80+ column : June 3
Our weekly newsletter looking at the wider rugby world
ON THIS WEEK’S COLUMN…
WRAP OF A WRAP
NOT ALRIGHT, JACQUES
ATTACK ATTACKED
WRU SAGA UPDATE
C’EST L’ARGENT
THE LIMBO LEAGUE
THE URC SEMIFINALISTS
REAL WINNERS?
LEINSTER SQUAD UPDATE
TROLL PATROL
COMPETITION UPDATES (incl Prem)
NEXT HARPIN’
WRAP OF A WRAP
I’ve been banging on about a niggling cough that appeared for several weeks in a row while trying to record pods and just as that clears up, something new showed up as I was turning onto Shelbourne Road heading to my gate into the Aviva for Saturday evening’s quarter final.
My left calf inexplicably seized up in cramp meaning I had to make a decision as to whether to continue on or head back home. The pain actually really was that bad and had it struck before I got into my car half an hour or so earlier outside Harpin Manor, I would not have gone.
But at this stage I figured I might as well soldier on so I hobbled straight to my spot in the press box where I was to sit for the guts of 3 hours before struggling through the 20-minute limp back to the car. Jumping to the end of the story, by Wednesday morning as I type now, it’s a lot better, but it was definitely a strange one. Apols for the personal privilege, but one of the remits here is to relay my own experience of Leinster matches!!!!
At least a sore lower leg doesn’t hamper the production of a wrap pod the way a cough does and the one-sided nature of the final score plus the satisfying side plot of the James Lowe record-breaking made for a comfortable enough recording with Tom Coleman on Sunday evening, he did an excellent job poring over Leinster’s improvement from the previous week without ignoring the vast difference in opposition. Click here to check it out, if you missed it.
NOT ALRIGHT, JACQUES
‘I don’t think people value me here’
Jacques Nienaber casts doubts on Leinster future
Brendan O’Brien - Irish Examiner
Obviously the biggest disappointment for me from Bilbao was that Leinster are my team and I kinda like seeing them win things. But a close second, and it’s getting closer every year, is that I know exactly the kind of articles and comments that are going to be made in certain quarters when these results happen.
Yes, I know I could just ignore them, but when you’ve made a commitment to producing a weekly podcast it’s not easy. This year, I didn’t ignore the chatter altogether, but I did take a few days before I doomscrolled, and I was altogether better for the break.
When I eventually did check out the landscape, the narratives were exactly what I thought they’d be. With the possible exception of our first final defeat in Newcastle in 2019, Leinster have found themselves in a perennial zero-sum challenge - win the fifth star, or face another Trial By Ruggersphere. I’d compare it to Ireland’s World Cup semifinal issues only Leinster at least have actually lifted the trophy, but now that the number of lost finals has exceeded that of those won, the media depiction of it would almost make you think we hadn’t.
And who better to bear the brunt of the criticism than the coaches. Leo Cullen is the main man at Leinster, and has been for over a decade now with “only” one European title to show for it. I have always found “«insert coach’s name here» out” tirades to be extremely lazy and soccer-esque but eventually you do reach a stage where you have to ask if change needs to be made at the top.
But it’s not just Leo with the target on his back. That fourth star came with Stu Lancaster filling what was a “Senior Coach” role specially created for him and when he moved on to Racing, an interesting decision was made to go for a coach with a different outlook, namely one who excelled at getting his teams to muscle their way to silverware via small margins.
And call me crazy but I have always seen some of the logic in that move. We were already getting stick for failing at the final hurdle, and for the first couple of finals it was by a point or two each time. So why not bring in a decorated coach who was used to being on the other side of those results, even if it meant altering the framework under which the province approached the very sport itself?
But - when it comes to that zero-sum challenge I mentioned, we have fallen short yet again. So the questions and the narratives are bound to appear again. So I suppose you can’t really blame Nienaber for at least thinking he is under valued, even if it is eyebrow raising that he would say it out loud in a presser.
Is there a debate to be had about what he meant by the word “here”? Does he mean within the organisation? Does he mean in Ireland in general? Or did he just mean in the press room? I don’t know. But whatever it was, his words served as perfect chum in the water for a media that certainly had no interest in focusing on a 59-10 win, considering the result that Leinster had seven days earlier.
All I know is that no matter how much we harp on the need for replacements, if we believe a new brains trust will bring immediate success we are very naive indeed.
ATTACK ATTACKED
Leinster’s attack has been far from its best this season, with handling errors being a constant feature.
Donncha O’Callaghan slams ex-teammate for ‘robbing’ Leinster
Jonathan Browne - Extra.ie
Just in case Leo & Jacques think they are alone in the firing line, attack coach Tyler Bleyendaal is also in the crosshairs, in this case courtesy of his former team mate Donncha O’Callaghan. While I do believe it is a bit of a stretch to suggest Leinster attack is producing “nothing”, we can’t deny there have been issues with the ball as Leinster have gone through long spells in matches where it didn’t look like we could buy a score, with series of phases often turning into knockons, and more alarmingly of late, interceptions.
C’EST L’ARGENT
The Top 14 is not only dripping in talent, but in money – it’s got 90’s rapper money.
How France has mastered professional rugby better than everyone else
Paul Williams - Rugby World
I suppose my first three articles this week follow a particular theme - “Must we pin everything on Leo?” First there’s Nienaber, then there’s Bleyendaal…but this article from Paul Williams highlights another angle.
Do we honestly think there is ANYTHING Leinster can do that can absolutely guarantee to break the French stranglehold on the Champions Cup? That’s not to say it’s impossible, but as I said after the previous article above, to assume there’s a magic formula that will bring a fifth star is madness.
And as much as I like Paul Williams’ work, in this case the headline is a tad disingenuous (although that was probably done by a sub editor tbf). There’s no mystery about how the 🔝🐱🐴 finds success. It’s money. Pure and simple. Money for the best coaches, money for the best players, and if the coaches and players don’t achieve the desired success, then more money is made available.
That’s not me being cynical. It’s how they do things, and it’s how they can afford to do things. Irish rugby simply cannot afford to do that. I know many assume the IRFU favours Leinster above all else but the fact remains we simply cannot just whip out the chequebook whenever we want. We have to also consider players coming through the academy, who we have to cover when internationals are away and, yes, how can we also help the other provinces with smaller academies.
I always feel those who assume sacking the coach and buying new players will make a difference are watching a tad more round ball than oval.
WRU SAGA UPDATE
A consensual reduction to three teams will only realistically be possible if one team throws in the towel or two teams agree to merge.
WRU set to serve two-year notice on all four Welsh regions and trigger final fight
Steffan Thomas - Wales Online
The timing of this article looks almost intentional for Leinster/Irish fans to be reminded of how good we actually have it.
Finally we are beginning to see a timeline for when the Welsh may be dropping to three teams although with two years’ notice that does kick the can a good bit down the road with the possibility that the change may not happen. It also prolongs the length of time when the sport over there looks like an absolute shambles.
THE LIMBO LEAGUE
The Toyota Challenge will feature three rounds in Bloemfontein this month, before a second leg in Georgia in October.
Cheetahs face Portuguese challenge
SARugbyMag.co.za
As we talk about the WRU and in turn the URC losing a team, we are reminded of possible contenders to replace them.
Recently we have heard that Ealing Trailfinders could be an option, and I doubt the league would complain about having a team in London. But for me the best moral option would be the Cheetahs. They have been in the league before, were very unlucky to have been traded out, and have found themselves in limbo ever since, having to rely on thrown together ‘competitions’ like this one plus special invitations to the Challenge Cup to make up the numbers.
But although they might be the best moral choice, I am aware they are not necessarily the best logistical one. Right now the league enjoys a nicely symmetrical 4 x 4 Shield format (albeit with a contrived Scots/Italian one) so to go to 5 SA clubs and 3 Welsh ones would make fixture planning a tad messy. Personally I think that would be a problem worth working through, but I can see why the blazers would shy away from it.
In the meantime, the Cheetahs remain in limbo, as do other teams in this “challenge” like Black Lion. Hopefully they can all be accommodated with regular top flight rugby sooner rather than later.
THE URC SEMIFINALISTS
“So the URC quarterfinals are done and dusted and with all of them being home wins we are now left with the top 4 from the final table, 3 of them have been champions before and one has been to 3 finals. Home advantage might well stay true in the semifinals but I’m pretty sure the South Africans will be determined to put that narrative about them being poor travellers to bed. I’ve asked Tom to go through the other three teams for us, starring with top seeds Glasgow Warriors…they have had the odd stumble throughout the season but in the end they were good for that top of the table finish?”
REAL WINNERS?
Just a quick nod to this list of URC statistical leaders and how it’s interesting that of the five categories on one winner came from a team that finished in the top four. This is probably due to the fact that a lot of clubs prioritise European competition and even Test availability in selection so it’s not like you’re comparing like with like across the categories.
As Leinster fans who watched Chris Smith and Quan Horn struggle with the boot at the Aviva on Saturday, there is also a sense of irony in the awards, although to be fair, the Lions di have an excellent overall season, which we did point out on the wrap pod.
URC Awards Winners 2025-26
Gilbert Golden Boot: Chris Smith (Fidelity SecureDrive Lions)
IPVanish Tackle Machine: Ben Carter (Dragons RFC)
Ironman: Quan Horn (Fidelity SecureDrive Lions)
OFX Top Try Scorer: Evan Roos (DHL Stormers)
Playmaker: Jack Walsh (Ospreys)
LEINSTER SQUAD UPDATE
Very tricky selection this week, made so by the lengthy “further assessment required” section of the update.
Of this group, Joe McCarthy, Dan Sheehan, Tommy O’Brien, Rónan Kelleher, Garry Ringrose, Tadhg Furlong and Jordan Larmour I have chosen to rule out the last two because TF dropped out last Saturday and we have decent alternatives for JL.
Alternatives for the others could be 1) Joe - Deeny to the bench and Mangan start, 2) TOB - Reiko straight in to start 3) Rónan - Gus to bench 4) Ringrose - Reiko or Robbie. But below you see the ideal matchday 23 I’d like for Saturday.
HARPIN’ POSSIBLE MATCHDAY 23 V STORMERS
H Keenan, T O’Brien, G Ringrose, J Osborne, H Byrne, J Gibson-Park
A Porter, D Sheehan, T Clarkson, J McCarthy, J Ryan, J Conan, J van der Flier, C Doris (c)
R Kelleher, J Cahir, R Slimani, D Mangan, M Deegan, L McGrath, C Frawley, J O’Brien
caveat : I have no “ITK” a la Thornley
OFFICIAL INJURY REPORT
AVAILABLE FOR SELECTION:
N/A.
FURTHER ASSESSMENT REQUIRED:
Joe McCarthy, Dan Sheehan, Tommy O’Brien, Rónan Kelleher, Garry Ringrose, Tadhg Furlong and Jordan Larmour will all be further assessed after picking up knocks in the previous two weeks, with a decision on their availability to be made on an individual basis later in the week.
NOT AVAILABLE FOR SELECTION:
N/A.
NO FURTHER UPDATES ON:
Ryan Baird, Jack Boyle, Will Connors, Hugh Cooney, RG Snyman, Charlie Tector, Paddy McCarthy.
TROLL PATROL
Now it’s time for Troll Patrol where we ‘detain’ a social media commentator and charge them with gaslightery and general online mayhem.
The TP probably won’t “detain” anyone for this; I wouldn’t go as far to say that Tom is “trolling” with this offering although there is an air of “ha ha look what’s happening at Leinster” about it whether he intends it or not. I reckon the reply he gets was sanction enough and to be fair to Tom, he in turns replies “That’s certainly true.”
Interesting final weekends in both the Prem and 🔝🐱🐴, with playoff positions & slots on the line.
Northampton have secured top spot in the Prem but with 2nd v 3rd and 4th v 5th in the final round, those positions can definitely change, and all matches take place at the same time.
In France the pick of the fixtures is Bordeaux v Clérmont, close to a winner-take-all when it comes to barrage qualification although Racing & La Rochelle are both also in the mix. ROG’s lads host a Stade side who still have designs on a top 2 spot so it will also be an interesting day.
And I’m sure you’re all at the edge of your seats following the final rounds of the 2025/26 Harpin Prediction League. Just three matches left to forecast and I have managed to cut Kino’s lead down to half a point so the title could have to be decided by a spot-on prediction, and I certainly wouldn’t rule out last year’s winner Tom either.
Has to be Toulon 27-22 Bordeaux, completing a three-way split of victories if you add the result to Leinster’s Champions Cup semifinal and final.
WOMEN’S INTERPROVINCIALS
Round 1
Saturday, 8 August
Munster v Leinster
Ulster v Connacht
Round 2
Saturday, 15 August
Leinster v Connacht
Munster v Ulster
Round 3
Saturday, 22 August
Connacht v Munster
Ulster v Leinster
Finals Day
Saturday, 29 August
Dexcom Stadium
JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Pool A: South Africa, Wales, Georgia, Uruguay
Pool B: New Zealand, Italy, Scotland, Japan
Pool C: Argentina, England, Ireland, USA
Pool D: France, Australia, Spain, Fiji
Sat June 27 : Ireland v England
Thu July 2 : Ireland v Argentina
Tue July 7 : Ireland v USA
PREMIERSHIP
ROUND 17
Bristol Bears 21–19 Bath Rugby
Saracens 26–12 Harlequins
Northampton Saints 36–32 Gloucester Rugby
Newcastle Red Bulls 45–42 Sale Sharks
Leicester Tigers 26–35 Exeter Chiefs
ROUND 18
Sat 31 May
Bath Rugby v Leicester Tigers
Sale Sharks v Bristol Bears
Harlequins v Northampton Saints
Gloucester Rugby v Newcastle Red Bulls
Exeter Chiefs v Saracens
🔝🐱🐴
PROD2
CURRIE CUP
The top four teams at the end of the SA Cup league phase will again qualify for the Carling Currie Cup Premier Division, where they will be joined by the Vodacom Bulls, Hollywoodbets Sharks, Fidelity ADT Lions and DHL Western Province.
SUPER RUGBY
ROUND 16
Friday 29 May
Crusaders 47–14 Hurricanes
Reds 45–24 Drua
Saturday 30 May
Brumbies 19–21 Moana
Chiefs 59–34 Blues
Force 31–25 Waratahs
QUALIFYING FINALS
Friday 5 June
Hurricanes v Brumbies
Saturday 6 June
Crusaders v Blues
Chiefs v Reds
JAPAN LEAGUE ONE
SEMIFINALS
Kobelco Kobe Steelers 69–23 Tokyo Sungoliath
Kubota Spears 26–24 Saitama Wild Knights
FINAL
June 7
Kobelco Kobe Steelers v Kubota Spears
MAJOR LEAGUE RUGBY
Week 10
Seattle Seawolves 36–28 New England Free Jacks
Anthem RC 26–55 California Legion
Old Glory DC 32–33 Chicago Hounds
Week 11
Sat 6 Jun
Old Glory DC v Anthem RC
Sun 7 Jun
New England Free Jacks v Chicago Hounds
Mon 8 Jun
Seattle Seawolves v California Legion
STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 19
NEXT BATCH OF HARPIN’
Thursday
Throwback Thursday (Substack)
Friday
Leinster v Stormers preview (YouTube)
Harpin slot on DublinSouthFM (after 5pm news)
Saturday
Leave your thoughts after full time whistle on our Facebook page
Sunday
Leinster v Stormers wrap pod recording with Cian O’Muilleoir
In the meantime be sure to enjoy your rugby wherever you are. JLP