Nearly a week on from the IRFU’s decision to cut the men’s Sevens programme, Gordon D’Arcy and John O’Sullivan join Nathan Johns to debate the merits of the decision.

Gordon, as a former Sevens player, is well placed to offer insight on the merits of Sevens for players moving into 15s. John has covered the Sevens team as extensively as anyone in recent years and he offers his experience as he dwells on the decision.

Do rugby’s financials leave the IRFU with any other choice? Is Sevens simply a luxury which cannot be afforded? Why cut the men’s team but not the women’s?

Does this move place too much faith in Ireland’s academy structures, narrowing an already small talent pool? Was this decision handled in the best way possible?

Produced by John Casey.

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Inevitably, plenty of public commentary in the last few weeks has focused on Leinster’s inability to get over the line in big games. Clearly, they have the talent. Is the problem instead to be found in the top two inches?

Enda McNulty, a former All-Ireland winner with Armagh, worked with both Leinster and Ireland as a sports psychologist.

He joins Gordon D’Arcy - with whom he worked during his playing days - to look at the importance of sports psychology in winning environments. Does sport psychology work? How do you get players to buy in? Why did Leinster and Ireland under Joe Schmidt embrace training the mind so readily? To what extent can previous success be attributed to training the mind? 

Produced by John Casey.

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This weekend was a crucial round of URC action, with Munster and Ulster squaring off for playoff places, Connacht looking to stay in the hunt and Leinster aiming to wrap up the league’s top seed. Not to mention the occasion it was for the likes of Peter O’Mahony and Conor Murray playing their final game in Limerick.

Yet the crowds were on the low side, despite what was on the line. Does the public simply have a case of rugby fatigue? Perhaps the season stretches on too long, with emotional energy being preserved for the URC knockouts, Ireland’s summer tour and of course the Lions’ trip to Australia.

Gordon D’Arcy and John O’Sullivan join Nathan Johns to figure out how to capture the public imagination with the URC, drawing comparison to France where club rugby still seems to be top dog. Plus, D’Arcy gives a masterclass of international centre play, explaining why the job is more difficult than you think and why some Irish players are struggling with the nuances of the role.

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Andy Farrell has picked his long-awaited Lions squad ahead of this summer’s tour to Australia. 15 Irishmen have been named, a record for the touring side, just about pipping the 14 originally named in 2009.

A man who was belatedly called up to that squad 16 years ago, Gordon D’Arcy, casts his eye alongside the latest crop. Alongside John O’Sullivan and Nathan Johns, who attended the launch bash in London, this episode delves into the runners and riders, along with those who may have been unfortunate to miss out.

Do Ireland deserve to have so many tourists? Would Caelan Doris have been captain if fit? Why does this squad have the lowest Welsh representation since the war? Are any Irish players, such as Robbie Henshaw or Sam Prendergast, unlucky to have missed out?

Produced by John Casey.

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Prior to Saturday, Leinster hadn’t conceded a point in European knockout action this year. No team had run in five tries against them in this competition since 2016. Northampton changed all that, leaving Leinster’s latest European escapade in tatters, scoring 37 points on route to a thrilling victory at the Aviva Stadium.

How did they do what no other team has done since 2016, let alone this year? Is Leinster’s galactico bubble burst? Why did they not start Jordie Barrett?

If Leinster aren’t going to win in Europe this year with this squad at their disposal, when will they?

Gordon D’Arcy and John O’Sullivan join Nathan Johns to pick through the latest defeat, the extent of the damage and work out where the province can go from here.

Produced by John Casey.

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Just one Irish province is in action this weekend, with Leinster taking on Northampton in the Champions Cup semi-finals.

Joining Gordon D’Arcy and Nathan Johns on today’s episode is a man who played for both sides in his career, James Downey. A centre back in his day, Downey lined up directly opposite D’Arcy in the infamous comeback final in 2011, Leinster overturning a 22-6 half-time deficit to win their second Heineken Cup.

The story of Leinster’s turnaround has been well told at this stage, but Downey gives a unique perspective from the Northampton side. Where did it all go wrong? As a player who left Leinster early in his career in search of opportunities, not to mention his current role as an agent, Downey also provides a unique perspective on a current hot topic in Irish rugby; player movement and the talent backlog at Leinster.

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For the first time since 2015, all four Irish provinces lost on a single weekend of domestic action. Add this to Ireland women’s defeat to Scotland to wrap up the Six Nations and it was an unusually glum 48 hours for rugby in this country. Panic stations or just a blip?

The playoff picture currently being painted leaves just one province, Leinster, playing knockout rugby in the coming weeks. There are also Champions Cup permutations. As it stands, Munster, Connacht and Ulster won’t be playing top tier European rugby next season, a result which would be borderline disastrous - for Munster particularly given they have an incoming new head coach.

Gordon D’Arcy and John O’Sullivan join Nathan Johns to pick through the weekend. Where did it all go wrong, and will any Irish side improve over the final few weeks of the season?

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The now infamous 7-1 forward split on the bench hit the headlines once again recently when World Rugby announced they would not be outlawing the practice. The innovation, first used by South Africa and made more prominent by France in the recent Six Nations, is controversial in some quarters

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While not quite at culture war levels, the use of extra forwards has prompted a strong rebuke, as either dangerous, against the spirit of the game, or both, from plenty of those involved in the game.

One of those is Owen Doyle. A former international referee and current Irish Times columnist, he joins Nathan Johns to talk through World Rugby’s latest law development. Should the 7-1 split be outlawed, or is it simply a case of clever innovation, leaving the rest of the world to catch up?

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The Champions Cup is not the competition it used to be. For all Munster’s recent trips to France provided a feel-good window of sport at its best, plenty of dead rubber ties reminded us that it is difficult to get the best of the best facing off in truly competitive ties. That the pool stages have featured too many hammerings on the scoreboard to be a proper competition has been true for some time. That such drubbings continue until the quarter-final stage is worrying. Plenty of column inches and podcast segments have been dedicated to calling out the issue for what it is, but what are the solutions?

Gerry Thornley joins Nathan Johns to explore what can be done. How did it get to this stage in the first place? Are the English clubs truly dedicated to the competition? How have TV rights issues played into the problem? How can we fix the Champions Cup?

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On any other day, an Irish provincial coach leaving his job with immediate effect would be front page news. As it happens, on the same day Pete Wilkins announces his departure from Connacht, Leinster revealed their next big name signing. Out goes Jordie Barrett this summer, in comes Rieko Ioane, his All Blacks centre partner.

Gordon D’Arcy and John O’Sullivan join Nathan Johns to pick through the move. Does it make sense, both from a positional and character sense, given Ioane’s role as a pantomime villain when facing Ireland last year? Should Leinster be allowed to continually make these signings by the IRFU? Is it a case of the rich getting richer? Will Ioane block the development of younger Irish players? Or is Irish rugby right to let the free market do its work?

John O’Sullivan, our resident U20s expert, also breaks down the shock decision of Reuben Crothers to retire from rugby just three years after leading Ireland to underage Grand Slam glory. 

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Watching the Champions Cup rugby action over the weekend, Gordon D’Arcy was taken by young Henry Pollock. The 20-year-old England flanker scored twice for Northampton in their quarter-final win over Castres, a result which tees up a last four trip to Dublin to take on Leinster. But which familiar face closer to home does Pollock remind D’Arcy of? Is the comparison a foreshadower of things to come?

Alongside the Northampton game, Gordon joins John O’Sullivan and Nathan Johns to discuss the weekend’s rugby. Munster’s lineout woes cost them dear in Bordeaux, but what else is holding them back from a magic European run? Toulouse were tested by Toulon on Sunday, does this indicate they may not be the same juggernaut which beat Leinster last year? After back-to-back games where their opponents failed to score, are Leinster in imperious form or have they simply not been battle tested by quality opposition? What does this say for their semi-final and final prospects?

Plus, Ireland in theory narrowed the gap to England after a defeat in the women’s Six Nations. How did they go about closing the gap to the title favourites, and are they continuing to build positively ahead of the World Cup?

Produced by John Casey.

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Munster’s reward for their victory in La Rochelle is a Champions Cup quarter-final tie away in Bordeaux. Their former outhalf, Joey Carbery, started for the French side last weekend against Ulster.

The coach leading their famed attack, is another man with Munster roots, the Co Clare native Noel McNamara.

Irish Times rugby writer John O’Sullivan joins Nathan Johns to explore the Irish links to the French club. Was moving to Bordeaux the right move for Carbery? Where would he sit in the Irish outhalf pecking order if he moved home?

Should Irish rugby look to get McNamara back involved in their system given the performances of Bordeaux’s attack? How did a non-traditional rugby city start churning out the best attendance numbers in the Top 14? Can Munster pull off another upset on the road in France? 

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The weekend’s rugby action brought a result to remember for Munster in their first competitive outing against La Rochelle, coached by their former outhalf Ronan O’Gara. With wins elsewhere for Leinster and Connacht, plus a valiant defeat for Ulster, John O’Sullivan and Gordon D’Arcy join Nathan Johns to pick through the weekend’s action.

How did Munster pull off the upset in France? Is this another peak for the province to be followed by a trough, or can they back it up against Bordeaux? Is Leinster’s attack back firing, or was their drubbing of Harlequins just another example of the flawed Champions Cup structure? Albeit in defeat, have Ulster turned a corner with the likes of Jacob Stockdale and James McNabney impressing? Which players boosted their summer international hopes, either with the Lions or Ireland?

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Irish players prepare for another European weekend of action, with Leinster taking on Harlequins, Munster playing La Rochelle in the Ronan O’Gara derby, Ulster away to Bordeaux and Connacht lining out against Cardiff.

The past few weeks of URC action, while throwing up plenty of intriguing storylines, has been a reminder of how much interest in the national game drives the sport here. Rugby is at somewhat of a crossroads, financially speaking.

Simon Keogh, the CEO of Rugby Players Ireland, represents the interests of players in the wider discussions on the future of the game. A former Leinster and Harlequins scrumhalf and wing, he joins The Counter Ruck alongside Nathan Johns and his former teammate Gordon D’Arcy.

We chat memories of playing with and against each other, the infamous Bloodgate match between Leinster and ‘Quins, as well as the current state of the sport from the players perspective. What are the pressing issues facing players today? Does the Irish system allow for better player management than other countries? How does rugby become a financially sustainable entity?

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Gordon D’Arcy joins Nathan Johns to review the weekend’s action.

How did Connacht fail to take advantage of Munster’s red card in the test in the west? How much do we read into the Leinster youngsters beating the Sharks, or is that particular South African team always prone to madness? Are we finally seeing Ulster’s exciting back line turn a corner?

Speaking of back lines, Ireland finally take the handbrake off in a record Six Nations win over Italy.

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On Wednesday, Andy Farrell confirmed three Irish coaches would be his assistants for the upcoming Lions tour. Simon Easterby, John Fogarty and Andrew Goodman join England’s Richard Wigglesworth and Scotland’s John Dalziel on the coaching ticket.

The launch event was impressive in parts, a reminder of the corporate behemoth the Lions has become. But does this commercial standing come at the cost of the Lions ethos?

John O’Sullivan joins Nathan Johns - who attended the launch event in London - to discuss the place of the Lions in modern rugby.

Plus, with only Paul O’Connell remaining on the Irish ticket for this summer’s tour of Portugal and Georgia, does the Lions tour deprive Ireland of their key coaches ahead of an important tour for a side in transition? Or, is the opportunity for coach development too good to pass up? We hear from Andy Farrell himself, as well as other Irish coaches who will be travelling down under.

Produced by John Casey.

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This weekend saw a series of thrilling, high scoring matches in the United Rugby Championship. Leinster, Munster and Connacht all lost - Ulster provided the sole Irish win of the weekend - but fans of attacking rugby cannot say that they were bored. 

Is this what we want to see from rugby matches, though? Do we want a basketball style, end-to-end product wherever whoever has the ball last takes on the final shot to win?

Gordon D’Arcy and John O’Sullivan join Nathan Johns to pick through the weekend’s action and assess the state of the game. Is this an issue of how rugby is officiated? What to make of defence coaches’ role in all this? Are we catering too much to new audiences or younger people with shorter attention spans?

Plus, we review the women’s Six Nations where Ireland lost to France, albeit in a way which avoided the heavy defeats of years gone by. Did Ireland’s coaching staff cleverly manage to stick a plaster on the talent gap, or are Ireland making serious strides? Is the domestic game adequately preparing the players for the top level? 

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Attention turns to provincial action and the women’s Six Nations after a lengthy men’s international campaign. With senior internationals set to be rested domestically, which young prospects can further their summer tour aspirations with a strong display over the next few weeks? How are Ulster fixed sitting as low as 14th in the table? Connacht seem set for coaching upheaval, how will they fare for the rest of the season? Will Leinster maintain their buffer at the top? Can Munster maintain their position in the top eight?

John O’Sullivan joins Nathan Johns to chat through all the talking points. We also preview the women’s Six Nations, analysing if lopsided results in the Celtic Challenge have given Ireland proper preparation for their French challenge this weekend.

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Ireland’s final standing in the Six Nations depends on how you frame it. Third in Europe behind France and England doesn’t sound ideal. But plenty are young enough to remember when campaigns featuring four victories were gold dust. Is the glass half full or half empty?

John O’Sullivan and Gordon D’Arcy were in Rome to take in a clunky victory over Italy and they join host Nathan Johns to dissect the game and the tournament as a whole. Where do Ireland go from here? How will they evolve under Simon Easterby? Does this look a jaded group in need of a refresh? Which players should we keep an eye out on the summer tour? How much of a job will Andy Farrell have on his hands next season to revitalise a group still lacking depth?

Produced by John Casey.

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Steve Aboud is widely credited with revitalising Italy’s youth development. A number of the players leading the country’s rise from the bottom of the Six Nations pile, names including Garbisi and Menoncello, benefited from the structures he put in place. After a stint in charge of Canada Rugby’s high-performance department, Aboud returns to Rome later this year to head up the professional game. In a previous life, Aboud worked with the IRFU national academies before the provinces started working with the best schools talents. He took our own Gordon D’Arcy into the Irish system at a young age.

Alongside D’Arcy, John O’Sullivan and host Nathan Johns, Aboud appears on The Counter Ruck ahead of Ireland’s clash with Italy. In a lengthy chat, Aboud explains why he is hopeful Italian rugby will continue to grow, while he also addresses the reasons behind his brief departure.

Given Aboud’s talent development expertise, the group get into an in-depth discussion on the best ways to visualise and grow the game, and how to produce the best players. Ireland’s production line is widely praised, but how does it actually look under the hood? Are things as rosy as they seem?

Produced by John Casey.

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