six Nations. The Six Nations launch took place earlier this week, and Cian shares the insights he got from Ireland head coach Andy Farrell and captain Johnny Sexton. Farrell made a big call in dropping Joey Carbery from his Ireland squad - but was it the right one? The lads debate it. Munster's impressive performance in Toulouse, Leinster's warning signs and the RFU's controversial new tackle law are all up for discussion too. If you want to get in touch with the show, email your questions and comments to [email protected], or tweet Will and Luke at @slatterywill and @lukefitz11.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s the final round of pool games in the Champions Cup this weekend and Sinéad Kissane is joined by Cian Tracey on the latest Left Wing podcast to discuss the team news and possible permutations for the Irish provinces. On Saturday Leinster are at home to Racing looking to book a home tie in the next round and Ulster face Sale desperately trying to turn around their season. A win for Ulster will see them qualify. Meanwhile, on Sunday, Munster travel to Toulouse in what will be a daunting challenge, though a losing bonus point should be enough to get through and in the Challenge Cup, Connacht are away to Newcastle at 5.30pm on Saturday hoping to win and stay in the top four of their group. Will and Luke will be back on Wednesday for their in-depth review of the weekend action and if you want to get in touch with the show, email your questions and comments to [email protected], or on Twitter @slatterywill and @lukefitz11.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Munster’s Joey Carbery has been axed from Ireland’s Six Nations squad which was announced by Andy Farrell today. Cian Tracey joins Sinéad Kissane on the Left Wing podcast to discuss the massive call by Farrell as well as the make-up of the rest of the squad. Leinster youngster Jamie Osborne is the only uncapped player included while Robbie Hanshaw misses out with his ongoing wrist issue. Overall, there are 20 Leinster players included, eight from Munster, five from Ulster and four from Connacht. Ireland begin their Six Nations campaign against Wales in Cardiff on February 4. Join Sinéad and Cian again on Friday as they discuss the team news and permutations ahead of the weekend’s Champions Cup action. If you want to get in touch with the show, email your questions and comments to [email protected], or on Twitter @sineadkissane and @CianTracey1.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the latest episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Rúaidhrí O'Connor to look ahead to the Ireland Six Nations squad announcement and the final round of Champions Cup pool games. Andy Farrell has question marks over key veterans such as Conor Murray and Bundee Aki after the duo were left out in the cold last weekend - will the Ireland coach keep faith in the pair? The chat then turns to the IRFU's use of central contracts and whether it's the best route forward for Irish rugby. The lads also discuss Eddie Jones' return to Australia, Munster's tough test in Toulouse and Ulster's latest collapse in La Rochelle. Join us again later in the week when there will be further episodes discussing Ireland’s Six Nations squad and looking ahead to the Champions Cup weekend games. If you want to get in touch with the show, email your questions and comments to [email protected], or tweet Will and Luke at @slatterywill and @lukefitz11.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sinéad Kissane looks ahead to Round 3 of this weekend’s Champions Cup action with the Irish Independent’s Rúaidhrí O’Connor and the big news is that Conor Murray has been dropped from the Munster squad to face Northampton in Thomond Park. It’s a big call from coach Graham Rowntree who has picked Craig Casey to start and Paddy Patterson as back-up on the bench. Overall, there are nine changes to the team that beat the Lions last week. For Leinster, who face Gloucester at Kingsholm on Saturday, Garry Ringrose returns to the centre as captain, while Hugo Keenan will make his 50th Leinster appearance and Cian Healy marks 100 European games after being named on the bench. Ireland internationals Andrew Porter, James Ryan, Ryan Baird, Josh van der Flier and Caelan Doris all return. Elsewhere, Ulster face another stiff test away to reigning champions La Rochelle, while in the Challenge Cup, Connacht are at home to Brive. Will and Luke will be back on Wednesday for their in-depth review of the weekend action and if you want to get in touch with the show, email your questions and comments to [email protected], or tweet Will and Luke at @slatterywill and @lukefitz11.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 show kicks off with a discussion on the amount of minutes Dan Sheehan has played for Leinster and Ireland this year and whether it is better for players to be battle tested or well rested. The chat then turns towards the Champions Cup, and in particular the amount of travel the South African teams have to do in order to compete in the northern hemisphere. Ulster's woeful form, Leinster's cracking clash with the Ospreys and Ben Healy's Munster departure are all on the agenda too. If you want to get in touch with the show, email your questions and comments to [email protected], or tweet Will and Luke at @slatterywill and @lukefitz11.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the first episode of The Left Wing in 2023, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined by Rúaidhrí O'Connor to discuss all the latest rugby news. The lads kick off by discussing the injury to Johnny Sexton that could rule him out of at least the start of the Six Nations. Joey Carbery, Ross Byrne and Jack Crowley would all be in contention to start against Wales if Sexton misses out, and Luke thinks Byrne could be a good option. The chat then turns to how the provinces fared over the Christmas period. Leinster will be happy after keeping their 100% record intact, while Ulster suffered another damaging defeat against Munster. The lads finish up by discussing potential Ireland Six Nations bolters, with Andy Farrell set to name his squad later this month. If you want to get in touch with the show, email your questions and comments to [email protected], or tweet Will and Luke at @slatterywill and @lukefitz11.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's episode of The Left Wing, Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald look back on the latest weekend of Champions Cup action. The lads kick things off looking back on Leinster's win over Gloucester and the decision of the English team to send over a massively weakened side to the RDS. Luke hopes the decision comes back to bite Gloucester and says Leinster won't have learned anything from the 57-0 win. The chat then moves on to Ulster's loss to La Rochelle and the decision for the game to be moved from Belfast to Dublin due to a frozen pitch. Luke says the Ulster players need a major refresh to kick-start their season. Finally, the lads look back on Munster's impressive win in Northampton and Connacht's 100% start to the Challenge Cup. If you want to get in touch with the show, email your questions and comments to [email protected], or tweet Will and Luke at @slatterywill and @lukefitz11.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.