Author: jlpagano

458 : Stormers v Leinster wrap

26 September 2025; Luke McGrath of Leinster during the United Rugby Championship match between DHL Stormers and Leinster at DHL Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa. Photo by Shaun Roy/Sportsfile

🏉  Lack of attack

🏉  Sam’s kicking

🏉  In our defence…

🏉  Set-piece woes

🏉  And now, the Bulls

THIS WEEK’S GUEST

DAVID CORDIAL

FULL TIME TAKES

Gavin Hegarty

Two yellows in one game, how many did we get last season?

We looked rusty and disinterested but let’s not get carried away. First game of a long season, let just learn from it.

Kevin Kelehan

Kick up the arse first day of the new season, 2 cards in 4 minutes made the scoreline a hammering. It will get better from here

Chris McDonnell

Our coaches know the players who were available for the past 2 or 3 months and still we couldn’t win a lineout scrum or even score a point. Total failure from our coaching staff once again. Not one coach from our group can say his pre season work actually looked better than a shambles.

Get in the conversation yourself by leaving

your own thoughts each week after the full time whistle

in Leinster & Ireland matches on our Facebook page

URC WRAP

NEXT HARPIN’

TUESDAY

BONUS CHAT : “LACKING LEADERSHIP”

WEDNESDAY

80+ COLUMN 

TV clashes, graphics, and basically anything I can think of that’s NOT to do with Leinster’s opener

This is an excerpt from my latest article in series I call Broken Play, which I have been writing on Saturday mornings during the rugby season this year. For the whole thing you need to subscribe (for free) to our Harpin Substack account

Welcome to my Saturday morning scribble which returns after a summer hiatus. Basically I set the timer for an hour and keep harpin’ until it’s done. Since I’m VERY easily distracted that doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll be constantly typing the entire time but for sure I will finish when my phone tells me to.

I’ve just finished watching the Bledisloe Cup/Rugby Champions match, a win for the All Blacks which retains the Cup for yet another year but hardly a convincing one. They really needed the BP to put pressure on the Springboks but some resilient Wallaby defence at the end kept them out.

As you can see I’m taking my time making reference to another rugby match I watched this weekend, that being Friday evening’s URC season opener between Stormers and Leinster from Cape Town.

Here’s what I said on TikTok after the FT whistle; I’m hoping to do this regularly throughout the season, though perhaps not if they all go this way!

@harpinonrugby

♬ original sound – Harpinonrugby.blog

And can see what the sentiment was in the Harpin Whatsapp chat at full time.

But it’s not like I get to ignore the result altogether just yet, having committed to another season of producing a wrap pod for EVERY match so on Sunday evening myself and David Cordial will do our best to make sense of what went down at the DHL Stadium.

For now, I get to harp on literally anything else so I think I’ll have a go at the subject of television coverage.

457 : Stormers v Leinster preview

Our guest : NEIL “KEEGO” KEEGAN

www.keegolaughs.com

Apologies Up Front on Apple Podcasts

LEINSTER : 15. Jimmy O’Brien 14. Tommy O’Brien 13. Robbie Henshaw 12. Ciarán Frawley 11. Jordan Larmour 10. Sam Prendergast 9. Luke McGrath (c)

1. Jack Boyle 2. Gus McCarthy 3. Rabah Slimani 4. Diarmuid Mangan 5. Brian Deeny 6. Ryan Baird 7. Scott Penny 8. James Culhane

16. John McKee 17. Paddy McCarthy 18. Andrew Sparrow 19. Max Deegan 20. Will Connors 21. Fintan Gunne 22. Harry Byrne 23. Hugh Cooney

STORMERS :  15 Wandisile Simelane 14 Seabelo Senatla, 13 Ruhan Nel (c), 12 Dan du Plessis, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Jurie Matthee, 9 Stefan Ungerer

1 Vernon Matongo 2 André-Hugo Venter 3 Neethling Fouché 4 Adré Smith 5 JD Schickerling 6 Paul de Villiers 7 Ben-Jason Dixon 8 Evan Roos 

16 JJ Kotze, 17 Olly Reid, 18 Zachary Porthen, 19 Ruben van Heerden, 20 Ruan Ackermann, 21 Marcel Theunissen, 22 Dewaldt Duvenage, 23 Clinton Swart

BKT United Rugby Championship 25/26 Rd 1

Friday, September 26, 2025

DHL Stadium, Cape Town

KO 6pm Irish time  

Live on : TG4, Premier Sports 1, URC.tv

Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi (FIR)

AR 1: Sean Muller (SARU)

AR 2:  Stephan Geldenhuys (SARU)

TMO: Adam Jones (WRU)

80+ column : Aug 27

ON THIS WEEK’S COLUMN…

  • WRAP OF A WRAP
  • PLAYIN’ AGAIN SAM
  • HOGAN’S HEROICS
  • ANOTHER FINAL FOR LEINSTER
  • FERN CONCERNS
  • THE GIRLS FROM BRAZIL
  • TEAM PREDICTION
  • TROLL PATROL
  • COMPETITION UPDATES (incl ProD2)
  • NEXT HARPIN’

WRAP OF RWC2025 WEEK 1

Hi there welcome back to the 80+ column, pretty much the only content I’m churning out for the off-season.

Although there’s still a month before the URC kicks off, with the 🔝🐱🐴 opening series of matches around the corner I want to take the opportunity to at least devote the majority of space in this column to the women’s game. Our remit may be the Leinster & Ireland men’s teams but we are of course rugby fans first and foremost and RWC2025 is where it’s at right now.

But for this tournament I do my best not to try to pass myself off as an expert, I am primarily a fan so if it’s proper analysis and interviews you want, I sincerely hope you’re subscribed to the excellent MudderRucker podcast – we spoke to host Ailbhe O’Nolan a couple of weeks ago and you can find that plus all the relevant links here.

This is just a sample from the full column which can be found on Substack at this link. Please be sure to subscribe while you’re there!!!!

454 : Third Lions test & series wrap

Our guest : MARK JACKSON

I’d like to thank Mark and of course all the Harpin contributors over the course of the season as we wind down Season 6 of our humble pod.

We’re looking at one more recording next weekend looking ahead to the Women’s World Cup and otherwise our only content between now and our Season 7 premiere will be our weekly 80+ column which will continue posting on Wednesday.

453 : 3rd Lions test preview

Our guest : MARK JACKSON

LIONS : 15 Hugo Keenan 14 Tommy Freeman 13 Huw Jones 12  Bundee Aki 11 Blair Kinghorn 10 Finn Russell 9 Jamison Gibson-Park

1 Andrew Porter 2 Dan Sheehan 3 Tadhg Furlong 4 Maro Itoje 5 James Ryan 6 Tadhg Beirne 7 Tom Curry 8 Jack Conan

16 Rónan Kelleher 17 Ellis Genge 18 Will Stuart 19 Ollie Chessum 20 Jac Morgan 21 Ben Earl 22 Alex Mitchell 23 Owen Farrell

WALLABIES : 15 Tom Wright 14 Max Jorgensen 13 Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii 12 Len Ikitau 11 Dylan Pietsch 10 Tom Lynagh 9 Nic White

1 James Slipper 2 David Porecki 3 Taniela Tupou 4 Nick Frost 5 Will Skelton 6 Tom Hooper 7 Fraser McReight 8 Harry Wilson (capt).

16 Billy Pollard 17 Angus Bell 18 Zane Nonggorr 19 Jeremy Williams 20 Langi Gleeson 21 Tate McDermott 22 Ben Donaldson 23 Andrew Kellaway

Qatar Airways Lions Men’s Test Series – 3rd test

Saturday, August 2, 2025

Accor Stadium, Sydney

KO 11am Irish time  

Live on : Sky Sports

Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Geo)

AR1 : Ben O’Keeffe (NZ)

AR2 : Andrea Piardi (Ita)

TMO: Marius Jonker (SA)

FPRO: Richard Kelly (NZ)

451 : Second Lions test preview

Our guest : MARK JACKSON

LIONS : 15. Hugo Keenan 14. Tommy Freeman 13. Huw Jones 12. Bundee Aki 11. James Lowe 10. Finn Russell 9. Jamison Gibson-Park 

1. Andrew Porter 2. Dan Sheehan 3. Tadhg Furlong 4. Maro Itoje (c) 5. Ollie Chessum 6. Tadhg Beirne 7. Tom Curry 8. Jack Conan

16. Ronan Kelleher 17. Ellis Genge 18. Will Stuart 19. James Ryan 20. Jac Morgan 21. Alex Mitchell 22. Owen Farrell 23. Blair Kinghorn

WALLABIES : 15 Tom Wright; 14 Max Jorgensen, 13 Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, 12 Len Ikitau, 11 Harry Potter; 10 Tom Lynagh, 9Jake Gordon

1 James Slipper, 2 David Porecki, 3 Allan Alaalatoa; 4 Nick Frost, 5 Will Skelton; 6 Rob Valetini, 7 Fraser McReight, 8 Harry Wilson.

16 Billy Pollard, 17 Angus Bell, 18 Tom Robertson, 19 Jeremy Williams, 20 Langi Gleeson, 21 Carlo Tizzano, 22 Tate McDermott, 23 Ben Donaldson.

Qatar Airways Lions Men’s Test Series – 2nd test

Saturday, July 26, 2025

KO 11am Irish time  Melbourne Cricket Ground

Live on : Sky Sports

Referee: Andrea Piardi (Ita)

AR1: Nika Amashukeli (Geo)

AR2: Ben O’Keeffe (NZ)

TMO: Eric Gauzins (Fra)

FPRO: Marius Jonker (SA)