NB : Info in this post is as of Tuesday evening

---

On this week’s column…

---

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).

The tour is designed to give players on the fringes of the Ireland senior squad the opportunity to sample the national team environment

IRFU confirm Emerging Ireland trip to South Africa

Neil Treacy – RTE.ie

JLP : Had to switch off twitter with all the negative reaction to this news.  Apparently taking a young Irish team on a tour is a bad thing now?  Sure it will hurt the provinces for a few weeks but all the URC clubs get impacted by things like this at different stages of the season.  It’s the nature of the sport.  I harp on the need for a more sensible calendar with tournaments in blocks each and every year but even I have made peace with the fact that it is unlikely to ever happen for European rugby.  And once you accept that, then it should be easy to grasp that if you are to do a tour like this which clearly has at least as many benefits as drawbacks if not much more, then no one union is going to be able to pick and choose a time of year that suits them perfectly.

---

Benetton made them look very average, there’s too many flaws in their performance. I haven’t been overly impressed by them.

Jackman: Bulls aren’t all that

SA Rugby Mag

JLP : This could’ve been Clickbait of the Week as it looks like they went trawling for an article that Jake White could pin on the dressing room wall at Loftus on Saturday.  I didn’t listen to the full interview but I’d be pretty confident that Berch also qualified those statements with some positives in the Bulls set up.

---

According to the Telegraph, the Gulf state is ‘closing in’ on a £800 million (€940m) deal to host the finals of the tournament for the next eight years.

Qatar closing in on mega-money deal to host ‘Super Bowl of rugby’

Martin Healy – Extra.ie

JLP : Pretty much said all I need to say in the tweet, but I will add that I wanted to highlight this story using an article from the Sydney Morning Herald which had the headline : “Rugby’s Qatar option would be a cynical, soulless money grab” – I chose not to as it is behind a paywall but although it is an op-ed I reckon it also serves as a realistic piece of analytical journalism on this story.

Always a bad idea, but earning extra bad idea points by bringing it up in Pride Month.

I mean, just no. To all of it. https://t.co/WF5hAW71BI

— Harpin' On Rugby (@HarpinOnRugby) June 6, 2024

---

Hogg…has changed his Instagram profile picture from a candid off-field shot to one of him playing for Scotland

Stuart Hogg hints at Scotland retirement U-turn as he returns to rugby

John Jones – WalesOnline

JLP : I know I run the risk of seeming obsessed with Hogg when I feature him so often in the Front Five section (baby reindeer hog?) but it’s a risk worth taking because the progression of this story has been fascinating.  Off the top of my head the headlines have been : he retires pre-RWC > he’s having an affair with a jockey > he has a restraining order from his wife > he’s now a pundit > he’s in talks for returning to play with Newcastle > he’s in talks for returning to play with Montpellier > now he’s thinking of returning to test rugby.  And I’m pretty sure there’s more twists and turns to come, so watch this space…

---

***CLICKBAIT OF THE WEEK AWARD***

I’d have him in the squad and I would even consider him as captain because that’s going to be a big one.

Sir Ian McGeechan Makes a Bold Choice for 2025 British & Irish Lions Captain

Ruck.co.uk

JLP : Easy choice of clickbait this week. And the answer is Courtney Lawes.  See, they could have said that in the headline which would then persuade you to click to find out why, but no, gotta tease that little bit extra.  Now on the subject matter itself, I wouldn’t have a problem with it at all – no doubting he can do it, he’s certainly in form to make the Lions squad and also he’s unencumbered with Test captaincy.  But we can discuss all of that without clicking the link.

---

WRAP OF A WRAP

Conor & Ciarán were on hand to help me go back over the Ulster match and it was an enjoyable chat as ever.  We harped a bit more on the importance of Jamison Gibson-Park and James Lowe which didn’t make the pod but can be found in the YouTube clip you see below.

If you missed the wrap pod, here’s a link for Spotify but it’s also available on Apple and other platforms, please subscribe there too and/or leave a review if you can.

---

QUICK TAP : THIS GETS MY GOAT

When we say a particular player is doing good things are we also dissing every other player?  

@harpinonrugby

‘This Gets My Goat’ is part of our 80+ column which will post on Wednesday morning at http://www.harpinonrugby.com

♬ original sound – Harpinonrugby.com – Harpinonrugby.com

---

LEINSTER INJURY UPDATE

Once bitten twice shy when it comes to Garry Ringrose.  I don’t think we’ll see him again this season and this is one of those times when I’ll be over the moon to be wrong.  I do believe Jack Conan will play a role in Pretoria and also that we could go 6/2 on the bench.

---

---

URC IRISH SHIELD UPDATE

Thought I’d update this section one last time, yes, partly because Leinster finished in 1st place but also to add the interpro fixtures for next season, and it was only while doing this that I noticed that not all the matches have actual dates just yet, although it still has to be said the early release was a great idea and long may it continue.

---

---

---

TROLL PATROL

Why should Leinster have to travel this distance? We are a bedrock of this League with a wonderful support base in Dublin and we should be treated appropriately.

— Bryan De B'star (@BstardDe) June 8, 2024

I suppose if I am to have a proper weekly segment on the subject of trolling, once in a while I’ll have to include it when it clearly comes from a Leinster fan, although I’m not 100% sure if Bryan’s is a serious question or not…either way, it gets the troll label and he managed to reel in a couple of replies.

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

---

“SVNS” UPDATE

The World Series may be over but the Irish squads are getting some more preparation for the Olympics with the Rugby Europe Championship which consists of two tournaments the first of which was held in Makarska in Croatia over the weekend.  The women got off to a strong start in their pool before going on to lose four in a row which saw them finish in 8th position.  The men on the other hand have continued their good form and 5 wins in a row saw them through to the final against France…but it wasnt to be, we were in it right up to the final whistle and just couldn’t get past the French defence in the second half, losing two lineouts in the process which is criminal in this code, to finish on the losing side by 12 points to 7.  Still it was a good outing for Hugo Keenan to get integrated into the squad and the second and final round of this championship takes place in Hamburg at the end of the month.

CROATIA 7s

V GBR 0-19

---

🔝🐱🐴 UPDATE

There were some tight finishes in the final round and probably the most significant was at La Rochelle where the home side won to make the barrages but Racing nicked a losing bonus point with a Baudonne try right at the end (actually it was the conversion from Tedder that earned it because you have to be within 5 in the 🔝🐱🐴 ) and this put both through to the knockouts.

So as you can see below both sides must travel in the first round and it’s interesting that although Toulouse and Stade got straight into the semifinals, if Bordeaux make it past Racing it will effectively be a home match for them as both games are in the Matmut Atlantique.

Meanwhile on the European qualification front Clérmont had quite the late season surge in form to nick the 8th and final slot, which means if Leinster reach the URC final we could well renew our rivalry with them in the Champions Cup pool stage.

Also I’ve decided that from next season all going well I will also feature the ProD2 in these updates as it is essentially one of the top European leagues in its own right…I could probably name at least half a dozen clubs in URC & Premiership that would struggle to finish in the top half.  Vannes earned the direct promotion spot this season and now Grenoble and Montpellier will slug it out for that 14th spot.

---

---

---

PREMIERSHIP UPDATE

Congrats to Northampton Saints, of course we saw them as Leinster fans and they impressed (although they impressed more against Munster, twice 😜) so as a result in and of itself there was no surprise that they got the better of Bath on the day, but of course many are saying the match was defined by the red card for Beno Obano.  I guess I can only say what I always do in these scenarios…keep the tackles low and you’ll never put yourself on this kind of radar.  I understand the frustration for fans especially the Bath ones in this case obvs but those laws are there for a reason.  And speaking of Lawes, I know I mentioned him already in this column, but what a way to finish at a club, eh. 

---

---

SUPER RUGBY PACIFIC UPDATE

Not much in the way of contests in the quarterfinals by the look of it, in fact arguably the most noticeable thing about the four matches is that the Crusaders were not involved in any of them.  One team that won’t be involved at all in the future is the Melbourne Rebels, I can remember their formation with Stirling Morlock (who’s name I can’t even type without saying out loud in a draw out Aussie accent) one of the first to wear the jersey.  It will be interesting to see how their playing staff gets distributed among the other franchises and no doubt it can only make them stronger.

That leaves three NZ and 1 Oz in the semifinals and I really can’t see anything other than a Blues v Hurricanes final.

---

---

MAJOR LEAGUE RUGBY UPDATE

Chicaco Hounds may have had a lot of narrow defeats in recent weeks but they are still defeats and they have now slipped to 4th in the East – I can’t see them dropping any further but they would want to get back to winning ways soon otherwise they’ll have to play New England, who themselves are finding ways to win the tight matches.  Over in the west it’s still Houston and Seattle leading the way and guess what – they play each other next.

---

---

---

HARPIN PREDICTION LEAGUE

There are fewer matches to predict at this stage of the season but more points at stake…the QFs are x 1.5, the SFs are x 2 and the final is x 3.  Still tho the last weekend couldn’t separate Kino and Kristian for the title, although Kino has the edge in the first tie-breaker.  Could all boil down to the last minute of the final.  As for myself, I’ll do well to stay in the top 4 at this rate…

---

NEXT BATCH OF HARPIN’

It’s all about the Bulls from here on in this week….Keego will join us for the preview show then it’s the Meath/Westmeath combo of Tom Coleman and Mark Jackson helping me wrap the 80 minutes in our Sunday evening recording.  Do follow us on all our social media platforms and join the discussion when you can.

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

---

---

On this week’s column…

---

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).

“A surprising but rather logical destination given the Irish squad next season.”

Leinster leading the race for Clermont’s Rabah Slimani – reports

Cian Locke – Irish Examiner

JLP : Obviously the word ‘reports’ does a lot of heavy lifting in the title although just because a province and/or the Irish media hasn’t reported something yet doesn’t mean it’s not happening and there have been question marks over Leinster’s TH stocks after Ala’alatoa leaves.  More on the general topic of NIQ signings further down the column.

---

“For those who knew Rob throughout his life, his determination and spirit in the face of MND over the last four and a half years came as no surprise.”

Rugby league star Rob Burrow dies aged 41 after motor neurone disease battle

RTE.ie

JLP : Needless to say it doesn’t matter what code is involved this was sad news across all of sport.  Former players like Rob who have contracted MND have done outstanding work to raise awareness.

---

“I think at this pivotal moment in time…I wouldn’t be keen for him to move if I was involved with Leinster.”

Debate rages around Irish Rugby’s biggest prospect’s future

Philip Bendon – RugbyDump

JLP : We have of course been harpin’ on Leinster’s 10 dilemma for ages but it’s interesting to see it popping up in articles outside the four provinces.  The Sam to Connacht thing was big news last week and looked like happening (even if the timing did seem strange right before he was getting ready to PLAY Connacht) but the tweet below from Joe Naughton would appear to have chucked some cold water on the spreading rumours…

Sam Prendergast to Connacht OFF

Well after all the pleading it seems Sam Prendergast loan deal won’t be happening.

It was nearly certain before another Champions Cup loss, but now Sam Prendergast could be Leinster number one by Xmas, so he ain’t moving.

— Joe Naughton (@JoeNaConnacht) May 31, 2024

---

As well as a lifetime playing ban, the player also received a 156-week ban – the equivalent of three years – from all forms of rugby, including coaching, refereeing and administration

Namibian rugby player handed life ban after attacking referee

Charles Richardson – NZ Herald (via Daily Telegraph UK)

JLP : Only two words of comment required here : “Proper” and “order”.

---

***CLICKBAIT OF THE WEEK AWARD***

Heaslip disagreed with Murphy’s summation of the danger of the incident, and argued it had “quite a high level of danger”.

Jamie Heaslip Has Theory On How RG Snyman Escaped Card Vs Ulster

Oisin Gaffey – Balls.ie

JLP : This wins COTWA for having all the basic elements of perfect clickbait for Irish rugby fans, following the simple “Leinster player disputes something good tht happened to Munster or vice versa” formula, with the name Ulster thrown in for good measure.  Heaslip’s opinion does feature in the article, but so does Donal Lenihan’s, who also thought it could have been red.  His name in the heading might not have stirred things up quite so much though…

---

WRAP OF A WRAP

I was on Caolán Scully’s pod the day after the Champions Cup final and the other guest was a fellow Leinster fan David Cordial so I asked him to come on our wrap pod and he took to it like a fish to water.  Along with seasoned Harpin veteran Rich Mifsud we went back over the win over Connacht and for the final thoughts video we also looked at our favourite RDS memories as well as the upcoming URC quarterfinals.

If you missed the wrap pod, here’s a link for Spotify but it’s also available on Apple and other platforms, please subscribe there too and/or leave a review if you can.

QUICK TAP : QUALIFIED SUCCESS?

With all the talk stemming from the Jordie Barrett news I wanted to do a Quick Tap on the whole subject of NIQs and how we should handle them.

@harpinonrugby

From our 80+ column which posts every Wednesday afternoon at http://www.harpinonrugby.com rugbytiktok

♬ original sound – Harpinonrugby.com – Harpinonrugby.com

---

LEINSTER INJURY UPDATE

The actual update has been suggesting for weeks now that Garry Ringrose was available for selection but this week it was actually brought up in the text that they release with the update so it looks like it could happen this weekend, and not before time!  

Hopefully we are able to go “full bore” for the rest of the season with the exception of Hugo Keenan who is committing to 7s.  I know the South Africa series is big but it would be really unfair on Leinster fans to have our players denied knockout game time because of it.

Garry Ringrose is available for selection for this weekend's #BKTURC Quarter-Final against Ulster

Injury Update 👉 https://t.co/U3AYRyY3f2 #LEIvULS #FromTheGroundUp pic.twitter.com/oLK6BvshT2

— Leinster Rugby (@leinsterrugby) June 3, 2024

NB : the above matchday 23s are completely from my own mind, I’m certainly not suggesting I have any ITK a la Thornley

---

---

URC IRISH SHIELD UPDATE

I very much doubt there will be an open top bus inching through thousands of fans in Ballsbridge to celebrate Leinster’s retention of the Irish Shield any time soon, I’m pretty sure we’d have been happy with Munster winning it if we could swap for first place on the URC log.  The most positive angle from this “sub-competition” for me was the fact that of the 12 matches this season, 9 were decided by 7 points or less.

---

---

TROLL PATROL

Straightforward trolling here.  For context, in our Connacht preview show I asked Keego what he made of the Champions Cup final and after he responded I pointed out that in recent finals we had lost by 1 or 2 points so with this one having been level after 80 minutes you could say it was a zero point loss.  My overall point was that all the finals were close, not that we didn’t deserve to lose them, we have harped on that ad nauseum at other times.  Anyway, this guy jumped on it so I wish to repeat my invitation for him to appear on our show anytime to “show us how it’s done”.  You may be shocked to learn that he is yet to respond.  I’m starting to think he may not want to.

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

---

LEINSTER PLAYERS’ GAZA STATEMENT

They say sports and politics shouldn’t mix.  I say bollocks to that. 

I mean, that’s not to say that if we have chosen sports as our principle topic for content, we should be using that platform to also share political views – that would be disrespectful.  HOWEVER some subjects might be called ‘political’ when they actually transcend that, sport, and all other current affairs and IMO Gaza is one of them and I was extremely proud to see the Leinster players releasing this statement.

Also on the Quick Tap video above I chose to use my “final comment” to persuade people to vote in the upcoming local & European elections.  To be clear, I would never say WHO anyone should vote for, just that they exercise their right to vote.

📰 | Statement below issued on behalf of the Leinster Rugby senior men and women squads ⬇️

If you’d like to donate to @unicefireland and their Gaza appeal then follow this link 👉 https://t.co/7ldK8Iit3b#ForEveryChild pic.twitter.com/DPm2j61neG

— Leinster Rugby (@leinsterrugby) June 1, 2024

---

LEINSTER AWARDS

Congrats to all, here’s the official Leinster copy…

Aoife Dalton and Jamison Gibson-Park were the big winners as they took home the @BankofIreland Men’s and Women’s Player of the Year awards at the #LeinsterRugby Awards Ball on Saturday evening.

See the Award Winners here 👉 https://t.co/iu54e47BA5#FromTheGroundUp pic.twitter.com/5mRznzIO69

— Leinster Rugby (@leinsterrugby) June 2, 2024

---

PERFECT RDS VID

Not much more comment required here, this video was brilliant.

Siri, put the best bits of Leinster Rugby matches at the RDS in one brief video.

💙💙💙💙 https://t.co/NFWM1sgc1w

— Harpin' On Rugby (@HarpinOnRugby) June 1, 2024

---

EARLY FIXTURES

According to my Google Calendar, these 24/25 URC fixtures were actually due even earlier, the 22nd of May to be precise.  But still, for them to come out a week later was still an excellent idea to help people plan ahead for trips and whatnot, although I do know many who are keen to wait for the Champions Cup draw before they go clicking for hotels and flights.

---

“SVNS” UPDATE

Overall you have to say 5th and 6th placed finishes are disappointing when you consider both our teams are capable of winning medals in Paris.  But it certainly wasn’t all bad, in fact technically the men’s team went the entire weekend unbeaten.  We had to push for last gasp tries in all three of our pool matches but only one of those produced a win and with the “golden point” system in place, we fell short against both Fiji and New Zealand which meant we had to make do with the playoffs for 5th place where we dispatched both GB and RSA.  And going back to those extra time matches, we had more “poor luck” in both of them, with the Fijians lucky not to see red for that challenge and NZ shipping a penalty on our breakaway towards the end which really should have seen yellow.  On the negative side I wondered if both of New Zealand’s opening tries against us were a result of Hugo Keenan being a bit match rusty in this code – I thought he tried to take a bit too much out of his carries allowing the opposition to pounce.  He does have buckets of 7s experience of course he just needs a bit more game time.

Anyway on the women’s side, well nobody would get off to a good start to a comp when facing the Aussies, we couldn’t get past Fiji nor the USA either although wins over France and GB helped us stay away from the bottom two places.

MADRID (FINALS)

Just a yellow …. 😳 pic.twitter.com/rrutRaaty2

— Brett Igoe (@brettruganalyst) June 1, 2024

---

🔝🐱🐴 UPDATE

Europe’s love triangle of close finishes involving Leinster, Toulouse and La Rochelle continues with the French sides also finishing the 80 minutes level on Sunday night.  There are several fascinating battles in the simultaneous final round, best of which has to be the straight shoot out for an automatic semifinal spot between Stade and Toulon.  But another shootout of note is ROG v Stu as the loser of La Rochelle v Racing could miss out on the barrages altogether.

---

---

---

PREMIERSHIP UPDATE

Have to admit I never got to see either of these matches although both had their moments by all accounts, not least of which was one after the final whistle at the Rec!  Everything stayed with the seedings anyway and it should be an interesting “Battle of the Fin/ns” this weekend.

---

---

SUPER RUGBY PACIFIC UPDATE

Sad, but not surprising, to learn of the imminent demise of the Melbourne Rebels, and had they managed to overcome Fijian Drua in their final regular season match they actually could have sneaked the Crusaders into the final eight.  But despite the defeat the Rebels still must take to the field at least one more time as they DID reach the knockouts where I doubt they’ll have enough to win in Wellington.  In fact all the quarterfinals look like home bankers although the Reds could cause an upset at the Chiefs.

---

---

---

MAJOR LEAGUE RUGBY UPDATE

Like I said on last week’s column, my adopted team for this season the Chicago Hounds probably needed the week off to prepare for the final push and from here on in there are no off weeks, just four weeks of rugby as the 12 clubs look to whittle themselves down to 8.  In the east Chicago must look to keep up with NOLA and Old Glory ahead of them while New England look on track to finish first while in the west, Houston are still the team to beat although Seattle are likely to push them close over the coming month.

---

---

---

HARPIN PREDICTION LEAGUE

The regular season went right down to the wire with only the 1st tie-breaker of “winning predictions” separating Kino and Kristian.  We now move into the URC playoffs where the usual points will be multiplied by factors of 1.5, 2 and 3 across the three rounds until we have a winner, so technically I still have a chance although I have to correctly predict multiple major upsets to do so.  It’s not like I’m without form on this though…last season I was in 3rd place on the day of the URC final but being the only one to predict a Munster win I leapfrogged to the title, so you never know…

---

NEXT BATCH OF HARPIN’

Ulster up next – preview recording Friday, wrap pod on Sunday, and as ever there will be tweets and TikToks and Threads and all sorts in our other usual haunts in the ruggersphere – do keep in touch!

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

---

FRIDAY, MAY 17

SATURDAY, MAY 18

SUNDAY, MAY 19

MONDAY, MAY 20

* paid streaming service

---

---

---

On this week’s column…

---

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).

…several English press outlets have used strange language to subtly chastise Leinster and Toulouse for hosting their semi-final encounters in their home cities over the weekend.

English Press Push For Huge Champions Cup Change After Leinster’s Croke Park Triumph

Eoin Harrington – Balls.ie

JLP : Not even going to go into much detail here, because whatever way you slice the actual subject matter, these stories all boil down to the same thing.  English clubs winning Champions Cup = everything is fine.  English clubs not winning = format must change.  Boo hoo.  Maybe spend more time reporting on why the financial model has failed so many clubs and what’s being done to sort it?

---

Mr Hogg will return to court on 15 July for an intermediate hearing ahead of his trial on 30 July.

Ex-Scotland rugby captain Hogg ordered to stay away from wife

BBC.com

JLP : Of course I believe in the concept of innocent until proven guilty but with the above dates so relatively close and given the severity of the accusations, I don’t see why any broadcaster would consider putting him in front of a camera or any microphone until due process has full taken place.  Just baffles me to have seen him since the first reports came out.  And it’s not just TV where we see his reputation-washing, this article on Ruck.co.uk from just last Sunday would have you think he wasn’t having any legal issues at all.

---

“In the past, players would start in sevens, and move to 15s, which was the much bigger focus in Ireland. In the past few years, there has not been much movement, and look at the quality they have delivered. They are sevens players, and have consistently performed in that code.”

Singapore Sevens: resurgent Ireland banishing ‘impostor syndrome’, says bullish legend Brian O’Driscoll

Paul McNamara – South China Morning Post

JLP : The South China Morning Post is far from a normal source of Front Five material for these pages but I wanted to see if the Irish sevens were getting much coverage over the past week or so and well, this was up near the top of the list, despite some respectable results from both genders, especially the men who reached the final in Singapore as you’ll see further down the page.

---

‘F***ed it. Sorry. Harlequins fans were huge. Boys were incredible. Juvé.’

Joe Marler admits he ‘f***ed it’ after cheap penalty giveaway vs Toulouse

Mark Donlon – Extra.ie

JLP : If you weren’t watching the Toulouse/Harlequins match then you heard Quins had a penalty towards the end that could have given them a chance of staging another amazing fightback, only for one of their players to go and get the penalty reversed, you wouldn’t believe it.  Unless you heard it was Joe Marler of course, in which case you’d TOTALLY believe it.  To his credit though, at least he owned it.  So there’s that.

"That's stupid from Joe Marler"#TLSvHAR pic.twitter.com/eA8VTYL6eS

— Harpin' On Rugby (@HarpinOnRugby) May 5, 2024

---

***CLICKBAIT OF THE WEEK AWARD***

Ulster are poised to steam the flow of players leaving Belfast after swooping on Champions Cup semi-finalists Leinster to land Ireland back row Max Deegan on a two-year deal.

Leinster No.8 Max Deegan to switch provinces

Neil Fissler – Rugbypass.tv

JLP : Now – to be fair, much like Joe, Neil has owned up to this and I have made more than my fair share of mistakes on these very pages over the years.  Still, this is a pretty big one, and the reports we’re hearing now since it was announced that Deegan has decided to stay at Leinster that the agreement was reached ‘several months ago’.  So assuming the story was rushed to maximise exclusivity and thus to maximise clicks, Neil wins this week’s COTWA.

I deserve a kick in the bollocks. Sometimes you get things wrong. I’ve gotten one wrong

— Neil Fissler (@neilfissler) May 7, 2024

---

WRAP OF A WRAP

I brought the same team back from the quarterfinal against La Rochelle and Tom & Mark did a their usual excellent job going back over the match, striking the right tone when it came to the scary finish. We used the final thoughts section for our latest YouTube clip.

If you missed the wrap pod, here’s a link for Spotify but it’s also available on Apple and other platforms, please subscribe there too and/or leave a review if you can.

---

QUICK TAP : WOULD YOU BE ABL???

When I switched from an article-based to podcast-based format, our first show was a chat on the whole concept of what I call “ABL” or “Anyone But Leinster” but this TikTok is basically my taking another swing at defining it and expressing its relevance to contemporary Irish rugby discourse.

@harpinonrugby

Our 80+ column posts every Wednesday afternoon at http://www.harpinonrugby.com #rugbytiktok

♬ original sound – Harpinonrugby.com

---

LEINSTER INJURY UPDATE

We discussed on the pod how Leinster selections would go over the coming weeks and we kind of agreed we’d like to see a combination of returning injured players given game time and keeping the team for the final fresh, with some cotton wool for the likes of Lowe & JGP but not many more.

NB : the above matchday 23s are completely from my own mind, I’m certainly not suggesting I have any ITK a la Thornley

---

URC IRISH SHIELD UPDATE

The Shield comes back into play with Connacht still mathematically in contention and Munster trying to get off the mark.

---

---

---

CHURCH 111

We didn’t actually mention this on our wrap pod, but it did come up in our preview with Kino and to be fair, when he did come on Leinster fans were kind of more focused on us, you know, winning the match!  And I thought the PA guy went a little bit too far with his announcement, they should never bleed into the actual gameplay IMO.

All that said, what an amazing achievement and so fitting for him to reach the milestone at Croke Park given he’s a link back to the classic 2009 encounter.

Commitment and dedication since 2007. 💙

Having become the most capped player in Champions Cup history at the weekend, @ProperChurch knows what it means to #NeverStopCompeting. 👊 😤#FromTheGroundUp @bankofireland pic.twitter.com/QOXtIDFeul

— Leinster Rugby (@leinsterrugby) May 6, 2024

---

CROKE PARK ISSUES

Speaking of Croke Park according to reports all was not plain sailing, and not just when it came to getting the full complement of bums on seats either.  Look – overall I’m happy enough to accept that for what is effectively a one-off event rugby-wise there were always going to be some issues, but if this one below is genuine (and I’ve no reason to believe otherwise) then never mind what the policy of the stadium is, I’m looking squarely at the EPCR, as they had control of the event.  Surely it’s in their policy for these spectators to be guaranteed an unobstructed view, and if that meant keeping some areas clear that meant the attendance would be a thousand or so less, then so be it?  Will definitely have to be sorted before more matches are played there next year.

Disabled access viewing in the Cusack Stand. No way to have to watch a game. Thought @officialgaa would have sorted this problem out by now. @AccessForAll7. @leinsterrugby pic.twitter.com/t3NRQoaybH

— Matthew McGrath (@matmcgrath02) May 5, 2024

---

THAT STAR WARS INTRO

Might as well get my money’s worth from this clip and repeat it here…I decided to go all in with some Star Wars puns what with the Leinster v Northampton match being on May the 4th and all, and after the preview show was recorded I got the idea to look for a site that helped produced a video like this one, I was very confident I would easily find one, and I was right.

@harpinonrugby

May D4s be with you (in D3) – check out our #LEIvNOR preview on our YouTube channel #LeinsterRugby #InvestecChampionsCup

♬ original sound – Harpinonrugby.com – Harpinonrugby.com

---

“SVNS” UPDATE

Yet another exciting weekend for the Irish sevens programme, with the men coming within a whiskey of a first leg victory yet still closing the gap with Argentina at the top of the standings, and the women fighting back from defeat in the quarterfinals to clinch fifth spot with the help of the usual plentiful amount of tries from Aimee Leigh Murphy Crowe.  Now the circuit moves to its finals stage, the points are wiped clean and the top eight playoff in Madrid at the end of May.  No reason to believe why both Irish sides can’t push for podium finishes, same goes for the Olympics.

SINGAPORE 7S

---

---

Under the new model, HSBC SVNS 2024 features seven regular season events plus a Grand Final. The top eight placed teams based on cumulative series points at the conclusion of the seventh round in Singapore will secure their opportunity to compete in the new ‘winner takes all’ Grand Final in Madrid, where the women’s and men’s HSBC SVNS 2024 champions will be crowned.

Madrid will also play host to the high stakes relegation play-off competition where teams ranked ninth to 12th will join the top four teams from the World Rugby Sevens Challenger, with the top four placed teams securing their place on HSBC SVNS 2025.

---

---

🔝🐱🐴 UPDATE

Toulouse v Stade Français is obviously the match of the weekend as the home side have little time to be impressed by reaching another CC final.But I’d wonder if the Bordeaux v La Rochelle tie could have more significance.  When the last 16 bracket of the Champions Cup was set many thought this could have been the final, yet now defeat could leave either with doubts as to making the 🔝🐱🐴 playoffs at all.

NO MATCH LAST WEEKEND

---

---

---

PREMIERSHIP UPDATE

The English press might have a been in their bonnets about Irish clubs resting players for European matches but if Gloucester don’t put out mostly academy sides for their remaining two Premiership matches ahead of their Challenge Cup final date with the Sharks, then I don’t know what to say because they are totally stranded in 9th place on the table and can’t move so their only bet is to push for the automatic Champions Cup qualification that would come with the trophy, which would probably deny Leicester a spot.  For this reason I’m expecting Northampton to have an easy enough return to domestic action while the four clubs in pursuit somehow avoid each other in round 17.

NO MATCHES LAST WEEKEND

---

---

---

SUPER RUGBY PACIFIC UPDATE

Thought maybe the Crusaders were on the march in the last round then boom!  Up come the Reds to knock them back again.  Seriously wondering if they’re going to make the quarterfinals now.  Hurricanes and Blues still taking the top two slots and they meet each other in Auckland next.

---

---

---

JAPAN LEAGUE ONE UPDATE

No surprises in the final round of matches and the playoffs are set for two weeks from now.

---

---

---

MAJOR LEAGUE RUGBY UPDATE

GO HOUNDS!!!!  We have adopted Chicago for this season and they really did a number on the conference-leading Free Jacks as they matched each other for tries with 3 each only for the placekicks of Hounds outhalf Adriaan Carelse to keep the visitors ahead and it narrows NEFJ’s lead down to just 3 points and things dont get any easier for them as high flying Seattle come to town next while Chicago host DC.  Houston are also doing really well and got their 8th win of the campaign at Utah.

---

---

---

CHALLENGE CUP UPDATE

To be honest I would not have been surprised if both semifinals went the other way but the result is that whoever looks like finishing 8th in the URC or Premiership will be anxious watching the final as their spot in next season’s Champions Cup will be in jeopardy.  Despite all the negative talk about formats around the place, I for one like this rule.  Scraping into the last qualification spot should have some kind of jeopardy to it.

---

HARPIN PREDICTION LEAGUE

Just 31 matches left to predict so I’ll need a good round this weekend to make up for all the ground I’ve lost over the past month or so.  Might even need to take a few gambles along the way.

---

NEXT BATCH OF HARPIN’

It’s Those Pesky Birds up next for Leinster, on Ross Molony’s 30th birthday no less.  I’m doing a guest appearance on Mauls, Balls and All on Wednesday evening, while their host Peter Burke is down to help with our Ospreys wrap on Sunday.  We will of course have our usual preview show on Friday plus all the other usual features around the different social media channels so please be sure to comment, like, share & subscribe whenever you can.

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

FRIDAY, APRIL 19

SATURDAY, APRIL 20

SUNDAY, APRIL 21

MONDAY, APRIL 22

* paid streaming service

---

---

---

On this week’s column…

---

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).

“Should be a prerequisite for international refs to at least be able to communicate, it doesn’t have to be perfect”

Referee Karl Dickson comes under fire for his behaviour at the weekend

Ruck.co.uk

JLP : Little bit of a nothing burger story to lead off with, but I do so for a number of reasons.  First, the name Karl Dickson caught my eye simply because he is reffing Leinster’s big match at the Aviva this coming weekend.  But this whole “come under fire” thing seems a complete misdirect because I don’t see why he should be judged on whether or not he speaks French.  Obviously I think it has been good for refs like Wayne Barnes to parlez some Francais and the same goes for the French refs who speak English but for any of it to be mandatory is a bit of a stretch.  Maybe with the vast majority of rugby nations being English speaking it should require the basic rugby terms to be known by all but we’re straying down the wrong road if we think it should be part of the job.  Being good at a foreign language should not be a metric for deciding whether or not you’ll be good as a referee.  Actually if this article has any relevance at all it’s in a negative way and leads me to my second Front 5 article this week…

---

“The perpetrator was subsequently convicted of one count of use carriage service to menace or harass via online communication.”

Individual prosecuted following online abuse towards official

Jack Tunney – RugbyDump

JLP : That Dickson headline was written that way for one reason and one reason only….LITERAL clickbait.  It wanted readers who are inclined to disagree with refereeing decisions to give the article a hit thinking the “behaviour” of the official had something to do with a decision on the rugby pitch.  So basically you are actively seeking to trigger the types who might end up leaning towards actions like those taken by this individual.  

Obviously it is very good news that legal action has led to a conviction in this area and the hope is that the spread of this news will help deter other, but I’d argue that work needs to be done in other areas to stop the gaslighting as well.  I’ll never say that we should never disagree with officials to be clear, just that a very clear line needs to be drawn where that criticism stops and I’m not sure that has been properly done as yet.

---

…a Qatar Airways partnership to fly the SA franchises for EPCR matches has caused yet more logistical issues for the Bulls…

SA Rugby hit back at Bulls’ travel complaints

SA Rugby Mag

JLP : Travel was always going to be up there with the top negatives with letting the SA teams into northern hemisphere competitions, and this Last 16-to-quarterfinal turnaround week was always going to be when it was most noticeable, not just for SA teams either seeing how many miles ROG & co have clocked up.  For me, this is just further proof that the overall European calendar needs a major overhaul, but I won’t harp on that too much this time, I suppose when it comes to this particular case I have to wonder how an airline thinks they are being seen in a positive light being associated with a rugby club when it makes them endure eight flights instead of helping them travel more comfortably.

---

Menoncello…becomes the youngest winner in the award’s history, and only the second Italian winner following Andrea Masi

Menoncello voted Guinness Player of the Championship

SixNationsRugby.com

JLP : You might think I’d give a big “harrumph” that the player of the tournament didn’t go to the champions, let alone that it went to a team that finished 5th, but that would absolutely not be the case.  For Italy to have a 50% record in a tournament where they’ve collected enough wooden spoons to stir a Mediterranean Sea full of bolognese over the years is enough to show they deserve some kind of honour and this is just the way to do it, with Tomasso being just the promising young player to be the one to get it.  Interesting how the last Irish player to win was Jacob Stockdale…

---

“…if you look at the reality and just look at the size of Irish players in the Irish national side compared to other national sides around the world, in the tier one nations there isn’t a bigger, heavier side than Ireland.”

Jacques Nienaber aims to bring South African knockout secrets to Leinster’s formula

Gerry Thornley – Irish Times

JLP : Finishing off with a straightforward Thorinho piece based on an interview, and any insight into the Nienaber revolution at Leinster is of course welcome.

---

WRAP OF A WRAP

Wouldn’t expect anything less that top podding from Messrs Jackson & O’Muilleoir and both were true to form.  If you’ve been a long time listener to our wraps you probably noticed we have streamlined the format a LOT, taking out the Front Five (which moved to this column) and the bonus clip (which I got rid of altogether, both features were meant to try and cover non-Leinster/Ireland topics but basically that’s what this column is for).  Now we get our recordings done in under an hour and it saves me a ton of time while still giving the match that full Harpin treatment.

If you missed the wrap pod, here’s a link for Spotify but it’s also available on Apple and other platforms, please subscribe and/or leave a review if you can.

---

QUICK TAP : CC+SR≠CWC

As soon as I saw this story my Quick Tap rant for the week had its topic.  There are several other metrics where I feel this proposal looks bad but if I outlined them all the “tap” would have been anything but “quick”!!!!

One sign a new elite club comp isn't viable is when you have to cancel an existing elite club comp in a given year to make it happen.#ClubWorldCup pic.twitter.com/IpQ88vyV2A

— Harpin' On Rugby (@HarpinOnRugby) April 8, 2024

@harpinonrugby

Our latest Quick Tap video is part of our 80+ column which posts on Wed aft at harpinonrugby.com #rugbytiktok #irishtiktok

♬ original sound – Harpinonrugby.com – Harpinonrugby.com

---

LEINSTER INJURY UPDATE

I don’t see Ringrose returning and I reckon we should probably presume Healy is also out the way he limped off last Saturday.  The way Jamie Osborne & Michael Milne have been playing of late I’m not too concerned about either tbh.  What does interest me is what we will do in the pack.  Many are saying Will Connors should start again as he did back in the pool match in December, but I’m wondering if instead we’ll add his tree-felling tackles to the final half an hour where they have shown many times they can really gather momentum.  I’m pretty sure a 6/2 split is on the cards whichever way we go.

NB : the above matchday 23s are completely from my own mind, I’m certainly not suggesting I have any ITK a la Thornley

---

WOMEN’S SIX NATIONS 

Big, big match for Ireland this weekend.  It is essentially a wooden spoon playoff and we need to make every scrap of our home advantage count.  Obviously the re-addition of Cliodhna Moloney to the squad (finally!) will be a huge boost but if they feel they need her and indeed the 7s players why didn’t they add them sooner?  To my admittedly untrained eye I thought against Italy our biggest problem was that we lacked cohesion and adding new players could make that even more difficult, but we should still all get behind the girls on Saturday, although the direct clash of their second half with Leinster men’s first won’t make it easy.

NO MATCHES LAST WEEKEND

---

---

---

THAT ROG ARTICLE

I couldn’t let this go…look, I know these comments were made many years ago and that may be important context but still it’s the first time I have heard them and I’m not so sure time does a whole lot to heal them.  Was it OK to say those things in 2016?   Maybe there was mischief in digging them up to start the week that was in it but I’m certainly not going to have a lot of sympathy with him over it.  I’ve put a lot of words into the public domain myself over the years and if something comes back to haunt me now I’d have to own them.

But that’s enough on the matter as far as I’m concerned.  

https://t.co/CbEbrMMoZ5 pic.twitter.com/PhG95A8uS7

— Harpin' On Rugby (@HarpinOnRugby) April 8, 2024

---

LA ROCHELLE FAN CLUB (IRISH BRANCH)

Lot of chatter about the way some Irish fans will be supporting La Rochelle this Saturday.  I really don’t want to add to it on these pages, but it’s worth mentioning.  Personally, I’m fine with it.  I mean, actually wearing the jersey or merch to the matches might be a bit, er, OTT, but hey, you do you.  There’s a reason many choose to hate on Leinster, and that’s repeated success.  So instead of focusing on the hating, instead I focus on the reason, which for me, is a good thing.  Moving on…

---

KINO CRUNCHES THE NUMBERS

When he’s not guesting on the pod, Cian ‘RugbyKino’ O’Muilloeir has been known to pore over some relevant rugby stats and he has done some interesting work here on the remaining Champions Cup teams and how they have performed in relation to the bookies’ point spreads…

Inspired by @SimonGleave's previous work on handicap under/overperformance, I've had a look at the Champions Cup quarter-finalists through the 5 rounds so far.

What jumped out at me was that Bulls are the top handicap overperformers, and Leinster the worst.

What gives? (1/11) pic.twitter.com/vTKm3dECui

— Proper Rugby Kino (@RugbyKino) April 10, 2024

---

“SVNS” UPDATE

Both genders made it out of the pool phase but only the men went on to get some decent standings points thanks to an amazing Terry Kennedy hat-trick against the USA in the quarterfinals…it went to sudden death extra time and when a scrum in a brilliant position for us went a bit awry I thought we were in trouble until TK kicked it ahead and sprinted past pretty much everyone to get to it.  As I watched, even though the rest of the house was in bed on a Saturday morning, from the moment he kicked it I whispered “no way” and then I kept saying it over and over until by the time he dotted down I was screaming it!!!  Unfortunately the French were too good for us in the semis (despite being sans AD) but we recovered well to win the bronze medal to keep us in a solid second spot on the table.  And to be fair to the women’s team, they have also secured a spot in the final tournament and don’t forget of the two Irish teams they are the only ones with a leg victory so overall it has been an excellent season for the sevens programme so far.

One final note – as you can see in the graphic below, the official SVNS site didn’t seem to be able to find a picture of Michael Hooper, you’d think there might be one or two rattling around the aul internet wouldn’t you…

---

HONG KONG SEVENS

---

---

---

---

---

AIL UPDATE 

STOP THE PRESSES!  UL BOHS LOST A MATCH!!! Railway got the better of them in Round 17, and the top four all lock horns again in the final round of matches this weekend, I’m assuming that was smart scheduling from the organisers to help them get into the knockout frame of mind.  Still a shame this is all going on during the Six Nations, however.

Meanwhile in the men’s Div1A the final four was actually set with everyone at the top winning in the final series to leave to very interesting semifinals in Terenure v Lansdowne and Cork Con v Clontarf, they will take place the weekend after next.  

Meanwhile down in 1B I always get confused with the promotion format, turns out it is actually four teams that get to fight for the right to join St Mary’s in the top flight, with 9th place Shannon from 1A among the contestants.

#SupportYourLocalClub

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

SUPER RUGBY PACIFIC UPDATE

Four massive home wins didn’t exactly make for an exciting round 7, but Tahs v Saders could catch the eye next weekend.

---

---

MAJOR LEAGUE RUGBY UPDATE

Great win for Chicago in New Orleans which make them look like serious playoff contenders.  Houston remain the only unbeaten team and the visit of East-leading New England looks like the tie of the next round.

---

---

---

CHALLENGE CUP UPDATE

I firmly believed both Ulster and Connacht could win their away ties in the round of 16 but to repeat that this weekend won’t be easy.  Two matches in South Africa and two in France is quite a way to start your tenure as Ulster coach but we know Richie Murphy is up to the task and I certainly wouldn’t rule them out of contention at the Marcel Michelin.  Meanwhile if the boys from the west can repeat their second half form from last weekend, while Benetton will be hot favourites, you just never know.

---

NEXT BATCH OF HARPIN’

La Rochelle are obviously our focus this week, don’t forget our slot after the 5 o’clock news on Dublin South 93.9 radio this Friday, we’ll also post our own preview that afternoon with a wrap pod to come on Sunday.

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

'Multiple TV markets to keep happy' notwithstanding, I have to believe there was a way to avoid Munster & Ulster's matches clashing on Sunday, just saying.

— Harpin' On Rugby (@HarpinOnRugby) April 4, 2024

NOTE : BT SPORTS IS NOW KNOWN AS TNT SPORTS

THURSDAY, APRIL 4

4:25PM – IRELAND V SCOTLAND – U18 MEN’S SIX NATIONS – IRISH RUGBY YOUTUBE

FRIDAY, APRIL 5

SATURDAY, APRIL 6

SUNDAY, APRIL 7

MONDAY, APRIL 8

* paid streaming service

---

---

---

---

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).

Béibhinn Parsons, Eve Higgins and Aoibheann Reilly were among those who were part of Ireland’s historic title win, beating Australia in the final. Ireland name Sevens tournament winners in 34-strong squad BBC.com JLP : I’m delighted to see this.  Fifteens must take precedent, Olymic year or no, especially after a wooden spoon the previous campaign. Expecting more from this one.

The Swiss army knife within the Ireland and Leinster squads, Ciarán Frawley can play a handful of positions… The contenders to replace Hugo Keenan at full-back for Ireland Brendan McGilligan – Rugby World JLP : The number one point of this article is that Hugo Keenan has made himself irreplaceable.  But of course with test rugby being so attritional, you have to have a plan B when he’s not available and IMO even though I’m hearing reports that he could actually be available this weekend against Wales, I’m wondering if it might be better to rest him anyway to be sure he’s ok for Twickenham and also to try out alternatives.  This piece makes a decent case for Frawley, Larmour & Stockdale but I reckon there are those like Mike Haley who will feel hard done by.  To be fair, it does make sense to have the alternate a more versatile player across different positions, but if Hugo were ever out long term I reckon a more specialist option might be better.

During the draw, the 24 participating teams will be divided into six pools, each consisting of four teams. 2027 Rugby World Cup draw gives Wales pool of death Ruck.co.uk JLP : Missed this earlier…it looks like after decades of complaints they are finally tweaking both the RWC format and the timing of the draw, I’m not sure that two years out is much of an improvement on three, but I suppose it is something.  The seedings for a tournament to be held in late 2027 being determined by the world rankings two years earlier can still lead to a lop sided draw from where I’m standing, but we’ll see how it pans out.

“I’m focused on getting into the Reds team, and playing some good rugby.  I won’t be looking too far ahead.” Castle Avenue to Queensland – Meet the Irishman ready to take on Super Rugby Neil Treacy – RTÉ.ie JLP :  This article backs up Conor’s portion of the bonus clip which you’ll see below.

…spread the word and add to the #IrelandWeek initiative, ahead of the big Six Nations clash at the Aviva next Saturday. Irish & Welsh Rugby Fans Take On The Alt-Right On Twitter Colman Stanley – Balls.ie JLP : Brilliant idea from Welsh fan Ed Jenkins, has to be said.  I can’t say I’m a fan of his overall twitter approach but that goes straight to the backburner for this, whatever our differences on rugby and social media, we can easily put them aside when it matters.  I mean…stopping a hateful hashtag from trending may be a very small form of protest but the medium is not the point, that would be the spirit.

Note – views expressed in “Front Five” links do not necessarily reflect those of HarpinOnRugby

---

WRAP OF A WRAP

I actually did the preview all on my lonesome this week for the first time since I did them in written form, made the experience very different but it was still fun putting it together.  Then Conor & Rich joined me for the wrap on Sunday evening and it was as ever an enjoyable task, obviously helped by the Leinster BP win!

If you missed the wrap pod, here’s a link for Spotify but it’s also available on Apple and other platforms, please subscribe and/or leave a review if you can.

---

HARPIN’ ON…SUPER RUGBY, THE ORIGIN ROUND & FIXTURE CLASHES

Mixed bag of topics for the bonus clip, I reckon this format is better with three different topics rather than one because often we can repeat each other’s points.  The transcript for my bit is below.

“CLASH OF THE CLASHES”

As you probably know Ireland’s third match of the 2024 Guinness Six Nations takes place at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, February 25 when our opponents are Wales, and across the Irish Sea the days leading up to the match is known as “#IrelandWeek”.  Before I get to my topic I’d just like to encourage you to get on Twitter and use the hashtag it’s a great idea by Wales and Ivory Coast fan Edward Jenkins – the idea is that the more we use this tag the less chance other less desirable ones beginning with Ireland can be trending.

Anyway…as part of Ireland Week I plan to interview Seimon Williams, also a Welsh fan and as well as writing for the website gwladrugby he has written a book titled “Welsh Rugby – What Went Wrong” which having read it does exactly what it says on the tin.  While there are many different factors going into our Celtic brothers numerous rugby issues, one of the biggest ones is the relationship between the over 200 different clubs across the principality, and the Union when the game went pro, especially when the regions were established.

The reason I bring that up is not just to promote our bonus podcast which should post on Wednesday morning, but also to highlight my point for this rant, which is that although the transition from the amateur game definitely went a whole lot smoother on these shores, that’s not to say we’re without some, well, what would I call them, maybe tensions? between the clubs and provinces.

And in my humble opinion, we got a perfect example of these tensions just last weekend in Dublin 4.  Obviously if you’re watching this video you know perfectly well that there was a top of the table clash at the RDS on Saturday between Leinster in 1st place in the URC and Benetton who were 2nd, we actually did a whole podcast on it.  But as Hollie Davidson got the match underway, just up the road at the Aviva Stadium back pitch, there was also a senior rugby match with important playoff connotations.  

This was in Round 14 of the 18-round regular season in the Men’s All Ireland League Division 1A with 3rd place Lansdowne hosting 4th place and reigning champions Terenure.  As well as being a crucial fixture in the league it was also of course a Dublin derby.   And as if that wasn’t already enough to sell this match, there were also a lot of names Leinster fans will recognise from the fringes of the Leinster set up past and present like Temi Lasisi, Adam LaGrue, Harrison Brewer and Jordan Coughlan.  You could say a match like this if nothing else does a decent job of replacing the British and Irish Cup matches many Leinster fans enjoyed going to during the 2010s.

So simply put, if you’re a serious fan of going out and watching Leinster Rugby, this AIL fixture would definitely be of interest to you.  So why did it kick off a mere half an hour before things got underway just a stone’s throw up the road?

Already I can hear the voices screaming at their screens.  “The AIL always kicks off at 2:30!!!” or “The URC has to set its matches according to broadcasters” or “Why should one side move when it’s clearly the other that’s the problem???” But I’m not here to point fingers, because in my view, the finger pointing is a large part of the problem.  Wherever the blame lies, the net result is the same, and Saturday certainly isn’t the only time we’ve seen multiple matches which would interest the same group of fans take place at the same time.

All I am saying is that someone has to give at some point, and at a time when clubs are trying everything to get bums on seats at their games and buying pints and lunches in their clubhouses, while those innovative social media team naming tweets are definitely entertaining and share-worthy, for me a lot of that is lost when over 15,000 potential bums are within reach, so to speak.  

Obviously I’m not suggesting that a kickoff time of, say, 12:30pm together with maybe a a discount for producing your RDS match ticket would definitely get them all across, but it certainly would have been a cracking double header for many fans and surely it would have been worth some kind of outside the box thinking.

---

WOMEN’S RUGBY : CANCELLED CULTURE

Happy to eat my words…a few weeks ago I said in this column that maybe the cancellations in the Women’s All Ireland Cup weren’t as bad a look as some were making out, but at the time I was unaware that there was to be a clash between the playoff rounds of the Celtic Challenge and the Women’s AIL itself, which is literally a whole different ball game for me, hence this week’s TikTok offering.

@harpinonrugby

This is part of our latest 80+ column which posts Tuesday afternoons at HarpinOnRugby.com #IrelandWeek

♬ original sound – Harpinonrugby.com – Harpinonrugby.com

👇👇👇👇👇👇👇 https://t.co/aKrjt2uXfH

— IrishWomensRugbySupportersClub (@IrishWomens) February 16, 2024

---

LEINSTER INJURY UPDATE

The only update is that there’s no update…I thought we might see one what with Leinster playing Saracens on the Friday night but we’ll see if one pans out before then, if so I will post it here along with my suggested matchday squad.

---

THAT BENETTON IMAGE

---

Look – I appreciate the spirit behind this image.  We want to see the URC promoted as much as possible, especially in Italy where the 1st v 2nd nature of Saturday’s match made it important for Benetton to do all they could to hype the fixture.

But this is just not the way to do it.  Do other countries still use the leprechaun trope for Irish people?  I guess so.  And does the presence of a “Leprechaun Museum” in the centre of Dublin help banish the nasty stereotype?  Perhaps not.  Still, I know it’s Benetton’s logo but what exactly is so Italian about a lion????  So maybe it would have been better to ignore the national identity and maybe utilise the fact that Leinster use a lion theme too?  Maybe have two facing each other down?

Anyway here at Harpin’ Manor we workshopped a possible image using the reverse of the thinking used for the one above…

---

WELSH RUGBY – WHAT WENT WRONG?

I just finished reading Seimon Williams’ book, which is just as well because about seven hours after I’m typing this I will be chatting to the author himself about it!  It would be a bit much to say I “enjoyed” reading it, given it is an account of a series of communication failures between different levels of the game over decades, but it is definitely put together extremely well and is a worthwhile read.  The podcast will also count as part of our “Opposition View” as it would be rude not to talk about the match at the weekend.

---

URC IRISH SHIELD UPDATE

No more matches until May I know but I haven’t posted the state of play for a while so here it is.

---

---

---

“SVNS” UPDATE

The weekend festivals return this weekend with both Irish teams hoping to build on successful outings in Perth.  The Vancouver event lasts just two days instead of three which means three matches per day instead of two, I’d say that makes quite a difference when it comes to preparation.

Also while the matches have been all streamed live on RugbyPass TV up to now, I see TNT Sport has the rights for this one so we’ll see if the stream will still be there, I’ll try to find out for our Thursday Rugby on TV post.

---

---

VANCOUVER 7S

---

🔝🐱🐴 UPDATE

Eye-popping result of the round has to be Montpellier overturning Racing in Paris, certainly doesn’t do their relegation struggle any harm but definitely a worry for Stu Lancaster’ side, they will need a big result in the derby match next weekend.  Stade and Toulouse now opening up a bit of a gap at the top.  Meanwhile there’s yet another defeat for La Rochelle although they’re still within just two points for the playoff spots so I wouldn’t dream of ruling them out of contention just yet.   

---

---

---

PREMIERSHIP UPDATE

This comp is on a prolonged break until the end of March but I thought I’d update it here anyway since Leinster face Sarries on Friday evening in a friendly, no doubt to help them make up for the loss of fixtures after some clubs unfortunately went to the wall.

NO MATCHES LAST WEEKEND

---

---

---

AIL UPDATE 

The Wolfhounds could have clinched the Celtic Challenge title with a win in Edinburgh but just fell short in what sounds like a thrilling 26-all draw which means their final match on Saturday against the Clovers is more than just a Six Nations trial match.

Question…are draws in women’s rugby like “kissing your brother”???

Anyway – as for the WAIL, well I said quite a bit in the TikTok already but with UL Bohs being awarded the 5 points they stay top with an unbeaten record and the rest of the top four stays the same as well.

Over in the men’s side and the top two both won although Tarf just got past Armagh, and in the big Dublin derby (check out my YouTube bit above on the timing btw) Terenure edged Lansdowne to keep the top four placings tight.  The league takes a break next weekend.

Finally congrats to St Mary’s 13 wins from 14, already clinched promotion which means Div 1A rugby will be back within my reach next season!

#SupportYourLocalClub

WOMEN’S CELTIC CHALLENGE

---

---

WOMEN’S AIL

---

---

---

MEN’S AIL

---

---

---

RUGBY EUROPE CHAMPIONSHIP UPDATE

Please, please, PLEASE spare a thought for Belgium.  After an historic win over Portugal in Round 1, not only are they overtaken in the standing by Os Lobos, they don’t even qualify for the semifinals despite winning 2 out of 3!!!!!  Absolutely cruel.

A big win in Romania sets up an Iberian derby for Portugal in the final four while the Oaks must go to Georgia.  It’s looking to all intents and purposes like a GEOvPOR final but we’ll see.

---

---

---

HARPIN PREDICTION LEAGUE

Added another “yellow cap” to my collection in Round 10 to pull away a bit, although Those Pesky Birds the Ospreys denied me a perfect round with that late drop goal against Ulster.  Although the only prize in our league is of the ‘booby’ variety, we can only really focus on the race at the top since last place is pretty much done and dusted courtesy of Neil ‘No Picks’ Keegan…

---

NEXT BATCH OF HARPIN’

Keep an eye out for that bonus pod on Wednesday morning then it is of course all about the Welsh at the weekend, preview as ever will be Friday, wrap pod as ever will record Sunday evening, stay tune as ever to all our social media channels!

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

---

NOTE : BT SPORTS IS NOW KNOWN AS TNT SPORTS

STREAMING

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 11

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 12

8PM – AGAINST THE HEAD – RTÉ TWO

* paid streaming service

---