Category: 80+ column

80+ column : Oct 16

WRAP OF A WRAP

I was joined by David Cordial and Hugo Gordon to look back over the match at Croke Park, they did a bang up job so if you missed it by all means click here to check it out.

FRONT FIVE

A selection of eye-catching egg-chasing quotes & links from around the rugby media landscape

Newly-crowned WXV 2 champions Australia head up band two as the fifth seeds, with Ireland, Scotland and Italy joining them. 

Rankings confirmed for Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 Draw

World.Rugby

“Although some believe that this rule will promote smoother play, statistics…show that a red card does not systematically mean defeat for the penalised team”

French Rugby slam World Rugby’s ‘unacceptable step backwards’ as 20-minute red card law edges closer to ‘forced’ global trial

Jared Wright – Planet Rugby

…a case this month…has raised questions over how Richard Boardman recruits players to join the lawsuit brought by his firm, Rylands Garth, against World Rugby

Lawyer leading brain injury lawsuit under investigation over player recruitment

Gerard Meagher – The Guardian

He is currently coaching the modest Catholic University team, a position he secured on the recommendation of Leo Cullen

Ex-Wallaby Rocky Elsom faces international arrest warrant

Jérémy Fahner – RugbyPass

From late 2023 to mid-2024, URC broadcast hours surged by 220 hours, with 374 additional inserts, resulting in heightened exposure for the event.

United Rugby Championship showing viewership growth

Sports Industry Group

HARPIN ON…EMERGING IRELAND

LEINSTER SQUAD UPDATE

HARPIN’ MATCHDAY 23 V CONNACHT

A Osborne, Turner, Henshaw, Tector, King, Prendergast, Gunne

Milne, G McCarthy, Clarkson, O’Tighearnaigh, Ryan (c), Deegan, Penny, Culhane

Smyth, Boyle, Slimani, Deeny, Soroka, McGrath, R Byrne, H Byrne

Caveat : I have no “ITK”

INJURY UPDATE – AVAILABLE FOR SELECTION:

Robbie Henshaw: returned to training last week after a minor injury and will be available for selection this weekend.

INJURY UPDATE – FURTHER ASSESSMENT REQUIRED:

Lee Barron: went off at half-time at the weekend with an ankle injury and will be further assessed this week before a final decision is made on his availability.

Ryan Baird: has entered the Graduated Return to Play Protocols and will be assessed as the week progresses.

Jordan Larmour: was not available for selection at the weekend as a precaution and will be further assessed this week before a final decision is made.

INJURY UPDATE – NOT AVAILABLE FOR SELECTION:

Rónan Kelleher: had a procedure on an ankle injury last week and will be unavailable for between four to six weeks.

Jack Conan: will be unavailable for selection this week after being withdrawn in the first half against Munster with a hamstring injury.

Joe McCarthy: will not be available for selection this week after picking up a hamstring injury in the Benetton Rugby game.

NO FURTHER UPDATES ON:

Dan Sheehan, John McKee, Paddy McCarthy, Jimmy O’Brien and Tommy O’Brien.

TROLL PATROL

Now it’s time for Troll Patrol where we ‘detain’ a social media commentator and charge them with gaslightery and general online mayhem.  

Last week we actually featured one of our own contributors in this segment because, well, you know, we’re fair like that.  It was a Leinster fan trolling ahead of a clash with Munster.   Now on the other side of the Croke Park clash, we’re also going to point out someone who has appeared on the pod before, only this time it’s a Munster fan.

Now to be clear, I wasn’t wild about the reports of Munster having difficulties bringing on a sub myself – I didn’t know about them until late Sunday evening, after our pod was recorded.  A reaction like this, even if it is tongue in cheek (though that’s not obvious), might be a tad over the line.  A real “John Delaney we should be the 33rd team” energy about it.

HOW TO BEAT LEINSTER

Here’s some more content from the URC site, I just thought the sub-editor’s choice of headline was a bit unfair to Pete Wilkins.

Connacht Reveal Formula For Beating Leinster

Connacht Rugby coach Pete Wilkins has been outlining what it will take to inflict the first defeat of the season on league leaders Leinster Rugby.

Wilkins says his team need to be brave, positive and fearless in Saturday night’s “massive” Irish interprovincial derby out in Galway.

Leinster have recorded bonus point victories in their first four BKT URC matches, so the big question is how can they be beaten?

“We have got to fire some shots,” replies Wilkins.

“It can’t be a game we are afraid to lose. It can’t be a mindset where we are trying to contain the opposition.
“We have to be really positive and on the front foot in everything we do and that’s attack, defence and set-piece.

“The second part is recognising how important the first quarter of games are for Leinster. They are going after points early in terms of the intensity with which they start games.

“So that first quarter is going to be massive in terms of the foothold we can get in the game and how we can get the crowd engaged and the energy that comes from that.

“You’ve got to start well enough to ensure you are in the fight in the second half.”

Connacht have had mixed results so far, with two wins and two defeats, but they are certainly earning a reputation as an entertaining watch, having scored 17 tries in those opening four games.

“It’s a reputation I am happy for us to have and there are two reasons for that,” said Wilkins.

“One is we need to play a certain way to get enough wins to be competitive at the end of the season.

“With the type of players we have got, we need to be positive and brave in the way we play. I think it’s our best formula for success.

“The second part is it means we are staying true to the ethos of the club in terms of what this place is about. It’s about thriving sometimes in difficult conditions and it’s about firing shots and not daring to dream about what’s possible.

“That might sound a little bit twee, but we are making a conscious effort to try and embody that a little bit more strongly in the way we play.

“It’s making for a good watch at the moment. We are scoring tries and we are getting bonus points we wouldn’t have got last year.

“It’s certainly not dull, but the important thing is to keep striving towards winning.”

Maintaining their attacking strike-rate will be a tough ask against a Leinster side that has conceded just 54 points and eight tries in four league matches.

“It’s a brilliant challenge for us,” said Wilkins.

“There is such a clear identity to their defensive structure and intent, so it’s about being good enough to deal with it.

“It requires calm heads and a lot of accuracy to get either through it or around it.

“Any game against Leinster, you are going to have to score a good chunk of points to get a result.”

While Connacht have racked up 120 points so far – claiming victories over the Hollywoodbets Sharks and Scarlets along the way – they have conceded the same number and leaked 15 tries.

“We certainly need to be conceding less points,” said Wilkins.

“We conceded three maul tries against Ulster last week and I’ve no doubt that’s something Leinster will be looking to go after, which makes it an interesting challenge. We need to be good at both ends.”

In addition to losing 32-27 in Belfast last weekend, Connacht were also beaten 35-33 at Munster in the opening round.

So the question is whether they can make it third time lucky on the interprovincial front?

“We have played two really good Irish teams and the nature of our interpros is they tend to be the toughest going around compared to some of the other nations,” said Wilkins.

“To pick up four points from two interpros is four we wouldn’t have got last year.

“Would we have liked to have won one of them? Yes. Would we have liked to have won both? Absolutely.

“But we are getting better and we are not there yet.”

Connacht haven’t beaten Leinster in Galway since 2017, so a victory this weekend would be all the sweeter.

“The nature of our performance is incredibly important based on the previous Leinster visits, the progress we want to make and the quality of the opposition,” said Wilkins.

“If we can get that performance right, there’s competition points and a result there that’s entirely possible for us.

“Look, there’s a lot to play for. Our performances here at home are a source of incredible importance for this group. So it’s a massive game for lots of reasons.”

COMPETITION UPDATES

Irish Shield

All Ireland Leagues

WOMEN’S AIL

MEN’S AIL

Premiership

🔝🐱🐴

ProD2

RE Super Cup

Harpin Prediction League

NEXT BATCH OF HARPIN’

THURSDAY : Weekly Harpin’ slot on DublinSouthFM after 5pm news

FRIDAY : Connacht preview featuring Keego

SATURDAY : Post-match discussion on our Facebook page

SUNDAY : Wrap pod recording

80+ column : October 9

A weekly newsletter taking a broader view on the rugby world

WRAP OF A WRAP

Tom “@LeinsterRoyalty” Coleman & Ciarán “PostToPost Sport” Duffy joined me for the Benetton v Leinster wrap pod and did their usual bang up job. If you missed it, here’s a link for Spotify or it’s also on Apple and most major platforms.

FRONT FIVE

A selection of eye-catching egg-chasing quotes & links from around the rugby media landscape

THANK YOU DAVE

“Thanks to everyone for their support over the last 15 years…it’s been an incredible journey”

Becca Mehigan ‘forever proud’ as husband Dave Kearney wraps up rugby career

Neasa Cumiskey – The Sunday World

NO, CANADA

‘We’re building belief in our game’ 

Ireland head coach Bemand won’t let heads drop despite Canada defeat at WXV1

Rory Keane – Extra.ie

PLAY AGAIN, SAM

Sam Prendergast starts his third game of the tour at out-half and he will be partnered by Cormac Foley

Easterby Names Emerging Ireland Team For Final Tour Clash Against The Cheetahs

IrishRugby.ie

HAMDEN IT UP

This is our opportunity to say: ‘Come and see the champions play and create an unbelievable atmosphere’.

Hampden switch for Edinburgh v Glasgow to attract new fans

Andy Burke – BBC.com

BAITING THE HOOK(ER) [🎣🎣🎣 CLICKBAIT OF THE WEEK 🎣🎣🎣]

 Sharks utility back Ethan Hooker has shed light on how he found the transition from centre to wing

Hooker opens up on switch to wing

Angus Opperman – Rugby365

HARPIN ON…THE IRISH SHIELD

Our latest bonus chat from our wrap pod recording looks at the other three provinces as Leinster “begin their defence of” the Irish Shield…

JOSH INTERVIEW

Some free content from the URC is always appreciated – I won’t pass everything on that I get but when it’s Leinster I’ll share when I can…

Ireland star Van der Flier doing it by the book

If you want an illustration of the dedication which has made Josh van der Flier a World Rugby Player of the Year, you only have to listen to him talking about his notebooks.

It reveals the kind of meticulous preparation which – along with abundant natural talent – has seen the Leinster Rugby and Ireland flanker become such a star performer.

“It’s something I have started doing in the last few years,” he reveals.

“I have one notebook for when I’m in Irish camp and one for Leinster.

“At the start of the book, that would be my goals for the season, my main work-ons.

“I will have an attack section, a defence section, a fitness section, all different things that I want to improve on. It’s every area of the game, whether it’s breakdown, carrying, passing or tackling.

“Then, if a coach or a player says something I definitely want to make note of, I write that at the back of the book.

“There will be all little bits of pieces I have gathered, feedback you will get from a coach or another player.

“Then, in the middle, I go week to week with a double page for each game and kind of structure it out that way.

“I have everything in that notebook then and, if I run out of space, I take pictures of the important stuff.

“The main stuff at the front and back is kind of important to keep. That’s how I do it anyway.”

Then there’s the mental preparation for the physical battle out on the pitch.

“That’s one thing that is hard about rugby,” said the 31-year-old openside.

“At times, I do get jealous of footballers or golfers or people in other sports.

“If you are going to play a sport like that, you are obviously pumped up and you are ready, but you are not going in having to be fairly violent and physical with people.

“You have to get yourself to a certain mental state for a rugby game. Certainly I do anyway, which takes a lot out of you.

“You have to get to a stage where you are happy to get stuck in and hit people hard and be real physical and also be kind of calm as well.

“That’s one thing that becomes mentally difficult, certainly the longer a season goes on because of how much it takes to get revved up for a game.

“It was 13 months in the end last year from starting pre-season to finishing.

“Physically, I felt great all year. At the end of the season, my body still felt really good. But mentally it’s difficult in a long season.”

With rugby being so demanding and such an all-consuming passion, Van der Flier acknowledges it is important to switch off on occasions.

“I have got a lot better at it since I met my now wife who is good at doing activities or different things,” he said.

“She’s been great for that. Before I met her, there were six of us living in a house together and we were all obsessed with rugby. All we talked about was rugby.

“If it was a day off, we would be outside throwing a rugby ball around, which is great and we absolutely loved it, but I have got a lot better at switching off away from rugby now.

“After we went out of the World Cup last year, it was very difficult because it was still going on. So, rather than doing something relaxing, we went and did as many tourist things as we could every day to be as busy as possible because I felt if I stood still I would just be playing all the games back through in my head, which is the nature any time you lose in a big tournament.

“That was a hard one to switch off from. But then, once the final was over, I was able to switch off a lot better because the World Cup was over for everyone.”

Having had a break following Ireland’s titanic tour of South Africa, the 2022 World Player of the Year is now up and running on another season and ready for next Saturday’s huge BKT URC derby against Munster Rugby at Croke Park.

“I had five weeks off after the summer tour and I think having that break definitely allowed me to freshen up,” he said.

“The body is feeling good, the mind is feeling good, I am feeling really fresh and I am excited to crack into another season.”

That campaign has begun really well for Leinster who have kicked off with three successive bonus point victories in the league as they look to secure their first piece of silverware since 2021.

“It was obviously tough not to pick up any trophies last year because everyone wants to win. It means everything to everyone here,” said Van der Flier.

“But there is definitely a huge amount of excitement for the year ahead.

“We have a great coaching staff, a lot of great players and a lot of depth in our squad, so there’s no reason why we can’t give it another big shot this year. We are in a great position. We are very hungry and excited for the year ahead.”

The man from Wicklow added: “One thing we have certainly learned is how close it is and the narrow margins you can look back on at the end of a campaign.

“If you win, you don’t tend to notice them so much, but you certainly do when you lose. One thing that sticks out for me is we probably played better in the European final against Toulouse than Ireland did in the last Test against South Africa. But a bit of magic from (Ciaran) Frawley and we managed to get the win in that Springboks game while we didn’t win the other and that’s just the nature of rugby, I suppose. It does come down to fine margins.”

So, despite all the ups and downs and the physical and mental toll it takes, does rugby still remain the job he would rather do than any other?

“Absolutely,” he replies.

LEINSTER SQUAD UPDATE

HARPIN’ MATCHDAY 23 V MUNSTER

Keenan, J O’Brien, Henshaw, J Osborne, Lowe, Frawley, Gibson-Park

Porter, Barron, Furlong, McCarthy, Ryan, Baird, van der Flier, Doris (c)

McKee, Healy, Slimani, Snyman, Conan, McGrath, R Byrne, Ringrose

Caveat : I have no “ITK”

INJURY UPDATE – AVAILABLE FOR SELECTION:

RG Snyman: came through the game on Saturday with no issues after his recovery from a foot injury.

Jack Boyle: due to return to training this week after his recovery from a foot injury.

INJURY UPDATE – FURTHER ASSESSMENT REQUIRED:

Jordan Larmour: was not available for selection at the weekend as a precaution and will be further assessed this week before a final decision is made.

Rónan Kelleher: will have assessment this week on an ankle injury after being withdrawn in the first half on Saturday.

Jimmy O’Brien: will have assessment this week on a hamstring injury after being withdrawn in the first half on Saturday.

NO FURTHER UPDATES ON:

Dan Sheehan, John McKee, Paddy McCarthy, Tommy O’Brien and Rob Russell.

TROLL PATROL

Now it’s time for Troll Patrol where we ‘detain’ a social media commentator and charge them with gaslightery and general online mayhem.  

This week’s detainee comes directly from our own Harpin’ pod recording, a light hearted choice from our regular contributor Tom Coleman who not only knew his Zoom background would be seen in the week building up to the Croke Park rematch, but also that he was to be harpin’ on Munster for the bonus chat!!!  Hey, we’re nothing if not fair with our Troll Patrol, nobody is safe not even our own…

WXV1

Irish Shield

Women’s AIL

Men’s AIL

Premiership

🔝🐱🐴

ProD2

RE Super Cup

Harpin Prediction League

NEXT BATCH OF HARPIN’

Friday – LEINSTER V MUNSTER PREVIEW FEAT KEEGO

             & DUBLIN SOUTH FM HARPIN’ SLOT AFTER 5PM NEWS

Saturday – LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE

Sunday – WRAP POD RECORDING

80+ column : Oct 2

Our weekly newsletter looking at the latest news around the ruggersphere

WRAP OF A WRAP

Joining me on this week’s wrap pod was Rich Mifsud & Jay Long they put an amazing amount of lipstick on the pig that was the Leinster v Dragons match, if you missed it please check it out here.

HARPIN ON…THE LIONS Part 1 : “The Bankers”

A selection of eye-catching egg-chasing quotes & links from around the rugby media landscape

VANCOUVER VICTORY

King rumbled over from close range again to level at 27-27. O’Brien kept her composure to deliver the winning additional two points from the tee.

Ireland Makes Massive Strides – Women’s Six Nations Shaping Well

The Rugby Paper

MORE EMERGING NEWS

Ireland Sevens Olympian Zac Ward (pictured below) is named on the left wing in a pacy-looking back three alongside Rob Russell and Ben O’Connor who starts at full-back.

Easterby Names Emerging Ireland Team To Face The Pumas

IrishRugby.ie

RACING JACK?

…former Leinster mastermind Lancaster is, according to Rugbypass, eyeing a 2025 move for Conan

Racing 92 boss Stuart Lancaster makes moves to lure Ireland star to France

Adam Lacey – Extra.ie

SEXTON OBSESS10N

“I stand there, hands on hips, staring in disbelief at Barnes, Rieko Ioane still comes up to me and tells me, ‘Get back ten metres.’”

Johnny Sexton Reveals What Rieko Ioane Actually Said To Him After World Cup Loss

Joshua Bell Curran – Balls.ie

RUGBY’S MEH CHAMPIONSHIP

Erasmus paid the price for leaving the majority of his starting XV at home for the defeat by Argentina in an otherwise perfect campaign in terms of results.

What have we learned from the Rugby Championship?

Alastair Telfer – BBC.com

LEINSTER SQUAD UPDATE

HARPIN’ MATCHDAY 23 V BENETTON

J Osbourne, J O’Brien, Turner, H Byrne, Larmour, Frawley, Gibson-Park

Milne, Barron, Clarkson, McCarthy, Snyman, Deegan, Penny, Conan (c)

McKee, Healy, Slimani, Deeny, Baird, McGrath, R Byrne, McErlean

Caveat : I have no “ITK”

INJURY UPDATE – AVAILABLE FOR SELECTION:

Michael Milne: came through the game on Friday with no issues after his recovery from an ankle injury.

INJURY UPDATE – FURTHER ASSESSMENT REQUIRED:

RG Snyman: will step up his rehabilitation programme further this week as he nears a return from a foot injury.

UNAVAILABLE FOR SELECTION THIS WEEK:

Dan Sheehan, Jack Boyle, John McKee, Paddy McCarthy and Tommy O’Brien.

TROLL PATROL

LOADS of example to choose from to highlight what I was talking about in the Front 5 video but this was among my favourites and thus is this week’s Troll Patrol detainee.

Irish Women’s team

All Ireland Leagues

Women’s

Men’s

Premiership

🔝🐱🐴

ProD2

The Rugby Championship

RE Super Cup

Harpin Prediction League

NEXT BATCH OF HARPIN’

Friday – Benetton v Leinster preview feat Keego & Harpin segment on DublinSouthFM 93.9

Saturday – Leave your thoughts after the Benetton match on our Facebook page

Sunday – Our Benetton v Leinster wrap pod recording

80+ column : Sep 25

THIS WEEK’S HARPIN’ POINTS

WRAP OF A WRAP

Check our our latest wrap pod on Apple, Spotify and most major platforms

Bonus chat
A selection of five eye-catching egg-chasing quotes & links from around the rugby media landscape.

JORDIE UNSURE

…he looks set to have a full bill of health by the time his move to the Irish province comes around.

Leinster learn extent of Jordie Barrett injury ahead of impending move

Mark Donlon – Extra.ie

EMERGING NEWS

The squad will convene on Wednesday morning in the IRFU High Performance Centre before travelling to South Africa on Saturday.

Emerging Ireland Update As Mullins, Donnelly & Tector Added To Squad

Huge Rugby

THANK YOU MARTY

…the decision has been made on medical advice in order to prioritise his mental wellbeing

Ulster’s Marty Moore retires from pro rugby on medical advice

RTÉ.ie

DETOUR DE FARCE

The affected fixtures include Leinster’s tie with La Rochelle in January as well as away matches in Bristol and Cardiff.

Leinster Rugby to fly from Belfast instead of Dublin Airport amid passenger cap row, says Ryanair

Ian Curran – Irish Times

SPRINGBOK TEARS

Seems Ireland get their very best results when they don’t play at all. They should try to do more of this.

South Africa Fans Bemused After Ireland Return To #1 In Rugby World Rankings

Eoin Harrington – Balls.ie

LEINSTER SQUAD UPDATE

INJURY UPDATE – AVAILABLE FOR SELECTION:

Jamison Gibson-Park: Came through the game on Friday with no issues after his recovery from a hamstring injury.

James Culhane: Withdrawn for a Head Injury Assessment towards the end of Friday’s game, and passed all assessments and will be available to travel with Emerging Ireland squad.

INJURY UPDATE – FURTHER ASSESSMENT REQUIRED:

Tommy O’Brien: Withdrawn with a hamstring injury on Friday and will require further assessment this week before a final decision is made on his involvement with Emerging Ireland.

Michael Milne: Withdrawn with an ankle injury on Friday and will be further assessed this week.

RG Snyman: Will step up his rehabilitation programme this week as he nears a return from a foot injury.

NO FURTHER UPDATES ON:

Dan Sheehan (knee)

TROLL PATROL

WXV

Irish Shield

All Ireland Leagues

MEN’S AIL
WOMEN’S AIL

Premiership

🔝🐱🐴

ProD2

The Rugby Championship

RE Super Cup

Currie Cup

Harpin Prediction League

NEXT BATCH OF HARPIN’

Thursday – Leinster v Dragons preview

Friday – Dublin South FM Harpin’ slot (after 5pm news)

Sunday – Leinster v Dragons wrap

80+ column : Sep 18

SEASON 6 PREMIERE POD

sample from latest pod full episode available on Apple, Spotify, etc
A selection of five eye-catching egg-chasing quotes & links from around the rugby media landscape.

“HE’S TO BE” COACH

The appointment will see Easterby in place for the 2025 Guinness Men’s Six Nations and the Men’s summer tour next year, details of which are to be confirmed.

Easterby To Become Interim Ireland Men’s Head Coach

IrishRugby.ie


CAPTAIN CAELAN

“It was a huge honour for me to co-captain Leinster over the last two seasons and we’ll just support Caelan now as much as possible.”

James Ryan gives Caelan Doris his ‘full support’ after captaincy change

Neil Treacy -RTÉ.ie


RDS RE:DEVELOPMENTS

…no matter how successful the move to the Aviva Stadium proves, Leinster will return to the RDS having signed a 25-year lease in 2022.

Leinster could be out of the RDS for two seasons due to redevelopment

Rúaidhrí O’Connor – Irish Independent


CITIZEN BUNDEE

“To be granted citizenship is not something you take lightly…I have nothing to complain about here. I love the people, love the culture”

Rugby star Bundee Aki gains Irish citizenship

Jade Wilson – Irish Times


A BETTER BEST LEAGUE?

Compared with the increasingly buoyant and eye-catching Top 14, Newcastle v Dragons or Connacht v Sale on a Friday night would hardly be a gamechanger.

Why a British and Irish league would not be a rugby gamechanger

Rob Kitson – Irish Examiner

LEINSTER SQUAD UPDATE

INJURY UPDATE – AVAILABLE FOR SELECTION:

Liam Turner (arm), Lee Barron (shoulder) and Alex Soroka (foot): returned to full training during pre-season having missed the end of last season.

INJURY UPDATE – FURTHER ASSESSMENT REQUIRED:

Jamison Gibson-Park: will step up his rehabilitation programme this week as he nears a return from a hamstring injury.

NO FURTHER UPDATES ON:

Dan Sheehan (knee) and RG Snyman (foot).

HARPIN’ MATCHDAY 23 V EDINBURGH

A Osbourne, T O’Brien, Turner, H Byrne, Russell, R Byrne, Foley

Milne, Barron, Slimani, Soroka, O’Tighearnaigh, Deegan, Penny, Conan (c)

McKee, Boyle, Clarkson, Spicer, Culhane, McGrath, Prendergast, McErlean

Caveat : I have no “ITK”!!!

TROLL PATROL

Irish Women’s team

URC Irish Shield

Men’s AIL kickoff

Premiership

🔝🐱🐴

Click here for article on Stuart Hogg as referenced in the video

ProD2

The Rugby Championship

RE Super Cup

Currie Cup

Harpin Prediction League

NEXT BATCH OF HARPIN’

Thursday : Edinburgh v Leinster preview – video & pod

Friday : Harpin spot on Dublin South FM (after 5pm news)

Leave a comment on our Facebook page after the fulltime whistle

Sunday : Edinburgh v Leinster wrap pod recording

80+ column : Sep 10

LINK REMINDER

RADIO RETURN

Tune in after the 5pm news on Friday for the Harpin’ segment

UPDATE : The return of the Harpin slot on Dublin South FM has been pushed to Friday, September 20.

SEASON 6 PREMIERE

Recording Sunday September 15, looking ahead to the 24/25 season for Leinster & Ireland

A selection of eye-catching quotes & links from around the rugby media landscape

NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP

…12 nations will be split into a European Conference and Rest of the World Conference, with each team playing the six entrants in the opposite conference across the July and November Test windows.

London emerges as ‘strong possibility’ to host Nations Championship after Qatar bid turned down

Harry Latham-Coyle – UK Independent

RFU SAGA CONTINUES

The cuts are expected to affect all departments except for elite performance. 

RFU to axe 42 staff – weeks after selling Twickenham naming rights for £100m

Gerard Meagher – The Guardian

KEEPING LOCALS HAPPY

Locals also complained that Lansdowne Rugby Club had ‘zero engagement’ with residents about its plans.

Rugby club planning row as residents object to motor dealer using grounds to park cars

Sean McCarthaigh – Extra.ie

LRZ IN NFL

It is very difficult to make an NFL roster and it’s difficult to be on the practice squad. There’s only so many spots.

‘Watch out!’ NFL experts make Louis Rees-Zammit feelings clear in live TV debate

Dylan James – Wales Online

CLICKBAIT OF THE WEEK

According to the Mail Online, Baena has sculpted his muscular torso with weightlifting sessions, rugby matches, and swimming.

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s rugby playing son looks identical to his Dad

Ruck.co.uk

LEINSTER SQUAD UPDATE

Click here to watch the Northampton v Leinster preseason friendly

(WALLA)ROOS NA RÚN

@RugbyBroadcast_

Follow RugbyBroadcast on x for latest news on upcoming rugby on TV

HALF A RINGFENCE (PREMIERSHIP)

🔝🐱🐴

ProD2

The Rugby Championship

RE Super Cup

Currie Cup

Harpin Prediction League

NEXT BATCH OF HARPIN’

Friday 5pm (after the news) – Dublin South FM segment

Sunday evening – Season Six Premiere pod recording, should be published by Monday morning.

Thanks for tuning in, be sure to enjoy your rugby wherever you are. JLP

80+ column : July 17

On this week’s column…

🏉 BIENVENUE RABAH

🏉 CROC ROLLS

🏉 WXV1 FIXTURES

🏉 HOGG WATCH

🏉 CLICKBAIT OF THE WEEK

🏉 WRAP OF A WRAP

🏉 HARPIN ON…FRAWLEY TIME

🏉 TROLL PATROL

🏉 RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP FIXTURES

🏉 UPDATES [INCL U20s, MLR]

🏉 THE HARPIN FORFEIT JERSEY

FRONT FIVE

A selection of five eye-catching egg-chasing quotes & links from around the ruggersphere, now including a few thoughts added by myself (JLP).

“We believe he will be a great addition to the group, not only providing competition for the first team but also helping some of our young front row players learn and develop.”

Leinster Rugby confirm signing of Rabah Slimani

Marcus Ó Buachalla – LeinsterRugby.ie

JLP : We already knew this was happening but had only heard from the French media side of things so an article on the LEINSTER website is the equivalent of the fat lady singing.  Obviously we welcome him and hope he does exactly as Leo says in the quote.  Nothing about length of contract about length of his contract but I understand it to be one with rumblings about him being keen to be involved on the coaching side of things.  And you know on social media there will be those who spin it like this signing shows some kind of favouritism towards Leinster with the decision having been made to stop NIQ tightheads, as opposed to the more obvious explanation that this deal was already agreed before the new policy came into effect.  Much like the way Gibson-Park and Lowe qualified under the 3-year residency rules just before they increased to five.

Marx suffered the injury in the second half of the Test against Ireland, during a horrific croc roll that earned captain Caelan Doris a yellow card

Season over for Marx?

SARugbyMag

JLP : My official take on the Doris/Ryan croc rolls….to my eye, Doris attempts a croc roll but doesn’t shift him.  Ryan also attempts one and succeeds, and in the process forces Doris into MVS’s leg (though even without Doris there it would of course have still been v dangerous).  I’d have been inclined to yellow card Doris and red card Ryan. Irish goggles or no, this is a very dangerous manoeuvre that needs to be stamped out, whether or not the player gets injured.

However, as much as I dislike ‘whataboutery’, it’s not easy to avoid responding to all the pearl-clutching by South African fans when only a few weeks ago we had Jamison Gibson-Park ruled out of the final stages of the URC quarterfinal because apparently he was ‘fair game’ for this challenge by Akker van der Merwe.

BC Place in Vancouver will get proceedings underway…with Ireland set to face New Zealand in their opening fixture, having moved up the ranks from WXV 3

Ireland women’s rugby set for top tier action in upcoming WXV tournament

Mark Donlon – Extra.ie

JLP : I’m still not 100% sure about how this WXV tournament works but it seems Ireland’s improvement from last to third in the 2024 Six Nations earned them a place in the the top tier division for the second instalment and it also seems the draw has been relatively kind to us in that we avoid England.  Not that the Black Ferns, USA & Canada will be easy by a long stretch but it will definitely be a much needed test for this squad.  As ever with the women’s game we also have to hope that conditions back home will improve and I am already seeing talk about the 2024 Interprovincials which will be done and dusted before September this year so I’m not sure if the changes are happening quickly enough.

The rugby star is accused of behaviour that caused his estranged wife “fear and alarm” over a seven-year period between January 1st, 2017, and March 30th, 2024.

Trial of former Scottish rugby captain Stuart Hogg to take place in September

Nick Forbes – BreakingNews.ie (via PA Scotland)

JLP : We keep track of the Hogg story because several publications tend to be dismissive over his legal situation.  That’s not to say I want to assume guilt, rather I want to keep it clear what he faces when he gets his day in court.

***CLICKBAIT OF THE WEEK AWARD***

Commentator are blasted for disgusting joke about a female physio performing a sex act on Jamie George

Ruck.co.uk

JLP : Going by the articles I have used for this feature so far it seems Ruck.co.uk is one of the more clickbaity sites out there and they came up trumps with this one for sure.  Sometimes I share the link anyway but decided against it this time.

WRAP OF A WRAP

The second test was our final featured match of the season so definitely not a bad way to finish, and Conor and Rich did their usual excellent job going through the timeline with me.  Below you see their final thoughts as shared on YouTube.

If you missed the pod, click here to catch it on Spotify otherwise we’re on Apple as well as most major platforms.

HARPIN ON…FRAWLEY TIME

I had a bonus chat planned for our pod recording where we were to talk about Andy Farrell and what we’ll be missing when he’s away with The Lions but I promised my 9 year old daughter I’d watch the second half of the Euros with her so when I saw our chat was going a bit long I made an “executive decision” to scrap the extra bit and instead I shared our chat on the eventful final stages of the match which as you can see I named “Frawley time”.

U20s UPDATE

Here’s what I said on the wrap pod about the Wolfpuppies…

Also in South Africa we had the semifinal of the World Under 20s, Ireland got off to a flying start against England but once the reigning Six Nations champions were able to show their incredible dominance in the scrum we struggled to keep up with them and if anything we did well to be behind by just 11 at the end.  There’s still one more match for us that will be the 3rd place playoff kicking off at 3:30pm on Friday against New Zealand.

…and the only thing to add would be a shout out to the newly-formed women’s Under 20s who finished off their Summer Series with a convincing 37-7 win over Scotland which bodes well for the future. 

ROUND 1

SOUTH AFRICA 57-7 FIJI

WALES 34-41 NEW ZEALAND

IRELAND 55-15 ITALY

AUSTRALIA 35-11 GEORGIA

FRANCE 49-12 SPAIN

ENGLAND 40-21 ARGENTINA

ROUND 2

IRELAND 22-16 GEORGIA

WALES 31-10 SPAIN

FRANCE 26-27 NEW ZEALAND

ENGLAND 48-11 FIJI

SOUTH AFRICA 12-31 ARGENTINA

AUSTRALIA 12-17 ITALY

ROUND 3

IRELAND cancelled AUSTRALIA (2pts each)

ARGENTINA 52-12 FIJI

FRANCE 29-11 WALES

GEORGIA 28-17 ITALY

SOUTH AFRICA 12-17 ENGLAND

NEW ZEALAND 45-13 SPAIN

SEMIFINALS 

ENGLAND 31-20 IRELAND

NEW ZEALAND 31-55 FRANCE

5TH-8TH PLACE

AUSTRALIA 36-29 WALES

ARGENTINA 34-24 SOUTH AFRICA

9TH-12TH PLACE

ITALY 28-15 SPAIN

GEORGIA 40-36 FIJI

FRI JULY 19

FINAL

ENGLAND V FRANCE

3RD PLACE

IRELAND V NEW ZEALAND

5TH PLACE

AUSTRALIA V ARGENTINA

7TH PLACE

WALES V SOUTH AFRICA

9TH PLACE

ITALY V GEORGIA

11TH PLACE (RELEGATION)

FIJI V SPAIN

TROLL PATROL

They say it’s usually best not to engage trolls but often it can be a good thing when you can both knock them back and show your receipts.  As I said earlier the column, there are those who took Leinster’s Slimani signing as “further proof” that the province gets preferential treatment so fair play to Kenny for putting this poster, who isn’t appearing in this section for the first time, to rights.

If you ever see an online contribution that seems worthy of inclusion here, by all means do share.

RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP UPDATE

Just setting up the 2024 competition with the fixture list here so I can follow it through the summer months.  It’s a shame that the travel distances involved prevent them from using a strict home and away schedule, I wonder if there’s a case to be made for holding the whole thing in AUS/NZ one year and in ARG/SA the next.  But still plenty to look forward to nonetheless.

ROUND 1

AUGUST 10

AUSTRALIA V SOUTH AFRICA

NEW ZEALAND V ARGENTINA

ROUND 2

AUGUST 17

NEW ZEALAND V ARGENTINA

AUSTRALIA V SOUTH AFRICA

ROUND 3

AUGUST 31

SOUTH AFRICA V NEW ZEALAND

ARGENTINA V AUSTRALIA

ROUND 4

SEPTEMBER 7

SOUTH AFRICA V NEW ZEALAND

ARGENTINA V AUSTRALIA

ROUND 5

SEPTEMBER 21

AUSTRALIA V NEW ZEALAND

ARGENTINA V SOUTH AFRICA

ROUND 6

SEPTEMBER 28

NEW ZEALAND V AUSTRALIA

SOUTH AFRICA V ARGENTINA

“SVNS” UPDATE

By the time next week’s column posts the Irish men will be about to start their campaign so I will post the fixtures here again and wish both teams all the best.  I really think we’re in with a shout of a medal or even two all going well.

OLYMPIC 7s

IREM7s

POOL STAGE

WED JULY 24 V SOUTH AFRICA 4:30PM

WED JULY 24 V JAPAN 8PM

THU JULY 25 V NEW ZEALAND 3:30PM

IREW7s

POOL STAGE

SUN JULY 28 V GREAT BRITAIN 2:30PM

SUN JULY 28 V SOUTH AFRICA 6PM

MON JULY 29 V AUSTRALIA 1:30PM

CURRIE CUP UPDATE

I still haven’t had the chance to catch a match from this season but it does seem that the Cheetahs are the form team, possibly because they get the chance to field their best possible team as opposed to the URC clubs.  I plan to pick a team to follow throughout the season but haven’t landed on one just yet.

ROUND 2

GRIQUAS 34-31 SHARKS

PUMAS 21-75 LIONS

CHEETAHS 37-17 WESTERN PROVINCE

GRIFFONS 10-52 BULLS

ROUND 3

FRI JULY 19

LIONS V GRIQUAS

BULLS V CHEETAHS

PUMAS V SHARKS

SUN JULY 21

GRIFFONS V WESTERN PROVINCE

MAJOR LEAGUE RUGBY UPDATE

A one week break between regular season and playoffs I get.  A two week break and I’m wondering if that’s long enough for people to forget the Laws of rugby, especially in the USA.  All I can do is wish our adopted team for this season The Chicago Hounds the best of luck in their match in New Orleans.

PLAYOFFS

SAT JULY 20

NEW ENGLAND V OLD GLORY

SUN JULY 21

HOUSTON V DALLAS

NOLA GOLD V CHICAGO

MON JULY 22

SEATTLE V SAN DIEGO

HARPIN PREDICTION LEAGUE

Fair play to Keego for going above and beyond the Laws of the HPL which state “he who finishes in the last place on the table at the end of the season must post a photo on social media of them wearing the Harpin Forfeit Jersey”.  As you can see, he only went and made a video!!!

NEXT BATCH OF HARPIN’

Over the off season we’re going to keep this 80+ column going week to week just to have some content, but as for the podcast we’re planning two more to bring our fifth season to a close, one to wrap up the Under 20s and one to wrap the entire campaign.  No dates for them as of yet so keep up with all our social media channels and of course keep up with the usual amount of commenting, sharing, liking & subscribing.

And as ever, be sure to enjoy your rugby wherever you are.  JLP

80+ column : July 10

On this week’s column…

🏉 RASSIE & THE SA PRESS

🏉 WEATHER OR NOT

🏉 TOUR DE FARCE

🏉 CLICKBAIT OF THE WEEK

🏉 THE NEVER ENDING SEASON

🏉 THE 6N SUNDAY PROBLEM

🏉 TROLL PATROL

🏉 UPDATES [INCL 7s & Currie Cup]

FRONT FIVE

A selection of five eye-catching egg-chasing quotes & links from around the ruggersphere, now including a few thoughts added by myself (JLP).

“Some things make sense when you see it, and some don’t”

Rassie: Ireland don’t fear the Bomb Squad

SA RugbyMag

JLP : Ah, good ol’ Rassie.  Master of 50-dimensional chess, always a thousand moves ahead of everyone else.  You know what, I don’t actually blame him.  Well, at least I don’t now.  My biggest problem with him was after the first test of that Lions series, clearly trying to influence the officials when the same two sides still had to face each other.  We’ll never know if he’d be doing something similar now had Ireland won the first test, but when it comes to the bulk of the “these two teams really don’t like each other” vibe, the bulk of the responsibility has to lie with the SA press.  They’re the ones asking the lead-in questions, they’re the ones highlighting soundbites from individuals on Irish shows and podcasts making it look like theirs is the view of the entire fanbase, and most likely they’re the ones responsible for the kind of comments that made our Troll Patrol feature this week.

Ireland were pipped to the Six Nations title by England, with this weekend’s rematch at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town (3.30 Irish time) set to be another tight affair

Ireland U-20s qualify for Junior World Cup semi date against England after match cancelled but Aussies are not happy

Cian Tracey – Irish Independent

JLP : Obviously Tuesday’s postponement was less than ideal, and going by what I have heard about the Cape Town weather at this time of year, the scheduling of this tournament there was also so.  At least it turned out ok from Ireland’s point of view as we get into the semifinals with the added benefit of a longer rest time in a competition designed to give all the participants the same 5-day turnarounds.  All in all it was a good job we got that late try against Georgia!  You can understand why the Australians would be annoyed but I reckon we just about deserve a place in the final four though it won’t be easy against England on Sunday.

“No discriminatory behaviour of any kind has a place in French rugby.”

France international suspended over racist comment

Callum Boyle – SportsJoe.ie

JLP : No long comment required here, just that clearly Jaminet is a dick.  Didn’t know anything about him before this, now I do.  As ever in these cases there are no amount of statements like “that’s not like me” to make up for it, not that there’s NO way back for him only that it would take a lot of time and a lot of evidence to the contrary.  Well, at least as the French team’s tour goes it was the only thing bad to happen…

“An investigation is under way. They’re in a police station. Someone from the delegation went to see them to bring them some food.“

France rugby players Oscar Jegou and Hugo Auradou arrested on Argentina tour over sexual assault claims

SkySports.com

JLP : ….wait, WHAT?  OK one incident is careless.  TWO seems to speak to the culture surrounding a travelling squad.  Obviously investigations are pending in this case so we shouldn’t speculate too much but it certainly doesn’t look good.

 :

***CLICKBAIT OF THE WEEK AWARD***

“We don’t really look at such things when we select the team, but this shows how blessed we are with the depth in the squad and the quality of the players we have.”

Ireland to face most capped starting XV in Springbok history

Jack Tunney – RugbyDump

JLP : The fact laid out in the headline is true, but it’s still a bit misleading.  The Springbok 23 is exactly the same as it was last week, which was also the most capped lineup in history so with everyone now having one more cap, of course the record is broken.  The real headline is the fact that its unchanged.  The ‘most capped’ bit is an extremely moot point IMO and thus wins my latest COTWA.

WRAP OF A WRAP

Had to switch to Monday evening to record this week and myself, Ciarán Duffy and David Cordial harped our way through the timeline.  Trying to tweak the format a little, previously I’d break the match up into quarters to give the guests equal time but now I think I’ll leave the match in halves and get one to talk through the timeline while the other offers analysis.  Changes still in progress for this series, hope to have it finalised in time for next season.

If you missed it, click here to catch it on Spotify or on other major platforms, also please subscribe or leave reviews where you can.

HARPIN ON…THE NEVER ENDING SEASON

Opening question :  

Here at Harpin On Rugby we’re now coming to the end of our 5th season of podcasts and our first recording was at the end of July 2023 which means we have practically had senior rugby to harp on for an entire calendar year.  Of course there was a World Cup in among all of that but once next season rolls around we’ll be thinking about a Lions tour and that series will actually bring us all the way into August of 2025.  World Rugby have been planning to revamp their global calendar for quite a while now and to be fair to them, COVID kind of delayed things a bit so it was only last October when they announced that they had “approved transformational reform of the global men’s and women’s rugby calendars from 2026” but starting with yourself David, given what we know of these reforms, are they going to do anything to stop these never-ending seasons?

THE 6N SUNDAY PROBLEM

Looks like the Six Nations is considering going to an “all Super Saturday” schedule due to poor viewing figures.  Time for me to roll out my own suggestion that I’ve had on my mind for years now…how about spreading the matches across the seven weeks, with two matches every Saturday until the final, which could still be ”super”.

This way you actually eke out two extra weekends of Six Nations rugby for viewers and broadcasters while still giving each nation two rest weekends.  I’m sure the domestic schedules could be fixed accordingly.

Just a thought.  Below is a sample of how it could look if applied to the 2025 schedule.

WEEK 1WEEK 2WEEK 3WEEK 4WEEK 5WEEK 6WEEK 7
FRA V WALITA V WALENG V FRAENG V ITAENG V SCOIRE V FRAITA V IRE
IRE V ENGSCO V IRESCO V ITAWAL V IREITA V FRASCO V WALWAL V ENG
XXXXXXFRA V SCO

WORLD U20s UPDATE

Already dealt with the unusual 3rd round developments in the Front Five section, here are the actual results…

ROUND 1

SOUTH AFRICA 57-7 FIJI

WALES 34-41 NEW ZEALAND

IRELAND 55-15 ITALY

AUSTRALIA 35-11 GEORGIA

FRANCE 49-12 SPAIN

ENGLAND 40-21 ARGENTINA

ROUND 2

IRELAND 22-16 GEORGIA

WALES 31-10 SPAIN

FRANCE 26-27 NEW ZEALAND

ENGLAND 48-11 FIJI

SOUTH AFRICA 12-31 ARGENTINA

AUSTRALIA 12-17 ITALY

ROUND 3

IRELAND cancelled AUSTRALIA (2pts each)

ARGENTINA 52-12 FIJI

FRANCE 29-11 WALES

GEORGIA 28-17 ITALY

SOUTH AFRICA 12-17 ENGLAND

NEW ZEALAND 45-13 SPAIN

SUN JULY 14

SEMIFINALS 

ENGLAND V IRELAND

NEW ZEALAND V FRANCE

5TH-8TH PLACE

AUSTRALIA V WALES

ARGENTINA V SOUTH AFRICA

9TH-12TH PLACE

ITALY V SPAIN

GEORGIA V FIJI

CURRIE CUP UPDATE

Why add the Currie Cup to our update section I hear you say?  Only one answer…why not???

ROUND 1

WESTERN PROVINCE 25-30 BULLS

CHEETAHS 82-20 GRIFFONS

SHARKS 25-26 LIONS

GRIQUAS 24-44 PUMAS

ROUND 2

FRI JULY 12

GRIQUAS V SHARKS

PUMAS V LIONS

SAT JULY 13

CHEETAHS V WESTERN PROVINCE

SUN JULY 14

GRIFFONS V BULLS

TROLL PATROL

There are two ways to look at Dylan Jack’s original post in this Twitter thread.  Well, if the world were decent, there would only be one, but we are where we are.  The first way is to say “oh dear that’s a terrible injury list for Ireland I hope the players involved are ok and will be back playing soon”.  Then there’s the way a load of fans in the replies chose to take it : “SOUTH AFRICA IS THE BEST AND THE STRONGEST AND IRELAND COULDN’T HACK IT!!!!!!” complete with of course all the pseudo-macho chest pounding and other bullshit.  Really, really sad.  And to be clear, like I always try to be when writing things like this, I’d not saying ALL South African fans think this way, but here there are definitely more than you’d like to see.

If you ever see an online contribution that seems worthy of inclusion here, by all means do share.

“SVNS” UPDATE

Only update here is the announcement of dates and times for Ireland’s matches at the Olympics…

OLYMPIC 7s

IREM7s

POOL STAGE

WED JULY 24 V SOUTH AFRICA 4:30PM

WED JULY 24 V JAPAN 8PM

THU JULY 25 V NEW ZEALAND 3:30PM

IREW7s

POOL STAGE

SUN JULY 28 V GREAT BRITAIN 2:30PM

SUN JULY 28 V SOUTH AFRICA 6PM

MON JULY 29 V AUSTRALIA 1:30PM

NEXT BATCH OF HARPIN’

Short but sweet column this week – I plan to continue them on Wednesdays throughout the offseason while taking a break from the pods.  Still the second test to cover though, so we’ll have a preview on Friday as well as a wrap recording on Sunday evening. Be sure to keep up with all our social media channels with the usual amount of commenting, sharing, liking & subscribing.

And as ever, be sure to enjoy your rugby wherever you are.  JLP

80+ column : July 3

On this week’s column…

🏉 LA ROCHELLE ENCORE

🏉 HATRED OR HYPE?

🏉 HOGG WATCH

🏉 CLICKBAIT OF THE WEEK

🏉 SA TOUR PREVIEW

🏉 CON, MUN & ULS SEASON REVIEWS

🏉 OPPOSITION VIEW – SPRINGBOKS

🏉 TROLL PATROL

🏉 UPDATES [INCL U20s &🔝🐱🐴]

FRONT FIVE

A selection of five eye-catching egg-chasing quotes & links from around the ruggersphere, now including a few thoughts added by myself (JLP).

Leinster…are joined by Stade Rochelais, who defeated them in the 2022 and 2023 finals, before the Dublin-based club knocked them out in the quarter-finals last season. 

Investec Champions Cup pools 2024/25: All you need to know

EPCRugby.com

JLP : I was convinced Leinster would get both La Rochelle and Michael Cheika’s Leicester again but in the end I was half right.  Not the worst pool we could have drawn by any means, though as ever a lot will depend on the home and away determinations which apparently will happen “later in the month”.  A lot of Leinster fans are excited about the prospect of trips to Clérmont and Bath in particular.

On the overall draw, RugbyKino did some great statistical analysis using actual maths to calculate the proper “pool of death” check it out in this thread.

“We will never, after a game, tell a team that we’ll see you in the final if there is so much rugby still to be played.”

Etzebeth: Irish media targeted me

SA Rugby Mag

JLP : While I get the point behind the overall hype in the SA press before this series, this one about “see you in the final” never really made much sense to me.  My first takeaway from it was as nothing but a compliment, that the two sides had played great rugby and both deserved to be in the final.  But for senior squad members to bring it up and go on to double down on it, for me anyway it leads to headlines like this one which sounds nothing but “whiny”.  It’s all nonsense really. 

The 2004 incident in which ROG quick-tapped a penalty and dummied the prone Boks…was also flagged by the former Munster star

CJ Stander explains Rassie Erasmus’ ‘hatred’ of Ireland…and it’s ROG’s fault

Adam Lacey – Extra.ie

JLP : So many spins on this RSA/IRE hype but I have to say this headline stood out, although CJ does also try to play down the hatred aspect of it all.  As I say above, all nonsense.  That said, much of the online stuff is exactly that so we should point it out when we see it!

…he pleaded not guilty to a domestic charge of acting abusively toward the mother of his four children…also…for causing fear and alarm during a disturbance in February and for not complying with conditions set upon his release from police custody.

Former Scotland captain Stuart Hogg’s trial date set, things could get nasty

Ruck.co.uk

JLP : Every week I’m astounded by the coverage of Stuart Hogg’s situation that I’ve decided to give him his own graphic and feature title.  My general point of this is that often in sports media there tends to be a disconnect when the more popular players are involved in supposed unseemly events off the field.  

Now to be clear, I get the whole “innocent until proven guilty” aspect of it all, and as you can see by my choice of quote I make reference to his plea, but I just think there’s a tendency to over-minimize (if that’s a thing) the accusations.

At least this article actually spells out the charges, but even here if you just read the headline you’d be forgiven for thinking this was something horrible happening to him for which he bears no responsibility, and actually the article goes on to list all of his business ventures, effectively looking like a paid advertisement for his range!!!

Naturally if he is acquitted in the end, for my part I will be more than happy to say so here but in the mean time it sounds like a nasty business and maybe it’s best if his sporting accomplishments can be kept out of the news cycle.  But I fear they will continue regardless, as will of course our Hogg Watch feature.

UPDATE : Before I even had the chance to post this column I have already been alerted to an article [hat-tip RugbyKino] in Planet Rugby by Jared Wright titled “Stuart Hogg arrested again for ‘breach of bail’ as rugby return hangs in the balance” I was going to redo this section to replace the article but you know what, I’ll keep what I have there and include both links as it speaks to the sheer amount of online info about the guy, it’s like we’ve heard more about him since he retired than we did when he was playing!!!  This story doesn’t speak very well for his not guilty plea though…  

***CLICKBAIT OF THE WEEK AWARD***

There is a huge apathy towards the URC in Wales which doesn’t purely stem from the Welsh clubs struggling for on-field success.

Wales must now leave the URC and finally make Anglo-Welsh league happen

Steffan Thomas – Wales Online

JLP : You have to love the devotion of a certain section of the Welsh rugby fan base to the idea of joining the Premiership, as if wishing will make it happen.  But on a different level you have publications like Wales Online looking to trawl for clicks with headlines like this one making it seem like it is actually possible.

The common opinion seems to be that if the Premiership were to agree to any type of a merger it would have to be with the URC as a whole as the draw of the oft-travelling Irish fans would be something the PRL would be very much be interested in.  All of which is ironic because those particular Welsh fans are almost as keen to get away from the Irish as they are to go towards the English!!!

Anyway this latest offering has earned Steffan this week’s COTWA.

SA TOUR PREVIEW

No wrap pod this week of course so I put together an “all-provincial panel” featuring Padraig “The 2nd row” Kelly, Michelle Tobin and Harpin debutant Jack Fogarty to look ahead to the South African tour.  We discussed where the Irish team finds itself at the moment morale-wise, what players could step up on this tour and also how the South Africans may approach the tests.  Click here if you missed the pod or check out the YouTube clip below for a sample.

HARPIN ON…PROVINCIAL SEASON REVIEWS

Of course it would have been rude to have guests from the other provinces without asking them to go back over their teams’ respective 23/24 campaigns, and I even managed to do it without bringing up the considerable bragging rights Leinster have after winning yet another Irish Shield ha ha.

OPPOSITION VIEW – SPRINGBOKS

Haven’t recorded an Opposition view pod for a while and now seemed like the perfect time when a proper South African perspective is needed ahead of the series so I asked Thala Msutu back on and we have a great chat about the buy in to the URC down there, the Springboks motivation for this series and of course the matchday squad named by Rassie on Tuesday.  

Because of this recording we have no Quick Tap this week, we hope to return to them soon.

WORLD U20s UPDATE

Super start for the Wolfpuppies, after they ran us close at Musgrave Park in the Six Nations we could have expected a similar result but this was an outstanding team performance from Willie Faloon’s charges that got the result they deserved.  Now we’ll be hoping for a similar result against Georgia before what should be the decider against Australia next Tuesday.  Hopefully by the time the next 80+ column rolls around we’ll be looking ahead to a semifinal but still much work to be done.

ROUND 1

SOUTH AFRICA 57-7 FIJI

WALES 34-41 NEW ZEALAND

IRELAND 55-15 ITALY

AUSTRALIA 35-11 GEORGIA

FRANCE 49-12 SPAIN

ENGLAND 40-21 ARGENTINA

ROUND 2

THU JULY 4

IRELAND V GEORGIA

WALES V SPAIN

FRANCE V NEW ZEALAND

ENGLAND V FIJI

SOUTH AFRICA V ARGENTINA

AUSTRALIA V ITALY

ROUND 3

TUE JULY 9

IRELAND V AUSTRALIA

ARGENTINA V FIJI

FRANCE V WALES

GEORGIA V ITALY

SOUTH AFRICA V ENGLAND

NEW ZEALAND V SPAIN

TROLL PATROL

This really, really annoyed me when I first saw it a few days ago and it immediately earned its place in this week’s troll patrol.  For me it shows the lengths to which some people will go to have a pop at Leinster, harking to a reference that mentions ‘the poorest parts of AIDS ravaged Africa’???  Speaks to a complete disconnect between sporting ‘banter’ and, well, actual serious stuff going on in the world.

If you ever see an online contribution that seems worthy of inclusion here, by all means do share.

“SVNS” UPDATE

Mixed fortunes for the Irish teams in the Hamburg 7s, the men’s won the title although with the overall Rugby Europe championship taking both this and the previous event in Croatia, it ended up being France who won on points difference.  Meanwhile the women recovered well after a poor start to win the 5th place final over Czechia having lost to them in their pool opener.  Still plenty of evidence from both sides that they can do well in the Olympics.

HAMBURG 7s

IREW7s

GROUP STAGE

V CZECHIA 17-28

V FRANCE 14-26

V PORTUGAL 17-7

QUARTERFINAL

V GREAT BRITAIN 14-21

5TH-8TH PLACE PLAYOFF

V GERMANY 12-0

5TH PLACE PLAYOFF

V CZECHIA 26-12

IREM7s

GROUP STAGE

V CROATIA 43-0

V BELGIUM 43-7

V PORTUGAL 24-14

QUARTERFINAL

V BELGIUM 36-7

SEMIFINAL

V PORTUGAL 14-12

FINAL

V FRANCE 19-14

OLYMPICS 2024

IREW7s (JULY 28-30)

GROUP B WITH  

IREM7s (JULY 24-27)

GROUP A WITH   

🔝🐱🐴 UPDATE

Not much to say about that final apart from “Merci, beaucoup, Toulouse!” for helping Leinster get a top seed in the Champions Cup draw and the sentiments outlined in my tweet below. 

PLAYOFFS

TOULON 29-34 LA ROCHELLE 

BORDEAUX 31-17 RACING 92 

RELEGATION

GRENOBLE 18-20 MONTPELLIER 

SEMIFINALS

TOULOUSE V LA ROCHELLE

STADE FRANÇAIS V BORDEAUX

FINAL

TOULOUSE 59-3 BORDEAUX

MAJOR LEAGUE RUGBY UPDATE

Shane O’Leary is an out-half who was born in Cork and had stints with Grenoble & Connacht among others before declaring to play for Canada and has 13 test caps.

Luke Carty is an out half born in Athlone (and Jack’s brother) who also spent time with Connacht and he went across the Atlantic to play for the USA where he has earned 16 test caps.

Last weekend, Miami Sharks had possession in the early stages and O’Leary threw a pass which was intercepted by Carty to go the length of the pitch to put the Chicago Hounds ahead in their final regular season match on the way to a 38-26 victory which secured 3rd spot and a playoff trip to New Orleans in a couple of weeks.  As I have said before in this section, the Hounds are my adopted team for this season as they have a decent Irish contingent also including Dave Kearney and Nick McCarthy, and this has been a good campaign for them and you certainly wouldn’t rule them out causing an upset.

Elsewhere the reigning champs New England clinched top spot in the East and will face Old Glory DC while in the west Houston will play Dallas in a Texas derby while Seattle will host San Diego.  The league takes a rest week before the knockouts which is a good idea.

ROUND 18

UTAH 24-31 LOS ANGELES

NEW ENGLAND 40-7 ANTHEM

CHICAGO 38-26 MIAMI

OLD GLORY 27-24 NOLA GOLD

HOUSTON 29-28 DALLAS

SAN DIEGO 45-33 SEATTLE

PLAYOFFS

SAT JULY 20

NEW ENGLAND V OLD GLORY

SUN JULY 21

HOUSTON V DALLAS

NOLA GOLD V CHICAGO

MON JULY 22

SEATTLE V SAN DIEGO

NEXT BATCH OF HARPIN’

The end of Season 5 of our podcast adventure is in sight. Next up we’ve the first test preview recording Thursday night and the wrap will be Sunday. Be sure to keep up with all our social media channels with the usual amount of commenting, sharing, liking & subscribing.

And as ever, be sure to enjoy your rugby wherever you are.  JLP