Second Captains @ The Irish Times

The sport of rugby barely survived the Ken Early Rugby Special on Second Captains last week, but after a weekend deluge of tries, drama and upsets, it's back, baby!We do a quick series recap of "last season, in rugby" including a reminder that the international team did rather well in 2023/24, while the provinces struggled.Gerry Thornley joins us to discuss the 10-try interpro that went loco, Connacht's dynamic halfback duo, Munster's brain drain, Ireland and Leinster's outhalf subplot, Ulster's last-gasp win and the rise of coach Contepomi.Plus there's bridesmaid Rory McIlroy's continuing psycho drama, Tony Ward the codebreaker and Ireland, THE NUMBER 1 TEAM IN THE WORLD. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We had been told that Manchester City/Arsenal games are guaranteed snooze-fests, but it turns out we had been misinformed. John Stones got the final goal of a 2-2 thriller in the eighth minute of injury time, and it was a game so rich in drama, so packed with shithousery, and so laden with meaning for this year's Premier League title race that we simply had to hear from Jonathan Wilson and Gavin Cooney.  It might not have been a good week for Mr Mourinho in Turkey, but it will have gladdened his heart to tune into the Greatest League In The World to see both the top 2 turn into Jose teams.  It turns out he had the answers all along - why have a back 5 when you can have a back 6, and when all else fails, why not put a centre-half up top and try and get him on the end of a few diags.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's World Service roundup; Ken offers fresh perspective on Mikel Arteta's professional pickpocketer scheme, Eoin reopens a 34-year-old debate as to who was at fault for Toto Schillaci's goal that booted us out of Italia 90, and we share some of our chat with the great Katie McCabe live from the eartH Theatre in London last week.Join the party for a fiver a month – there’s no contracts, no sign-on fee, no minimum stay, no hidden fees and no ads. Go to secondcaptains.com/join for details. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rory McIlroy was 4 shots clear at the top of the leaderboard early in yesterday's final round of the Irish Open, was playing at his home-from-home course Royal County Down, against a field shy on world class golfers... nothing could possibly go wrong.Malachy Clerkin of the Irish Times wants to take away the stigma of choking in sport, thinks putting is the base issue and explains why he thinks Rory will win another major, but simultaneously comes to the realisation that he may be the last person alive to admit that these late-Sunday collapses are a problem.The 1,700 page report into the Grenfell Tower fire that killed 72 people in west London in 2017, released 12 days ago, accused Kingspan of “deeply entrenched and persistent dishonesty” and having a “complete disregard for fire safety”. We discuss Shane Lowry ending his association with Kingspan and whether Cavan GAA should follow suit. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If Ange Postecoglou's set-up yesterday harked back to the days of Ossie Ardiles, Mikel Arteta's Arsenal paid tribute to the spirit of an even earlier time. The Basque has reconnected Arsenal with their roots - and what lies beneath. We also talk about Heimir Hallgrimsson's blithe lack of concern for Optics.Jack Pitt-Brooke joins us to talk about the North London derby, the measures Ange Postecoglou has taken to address what are quickly becoming world-famous problems, and how Arsenal are likely to approach a week when they've had no favours from the fixture computer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We welcomed Eddie Dunbar into studio last summer to talk about the impact that a series of devastating crashes had on his career and his health.  Since then he has had another run of injuries including in this year's Giro D'Italia, but with that bad luck finally behind him, Dunbar has just won 2 stages of the Vuelta España, the second of which is the biggest win of his life. We talk to cycling journalist Cillian Kelly today about why this was such a timely reminder of Eddie’s class, why he has had so many crashes and what the future holds for the Cork cyclist.This weekend Branno took a time machine back to a more sedate, more gentrified Dublin, and he is now a fully-fledged polo man and a fan of complicated menus and the British commonwealth.Plus there’s a defeat for democracy at Central Council, and Oasis break the news of the status quo being maintained for another season in the GAA. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You want it to be one way. You want it to be one way. You want it to be one way. But it's the other way. Rice '11, Grealish '26 - a script written by an English sadist. Did we manifest this? Damien Delaney and Richie Sadlier join us to sift through the wreckage. What didn't they like about Ireland's approach? What could we have done instead? And what should we do next? We also hear the latest from the press conference where John O'Shea had to insist that he is not actually at the wheel of the national team.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's World Service tasting platter we drum up some excitement ahead of Saturday's Nations League showdown with England, Ken goes toe-to-toe with Stuart 'Psycho' Pearce on TalkSport and Craig Ray tells us why Ellis Park in Johannesburg is the toughest place to go in world rugby,And the brilliant Ellen Keane chats to us about seeing magic, introverted extroverts and seeking spontaneity. Join the party for a fiver a month – there’s no contracts, no sign-on fee, no minimum stay, no hidden fees and no ads. Go to secondcaptains.com/join for details. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There’s always a quote; “United's high-profile catastrophic start to the season has rightly brought every player under the microscope, but the purchase of a world-class holding midfielder could mark a change in fortunes at Old Trafford”. So read the Daily Mail in August 2022 - the world-class holding midfielder being paraded around Old Trafford before a match against Liverpool that day was... Casemiro. We chat with Dion Fanning and Miguel Delaney as the Arne Slot era begins in such style that he can even moonlight as a post-match pundit offering a tactical breakdown of his vanquished rivals. Plus there's Dyche-ball and Branno goes blackberry picking as Bohs down Shamrock Rovers.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to your free weekly taster of the Second Captains World Service. This week we had non stop entertainment from Ken - from Alexander The Great to Oasis to train stories to strolls with Sean Fitz - he is a true song and dance and stories man. We also chatted to Rhasidat about the need for speed (but when) and her poor health at the Olympics. Plus there was Transfer Deadline Day nonsense, the new Champions League format, a Time Machine malfunction, and a Rossie's plans to down the Dubs, with Carlow.Join the party for a fiver a month – there’s no contracts, no sign on, no minimum stay, no hidden fees and no ads. Go to secondcaptains.com/join for details. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paul O'Donovan won yet another rowing world title this weekend, while Jakob Ingebrigtsen shattered one of the longest-standing track world records - but the man who stole the world's attention, and money, was pole vaulting charisma machine Mondo Duplantis.We chat to David Gillick and Gavin Cooney about Rhasidat's latest 4th place finish, her road to endurance, the anti doping issues in Bahrain, O'Donovan's dominance and Ingebrigtsen's blistering times.Plus there's Ken on WWI's eastern front, trusting coach Flo, and Murph's buzzkill. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lars Sivertsen and Rich Jolly join us to talk through the weekend's football. What is happening at Everton, where we see Dyche, but not Dycheball? What kind of impression has Fabien Hürzeler already made after a couple of games in the Premier League? How are Norway managing not to qualify for international tournaments these days? And is it really true that any idiot can play Wonderwall? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to your weekly taster of the Second Captains World Service. This week we have Ken on the Chelsea cash elevator, Maresca's man management and football's great gamble. Plus there's Conor Niland in studio on Novak's secret sauce and Michael Darragh Macauley on his passion for his new role as CEO of Sanctuary Runners, a group that uses running as a way to bring together asylum seekers, refugees, migrants and all Irish residents, with the aim of creating a more inclusive, integrated and happy society.Join the party for a fiver a month – there’s no contracts, no sign on, no minimum stay, no hidden fees and no ads. Go to secondcaptains.com/join for details. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Branno went to Kerry this weekend to see the kingdom get taught a football lesson, but instead got an education in floats, parades, Roses and mass. Branno is now back in Dublin having seen some of the TEN DAYS of the Rose of Tralee festival. Today’s show tries to answer important questions such as: what would Ken’s B-boy name be? Why are Australians so good at sport? Is it ok to laugh at people who aren’t much good at sport (by Olympics standards)? And is there any topic that can't be turned into a culture war?We chat to Rohan Connolly - Managing director of FOOTYOLOGY, and AFL commentator for ESPN and 3AW about Raygun, the Australian break dancer who's crime was to be below average at her chosen event. Plus there's stadium winning streaks, Branno Furiosa and window wiper fun. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John Brewin and Dion Fanning join us to talk about the opening weekend of the Premier League season. John was at Portman Road to see the debuts of Kieran McKenna and Arne Slot and reports on the respective animal magnetisms of the two up-and-coming coaches. We also talk about Chelsea and their offences against football. Elsewhere, the latest instalment in the Perarnau-Guardiola series is upon us and we sample some characteristic vignettes.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to your weekly taster of the Second Captains World Service. This week we have a Premier League preview show, Man Utd's nostalgia money, anatomy of a 4 x 400m Olympic final, and Steph Curry's GOAT status.Join the party for a fiver a month – there’s no contracts, no hidden fees and no ads. Go to secondcaptains.com/join for details. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ken came into this Olympics a doubter and left it a believer. Was this the greatest ever Games? We chat to Cathal Dennehy and Gavin Cooney about the event, the Irish mentality, the 4th-place-a-thon, the drugs question, and how the future looks for us as an Olympic nation.Plus there's woozy Wiffen, sports tapas, pickleball rules and as ever Satan has his way with ceremonies and just Europe in general.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we grieve for the Paris Olympics, now already receding into history, but who could fail to be re-energised by the prospect of the PSR League starting up again in four days time?Arne Slot succeeding Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool is one of the buzziest storylines ahead of the new season, so it's a good time for the club's former head of research Ian Graham to bring out a new book explaining how he and Michael Edwards helped the club to make so many good decisions during the Klopp era. Can Edwards do it all over again?  Mark Critchley joins us to talk about Manchester City's penalty shootout win over Manchester United in the Community Shield and take us up to speed on the summer changes at the two clubs. Is Oscar Bobb already one of the best wingers in the Premier League? What does United's reported interest in another two members of the Ajax 2019 side say about the evolution of their transfer policy? And can anyone believe the size of the fish Sir Big Jim Ratcliffe has just caught?  Hosted on Acast.

Welcome to your weekly taster of the Second Captains World Service. This week we celebrated Kellie Harrington's back-to-back Olympic gold medals, look ahead to Rhasidat Adeleke potentially following her onto the podium and see what Ken has to say about his trip to Paris as a paying punter.Join the party for a fiver a month – there’s no contracts, no hidden fees and no ads. Go to secondcaptains.com/join for details. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Total medals for Ireland at the Olympic Games between 1960 and 1992 - 6. Total medals for Ireland during Week 1 of the Paris Olympic Games - 7.  Michael Foley of the Sunday Times and Sinead O’Carroll of The Journal were in Paris for Rhys’ gold, Kellie’s master-class and Wiffen’s third-place-that-felt-like-a-disappointment-but-is-in-fact-historic.  We recorded the show just in time to see Rhasidat Adeleke’s powerful, composed start to her 400m campaign that has us all dreaming big.Plus there's the 100m extravaganza, the gold medal table, coach Flo's form and St Lucia speed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.