Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Now, absolutely jam-packed weekend in sport, football, GAA, rugby. To have a look at the highlights, I'm joined by journalists Gavin Cooney and Aisling O'Reilly and also former Irish Rugby International coach and RTE analyst Bernard Jackman. You're all very welcome. Thanks a million for coming in. It is a great weekend. Bernard, I might start with you.
Huge weekend for Irish rugby because not one but two provinces competing in European finals, not against each other, it would have to be said, but it's a big deal for Irish rugby, isn't it?
Absolutely, and when you think of the doom and gloom after that French game in the Six Nations and a tough November, if we could end up with a Challenge Cup, a Champions Cup, a Triple Crown, you know, within a kick of winning the Six Nations until Thomas Ramos kicked it out of the dead against England, it would be a brilliant finish to it and a big turnaround.
The under-20s are going well, the women are going well. So, yeah, but obviously, if we weren't to lift silverware tonight or tomorrow, it puts a bit of a dampener on it.
Oh, don't be putting a dampener on it yet. I want to talk about Ulster versus Montpellier in the Challenge Cup, which is up tonight, 8 o'clock Irish time, I think. It's not just Ulster's chance for silverware for the first time in 20 years? 20 years, yeah. It's also their only way into next year's Champions Cup.
And for people who aren't familiar, the Challenge Cup is the lower tier of the European competitions.
Yeah, so they missed out on the top eight.
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Chapter 2: What highlights are there for Irish rugby this weekend?
But winning the Challenge Cup gets them into the Champions Cup next year, which we know from the issues around Munster financially is worth around a million euro at least. But also it's where the players want to play. So in terms of retention, recruitment... If you're not in that competition, it is harder to get the best players. They want to be there. It's like the Champions League in soccer.
But fortunately, it won't be just... From an Irish rugby point of view, if Ulster win tonight, Connacht miss out on the top. Sorry, they're in the top eight, but they miss out on the Champions Cup next year. So the only way we can have four teams in the Champions Cup at this stage is that Ulster win tonight, which for a short period would knock Connacht out.
But then if Connacht went and won the URC... they would qualify for that. So it's highly likely that we'll have all four teams in. But Ulster have a chance tonight to win a silverware for the first time in 20 years and guarantee their place in the Champions Cup next year.
And how highly would you rate their chances? Because Montpellier are a good side, a very good side.
Yeah, I think they're bigger underdogs than Leinster tomorrow. I mean, Montpellier are stacked with quality. They've changed their tact. So they're owned by a billionaire who owns Altrad Construction.
and historically they bought the Galacticos they bought the best players in the world and tried to put them together and they had a little bit of success with that but this is a different model they have a lot of local coaching staff headed by Bernard Laporte who's director of rugby they have some quality likes of Billy Vunopola Marty Banks the All Black but it's homegrown players and they're very very strong they took Connacht apart in the quarter final very strong maul and with Ulster missing Ian Henderson through suspension Stuart McCluskey through injury
Although they do have Robert Balacoon back, it's a big ask.
Okay, the big one tomorrow afternoon. Leinster back yet again, attempting to add that fifth star in the Champions Cup. But they really are very much the underdogs against Bordeaux.
Yeah, Bordeaux are champions and trying to go back to back. Bordeaux obviously have been building quite nicely. They have a poor record in finals until they beat Northampton last year in Cardiff.
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Chapter 3: How significant is the Challenge Cup for Ulster's future?
over an extended period it's extraordinary in fairness you have to admire their consistency because they keep coming back none of the finals they've lost they haven't performed but unfortunately they've got this knack now of just finding themselves the wrong side of the result in knockout rugby and I know that Northampton last year their coaches said that to build belief in their team they showed examples of Leinster what they call choking under pressure
and obviously Bordeaux will believe in that but once Leinster get over that line once I think they could go and win a couple but getting over the line is the hard part I love your enthusiasm I love your optimism the heat tomorrow or tonight and tomorrow I'm not playing I'll be doing a Steve Staunton on it no but yeah it's going to be incredibly hot I think they're going to put a water break in but certainly that will suit Bordeaux more yeah okay
I want to bring in Aisling. Thanks for joining us, Aisling. Temperature won't be quite as much of a problem here over the weekend, but the championship's back in full swing. There's lots and lots going on. Start off with football. Kerry against Donegal. That the big one this weekend?
Yeah, definitely the big one down in Killarney. And I think the temperatures are going to be better. Championship weather, we hope, David. We definitely need it anyway. But it is a repeat of last year's All-Ireland, a repeat of the Division One final. So there's a lot on the line for both teams. And probably for Kerry, the big talk at the minute is about injuries and
who they have back for this game. So we do know they're without a few of their key players. So Gavin White, Shane Ryan, Paul Murphy, Tom O'Sullivan, Seany O'Shea and Paul Ganey are all out. They do have four changes from the Munster final win over Cork. Paddy Clifford, Marina Buglock and Joe O'Connor, they're on the bench.
So there is a lot of players that are missing there for Kerry, but that's nothing new for them of late. They can still get the job done. Yeah, they have it there. So they know that they can get the win. But for Donegal, it's all about how they bounce back from the Ulster Championship, obviously lost to Down. And I think many people were maybe shocked about that. Down are a Division 3 team.
They've obviously won the Division 3, but they were playing Division 3 football. And to get a win over Donegal was quite shocking down in Donegal as well. So they'll be really up for this game. But it is in Killarney, which is a very, very hard place to get a win.
And it's a long way from Donegal as well. Meath against Cork.
Yeah, Meade against Cork, another big one. It repeated the Vision 2 final. I think there's disappointment there for both teams as well. For Meade in particular, in Leinster, the fact that they lost to West Meade. Obviously, West Meade went on and won the Leinster Championship, which was just incredible for them. I think it was written in the stars.
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Chapter 4: What challenges does Leinster face in the Champions Cup final?
Only this week, Salah had another salty social media post saying that we need to get back to, quote, heavy metal football and making it difficult to play against us. That's code for be more like Jurgen Klopp.
echoing many of the complaints that Liverpool fans have about slot so very very unhappy season at Liverpool for many many reasons it's a farewell to Mohamed Salah I'd be shocked if he didn't get on the pitch but slot today wasn't confirming that he would
Explain Southampton and Spygate to me because it's just nuts. If you're going to send a spy, you'd send somebody who was better at hiding.
Exactly. It's not really John le Carré stuff. It was literally an intern filming on his iPhone behind a very, very narrow tree at the Middlesbrough training ground. But the repercussions are extraordinary. Like in football, we're not really used to these things coming around and turning around so quickly and the rules actually properly being enforced.
But after Leeds were found guilty of spying on opponents a few years ago, the EFL and the competition organisers introduced a rule to say that if you're caught this, this is a serious breach and you'll forfeit the game for which it's relevant.
So as a result, Southampton, having qualified for the playoff final due to be played against Hull City tomorrow, having booted out Middlesbrough the side, whom they beat in the semi-final, had been promoted into that final instead. Southampton will start next season in the Championship with a points deduction And there's all kinds of eruptions kicking off now.
Reports that the Southampton players will sue their own club over potential loss of earnings. Having, you know, having kind of found a way to keep them out of the playoff final. That's only reports and it's not confirmed yet. But it's an extraordinary story, you know. And as a result, it'll be Middlesbrough and Hull City. They'll play off at Wembley tomorrow for a place in the Premier League.
OK. And obviously, if somebody is going up, somebody else has to come down. West Ham and Spurs.
Yeah, so in terms of what's tangibly left to be decided in the Premier League on Sunday, it's just the relegation zone. 2-1 won't go, so it will be either Spurs or West Ham.
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