A WEEKLY COLUMN LOOKING AT TOPICS BEYOND THE SCOPE
OF OUR FEATURE MATCH OF THE WEEK
WRAP OF A WRAP
I have to be honest, those permutations had me nervous right up to kickoff on Saturday, especially the one where an 8-pt Scottish win put us out; my scrambled brain concocted a scenario where they led by 5 in the dying moments before the ref awards a contentious penalty that Russell slots to send us home…but that’s the life of a sports fan, logic rarely enters into the equation.
Let’s just say those thoughts had evaporated by the 2nd minute of the match!!!
And clearly by the time we sat down to do the wrap I was wondering what all the fuss was about, and this week it was the turn of Tom “@LeinsterRoyalty” Coleman and Ciarán “@PostToPostSport” Duffy to harp on the match as well as other events from the World Cup weekend, as ever they did a bang up job.
Click here to catch it on Spotify, and there’s a clip below
HARPIN ON…GETTING THROUGH THE WEEK
Just in case it needs pointing out, we here at Harpin Manor consider ourselves fans first and “experts” second. Sure, when you’ve played and followed a sport for so long, and especially when it comes to Leinster and Ireland you’ve watched every single match at least twice for over a decade, you pick up a few things, BUT it’s the fan element we like to promote more than anything else; we certainly aren’t trying to suggest we know more than the TV pundits.
Well, at least not ALL of them….
Anyway, for our bonus clip this week we wanted to lose the analytical hat for once and harp instead on what it’s like actually being a fan, and Tom & Ciarán helped me look at just how we get through a week before what is arguably the biggest test match in Irish rugby history.
IT CAN’T END IN TIERS
For this week’s TikTok opinion I had a look at how World Rugby handles the dilemma of navigating the space between the rock which is appeasing the corporate sponsors and the hard place which is fulfilling the mandate implied in their name.
10K TIKTOK
On the one hand, we were always going to be chuffed here at Harpin Manor to have a TikTok reach over 10,000 views for the first time – over the past few weeks I’ve selected a portion of Ireland matches to focus on a particula positive aspect of Ireland’s play.
But….there’s another side to that coin. Obviously we’re not considered important enough to have our clips taken down by World Rugby???!!! In fact each time I put them up I’m EXPECTING them to be removed, but so far they all remain out there in TikTokLand so there you go!
Maybe I shouldn’t go focusing on the clouds when there’s such an obvious silver lining…
FIJI JOINING TRC
Following on from the Portugal point above, I’m hearing rumblings that despite Fiji’s loss there might be a chance they are admitted to an expanded Rugby Championship. I’m assuming World Rugby is looking for some kind of balance with the Six Nations so it’s possible Japan might be in with a shout as well, but we’ll have to see.
I’m mostly for moves like this, I just wish it was a more holistic approach to the game rather than admitting one or two nations to the top table every decade or so like it has been since the game went pro.
Again, a lot depends on what the plans are for this “World League”. I have a feeling it is not going to go down well with fans in general.
NEW MUNSTER POD
We’ve had Caolán Scully on the pod several times over the past year or so, and he has been hosting his own pod but it now seems he has put together a new project focusing on Munster for the upcoming season, best wishes to himself and Patricia for The Red Army Podcast, hopefully we’ll be able to get them on to harp about it at some point, possibly before the annual St Stephens Day match.
W.XV KICKOFF
Speaking of World Leagues, the new Womens’ version gets underway this weekend. Ireland’s poor run of form puts them in a “third tier” but I THINK that promotion to the second one is possible.
Obviously I’m not happy with what I’ve been hearing from the Irish camp, about having to live in and around Dublin to name just one, and I’m definitely not happy about this tournament being held in Dubai for all the obvious reasons.
But, as fans when the green jersey is being worn we give them our support and for the next few weeks it’s important to get behind new coach Scott Bemand and his squad as they try to top this league.
The explanations of the format I’ve sought so far haven’t been great, but the way I think it works is that while the 6 teams in WXV3 have been separated into two groups of three, they actually only play the 3 in the opposite pool AND I’m pretty sure all six are presented in the same league table. It doesnt look like there are any playoffs, it’s just the team with the most points after 3 matches finishes first?
I will definitely update this if I learn any more, but best wishes to the squad nonetheless.
As for the top tier WXV1, I have to wonder about the timing…surely after already moving the Women’s World Cup to a different year to distinguish it from the men’s, the last day they’d want to launch this new product is the same weekend as RWC2023 semifinals?
Well I guess at least the Australian fans won’t have any conflict, amirite? Too soon?
WXV3 – Week 1
Fri Oct 13
FIJI V COLOMBIA
IRELAND V KAZAKHSTAN (KO 4:30pm Irish time)
Sat Oct 14
SPAIN V COLOMBIA
PREMIERSHIP UPDATE
I know how we’re supposed to feel about English rugby but hopefully even the most hardcore Irish fans of the sport has to feel for the players, staff and fans of the clubs over there which have ceased operations over the past few years.
What’s left is an embarrassingly tiny Premiership of just ten clubs and in some ways maybe it makes sense that they’re kicking off on the same weekend that England are playing in a RWC quarterfinal.
The plan is to keep tabs on the results and such here this season much as we have done for other leagues.
ROUND 1
BRISTOL V LEICESTER
EXETER V SARACENS
BATH V NEWCASTLE
GLOUCESTER V HARLEQUINS
SALE V NORTHAMPTON
AIL UPDATE
After the women’s league has already had three rounds, the men got underway last weekend and by the looks of things defending champions Terenure didn’t have everything their own way against Ballynahinch yet still came out with a win to start the season.
New boys City of Armagh managed to get out of Cork with a losing bonus point while Tarf, Lansdowne and Shannon were the other winners from round 1.
Next up we have some interesting derbies, with top of the list being a repeat of last season’s final as Nure head to Castle Avenue as Young Munster host Shannon, all after the Friday Night Colours Match at Belfield Bowl.
Over in the women’s comp, Railway Union, UL Bohs and champions Blackrock all continued their perfect starts although Rock have only played twice over the three rounds so far. The trio have also been kept apart in Round 4.
#SupportYourLocalClub
WOMEN’S AIL
Round 3
SUTTONIANS 3-38 UL BOHS
GALWEGIANS 5-63 RAILWAY UNION
COOKE 15-24 BALLINCOLLIG
WICKLOW 10-27 BLACKROCK
Round 4
SAT OCT 14
BALLINCOLLIG V WICKLOW
BLACKROCK V GALWEGIANS
OLD BELVEDERE V SUTTONIANS
UL BOHS V COOKE
MEN’S AIL
ROUND 1
DUBLIN UNIV 24-34 CLONTARF
LANSDOWNE 29-14 YOUNG MUNSTER
SHANNON 27-22 UCD
TERENURE 16-13 BALLYNAHINCH
CORK CON 28-21 CITY OF ARMAGH
ROUND 2
FRI OCT 13
UCD V DUBLIN UNIV
SAT OCT 14
BALLYNAHINCH V CORK CON
CITY OF ARMAGH V LANSDOWNE
CLONTARF V TERENURE
YOUNG MUNSTER V SHANNON
NEXT BATCH OF HARPIN’
Big, big week coming up, obviously we’ll be giving Ireland QF date with destiny the full Harpin treatment with a preview on Friday and a wrap pod on Sunday, and also take note that this time the team will be announced on Wednesday at noon Irish time.
So please comment, like, share & subscribe to our feeds & channels whenever the mood takes you.
And as ever, be sure to enjoy your rugby wherever you are. JLP
HARPIN' ON RUGBY 