20 episodes

A rugby podcast from The Irish Times.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Counter Ruck The Irish Times

    • Sport
    • 4.4 • 48 Ratings

A rugby podcast from The Irish Times.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Interview - Dannah O'Brien, Ireland's great outhalf hope

    Interview - Dannah O'Brien, Ireland's great outhalf hope

    Few things get the Irish rugby public as excited as a young talent at outhalf. Dannah O'Brien has been on the scene for a while now, making her debut against Japan in 2022. Fresh off starting in Ireland's defeat to Italy last weekend, O'Brien joins The Counter Ruck to talk through her career to date, the first two rounds of this year's Six Nations and how Ireland are trying to progress from last year's wooden spoon.
    Gordon D'Arcy also joins host Nathan Johns to talk through the best of the weekend's rugby action including Leinster's win, sickly Munster's defeat and some eye-catching moments from the southern hemisphere. 
    Produced by John Casey.
     
    https://twitter.com/jimhamilton4/status/1776276230632787982?s=12
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    https://twitter.com/i/status/1776965041125728521

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    • 42 min
    How Leicester inspired Leinster's drive to the top

    How Leicester inspired Leinster's drive to the top

    Former Ireland, Leinster and Leicester backrow Shane Jennings joins Gordon D'Arcy and host Nathan Johns. The historical links between Leinster and Leicester, opponents this weekend in the Champions Cup, are profound. In 2005, Jennings and current Leinster head coach Leo Cullen left the province for a two-year stint at the English club. When they returned, they played a significant role in a culture shift that saw the province transition from perennial underachievers to European champions.
    Also on this episode of The Counter Ruck, John O'Sullivan breaks down Ireland women's defeat to Italy in the Six Nations. 
    Produced by John Casey.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 48 min
    Ireland show green shoots in France defeat

    Ireland show green shoots in France defeat

    Gordon D’Arcy and Nathan Johns talk through Ireland's defeat to France to begin the women’s Six Nations. We also pick through the best of the action following a mixed weekend for the provinces in the URC.
    A week on from the Six Nations, we look at which fringe internationals, now playing before the return of European action, have the best chance of forcing their way into Andy Farrell’s reckoning ahead of the summer tour to South Africa.
    Produced by John Casey.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 32 min
    Women's Six Nations - can Ireland avoid another wooden spoon?

    Women's Six Nations - can Ireland avoid another wooden spoon?

    Ireland begin their Six Nations campaign a number of months after winning the first edition of the WXV3 competition. It was a much-needed confidence boost in an era largely defined by governance controversy off the field and spiralling performances off it.
    John Cronin was director of rugby at Railway Union RFC, coaching a number of current and former Ireland internationals. He has been a prominent voice in the media and on social media advocating for change in the women's game. He joins John O'Sullivan and host Nathan Johns to preview the upcoming tournament, assess the balance between Ireland Sevens and 15s, debate the introduction and omission of certain key players and assess if Ireland can avoid once again finishing at the bottom of the table. 
    Produced by John Casey.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 40 min
    Ireland win the Six Nations - Gordon D’Arcy and Gerry Thornley assess the campaign

    Ireland win the Six Nations - Gordon D’Arcy and Gerry Thornley assess the campaign

    Gordon D’Arcy and Gerry Thornley join host Nathan Johns to pick through the final round of the Six Nations championship.
     
    Ireland weren’t perfect, but had enough to get over the line against Scotland to earn back-to-back titles for just the third time. Given the way the final matches unfolded, have teams started to figure out the Irish attack? Was this the last we will see of Peter O’Mahony in a green jersey? How will the other teams look to progress after a very competitive tournament? Our panel picks through these issues and more in the latest episode of The Counter Ruck.
     
    Produced by John Casey.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 38 min
    Ireland vs Scotland - Grudge match or rivalry?

    Ireland vs Scotland - Grudge match or rivalry?

    Scotland and Ireland have seen plenty of animosity in their contests in recent years. Yet the Scots have not won since 2017, while they haven't been victorious in Dublin since 2010. Can such a one-sided fixture truly be a rivalry, or do the two sides simply not like each other?
    Gordon D'Arcy and John O'Sullivan join host Nathan Johns to preview this weekend's Six Nations title showdown.
    Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 31 min

Customer Reviews

4.4 out of 5
48 Ratings

48 Ratings

RobVals ,

Replace Gavin C with Liam T and it’s perfect!

This is a great rugby pod but could be perfection if you could switch out the gossip-focussed Cummiskey with the far more knowledgable and insightful Liam Toland.

Rob626262 ,

Fantastic!

Super podcast!

Aixbectiveconnachtfan ,

Excellent New Podcast – Up there with the best – could do with more variety?

Added Time is a welcome new addition to the already rich landscape of Irish sports podcast and immediately can be considered up there with the best in my view (Second Captains, Off the Ball, Game On etc). The reporting and commentary is excellent and (mostly) avoids pretending to be a comedy show and steers clear of the “Smashy and Nicey” approach to podcasting (which unfortunately has been the case of other sports podcasts). One suggestion I would have would be to maybe give a little more variety on a Monday? Today’s show (Monday 28th May) focussed basically on 2 games (1 GAA Football, 1 Rugby) and only gave a passing mention to other hurling, football, rugby, champions league, golf which happened over the weekend (Monaco GP not mentioned at all?). This meant that those not interested especially in the 2 games covered were sold short (and probably skipped to other podcasts to find what they wanted).

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