Category: Contributors

398 : Munster v Leinster wrap

27 December 2024; Luke McGrath of Leinster scores his side’s first try during the United Rugby Championship match between Munster and Leinster at Thomond Park in Limerick. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
NOTE : this week we posted the ‘Final Thoughts’ portion separately on our YouTube channel

🏉  Vanishing pillar

🏉  Set piece revival

🏉  Steady Sam

🏉  Ahern SUAF

🏉  Through the Ringer

THIS WEEK’S GUESTS

CONOR CRONIN

CIARÁN DUFFY

Post To Post Sport – blog

FULL TIME TAKES

Chris McDonnell

I am not a McGrath fan but he was good tonight. Credit where its due. Munster’s refusal to take points when they are on offer is just daft against a defence as good as Leinster’s. Lineout was better and the scrum was good mostly.

Gavin Hegarty

Let’s not get carried away here, that was a terrible Munster team. They need to rebuild from the ground up.

Adrian Hickey

Being cautious with Super Sam is key. No Jordie or RG was a killer blow to a real soft Munster outfit imo. No real reason to egg them on

Jackie McEachern

Happy to see the lineout functioning better. Thought VdF was excellent again. Really happy to get the BP win. Still lots to work on but lots of positives too.

Kevin Kelehan

11 points clear of the pack, selecting a stronger squad to tour South Africa in March is vital, now the meat of the season kicks off, La Rochelle away, Bath home and the Six Nations title defence

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URC WRAP

397 : Munster v Leinster preview

ALSO AVAILABLE AS PODCAST

Our guest : CIARÁN DUFFY

POST TO POST SPORT

LEINSTER : 15. Jamie Osborne 14. Tommy O’Brien 13. Garry Ringrose 12. Robbie Henshaw 11. Jimmy O’Brien 10. Sam Prendergast 9. Luke McGrath

1. Jack Boyle 2. Rónan Kelleher 3. Rabah Slimani 4. Joe McCarthy 5. James Ryan 6. Ryan Baird 7. Josh van der Flier 8. Caelan Doris (c)

16. Lee Barron 17. Andrew Porter 18. Cian Healy 19. Brian Deeny 20. Scott Penny 21. Fintan Gunne 22. Ross Byrne 23. Jordan Larmour 

MUNSTER : 15 Mike Haley; 14 Calvin Nash, 13 Tom Farrell, 12 Rory Scannell, 11 Shane Daly; 10 Billy Burns, 9 Ethan Coughlan

1 Dian Bleuler, 2 Niall Scannell, 3 Oli Jager; 4 Fineen Wycherley, 5 Tadhg Beirne (C); 6 Tom Ahern, 7 Alex Kendellen, 8Gavin Coombes.

16 Diarmuid Barron, 17 Kieran Ryan, 18 John Ryan, 19 Brian Gleeson, 20 John Hodnett, 21 Paddy Patterson, 22 Tony Butler, 23 Ben O’Connor.

United Rugby Championship 24/25 Rd 9

Friday, December 27, 2024

KO 7:35pm  Thomond Park

Live on: TG4, Premier Sports 2, URC.tv

Referee: Sam Grove-White (SRU)

AR 1: Keane Davison (IRFU)

AR 2: Chris Lough (IRFU)

TMO: Mike Adamson (SRU)

396 : Leinster v Connacht wrap

21 December 2024; RG Snyman of Leinster makes a break past Josh Murphy of Connacht during the United Rugby Championship match between Leinster and Connacht at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

🏉 Makeshift?

🏉 Ref communication

🏉 Well taken tries

🏉 Holding on

🏉 Mackgate

THIS WEEK’S GUESTS

TOM COLEMAN

HUGO GORDON

FULL TIME TAKES

Lorcán Murphy

Changes and early injuries proved very disruptive. Came out the right side of a dogfight two weeks running. Better than cakewalks and nothing to show at the end of the season

Eamon Saunders

Not a great game but as I always say a win is a win. Great to see 2 Wexford men on the field Charlie Tector and Brian Deeny

Andrew Bailey

On paper a very strong Connacht team nullified. Just find a Lineout and we could be comfortable

David Ryle

Some dodgy decisions on both sides.

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URC WRAP

no 80+ column this week so we’ll include the latest comp updates here

Irish Shield

Celtic Challenge

All Ireland Leagues

WOMEN’S AIL

MEN’S AIL

SVNS

NEXT ROUND : PERTH  JAN 24-26, 202

Premiership

🔝🐱🐴

ProD2

Japan League One

Harpin Prediction League

THIS SEASON THE HPL IS ADDING A NEW KNOCKOUT COMPETITION

CALLED “THE HARPIN MUG” 

(BECAUSE THE PRIZE IS AN ACTUAL MUG SO WE COULDN’T CALL IT A ‘CUP’)

THE SEEDINGS ARE DETERMINED BY THE STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 6

AND YOU CAN SEE THE FULL BRACKET BELOW

395 : Leinster v Connacht preview

ALSO AVAILABLE AS A PODCAST

Our guest : NEIL “KEEGO” KEEGAN

www.keegolaughs.com

Apologies Up Front on Apple Podcasts

LEINSTER : 15. Jimmy O’Brien 14. Aitzol Arenzana-King 13. Charlie Tector 12. Jordie Barrett 11. Andrew Osborne 10. Ross Byrne 9. Luke McGrath

1. Jack Boyle 2. Gus McCarthy 3. Rabah Slimani 4. Diarmuid Mangan 5. RG Snyman 6. Alex Soroka 7. Scott Penny 8. Jack Conan (c)

16. Lee Barron 17. Michael Milne 18. Cian Healy 19. Brian Deeny 20. Ryan Baird 21. Jamison Gibson-Park 22. Harry Byrne 23. Max Deegan

CONNACHT : 15. Piers O’Conor 14. Mack Hansen 13. Cathal Forde 12. Bundee Aki 11. Shane Jennings 10. Josh Ioane 9. Ben Murphy
1. Denis Buckley 2. Dave Heffernan 3. Finlay Bealham 4. Josh Murphy 5. Darragh Murray 6. Cian Prendergast (C) 7. Shamus Hurley-Langton 8. Paul Boyle

16. Dylan Tierney-Martin 17. Jordan Duggan 18. Jack Aungier 19. Oisín Dowling 20. Sean Jansen 21. Caolin Blade 22. Santiago Cordero 23. Conor Oliver

United Rugby Championship 24/25 Rd 8

Saturday, December 21, 2024

KO 5:30pm  Aviva Stadium

Live on: RTÉ2, Premier Sports 1, URC.tv

Referee: Chris Busby (IRFU)

AR 1: Peter Martin (IRFU)

AR 2: Stuart Gaffikin (IRFU)

TMO: Mark Patton (IRFU)

394 : Leinster v Clérmont wrap

14 December 2024; Andrew Porter of Leinster is tackled by Pierre Fouyssac of ASM Clermont Auvergne during the Champions Cup Pool 2 match between Leinster and ASM Clermont Auvergne at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

🏉 Lineout shambles

🏉 Wraparound Sam

🏉 Tries left behind

🏉 Misty second half

🏉 Peak Porter

THIS WEEK’S GUESTS

CONOR CRONIN

DAVID CORDIAL

FULL TIME TAKES

Cormac Mannion

I can’t actually remember a worse Leinster lineout performance in over 20 years. Some of the handling was also atrocious.

Again, similar to some of Ireland’s performances recently, our players seem to constantly get isolated at the breakdown.

We also appeared to unnecessarily overcomplicate a lot of our handling and passing when being a bit more direct would have been the wiser choice.

Some worrying flaws from Ireland that have seeped into Leinster’s performances.

Kevin Kelehan

Line out is dysfunctional, I know Dan Sheehan is out but without him it has been a disaster, making sure he is fully fit has to be the number 1 objective for Leinster, the throwing today was so bad you’d nearly have JVdF throwing in and Kelliher/McCarthy in for scrummaging and loose play. Fix that problem and there are so many positives from today. The signings of Barrett, Snyman and Slimani are all hits, Sam Prenddergast was outstanding, his tactical kicking, distance to touch off penalties and passing were all really great. Henshaw and Ringrose both superb and Jimmy O’Brien looking close to his best again. A point dropped today but equally 4 points won against a slumbering European giant that was awake today.

Paul Lacey

Will we ever find another Andrew porter. He has to be burnt out .clarkson is playing brilliant rugby. Jvd & Morris need a break..

David Ryle

Scrappy game but a win is a win.

Colette Caddle

An amazing game, two excellent sides but Leinster line outs need a lot of work.

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CHAMPIONS CUP WRAP

393 : Leinster v Clérmont preview

ALSO AVAILABLE AS PODCAST

Our guest : NEIL “KEEGO” KEEGAN

www.keegolaughs.com

Apologies Up Front on Apple Podcasts

LEINSTER : 15. Jordie Barrett 14. Liam Turner 13. Garry Ringrose 12. Robbie Henshaw 11. Jimmy O’Brien 10. Sam Prendergast 9. Jamison Gibson-Park

1. Andrew Porter 2. Rónan Kelleher 3. Thomas Clarkson 4. Joe McCarthy 5. James Ryan 6. Max Deegan 7. Josh van der Flier 8. Caelan Doris (c)

16. Gus McCarthy 17. Cian Healy 18. Rabah Slimani 19. RG Snyman 20. Jack Conan 21. Fintan Gunne 22. Ross Byrne 23. Andrew Osborne

CLÉRMONT : 15. Alex Newsome, 14. Lucas Tauzin, 13. Pierre Fouyssac, 12. George Moala, 11. Alivereti Raka, 10. Irae Simone, 9. Baptiste Jauneau

1. Etienne Falgoux, 2. Etienne Fourcade, 3. Michael Ala’alatoa, 4. Peceli Yato, 5. Rob Simmons, 6. Killian Tixeront, 7. Alexandre Fischer, 8. Fritz Lee (c)

16. Barnabe Massa, 17. Giorgi Akhaladze, 18. Cristian Ojovan, 19. Oskar Rixen, 20. Antoine Chalus-Cercy, 21. Sebastien Bezy, 22. Ben Urdapilleta, 23. Theo Giral

Investec Champions Cup 24/25 Rd 2

Saturday, December 14, 2024

KO 5:30pm  Aviva Stadium

Live on: RTÉ2, Premier Sports 1

Referee : Luke Pearce (Eng)

AR1 Jack Makepeace (Eng)

AR2 : Jamie Leahy (Eng)

TMO : Stuart Terheege (Eng)

392 : Bristol Bears v Leinster wrap

8 December 2024; Jordie Barrett of Leinster during the Champions Cup Round 1 match between Bristol Bears and Leinster at Ashton Gate in Bristol, England. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

🏉 Defences up

🏉 Scrum lottery 

🏉 Yellow fever

🏉 Euro mode

🏉 Bench press

THIS WEEK’S GUESTS

RICHARD MIFSUD

CIARÁN DUFFY

Post To Post Sport blog

FULL TIME TAKES

Aonghus O’Brien

First half was poor, but the second half was loads of fun and I especially enjoyed the two tries from Sam ‘Not A Running Threat’ Prendergast

Louis Hoffman

Could a scrum ‘expert’ explain to me, what all that nonsense was about? Was it the refs fault?

Kevin Kelehan

Dreadful ref, his scrum time nearly wrecked the game completely. The bench was ridiculously over strength but thankfully it worked a charm when introduced, a BP on the road is all that history will record in a game of two halves.

Jackie McEachern

Definitely a “game of two halves”. As others have said, our bench obviously made a huge difference. While the reffing was horrible, we showed good composure in the first half when we had two yellow cards to attack and score a try.

Brian Patrick Donnelly

match ruined by inept, pedantic, awful refereeing. We were good for 20 minutes and that was that.

Shane Mcdonald

Just watching it it now at half time but how on gods green earth did the ref linesman tmo miss the very very very obvious hands in the ruck when jvdf nearly got over in the corner

Stevie wonder could have seen that and tv kept showing it over over over 🤦

Greg Kelly

BP away to the 2nd placed team in England is not to be sniffed at. The officiating was poor. We got little change from the officials in the first half but credit to the lads they worked around it well. Not sure how the TMO doesn’t intervene to card Thacker for pulling the ball out of Joshs hands on the goal line in the first half but comes in to reverse a lineout🤷‍♂️

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CHAMPIONS CUP WRAP

391 : Bristol Bears v Leinster preview

ALSO AVAILABLE AS A PODCAST

Our guest : NEIL “KEEGO” KEEGAN

(100TH HARPIN POD APPEARANCE)

www.keegolaughs.com

Apologies Up Front on Apple Podcasts

LEINSTER :15 Ciaran Frawley 14 Jordan Larmour 13 Garry Ringrose 12 Robbie Henshaw 11 Jimmy O’Brien 10 Sam Prendergast 9 Jamison Gibson-Park 

1 Jack Boyle 2 Ronan Kelleher 3 Rabah Slimani 4 Joe McCarthy 5 James Ryan 6 Max Deegan 7 Josh van der Flier 8 Jack Conan (c) 

16 Gus McCarthy 17 Andrew Porter 18 Tom Clarkson 19 RG Snyman 20 Caelan Doris 21 Luke McGrath 22 Ross Byrne 23 Jordie Barrett

BRISTOL BEARS: 15. Rich Lane 14. Jack Bates 13. Kalaveti Ravouvou 12. Benhard Janse van Rensburg 11. Gabriel Ibitoye 10. AJ MacGinty 9. Harry Randall 

1. Ellis Genge 2. Harry Thacker 3. Max Lahiff 4. James Dun 5. Joe Owen 6. Santiago Grondona  7. Fitz Harding (c)8. Viliame Mata

16. Gabriel Oghre 17. Jake Woolmore 18. Lovejoy Chawatama 19. Steven Luatua 20. Benjamin Grondona 21. Kieran Marmion 22. Joe Jenkins 23. Benjamin Elizalde

Investec Champions Cup 24/25 Rd 1

Sunday, December 8, 2024

KO 5:30pm  Ashton Gate

Live on: Premier Sports 1

Referee Pierre Brousset (Fra)

AR 1 Vincent Blasco Baque (Fra)

AR 2 Julian Caulier (Fra)

TMO Tual Trainini (Fra)

390 : Ireland v Australia wrap

IRFU 150 Test Match, Aviva Stadium, Dublin 30/11/2024 Ireland vs Australia Ireland’s Cian Healy Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan

🏉 Just not clicking

🏉 Schmidt tactics

🏉 Ten point swing

🏉 Back to adversity

🏉 Saved by the bench

THIS WEEK’S GUESTS

RICHARD MIFSUD

CIARÁN DUFFY

Post to Post Sport blog

FULL TIME TAKES

Cormac Mannion

I’m not too worried about the attack just yet. It took Catt a bit of time to sort that out when he took up the role so let’s hope Goodman makes improvements by the 6N.

However, our lineout is appalling and this is nothing new. Serious questions to be asked of O’Connell and what he’s doing there.

Big step up for Prendergast today and he’ll learn from it. Suddenly we now have options at 10 post Johnny. Crowley was really up for it when he came on too.

Another issue though seems to be the back row. We seem to get isolated an awful lot at the breakdown and giving away a lot of turnovers. Ruck clearance has definitely gone downhill this year.

Ronan McManus

I’m not sure that Prendergast’s more languid passing style helped us against the Aussie rush defence. They were in among us by the time the ball came into the centre.

Some real flashes of quality from him though.

Sort.out.the.lineout.

Kevin Kelehan

Bench was the difference between the sides, Dan Sheehan will be back once fit and Gus McCarthy should be on the bench, you need to win your own line outs, something that only happened once McCarthy came on. Jack Crowley also showed so much more accuracy and energy in his time, Prendergast just not up to the pace aged 21. Craig Casey also full of energy when introduced. Josh VDF also superb and was Doris as was Big Joe and Porter.

Sean MacDonnchadha

Can’t sweep this under the rug and say a win is a win and move on. That lazy mentality has only ever gotten us to the same QF exit in world cups. Lineout and attack are serious issues and can no longer be ignored – changes needed.

Jackie McEachern

Lineout needs to be sorted. Bench made a big impact (esp Crowley, Casey and McCarthy). Glad we got the win but that could easily have gone the other way.

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389 : Ulster v Leinster wrap

29 November 2024; Jordan Larmour of Leinster scores his side’s second try during the United Rugby Championship match between Ulster and Leinster at Kingspan Stadium in Belfast. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

🏉 Scrum’s the word

🏉 HIAs & injuries

🏉 Tactical changes

🏉 Jimmy & Jordan

🏉 Unexpected bonus

THIS WEEK’S GUESTS

TOM COLEMAN

DAVID CORDIAL

FULL TIME TAKES

Jackie McEachern

After last year, I’m so happy to get 5 points in Belfast. But it’s frustrating that Byrne’s conversion misses wind up meaning Ulster get the LBP. JOB was great.

Gordy Graham (Ulster fan)

Amazing that Ulster got anything from that game considering the state of our scrum. Both sides had an error strewn first half, both a bit better the second but Leinster, as they often are, were clinical enough to get the win.

Sean MacDonnchadha

Slimani brought in for nights like these. A rock of solidity with the first line front rowers away. Built our win around scrum power 💪🏼 Also great to see Larmour perform so well. A leaders performance by Jack with a great steal at the end to seal the win.

Kevin Kelehan

5 points for Leinster, decent progress report for Ulster who could have been a lot further in front at half time if they converted better

Colin Mcconaghie (Ulster fan)

Hate to criticise officials but that was so poor. Reffed both teams differently

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URC WRAP

@harpinonrugby

The first of our two wrap pods from the weekend is now up on Apple, Spotify, etc #rugbytiktok #urc #irishrugby #leinsterrugby

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