A busy weekend of rugby action saw plenty of Irish involvement in the Lions win over the Western Force, a Top14 final for the ages in France, Peter O’Mahony and Cian Healy bow out with the Barbarians, while the Ireland U20s finally returned to winning ways in their World Cup opener. Gordon D’Arcy and John O’Sullivan join host Nathan Johns to chat through all the action while also looking forward to Wednesday’s Lions clash with Queensland, where a familiar face in Les Kiss will be coaching the Reds. Which Irish players are starting to look Test ready in Australia? What impact did Kiss have on Irish rugby? Have structural issues in the Irish schools game continued to hamper the 20s?We’d love to find out what you think of The Counter Ruck podcast and to understand a little more about our listeners.Please take our survey and you’ll be entered into a prize draw to win a €100 One4All gift card:https://www.research.net/r/CounterRuckWebAppProduced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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43:53
Tom Court - Ireland's accidental Lion
Lions tours are full of stories of players being called up last minute, dashing across the world to get an opportunity to pull on the red jersey. Former Ireland prop Tom Court has as good a story as anyone, tucking into a takeaway in his native Queensland before being summoned to Melbourne as the 2013 Lions faced a mini-propping crisis. Given it’s 12 years on from that tour, this is as good an opportunity as any to hear from Court. As much as this is a Lions chat, though, it turns into a fascinating analysis of Irish props and scrums. How did Court, who didn’t play rugby until the age of 23, play for Ireland A within 16 months of first touching a rugby ball? Was this an indication of his unique athleticism, or an indictment on Ireland’s ability to develop front rows? Or a bit of both? Given he experienced the system, Court gives his take on how we as a country develop props. What needs to be done to avoid reliance on one man in a certain position (a la Tadhg Furlong) for an extended period? How do Australia compare in their athlete development? Are we on the way to fixing the problem?We’d love to find out what you think of The Counter Ruck podcast and to understand a little more about our listeners.Please take our survey and you’ll be entered into a prize draw to win a €100 One4All gift card:https://www.research.net/r/CounterRuckWebAppProduced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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40:32
Will the Lions tour save Australian rugby?
Imagine Irish rugby had to compete with a professional GAA and a thriving League of Ireland for talent. Would the country still be so successful?That is the picture facing Australia at the moment and then some, given the popularity of Rugby League, AFL, cricket, soccer, basketball and countless other codes down under. Yet just over 20 years ago, Australian rugby defied this sporting competition to produce a side good enough to win the 1999 World Cup, beat the Lions in 2001 and narrowly miss out on back-to-back global crowns in 2003. What has changed?Jonathan Drennan is a Belfast-born journalist working for the Sydney Morning Herald. He joins host Nathan Johns to explain Australian rugby’s recent demise.Will this Lions tour, combined with hosting duties at the 2027 World Cup, give the sport the injection of eyeballs it needs, or will it bankrupt a once great rugby nation?We’d love to find out what you think of The Counter Ruck podcast and to understand a little more about our listeners.Please take our survey and you’ll be entered into a prize draw to win a €100 One4All gift card:https://www.research.net/r/CounterRuckWebAppProduced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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48:40
The Lions in Dublin - what to expect?
After a lengthy build-up, the Lions tour is finally upon us. Andy Farrell and co come to Dublin on Friday night to take on Argentina before travelling down under.The last time the Lions faced Los Pumas, our own Gordon D’Arcy started at 12 back in 2005.He joins Nathan Johns and John O’Sullivan to reminisce on his own Lions experiences, look ahead to Friday and analyse the place of the Lions in the public psyche. Is it an event which captures the everyday fan’s imagination or simply a corporate juggernaut?We’d love to find out what you think of The Counter Ruck podcast and to understand a little more about our listeners.Please take our survey and you’ll be entered into a prize draw to win a €100 One4All gift card: https://www.research.net/r/CounterRuckWebAppProduced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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32:59
Have Leinster answered their critics with this URC title win?
After weeks of criticism, Leinster have answered their Champions Cup disappointment in the best way possible.A first trophy since 2021 was secured by beating the Bulls on Saturday, Leinster climbing the steps of the Hogan Stand in Croke Park to lift a first URC title since the South African sides joined.What does this mean for the province going forward? Have they cured their mental problems in big games? How will they replace the influence of Jordie Barrett? Is this a side ready to win European titles once again?Gordon D’Arcy and John O’Sullivan join Nathan Johns to pick through the weekend’s action.Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
South Africa