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All Episodes

The Counter Ruck — 201 episodes

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Title
1

How Connacht are proving a stark contrast to reeling Munster

2

Is rugby’s TMO process fair?

3

Leinster reach a record ninth Champions Cup final

4

Leinster out to heal Champions Cup trauma; and is Aviva Stadium fatigue creeping in?

5

How concerned should Leinster be for Europe after Benetton defeat?

6

Could injuries derail Ulster's stellar season?

7

Leinster dismiss pretenders Ulster, Connacht find consistency and Ireland women crush Italy

8

URC preview, women’s Six Nations and Munster’s controversial new appointment

9

Leinster have yet to fully find their mojo heading into a Champions Cup semi-final – when will it all click?

10

What’s gone wrong in Munster?

11

Are Leinster champions cup contenders/how have things gone this badly wrong for Munster?

12

Are we living in rugby's good old days?

13

Transfer rumour mill runs hot as Irish provinces gear up for Europe

14

Leinster Schools thriller + Munster's concerning financials

15

Leinster’s outhalf dilemma

16

Are Ireland trending in the right direction? What we learned from their Six Nations campaign

17

Ireland denied the title by France's late act

18

Do Scotland have a genuine chance at breaking their 11-match losing run to Ireland?

19

Are Scotland primed to finally beat Ireland?

20

Ireland beat a dogged Wales side under the lights at the Aviva

21

Have Ireland changed their selection policy ahead of the clash with Wales?

22

Data in rugby and Ireland’s tactical revolution explained

23

Ireland U20s - how does the talent pipeline actually look?

24

Ireland pull off one of the great Twickenham days against England

25

How might Ireland pull off a Twickenham upset?

26

Did Ireland restore confidence ahead of Twickenham showdown?

27

Do Ireland's rugby pathways need a serious overhaul?

28

Are wounded Ireland vulnerable to an Italian job?

29

How far behind the leading pack are Ireland after defeat against France?

30

France vs Ireland - Six Nations preview

31

Can rugby take off in America?

32

Should Irish players have been wrapped in cotton wool ahead of the Six Nations?

33

Is Ireland's Six Nations squad 'safe'?

34

What does Munster’s crushing Champions Cup exit mean for Ireland?

35

Why did the All Blacks drop a coaching bombshell?

36

How did Leinster pull off their win against La Rochelle?

37

Rory Best on how Ulster have turned things around

38

Which province is worth paying to watch?

39

Why rugby’s bomb squads are bad for the game

40

Leinster and Munster’s battle for rugby’s soul

41

The role sports psychology has played in Leinster and Ireland’s success

42

Christmas takeaways from a strange provincial weekend

43

Could a multiple URC champion be on the way out?

44

Do Leinster’s misfires matter so long as they’re winning?

45

Rugby’s stylistic direction of travel - is it for the best?

46

Munster fall as Leinster fail to impress in Europe

47

Ireland's path to World Cup redemption + European preview

48

Why are Irish rugby tickets so expensive?

49

Is international rugby becoming unwatchable?

50

Saturday Shambles wraps up Ireland's November window

51

Ireland vs South Africa: rugby’s biggest rivalry?

52

Ireland’s record win over Australia sets up Springboks clash perfectly

53

What will Joe Schmidt's legacy with Australia be?

54

Ireland’s unconvincing Japan job

55

A big weekend for Ireland’s emerging rugby talent

56

Are Ireland sliding down rugby's global pecking order?

57

Can Ireland upset the odds against New Zealand?

58

How to save a young Irish rugby player’s career

59

After a decade of success, can Irish rugby continue to achieve?

60

What we learned from Munster’s emphatic win over Leinster

61

Ireland’s November squad: valuable rotation or more of the same?

62

How are Leinster and Munster stacking up ahead of their first meeting of the season?

63

Which new academy players could shine for the provinces?

64

How many Ireland jerseys are up for grabs ahead of the Autumn Nations Series?

65

How can Ireland build on their World Cup success?

66

Provincial rivals get a head start on Leinster

67

Provincial previews - How will Connacht and Leinster fare this season?

68

Provincial previews: How will Munster and Ulster get on this season?

69

Biting controversy overshadows Ireland’s quarter-final near miss

70

Ireland suffer at the hands of a vengeful New Zealand

71

Ireland set up New Zealand showdown

72

Ireland’s joyous World Cup start

73

Ireland’s 2017 World Cup misery - what can be learned?

74

Ireland’s World Cup: limping to the start line or a golden opportunity?

75

Ireland are back at the World Cup. How will they fare?

76

How will the 2025 Lions be remembered?

77

Who is Ireland’s greatest ever Lion?

78

Thrilling second Test saves Lions tour from ignominy

79

Is it do or die for Australia in the second test against the Lions?

80

Andy Farrell's Lions fire the first shot in Australia

81

How can the depleted Wallabies survive a Lions onslaught?

82

Slow Lions build-up finally culminates in Test week

83

Does Andy Farrell know his best Lions XV yet?

84

Ireland impress as the Lions struggle

85

Who needs to make an impact on Ireland’s summer tour?

86

Which Irish players have impressed for the Lions?

87

Tom Court - Ireland's accidental Lion

88

Will the Lions tour save Australian rugby?

89

The Lions in Dublin - what to expect?

90

Have Leinster answered their critics with this URC title win?

91

How can Leinster end their Bulls hoodoo?

92

Will Leinster’s siege mentality help them win the URC?

93

Which Ireland players will step up for the summer squad while the Lions are away?

94

Munster’s shootout defeat - the dark arts in rugby, yay or nay?

95

How can the provinces break France’s dominance?

96

Why Leinster now have to win the URC

97

Is French club rugby becoming more popular than Ligue 1?

98

Were the IRFU right to cut the men’s Sevens?

99

‘Getting the top two inches ready’ - How important is sports psychology to breaking a losing habit?

100

Have rugby fans stopped caring about the URC?

101

Who is in the most Irish Lions squad of all time and why?

102

Where do Leinster go next after more Champions Cup heartache?

103

Leinster vs Northampton - the comeback final revisited

104

Will Leinster be the only Irish team in the URC knockouts?

105

Should the 7-1 split be outlawed?

106

How to fix the Champions Cup?

107

Why do Leinster keep signing All Blacks?

108

Will Champions Cup blowouts come back to haunt Leinster?

109

Joey Carbery, Munster and Ireland - where did it all go wrong?

110

How did Munster stun O’Gara’s La Rochelle?

111

A history of Leinster and Harlequins' 'bloody' rivalry

112

How did Leinster’s young guns outmatch the Sharks?

113

Have the Lions left Ireland in the lurch?

114

The gap between club and international rugby is widening - here's why it matters

115

What next for the provinces after the Six Nations?

116

Are Ireland only Europe’s third best team?

117

Steve Aboud: the Irishman who saved Italian rugby

118

Is it easy to over-react to Ireland’s French defeat?

119

Is Ireland vs France the best rivalry of the modern era?

120

Are France better at developing young players than Ireland?

121

Is Ireland’s production line of talent beginning to falter?

122

How Ireland escaped Cardiff unscathed

123

Bold and brave team selection from Ireland and Wales ahead of Six Nations clash

124

Who has been added to Ireland’s Six Nations squad and why?

125

Will a new coach bounce for Wales cause Ireland problems?

126

Ireland’s Scottish win has all roads leading to France

127

How do Ireland avoid a Scottish banana skin?

128

Are Ireland Six Nations favourites?

129

Can Ireland afford to lose to England?

130

Who will start at 10 for Ireland during the Six Nations?

131

Who will win the Leinster Schools Rugby Senior Cup?

132

Are Leinster and Toulouse destined for another European final?

133

Ireland’s Six Nations squad, winners and losers

134

Leinster win in La Rochelle - grit or alarm bells?

135

‘I’ve been involved a lot in turnarounds’: Michael Cheika on his coaching philosophy and career to date

136

Who are Ireland’s next young rugby stars?

137

Should Irish rugby encourage more loan moves like Harry Byrne’s?

138

Is the gap widening between Leinster and the other provinces?

139

Is Ireland's central contract system in need of radical change?

140

Was 2024 a successful year for Irish rugby?

141

Irish women’s rugby: ‘there are loads of structural issues that are really difficult to address’

142

Is the Champions Cup on its last legs?

143

Irish lions - Rob Henderson

144

Why can't Irish rugby produce players with genuine pace?

145

Leinster’s Champions Cup opener brings a meeting with a familiar face

146

Where do Ireland go after the Autumn Nations Series?

147

Is Joe Schmidt the right man for Australia?

148

Are Ireland back to their best after thrashing Fiji?

149

Are Fiji now capable of beating Ireland for the first time in their history?

150

Have teams figured out Ireland's attack?

151

The Felipe Contepomi interview

152

Why Ireland won’t push the panic button after All Blacks defeat

153

Are New Zealand underdogs against Ireland?

154

When did the All Blacks lose their aura?

155

Does Munster’s new coach need to be Irish?

156

Munster part ways with Graham Rowntree

157

How a search for game time forced Ed Byrne to leave Leinster

158

Who will be named in Ireland’s November squad?

159

Should rugby's bomb squads be outlawed?

160

How Leinster overcame Munster in absorbing URC battle at Croke Park

161

Inside the Irish women’s rugby team

162

Leinster vs Munster- the history of a bitter rivalry

163

Is rugby set to change forever?

164

Have we just seen Ireland’s greatest ever win?

165

How did the Top14 become rugby’s answer to the Premier League?

166

Is a new crop of Irish scrum halves coming of age?

167

Does the Emerging Ireland tour actually benefit Irish rugby?

168

Is the Champions Cup set to be devalued?

169

The Counter Ruck end-of-season special!

170

How do Ireland counter new-look Springboks?

171

Luggage, player bingo and leaving certs - Ireland in South Africa

172

Adam Foy - the Belvo boy with a Super Rugby medal

173

Provincial demise ends domestic season

174

Nigel Carolan, the Galway man plotting a hole through Munster's defence

175

Ulster’s turnaround under Richie Murphy

176

Third time’s not a charm - Leinster fall in Europe once more

177

Zebo retires, Keenan to the Olympics and Leinster's Champions Cup showdown

178

Rugby's new laws explained with Owen Doyle

179

Northampton head coach Sam Vesty on meeting Leinster at Croke Park

180

Does rugby need the 20-minute red card?

181

Is Ireland's central contract system broken?

182

Interview - Dannah O'Brien, Ireland's great outhalf hope

183

How Leicester inspired Leinster's drive to the top

184

Ireland show green shoots in France defeat

185

Women's Six Nations - can Ireland avoid another wooden spoon?

186

Ireland win the Six Nations - Gordon D’Arcy and Gerry Thornley assess the campaign

187

Ireland vs Scotland - Grudge match or rivalry?

188

Ireland's Grand Slam dream dies at Twickenham

189

Ireland's Twickenham Test

190

The Lawrence Dallaglio interview

191

The history of Ireland U20s

192

Wales walloping leaves Ireland one win away from the Six Nations title

193

Ireland vs Wales preview

194

Youthful Wales show signs of life ahead of Ireland game

195

Rugby's culture war - Mike Ross on the state of Ireland's scrum

196

Italian demolition job with Gerry Thornley and John O'Sullivan

197

The Italian Job with Felipe Contepomi and Gordon D'Arcy

198

Ireland's magic night in Marseille

199

Gerry Thornley in Marseille ahead of France vs Ireland

200

France vs Ireland preview with Gordon D'Arcy and Noel McNamara

201

The Counter Ruck, a new rugby podcast from The Irish Times, coming on January 29th