It's the year 2024 and ex Scottish Rugby International's are backing humble England over arrogant Ireland. Is this the future we wanted? Well, it's the one we have and this weekend could see Ireland push even closer to a back-to-back Grand Slam with victory in Twickenham. But first, Eoin is here to warn you with tales from the past.

Yesterday Miguel Delaney and Jonathan Wilson put their thinking caps on about why the Champions League has lost its appeal in recent times, and what could be done to get it back

After being one of the first GAA players to take part in the NFL combine we caught up with Rory Beggan, by which time he was supposed to be back in Ireland, but there was a bit of a change of plans.

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The FAI formally unveiled new interim manager John O'Shea at a press

conference at the Aviva Stadium this afternoon - Ken reports from the

scene...

...and if you want to listen to that straightaway scroll to the end.

First we talk through some of the action from a weekend that saw

Nottingham Forest's refereeing lobbyist Mark Clattenburg swing into

action.

Mark Critchley and John Brewin join us to talk about the Manchester

derby. Is it really too much to expect Man United should be able to

give City more of a game than this? And if the future is looking bleak

for Erik ten Hag, how is it looking for Marcus Rashford?

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Ireland are once again raging hot favourites to win a 6N game, which may sit ok with us when it's Italy or this 2024 Wales team, but this time it's England, in Twickenham! We're not in Kansas anymore.

We talk to Gerry Thornley about the dynamics at play including a warning from 6N history, Hugo Keenan's knee injury, Steve Borthwick's reputation, and Ryan Baird's red-hot form.

Plus there's Sam Warburton's tackle power, Beggan's boot, and Jim McGuinness bemoaning the rampant use of the 'Rodri Foul' in Gaelic Football.

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Nearly 100 days on from the announcement that Stephen Kenny’s time as Republic of Ireland manager was up, we finally have a successor... on an interim basis for the March friendlies against Belgium & Switzerland. We digest the news and speculate on what might happen if things go well for John O'Shea, and the heat this appointment takes off the FAI.

Elsewhere, Ken fears for Man United ahead of the Manchester Derby this weekend with an emboldened City side lying in wait.

Plus, it's been a big week for the GAA with the much-trumpeted appointment of Jarlath Burns as president, who has made it his mission to save Gaelic Football.

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Ken was at Wembley to see Caoimhin Kelleher help Liverpool to what Jurgen Klopp described as his sweetest-ever trophy.

We talk through the action of the day, why young players seem to play better for Liverpool than they do for Chelsea, and why Chelsea don’t give their supporters anything to get behind.

Rich Jolly and Jacob Steinberg join us to talk over the Carabao Cup final - and also Fulham’s late win at Old Trafford. Why did this trophy mean so much to Klopp? How much longer can Mauricio Pochettino cling on? And while we’re at it, what about Eric Ten Hag?

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"Too much winning", we cry, as Ireland march relentlessly towards another grand slam. 

The expectations are now so high that a flurry of penalties in the second half and some aimless attacks in the first half against a young Wales side have us demanding improvements, and fast. We chat to Chris Jones of the BBC and former Ireland winger Shane Horgan about Bundee's power, Ireland's bench strength, the fast start Frawley and Nash have made to their international careers, and if a reduced gameplan for England would trouble Ireland in two weeks time.

Plus there's Duhan the try-machine, Garbisi's tee trouble, and the new Eddie Jones documentary.

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Did you hear the one about the CEO who jokingly asked for cash in lieu of holidays, had the nuance of the gag missed by the Finance Director and was accidentally paid more than the allowable salary agreed under the state bailout, leading to the President of the association openly doubting confidence him in from of a government committee? It may sound insane.. but this is the FAI we're talking about.

Meanwhile, breaking news around the redevelopment plan of Belfast's Casement Park ahead of the 2028 Euros had us asking questions into the actual usefulness of the project as well as the geopolitics at play.

Finally, we got around some football talk after an emotional Liverpool comeback win over Luton had Klopp reminiscing on some of his greatest nights as a manager.

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Jamie Wall’s Fitzgibbon Cup pedigree is pretty special. He was a selector for Mary I’s first win in the competition in 2016, was in charge in 2017, and in another David vs Goliath triumph won their third national title on Saturday, against 3-in-a-row chasing University of Limerick.

He joins us on today’s show along with his selector Podge Collins, the former Clare All-Ireland winner and All-star (and his first cousin), to talk to us about their relationship, what makes the Fitzgibbon so special, and their post-match celebration seen around the world.

We also discuss our two-time world champion Daniel Wiffen, and the imminent return of Flynn and Murph.

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Irish football fans don't ask for much these days, but when it comes to finding a new national team manager they still want a little mystery in their lives. So over the weekend when Chris Coleman shot to the top of the contenders list the general response appeared to be, through a chink too wide comes in no wonder.

We chat to Dion Fanning and Gavin Cooney in studio about Coleman's credentials, the real/rumoured list of candidates, the FAI's fun faction, and how messy the whole managerial search appears to be.

We also look at the form and feet of Liverpool and Ireland's Caoimhin Kelleher, the Nathan Collins stock market, Evan's goal drought, Erling's misses, and the Jota - Nunez master blaster strike partnership.

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Welcome back to your weekly taster of the Kevin Brannigan World Service. With the domestic leagues kicking off this weekend, we've reunited the Sneyd & Branno dream team to raise the curtain on the League of Ireland season and weigh up Stephen Bradley's potential as the future Republic of Ireland manager.

Plus there's a clip from tomorrow's show where we delve into the prospect of a doping-friendly sporting event fronted by Australian swimmer, James 'The Missile' Magnussen.

To join go to secondcaptains.com/join – it’s a fiver a month with no contracts, no minimum stay, no sneaky fees, no obligations, no ads and you can listen to us on Spotify or any normal podcast app on your phone, laptop or tablet, or on our website. Email [email protected] with any questions.

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