On This Week’s Episode:

• Derby Fever: It’s the big one! We preview the massive Towns Cup Quarter-Final as Tullow hosts Carlow. With Tullow coming off a season-best performance against De La Salle Palmerston and Carlow fresh and hungry, will match fitness or freshness win the day?
• History in the Making: We celebrate a landmark moment as the Tullow Women secure their first AIL win in two years. We look ahead to their high-stakes relegation battle against Ennis.
• Underage Excellence: A massive roundup of the youth circuit—from the U13s reaching a Leinster semi-final to the U16s' thrilling victory over Carlow.
• The Province & The Philosophy: The lads talk Leinster, the loss of RG Snyman, and the big debate: Is Jacques Nienaber’s defensive philosophy holding back Leinster’s natural attacking flair?
• Junior Rugby Roundup: Updates on the Seconds and Thirds as cup action heats up across the board.

Don’t miss the crack on the sideline! Whether you’re heading to the Black Gates or tuning in on the radio, we’ve got everything you need to know before kick-off, the game is also live on KCLR Radio.

We also bring you all the latest youth rugby news and updates from around the region.

All that and more on The Knock On.

This week on the pod, we are diving into one of the busiest windows in Leinster rugby.

We break down Tullow 1st XV’s high-stakes trip to Newbridge this Saturday—a must-win play-off against DLSP to keep their Division 1A status alive.

We also look ahead to the "Big One" at the Black Gates on March 29th. Tullow's Paddy Browne tells us why he’s looking over his shoulder at a surging Co. Carlow side. Can the Oak Park men pull off a heist in Tullow?

Also in this episode:

• Sean O'Brien is back on the pitch for the Tullow J3s against Navan.
• A massive AIL clash for Tullow vs Cooke, while Kilkenny Women face a top-of-the-table showdown at Foulkstown.
• SETU Head Coach John Farrell and a host of Carlow locals prepare to host UCC in the Division 1 All-Ireland Final this Wednesday. We review the SETU Ladies' brave performance against UCD under Keeva Owens and Paddy Moss.

We also bring you all the latest youth rugby news and updates from around the region.

All that and more on The Knock On.

Kilkenny’s Promotion Party: The Kilkenny Women are officially Division 2 bound! After a clinical 36–0 dismantling of MU Barnhall, they’ve secured the Leinster League Div 3 title with a game to spare. We also discuss the big news off the pitch as Steve Ashmore is confirmed as Director of Rugby for next season.

Carlow’s Super Sunday: Oak Park is buzzing after the J2s claimed their league title in a gritty win over Kilkenny. We also pay tribute to Wes Shirley, who looks set to hang up the boots after a legendary shift. Plus, we recap the Men’s 1st XV’s physical 21–0 win over Kilkenny and the ongoing success of the Bees’ inclusive team.

Tullow’s Tightrope Walk: It was a week of extremes at the Black Gates. After a high-scoring win over Wexford, a heavy defeat to Suttonians has left the 1sts fighting for their Division 1A survival. Can they find their form before a daunting trip to title-contenders Boyne?

Towns Cup Preview: It’s Round 2 of the Provincial Towns Cup this Sunday! We preview the massive local derbies: Tullow vs. Kilkenny at the Black Gates and Carlow vs. Wicklow at Oak Park.

We also bring you all the latest youth rugby news and updates from around the region.

All that and more on The Knock On.

After an absolute thriller last weekend, Tullow and Wicklow couldn’t be separated as they finished 27-all in Division 1B, a hard-fought draw that keeps both sides pushing in the Leinster League standings. This Saturday, Tullow travel to take on a tough Suttonians outfit looking to climb the table and build momentum.

On the women’s side, Tullow Ladies are back at Black Gates on Saturday afternoon, hosting Blackrock, hoping to turn recent midfield battles into points on the board.

Over in Division 1B, Kilkenny RFC head to De La Salle Palmerston on Saturday, aiming to upset the Palmerston pack and climb away from the drop zone in what’s set to be a bruising contest. Meanwhile, Kilkenny’s women’s team stay at home to face Ashbourne, where a strong performance could really boost their confidence for what’s ahead.

Back in Carlow, the Carlow men’s squad hosts Dundalk this weekend at Oak Park — a fixture that could be massive for league positioning as the season reaches its business end. And it’s a double-header as Carlow Ladies also take on CYM at home, with both sides looking to put phase pressure on their opponents and secure bragging rights.

All that and more on The Knock On.

Carlow delivered a dominant performance in the Towns Cup, overpowering New Ross 66–0 to book their place in the next round, where they will face Wicklow. The fixture also carried a poignant moment, with a tribute paid to the late Martin Dunphy. Martin was a former Carlow player and a central figure in the club’s golden era, playing a pivotal role in the historic Towns Cup teams that achieved an unprecedented three-in-a-row in 1992, 1993 and 1994.

The scheduled ladies’ game involving Carlow was unfortunately called off due to adverse weather conditions.

Kilkenny also progressed in the Towns Cup following a solid 27–7 victory over Enniscorthy. They now set up a next-round clash with Tullow. It was a successful outing for Kilkenny across the board, with their women’s side continuing their impressive form by defeating Navan 24–10. That result leaves the Kilkenny women with an outstanding record of nine wins from ten games this season.

Tullow, meanwhile, had a bye in the Towns Cup but came into the next round with confidence after a strong league win over Seapoint the previous week, despite finishing that match with just 13 players. Tullow returns to league action this weekend with a challenging fixture away to Wicklow.

We also bring you all the latest youth rugby news and updates from around the region.

All that and more on The Knock On.

Kilkenny RFC picked up a strong home win over Mullingar, running out 28–17 victors in Leinster League Division 1B after scoring four tries to two. They’re back at home this weekend as Clondalkin come to town, while the Kilkenny women travel to face South East Lions on Sunday.

Carlow RFC enjoyed a dominant away win against Clondalkin, winning 40–17, and now turn their attention to an away trip to Gorey this weekend. It was a tougher outing for the Carlow women, who were beaten by Birr in Division 4.

Tullow RFC were edged out at home by Tullamore in a high-scoring Division 1A encounter, losing 35–28. They face a tough test away to Seapoint this weekend. Tullow women were beaten 38–10 by Wicklow in the AIL and will look to bounce back at home against UL Bohemians.

We also bring you all the latest youth rugby news and updates from around the region.

All that and more on The Knock On.

Co. Carlow RFC were crowned South East Premier J1 champions after edging out Tullow RFC by the narrowest of margins in a thrilling final at Black Gates.

We preview Tullow RFC v Tullamore RFC in the Leinster League; this represents a real test for Tullow at home. Tullamore’s higher league position and consistency give them the edge, but a positive home performance could see Tullow push them hard — especially if they tighten up in defence and take scoring chances. Expect a physical contest. The U18S won the South East last weekend. Tullow ladies are away to Wicklow in the AIL.

Carlow head for Clondalkin and will be the favourites for this one. Clondalkin have struggled this season and are currently at the bottom of the table without a win, making this a crucial fixture for them if they want to climb out of the relegation zone, but in league rugby, the underdog always has a chance if they can slow the game down and stay disciplined. Carlow women are also away to Birr in Division 4.

Kilkenny RFC and Mullingar RFC go head-to-head and will be looking to bounce back from mixed results and a tough run of fixtures. Kilkenny women play South East Lions on Sunday in Division 3.

Tune in for all this and more on The Knock On! 🎙️🏉

Kilkenny’s seconds were in Towns Cup action, the women’s team are wrapping up their season, and the U18s had a strong campaign—losing just three players ahead of next year. We also touch on the ongoing challenge of losing players to Kilkenny College.

Tullow’s women’s team could have a lifeline in the AIL, with Suttonians reportedly withdrawing from the league. The club continues to thrive at underage level, with impressive participation and development.

We preview Carlow’s big clash against Athy in the Towns Cup final this Sunday at 3pm in Naas. Tom Crotty highlights the importance of a solid defence against Athy’s attacking prowess, noting that getting to a final is tough—but winning it is even tougher.

We also check in on Carlow’s J2s and youth teams as their season winds down. Tune in for all this and more on The Knock On! 

• Carlow RFC: Carlow has been relegated to Leinster League Division 1B after losing their playoff game against Wexford. Their goal for next season is to get promoted back to Division 1A. The focus, however, is on the Towns Cup Semi-Final this weekend, where they will face Wicklow at Cill Dara’s grounds. The J3s will also be in action, taking on Ardee in the Anderson Cup Quarter-Finals.
• Tullow RFC: Tullow will play against Athy in the Towns Cup Semi-Final on Sunday, also at Cill Dara, after defeating Gorey in the Quarter-Finals. The youth teams are doing well, reaching four finals. Paddy Browne also spoke highly of the Tullow Ladies’ Team and their successful season in the AIL.
• Fixtures & Youth Rugby Review: We round up all the latest youth rugby results and upcoming fixtures for Tullow, Carlow, and Kilkenny RFCs.

Tune in for all this and more on The Knock On!

Towns Cup Action
Tullow progressed to the Quarter-Finals after Skerries conceded their match. They now face Gorey away on Sunday.
Carlow takes on a strong Boyne side, who recently won Division 1B of the league.
We have the team sheets for both Tullow and Carlow’s upcoming matches.

Club Updates
Tullow RFC
J2’s face New Ross.
Tullow Ladies played their final home league game, falling short against Cooke RFC.
Katie Corrigan & Dannah O’Brien are in action with the Irish squad.

Carlow RFC
J2’s meet Wexford Wanderers.
J3’s face Longford in the Anderson Cup.

Kilkenny RFC
J2’s take on Edenderry.
J3’s battle Portarlington.
Silverware success for the Kilkenny youth teams at Foulkstown.
Tag Rugby returns this summer—James shares details on how to get involved.

Fixtures & Youth Rugby Review
We round up all the latest youth rugby results and upcoming fixtures for Tullow, Carlow, and Kilkenny RFCs.

• Tullow RFC: Their Towns Cup game was postponed last week due to a bereavement in Suttonians, but it will take place this weekend. Tullow have nearly a full squad available, with just one change in the pack that dominated the scrum last time out. The winners will face Gorey away in the next round.
• Kilkenny RFC: A disappointing loss to Wicklow in a game they felt they let slip away. With many players unavailable, Kilkenny have decided not to compete in the Plate, instead giving players a rest with some taking holidays.
• Carlow RFC: Through to the next round of the Towns Cup, but Tom Crotty felt they were flat despite the win. With areas to improve, they now face Boyne away in the next round. Carlow also have a crucial Leinster League Division 1A playoff against Wexford the following week.

Plus, we review all the youths' fixtures and results across the three clubs.

• Kilkenny RFC traveled to Cill Dara with a weakened squad and fell 34-7. They now shift their focus to a home clash against Wicklow in the Towns Cup, where they’ve named a strong and experienced lineup. Meanwhile, Kilkenny’s women’s team were defeated by Edenderry in Division 3 and now preparing to take on CYM this weekend.
• Tullow RFC edged out Bective 28-27 in a nail-biting contest, securing their place in Division 1A for next season. Theseconds team suffered a defeat. Their Towns Cup fixture against Skerries has been postponed due to a bereavement at the Dublin club. Tullow’s women put up a fierce fight but fell short against Galwegians; they now look ahead to an away game against Ballincollig.
• Carlow RFC battled hard against Suttonians in Dublin but now faces a relegation playoff. The seconds team picked up a win, and the firsts will meet Longford in the Towns Cup. Carlow’s J2s will also take on Athy in a friendly. On a high note, Carlow’s women’s team clinched the Division 6 Cup with a 26-12 victory over Midlands Warriors.

Plus, we’ll have a full report on all the latest news from the three clubs.

🔹 Kilkenny RFC – A strong win over Dundalk in Foulkstown, a trip to Cill Dara ahead, and eyes on Wicklow in the cup.

🔹 Tullow RFC – A crucial victory over Athy, featuring four sets of brothers in the lineup, a dominant scrum performance, and a big game against Bective coming up. Plus, Tullow women face Galwegians this weekend.

🔹 Carlow RFC – Fresh off a win against Ashbourne, Carlow now heads to Suttonians. We break down the league permutations and their focus on the next match. Carlow women have a shot at winning the league if they beat Midlands Warriors.

🔹 Youth Rugby Round-Up – A full report on the latest from all three clubs.

Tune in for all the latest local rugby insights! 

Stephen Byrne talks to James Blanchfield from Kilkenny RFC, Tom Crotty from Carlow RFC and Paddy Browne from Tullow RFC.

Tullow were beaten by Seapoint at the weekend in what is a tough run into the end of the season. Seapoint's try at the end of the game put Tullow out of contention for a losing bonus point. Paddy says it's going to be tough to avoid the second from bottom place on the table. Sean O'Brien played at full back and got the last 15 minutes of the game. They take on Athy this weekend in what is another local derby. Tullow women were away to Suttonians in the AIL and were beaten, they take on Railway Union this weekend.

Carlow firsts were away to Athy last weekend where they lost but did pick up two points, the seconds won their game. They take on Ashbourne this weekend at home. The women's team take on Lansdowne.

Kilkenny were at home to Wexford at the weekend, slow start, good middle and shocking end said James Blanchfield. Kilkenny take on Dundalk this weekend. The women take on Longford at home this weekend.

We also have updates on all the youths fixtures from the weekend for the clubs.

And some chat about Ireland in the Six Nations.

Tullow are at home to Seapoint this weekend, Tullow have three games left in the Leinster League and have what Paddy says is the tougher side of the draw. Tullow women away to Suttonians in the AIL and the J1's play Barnhall. There's a club development application going in for female changing rooms, referee changing rooms, disabled toilets and parking, first floor bar and viewing gallery. 

Kilkenny beat De La Salle Palmerston 36-24, they were missing six starters including their front row. Kilkenny put in a great performance, James Blanchfield said. The seconds lost. Kilkenny are at home to Wexford this weekend in what was a rescheduled game due to snow a few weeks ago. Kilkenny women beat Tallaght.

Carlow are away to Athy this weekend, the confidence is up having had a good win over Wicklow a few weeks ago. Tom says they are under no illusions about this game or what's to come towards the end of the season, he says Carlow are in a good place but you must play the full 80 minutes against Athy.     

We also have updates on all the youths fixtures from the weekend for the clubs. 

Stephen Byrne talks to James Blanchfield from Kilkenny RFC, Tom Crotty from Carlow RFC and Paddy Browne from Tullow RFC.

Carlow got the better of Tullow in the Leinster League Division 1A, the seconds won their game. Paddy Browne says Tullow are not going well at the moment and says Carlow could edge them at the end of the season. Carlow take on Wicklow next in their recently postponed game.

Kilkenny lost to Boyne at the weekend.

Stephen Byrne talks to James Blanchfield from Kilkenny RFC, Tom Crotty from Carlow RFC and Paddy Browne from Tullow RFC.

The Carlow v Wicklow game was called off due to snow still lying on the pitch and has been rescheduled for the weekend of 25th January. Carlow host Tullow this weekend in the big local derby, which is always a big clash. The women's team has a win at the weekend against De La Salle/St Mary's/Guinness.

Kilkenny's games against Wexford last weekend were called off due to the snow as were a lot of other underage fixtures. Kilkenny are away to Boyne this weekend in the league. They've been a bogey team for the side in some of their past meetings and have a dangerous attack. Kilkenny's women lost to Ashbourne.

Tullow beat Suttonians 13-7. A monumental effort from the club members saw over 60 people grab a shovel, brush and wheelbarrow and clear the pitch of snow so that games could go ahead. Tullow had a huge defensive effort to keep the Dublin side out and it was even 0-0 at half time. The women's team were in action against Old Belvedere however they lost that one. Their next game is against Swords.

We also have all the youths' updates and fixtures.

Stephen Byrne talks to James Blanchfield from Kilkenny RFC, Tom Crotty from Carlow RFC and Paddy Browne from Tullow RFC.

Tullow were beaten by Wicklow in the league, they had targeted the three games over the Christmas period, and with the loss, Paddy Browne says they face an uphill battle in this part of the season, he says the team is not clicking at the moment. 

They take on Suttonians this weekend who are third on the table. There were a number of games cancelled in Tullow due to the  weather. The women's team are in action against Old Belvedere.

Carlow came up just short against Bective, Carlow had injuries and illness to contend with in the run up the games. The seconds also lost their game, they had to be shuffled around as the first team needed a few of them. They take on Wicklow this weekend which will be a tough game.

We also have all the women's and youths' updates and fixtures.

We also chat Leinster and Munster ahead of their Champions Cup games this weekend. 

The weather was the reason a lot of games were called off last weekend. However Tullow's firsts were in action against Ashbourne and got the win there in a gale, the seconds had to concede their game. Tullow have a few injuries on their books and are trying to navigate their way through this period. This Saturday Tullow take on Enniskillen in Tullow in the Semi Final of the AIL Junior Cup. A number of the youths' fixtures fell foul of the weather.

The firsts and seconds lost their games in the league against Seapoint. They suffered late injuries too. Their next game is against Bective in the new year. The women had no match at the weekend. 

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club, James Blanchfield from Kilkenny RFC, and Paddy Browne from Tullow RFC.

Carlow's development side played SETU and won, a good crowd watched the game, and thanks to Johnny Tobin who helped organize the game. SETU won the league recently and included Carlow, Tullow, and Kilkenny players. There was a win for Carlow over Suttonians at home in the league, the second team won well. The J1s had a strong win despite losing their tighthead prop Ross Byrne during the warm-up. Tom Crotty says "To beat a top-three team is huge for us". Seapoint is up next and they will be a tough game, but Tom says the team will be far stronger this time around. The Carlow Christmas Party is this weekend too.

It was a quiet weekend last weekend for Kilkenny, youth games took place. The men's first and second teams welcome Mullingar this Sunday. They lost to the same side at the start of the season so they'll be looking for a better performance this time. The Westmeath side are top of the league at the moment. James says they are the underdogs coming into this game and they need an 80-minute performance.

Tullow was in action against Bective at the weekend, both teams were beaten, however. Tullow's seconds had injuries to contend with but Paddy said Bective has a fantastic side. Tullow stayed in touch into the second half but the Dublin side pulled away then. Tullow put out a younger side but ran out of steam and bodies. The first were also struggling with injuries. Tullow had to dip into the subs panel a lot on the day due to injuries picked up, 42-19 was the final score. They're up against Ashbourne next week and need a win there to stay in good shape.

We have a round-up of all the youth's action from the three clubs as well.

Tullow had a win in the AIL Junior Cup against Seapoint, they trailed 17-14 at halftime but pushed on and won the game 24-27. It was a particularly satisfying win says Paddy Browne as Tullow were beaten by the Dublin side in the league in their recent run-ins. Paddy says "Things are lifting a bit" as the team finds more consistency. They take on Enniskillen in the next round on the 14th of December. The women's side lost to Suttonians 12-48 in their AIL league game. They're up against UL Bohs on the 17th of December in a game that must be rescheduled. There was great mention of the U13 side, they have 41 players in the panel, so much so that they have problems trying to rotate the panel, they've a brilliant win record too this season. 

Carlow had a development side in action last weekend where they beat Clondalkin. They've 40 players training in the senior ranks and this gave a chance to provide some of the other players a game said Tom Crotty. 20-24 was the final score in the game. The side has been using the downtime recently too to sharpen their skills and intensity, they had a recent training camp with well-known fitness trainer Paul Ward from Paulies Bootcamp. There's no game this weekend for the senior men, their next game is against Suttonians. The Carlow women played the Midland Warriors at the weekend beating them 30-0. They've 24 players now on the panel and are going from strength to strength in what is their first season competing. We have news from all the youth's sides from the weekend as well.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club, James Blanchfield from Kilkenny RFC and Paddy Browne from Tullow RFC.

Tullow and Athy drew in their game in the firsts, Paddy Browne gives us a run down of that game, we also hear about the women's game in the AIL and more.

Kilkenny lost to Dundalk despite going sixteen points up, which James says they can't understand, however the seconds won. Kilkenny's women's teams however had great weekend.

Carlow beat Ashbourne after a tough start to the season. Preparations were disrupted too as the ref was an hour late for the game. Tom Crotty says they're happy with their performance and that they are going in the right direction, the break this weekend means that the players can recuperate and get ready for the next game. The J3 team are in action this weekend where they take on Clondalkin. Carlow's women's team are at home against the Midlands Warriors, it will also be their first game with 15 on 15.

We have news from all the youth's sides from the weekend as well.

Kilkenny were away to De La Salle Palmerston in a nail-biting game, Kilkenny got a last minute kick to win it 19-21, their first away win of the season. They're away to Dundalk at the weekend and could have a few injuries to contend with. Kilkenny women head for Longford this weekend in the league. 

Tullow played Seapoint who sit on top of the table, both the J1 and J2 teams were beaten. Tullow had a few injuries before the game so it disturbed preparations. The consolation was that they did pick up bonus points against the Dublin club. Tullow take on Athy this weekend. The women take on Railway Union in the AIL. 

Carlow took on Athy in a tight affair and lost, "another game we should have won" says Tom Crotty. He said mistakes and lapses of concentration hurt them. He says " they're so close to getting it right".  Carlow head for Ashbourne this weekend in an almost "must win" game as Carlow need to stay off the bottom of the league table. Carlow ladies had a friendly against Thurles and were beaten, but plenty learned from the game. They take on Lansdowne this weekend. SETU were in action during the week where they beat UL with some local players involved. We have news from all the youth

Tullow were the only club in action last weekend in terms of men's games. They won their AIL Cup game against Creggs 34-26, they're away to Seapoint in the next round. As it turns out, Tullow are away to Seapoint this weekend in the Leinster League Division 1A. The women were beaten last weekend against Galwegians, they have a break this weekend. 

Carlow host Athy in the Leinster League this weekend, it's another local derby Tom Crotty says, "We are on target preparations wise" he says for what should be a close game. The Carlow ladies take on Thurles in a friendly at home this weekend. 

Kilkenny meanwhile are away to De La Salle Palmerston. We also have updates from all the youths games across the clubs this weekend and we have some reaction to Graham Rowntree departing Munster.

Tullow beat Carlow 37-31 in the big local derby at the weekend, the seconds won 15-12. Tullow got a good start initially but Carlow kept in touch in the firsts, but Tullow made a lot of ground in the second half and was too much for Carlow to catch. Tom Crotty says their slow start cost them and they were playing catch up after that. 

The Carlow seconds were looking good for a win in what was a great game, but Tullow got a late try and sealed the deal. Carlow were happy to pick up the losing bonus points. The Tullow men are in the All Ireland Junior Cup this weekend.Tullow's women lost 26-10 to Barnhall. 

Kilkenny firsts beat Boyne, and the seconds lost to Boyne. James Blanchfield says their centre's were the difference in the J1 game, they were in flying form both in attack and defence. 

Kilkenny women lost on the road to Greystones, they're having a tough opening campaign in the league, they take on Tallaght this weekend. Carlow and Kilkenny have no men's games this weekend. 

We have updates from all the youths action in the three clubs and previews of this weekend's action. The lads also discussed the naming of the Ireland squad for the Autumn Internationals.

Tullow lost to Suttonians in their league game at the weekend, their fourth loss on the trot. Tullow conceded the second game. The women’s team had no game at the weekend. However, the second team was away to Clondalkin, making history in the process by being the first ladies' second side in quite some time. They won 78-14. They’re in action against Ballincollig this weekend at home. It was a mixed bag with the youth teams.

Kilkenny lost to Wanderers, had a strong team out but can’t put their finger on why they lost. Performances are very disjointed says James Blanchfield, discipline was a factor again this weekend. James says the team just aren’t gelling well together, he did say there are a lot of positives too. The seconds won their game. The women’s team lost out as well. The youths had some cracking games. Kilkenny host Boyne this weekend, they tend to struggle against this side and James says it’s their bogey team. The women’s team are away to Greystones.

Carlow lost to Wicklow and suffered a few injuries during the game, Tom Crotty says he’s not too worried at this stage of the season he says, they need to regroup this week and figure out what they need to do. The Seconds beat Wicklow and got the breeze in the first half too which helped a lot. The Youths had a mixed bag.

Tullow hosts Carlow this weekend. It's a huge derby game and a “different kettle of fish” says Tom. Paddy Browne says there are three games on in Tullow this weekend with the two derbies, and the Tullow ladies' game is also a home game in the AIL.

The lads also discussed the development of players and how many stay on in their own club after the age of 18, and there’s a percentage of players that play senior rugby and didn’t come up through the youths in that club.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club, James Blanchfield from Kilkenny RFC and Paddy Browne from Tullow RFC. 

Kilkenny got the better of Gorey by a point in what was a cracking game, says James Blanchfield. However, discipline is an issue, as they saw another two cards handed out—that’s five in two games. The second team lost their game. The Kilkenny women were beaten heavily by Ashbourne, and they play the South East Lions next. The youth sides had a mixed bag at the weekend. 

Kilkenny takes on Wexford in J1 and J2 this weekend. 

The Carlow youths had a good weekend with a few wins chalked up while the U18s lost. Carlow’s ladies' team had their first game in over a decade against De La Salle Palmerston and won. Tom Crotty says they’ve 22 players in the squad and more coming on board now. The U18 Rhinos team played with 14 players and had a great win. The J1 and J2 teams travel to Wicklow this weekend in the league in what’s another tough encounter. Tom Crotty is expecting a big physical game and they’ve yet to adjust to the step up to Division 1 rugby. 

The Tullow ladies took on Cooke in their second round of the AIL, they lost the game 36-12. Their women’s seconds team will make their debut, making more history for ladies' rugby in the club. Tullow’s J1 and J2’s head for Suttonians this weekend where Paddy Browne is expected another tough game. The youths sides won seven out of the eight games they played. Tullow got twenty thousand euro in funding as well to upgrade their walking track. 

The lads also talk about the advantage the Dublin teams have in Division 1A of the league in terms of strength and so on. Country players have quite a lot of commuting for work, and physical work, and lose young players when they head off to college in Dublin. 

The Kilkenny men’s fixtures on Sunday last were called off late due to the stormy weather. The J1 and J2 games against Gorey have been refixed for this Saturday. 

The Kilkenny women are at home to Ashbourne, it’s their first game of the league this season. Bective beat Carlow’s J1’s at the weekend, Tom Crotty felt they could have won it and that their scores came off Carlow's mistakes. They were disappointed not to get a losing bonus point and the seconds had a better game beating the Dublin side. Tom says the fitness levels required for Division 1A are huge, the ball is faster and they feel like they haven’t caught up quick enough. 

Carlow’s ladies' team have their first game in over a decade this weekend against De La Salle Palmerston. Tullow’s Dannah O Brien was part of the Irish women’s senior team who made history at the weekend beating the Black Ferns. Dannah kicked the score that won the game at the end. 

Meanwhile, Wicklow beat Tullow’s men’s teams in the league. Paddy Browne says Wicklow were relentless and Tullow had a hard day against them. Tullow could have some luck on their side for the next game though as Adam Johnson and Stevie Smith could be back for the clash in a week. The women were also beaten in their opening AIL game at home to Wicklow, they picked up three player injuries. 

The ladies play Cooke near Belfast in the next round.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club, James Blanchfield from Kilkenny RFC, and Paddy Browne from Tullow RFC.

Tullow started their Leinster League season with a loss to Ashbourne. It's a game they would have been aiming to win having come up against them a lot over the past few years. The second team however did beat Ashbourne and even brought on their BUM-SQUAD as they call it which included 62-year-old Tommy Dwyer. The men travel to face Wicklow this weekend in a tough match against their old rivals.

It's a huge week for the women's team as they start life in the AIL on Saturday when they take on Wicklow at home, a huge crowd is expected for that one.

Carlow lost in their league opening game in Division 1A away to Suttonians. They have another tough game in store this weekend as they take on Dublin side Bective, however they do have home advantage for that one.

Kilkenny lost to Mullingar in their opening league game. Several players made their debut on the day however it was the three sin-binnings that did the damage as the backs lost continuity during the game and it's something they'll have to work on this week says James Blanchfield. The Seconds also had several debuts on their team and won their match.

Kilkenny are at home to Gorey this weekend where they're looking to bounce back and are expecting big numbers at Foulkstown to watch that one.

The Kilkenny women are in action against the South East Lions.

Carlow open their Leinster League campaign away to Seapoint this weekend in their first Division 1A game this season. They have already picked up silverware this season with the South East League title. Carlow has a women's team for the first time in over a decade again, and we hear the news from over the summer as well as youth news.

Kilkenny are away to Mullingar this weekend in Division 1B of the league, James Blanchfield is quietly confident. He talks about the club's new players this year, the departing ones, and new coaches. Kilkenny's focus will be all on the pitch action after investments into their facilities over the last number of years. James also talks about women's and youth rugby. 

Tullow get their Division 1A season up and running at home this weekend against Ashbourne. Paddy thinks they're a bit undercooked coming into this one as they didn't play in the South East League, and their training numbers are down due to the GAA season still in progress. Sean O'Brien is also a huge doubt this season playing with Tullow as he struggles with a hip injury. The Tullow women begin life as a senior team in the AIL when they take on Wicklow on the 28th of September.

• Back-to-back Provincial Towns Cup wins for Tullow, and promotion to Division 1A for Carlow
• Tullow ladies securing AIL rugby for the 2024/25 season
• Sean O'Brien and Stevie Smith also revealed that they will play again next season as they bid for the three in a row.
• Kilkenny turning their focus to onfield matters for 2024/25 following facility improvements and club developments this season in Division 1B
• Plus, Doc O'Connor has stepped down as the coach of the Kilkenny firsts, however, he will remain on as a player with Corey Carthy comes in as the new manager for next season.

The lads feel that Tullow are favourites going into the game with Sean O'Brien's rugby brain and knowledge the key factor in the clash.

The Tullow ladies lost in the final of the Paul Flood Cup last weekend however, they have a huge game this weekend against Queens University in the AIL promotional playoff.

Tullow's Dannah O'Brien and Katie Corrigan are on the Ireland women's team to take on England in the Six Nations this weekend.

We check up on youth fixtures and chat about J2 and J3 action in the local clubs.

• Tullow are into the final of the Towns Cup with a 36-26 win over Gorey and now play Ashbourne in the decider after they beat Wicklow 24-22. The final is in Carlow on Sunday week and we look ahead to the big game.
• The Paul Flood Cup final takes on Sunday where the Tullow ladies take on MU Barnhall.
• There's J3 action as well with the local clubs involved, Kilkenny has never won the Anderson Cup, we discuss that and what the lads refer to as 'old relics' coming back and togging out for it.
• And Carlow are hosting a 'give it a try' initiative at the club over the next few weeks, it's for ladies and they try to set up a ladies team. 

#rugby #podcast #rugbypodcast

Carlow and Tullow get ready for a Provincial Towns Cup quarter-final showdown this weekend with the Division 1B champions and the reigning cup champions squaring up at the Black Gates on Sunday.

Carlow beat Portlaoise 41-7 in their quarter-final, Kilkenny beat North Kildare 27-20 and Tullow beat Athy 34-3.

The quarter final draw sees Mullingar v Wicklow, Gorey v Kilkenny, Tullow v County Carlow and Cill Dara v Ashbourne all with the possibility that should Kilkenny progress past Gorey we may see yet another local derby at the semi-final stages.

And we discuss SETU's loss to DCU in Iris colleges final.

We preview a weekend of Towns Cup action, Kilkenny head for North Kildare, Carlow entertain Portlaoise and Tullow host Athy.

Tullow ladies team get the better of Mullingar in the Paul Flood Cup while Kilkenny beat Wanderers in the Paul Cusack Cup.

Tributes are paid to the late James Coady who played for Kilkenny and was buried on Thursday and also to club man Willie Purcell from Tullow. 

Tullow play top of table Monkstown this weekend, they'll finish the league in fourth place, something Paddy Browne says they're very happy with it in their first season back up in division 1A. A top-four finish means Tullow can play in the AIL Cup next season.

Kilkenny are at home to Longford this weekend.

We chat about women's and youth's rugby this weekend and get the lads' predictions on Ireland's Six Nations game against England.

Tullow firsts lose out to Seapoint in the Leinster League  27-20.

Carlow beat Dundalk 46-29 in a tough encounter, it keeps the momentum going for the side who are looking to finish the season with a chance to go for promotion. 

Kilkenny lose to Boyne 40-31, down a lot of players through injury and other reasons. 

Kilkenny Ladies lost to South East Lions.

All sides have a weekend off this weekend.

We look back at the weekend of action for Carlow Kilkenny and Tullow last weekend; Tullow had a bye for the Towns Cup, however, Kilkenny started their campaign with a win over Clondalkin and face Athy this Saturday in a crucial league game in the Leinster League.

Carlow in the Towns Cup had a good win over Boyne and they're in action this weekend in the league as well. 

We all hear about youth rugby and women's rugby and of course Ireland in the Six Nations.

This week there's a look at 

- Tullow's win over Ashbourne
- Carlow's latest from the Leinster League and the start of their Provincial Towns Cup campaign facing Boyne on Sunday
- Updates from local kids, and minis
- And there's a nod to former contributor Johnny Tobin who leads SETU Carlow into the All-Ireland colleges rugby series this coming week.
- And it's Six Nations weekend!

• Tullow's Division 1A loss to Bective and preview their clash with Wicklow
• Carlow's defeat of Boyne ahead of facing Longford
• Another win in Division 1B for Kilkenny over DLSP with Athy waiting in the wings
• Tullow Ladies' victory over Tullamore

and the lay of the land for this year's Provincial Towns Cup as 2023 champions Tullow collect a bye into round 2 with Kilkenny and Carlow getting ready for their first taste of cup action this year.

• Tullow pushing on in Division 1A and putting it up to the Dublin sides with a win over Suttonians.
• Carlow is happy with progress and have themselves in a good position heading into the Christmas break, we look at their last-gasp win over Athy.
• Kilkenny is finding their stride in Division 1B and powered past Cill Dara.
• We chat women's rugby including Kilkenny's win over Wanderers and Tullow's loss to MU Barnhall.
• And we chat about Leinster and the Irish Provinces ahead of the Champions Cup opening weekend

Back with more next week!

Are Tullow fit enough the lads ask, is it something they need to work on?

We look ahead to the weekend's action, Tullow v Suttonians, Carlow V Athy and Cill Dara v Kilkenny.

We talk women's rugby and Kilkenny struggling after another loss, this time to Edenderry, while Tullow hammers Dublin University.

Youth fixtures and results are discussed for the three clubs and more.

• Carlow’s derby win over Kilkenny in the Leinster League. 
• We look back at Tullow’s win over Gorey in Division 1A.
• The lads discuss ladies' rugby in the three counties.
• We look at how the local youth’s teams are getting on.
• And we preview the weekend's provinces games in the URC.

Get more on scoreline.ie or wherever you do your podcast listening.

Tullow's narrow loss to Seapoint last week in Div 1A while Kilkenny lost out to Boyne in 1B while Carlow leave Dundalk with a draw and two points.

This weekend, Tullow take on Gorey and Kilkenny and Carlow battle it out.

We look back at Tullow ladies' win over Blackrock with three tries from Alex O Brien while the Kilkenny women lost out to Tallaght.

We also chat youth rugby and more.

The Leinster League continues and saw Tullow suffer a one-point loss against Ashbourne in 1A, while in 1B, Kilkenny beat Dundalk and Carlow got the better of De La Salle Palmerston.

Carlow is the only side in action this weekend in a friendly against Portlaoise where they'll give their seconds and bench players a run-out.

We look back at a win for the Tullow ladies over Railway Union while Kilkenny lost to Ashbourne.

It was a successful weekend for the local youth's sides.

The World Cup final takes place this weekend, we chat about that and the return of the URC.

Tributes paid to Tullow player Conor Duffy who passed away unexpectedly, on October 8th. RIP

We preview Athy v Kilkenny and Longford v Carlow in the Leinster League.

We look ahead to the women's league action with Tullow v Tullamore and Kilkenny v Tullamore J1's.

And we preview Ireland’s World Cup Quarter-final clash against the All Black

• Carlow under-perform in loss to Athy but get back to winning ways against Boyne.
• Kilkenny is unbeaten so far, with a newish-looking squad getting used to life in Division 1B.
• Tullow get a big scalp in win over Bective however rivals Wicklow bring them back to earth.
• We hear how the youth's and women’s sides are going.
• and we talk showing respect for referees and we chat about the Ireland team to play Scotland in the Rugby World Cup.

Keep an eye on Scoreline.ie or wherever you do your podcast listening for more from The Knock On and Leinster League coverage. 

Carlow beat Kilkenny in the South East League during the week, Carlow start their league against neighbours Athy this weekend while Kilkenny face Cill Dara.

We look back at Ireland's win over Tonga in the World Cup, and how they're going to beat South Africa this weekend.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club, James Blanchfield from Kilkenny RFC, and Johnny Tobin from Tullow RFC.

On the show...

• We look back at Kilkenny's season for the first, seconds, ladies and youths.
• We look ahead to Kilkenny's plans for next season including personnel changes, coaching, and more.
• Johnny Tobin describes what Tullow RFC has been like over the past few weeks.
• We chat about Tullow's wins at all levels this season and plans for next season including moving up to Division 1A of the league
• Johnny talks about the people and players behind Tullow rugby club and what make them successful this season

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more.

- Womens' captain Lana Brennan
- Directory of Rugby Tom Nolan
- Club president Pat Byrne
- Former player and club great Pat Nolan
- Club chair Robin Johnson
- Rugby analyst and coach Johnny Tobin

This preview is with thanks to Carlow Concrete Tanks and was originally broadcast on KCLR on Friday 21 April 2023.

For this preview, Brendan Hennessy is joined by Kilkenny Rugby Club PRO James Blanchfield, team manager Ray Pembroke, last year's Provincial Towns Cup-winning coach Steve Ashmore, club president Dave Matthews and team manager Eamon Dooley.

Originally broadcast on Thursday 20 April 2023 on KCLR

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club, James Blanchfield from Kilkenny RFC, and Johnny Tobin from Tullow RFC.

On the show...

• We preview the big Towns Cup semi-final clashes this weekend as Carlow and Tullow get ready to battle it out while Kilkenny faces the mighty Cill Dara.
• We look back at a winning weekend for Carlow, Kilkenny and Tullow in the Seconds Towns Cup, and look ahead to their next rounds.
• Carlow continues their journey in the J3 Anderson Cup with a win over Ashbourne.
• Tullow ladies get the better of MU Barnhall in a cracker of a game in the Paul Flood Cup
• We look back over the weekends youths' action from the three clubs.

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club, James Blanchfield from Kilkenny RFC, and Johnny Tobin from Tullow RFC.

On the show...

• Tullow crowned Leinster League Division 1B champions after win over Cill Dara, they'll play Division 1A next season.
• Carlow finish their league in style with a win over Wicklow.
• Kilkenny books their place in the next round of the second's towns cup with a win over Boyne.
• We look ahead to more seconds towns cup action where Carlow faces Portlarlington, Kilkenny plays Wicklow and Tullow takes on the Midlands Warriors.
• Carlow goes up against Ashbourne in the J3 Anderson Cup.
• We discuss the current strength of rugby locally and the southeast and the strong youths competitions
• We chat women's rugby including the Paul Flood Cup and the Carlow/Tullow Rhinos

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club, James Blanchfield from Kilkenny RFC, and Johnny Tobin from Tullow RFC.

On the show...

• Kilkenny relegated from Division 1A of the Leinster League to Division 1B, we chat to James Blanchfield about that.
• We look at the Towns Cup Quarter final wins for Carlow, Tullow, and Kilkenny, and preview the semi-finals.
• Tullow goes for promotion to Division 1A of the Leinster League with a trip to Cill Dara this weekend.
• We preview Carlow's trip to Wicklow in the last league game of the season.
• We chat women's rugby with Paul Flood and Paul Cusack Cup competitions taking place.
• We look at youth action across the three clubs and the Carlow/Tullow Rhinos.

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club, James Blanchfield from Kilkenny RFC, and Johnny Tobin from Tullow RFC.

On the show...

• Carlow secured safety in Division 1B of the league after a strong Cill Dara win.
• Kilkenny into a battle to stay in Division 1A after the weekend's loss to Boyne.
• Tullow continues incredible form thrashing Dundalk 69-16.
• We preview the Second's Towns Cup with Carlow away to Longford and Tullow at home to Balbriggan.
• The Tullow and Kilkenny women's teams are in separate cup action this weekend, we chat about that.
• And we have a look at the youth's action.

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club, James Blanchfield from Kilkenny RFC, and Johnny Tobin from Tullow RFC.

On the show...

• Kilkenny gets back on the horse with a good win over Ashbourne in the Towns Cup, we look back at that and preview their league clash this weekend against Boyne.
• Carlow ran nine tries past New Ross, but there's room for improvement says Tom Crotty, we also preview their away league game against Cill Dara.
• Tullow scrape past Boyne in the Towns Cup, we chat about that and their league clash against Dundalk.
• We discuss women's rugby including Kilkenny's win over Navan and Tullow's over Blackrock and have a look ahead to the next games.
• We bring your round-up of the youth's action at the local clubs.
• People are coming back to the clubhouses to watch games again and numbers are growing which is good news for the clubs.

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club, James Blanchfield from Kilkenny RFC, and Johnny Tobin from Tullow RFC.

On the show...

• We look back at last weekend's league action including a last-gasp but much-needed win for Kilkenny.
• Carlow loses by a single point to Dundalk after traveling up for the second time in a week.
• Tullow continues their impressive form with a win over Longford.
• We preview the weekend's Towns Cup action where Carlow hosts New Ross, Kilkenny hosts Ashbourne and Tullow welcome Boyne.
• We chat women's rugby including two home games for Tullow and Kilkenny in their respective leagues.
• We talk youths rugby at the clubs and we look back over the week's action at S.E.T.U.

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club, James Blanchfield from Kilkenny RFC, and Johnny Tobin from Tullow RFC.

On the show...

• We look back at the weekend's Towns Cup action where there were wins for Carlow and Tullow and review the other games.
• We preview Monkstown v Kilkenny, Dundalk v Carlow, and Longford v Tullow in the Leinster League this weekend.
• We chat women's rugby with a win for Tullow and a loss for Kilkenny.
• We look back on the weekend's youths' action in the three clubs.
• The lads discuss the shortage of front-row players and how we need to encourage young players to take up the positions.
• We look back at the week's college rugby with S.E.T.U in action.

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club, James Blanchfield from Kilkenny RFC, and Johnny Tobin from Tullow RFC.

On the show....

• We preview Carlow's away trip to Dundalk in the Towns Cup, Carlow is also against them in the league next week.
• Preview of Tullow's home game against Athy in the Towns Cup.
• Update on youths' action from the clubs.
• The lads briefly give their thoughts on the Six Nations, Ireland's win over Wales and the game against France.

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club, James Blanchfield from Kilkenny RFC, and Johnny Tobin from Tullow RFC.

On the show....

• Kilkenny's loss to Bective in the league and preview this weekend's clash at home to Gorey.
• We look back at Tullow's win over Carlow in the league derby, Carlow's win over Tullow in the seconds, and Ben Crottys' drop goals :)
• We preview Tullow's clash this weekend against Athy in the league and being drawn at home to them in the Towns Cup.
• We chat about Carlow's league game at home to Longford this weekend and about being drawn away to Dundalk in the Towns Cup.
• Coaching departures at the end of the season in Carlow.
• Women's rugby including Tullow's game away to Tullamore, and Kilkenny's game v St Marys is off.
• Youth's news in Tullow and Carlow
• Kilkenny College get their senior cup campaign underway next week and SETU are in action

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club, James Blanchfield from Kilkenny RFC, and Johnny Tobin from Tullow RFC.

The lads discuss...

• Kilkenny lose their game in the last moments to Suttonians, they're away to Bective this weekend, and we preview the game.
• Tullow was beaten by a point by Mullingar, we discuss that and what went wrong on the day.
• Carlow gets the better of Athy under lights, bringing the top half of the Division 1B table closer together, we look back at the game.
• We preview the big local derby of Tullow v Carlow this weekend, it's going to be a huge clash.
• We chat women's rugby including Tullow's loss to Railway Union and Kilkenny's huge win over Wanderers.
• And we have a round-up of all the youth's action from the weekend and preview the upcoming games.

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club, James Blanchfield from Kilkenny RFC, and Johnny Tobin from Tullow RFC.

The lads discuss...

• Tullow ladies lose to Old Belvedere 53-10, we pick apart the loss and look ahead to their game against Railway Union.
• We talk about youth rugby in Carlow, Kilkenny and Tullow, and about club loyalty and young players heading to other clubs.
• We preview the men's Leinster League games this weekend including Athy v Carlow under lights on Saturday, Kilkenny v Suttonians and Tullow's trip to Mullingar.

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more.

It was part of KCLR community programme at the time so obviously, all references to people, events and things mentioned are 14 years old and were relevant at the time.

The panel was Sean Rowan, club president that year, Cora Browne, a committee member and the previous year's president, the first-ever lady president in the South East region.

Sean O'Brien, emerging Leinster player and Tullow assistant coach to the J1's and Tom Nolan fixtures secretary and U20 manager.

They discuss the clubs founding, the 2009 situation of the club, and how all their teams were doing.

Sean O'Brien talks about getting into rugby, playing football, encouraging young people to get involved, and how he's getting on in Leinster and wanting more game time (little did he know what would follow).

PLEASE NOTE: All references to people, events and things mentioned in the show are 14 years old and were relevant at the time.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club, James Blanchfield from Kilkenny RFC, and Johnny Tobin from Tullow RFC.

The lads discuss...

• The lads scratch their heads over why Carlow's South East J1 final can't go ahead this weekend, it's been postponed twice already.
• We get an update from the clubs on how they're gearing up for their return to action next weekend in the Leinster League.
• Kilkenny looking to play J3 rugby as numbers are strong for J2, interestingly, they've never won the Anderson Cup in Kilkenny.
• It's a busy weekend of youth and ladies' action, we preview the games.

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club, James Blanchfield from Kilkenny RFC, and Johnny Tobin from Tullow RFC.

The lads discuss...

• Kilkenny's win over Seapoint in 1A and their trip to Ashbourne this weekend.
• Tullow get a win over Cill Dara however they've a big task against table toppers Wicklow, Johnny Tobin's confident of his side.
• Carlow loses to Wicklow and prepares to make things right against Mullingar, Tom Crotty says they need to get back to simple rugby.
• We chat women's rugby and wins for Tullow over Old Belvedere and preview clash against Blackrock college, Kilkenny is away to Navan and the Rhino's are in action too.
• We talk youths rugby with a round-up of the action in Carlow, Kilkenny, and Tullow.
• And we chat about Kilkenny College and SETU.

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club, James Blanchfield from Kilkenny RFC, and Johnny Tobin from Tullow RFC.

The lads discuss lots including….

• Previews of this weekend's games, Kilkenny V Seapoint, top of the table clash of Carlow v Wicklow, and Tullow v Cill Dara.
• We chat women's rugby and huge wins for Tullow and Kilkenny, we also chat Rhinos rugby and more.
• We look at how Carlow, Kilkenny, and Tullow's youths teams got on over the weekend and look ahead
• We look back at Ireland's win over Australia and discuss the concussion controversy that followed the game

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club, James Blanchfield from Kilkenny RFC, and Johnny Tobin from Tullow RFC.

The lads discuss lots including….

• We analyse Kilkenny's loss to Boyne in Division 1A of the Leinster League.
• Tom Crotty described Carlow's game against Cill Dara as "weird", they lost to the Kildare side and we look at why.
• Tullow lost to Dundalk, we chat about that.
• We have the latest news from the Kilkenny, Carlow, and Tullow Youths teams.
• We chat about women's rugby and how the local sides got on last weekend and what games are coming up.
• Ireland take on Australia this weekend, we preview that and look at the game against Fiji

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club, James Blanchfield from Kilkenny RFC, and Johnny Tobin from Tullow RFC.

The lads discuss lots including….

• Carlow's big win over Dundalk in the Leinster League, and preview their trip to Cill Dara this weekend
• Tullow gets the better of Longford, we look back at that and ahead to their clash with Dundalk
• We look ahead to Kilkenny's away clash with Boyne in Division 1A.
• We catch up on what's happening with Carlow, Kilkenny and Tullow's youth and women's teams
• We look back at the Ireland win over South Africa and ahead to the game against Fiji.

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club, James Blanchfield from Kilkenny RFC, and Johnny Tobin from Tullow RFC.

The lads discuss lots including….

• Carlow welcomes Dundalk to Oak Park in the Leinster League, we preview the big clash.
• Tullow host Longford in the Leinster League, a big day planned at the club, we look ahead to the clash.
• We chat about Ireland A v All Blacks XV and the team named for that and why the "A" sides are a good thing.
• We preview Ireland v South Africa in the Autumn Series, the team selection and more.
• With all the pressure facing English and Welsh clubs, we talk about why the IRFU system works

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club, James Blanchfield from Kilkenny RFC, and Johnny Tobin from Tullow RFC.

The lads discuss lots including….

• Kilkenny lose out to Monkstown in the Leinster League, we look a what went wrong on the day and why we should be optimistic for the future.
• Carlow gets their first away win over Longford in over 10 years, Tom Crotty says there's room for improvement though.
• Tullow loses to Athy under the lights in bad weather.
• Ladies' rugby, we chat about Kilkenny and Tullow's games from the weekend and the Rhino's teams.
• We look back at Leinster's win over Munster, how Munster's new style is starting to show, younger players stepping up and how it's coming to the end of the road for one or two of them.

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club, James Blanchfield from Kilkenny RFC, and Johnny Tobin from Tullow RFC.

The lads discuss lots including….

• Tullow gets the bragging rights after beating Carlow in the Leinster League (Carpe Diem Cup).
• Kilkenny lose to Gorey in Division 1A, we review where it went wrong for the local side.
• We preview the weekend's action, Tullow away to Athy, Carlow away to Longford, and Kilkenny at home to Monkstown.
• We preview Leinster v Munster in the URC and have a look back over Leinster v Connacht and Munster v Bulls.
• And we analyse the Ireland squad for the November Internationals, the up-and-coming players, and the mounting injury list.

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club, James Blanchfield from Kilkenny RFC, and Johnny Tobin from Tullow RFC.

The lads discuss lots including….

• Carlow and Athy’s game was canceled due to a technology failure with flood lights, we preview the game which was refixed for this Sunday.
• We look back at Kilkenny’s wins over Bective in Foulkstown.
• Tullow grabbed two wins against Mullingar, we chat about those.
• We talk about Sean O’Brien’s move to play for Naas in the AIL
• The lads ask are the values of rugby, like sitting down for food and drink with the opposition players after a game are disappearing and can it be encouraged.
• We preview Munster v Connacht on what was termed the “Desperation Derby” as both teams struggle in early season games.
• We preview Leinster v Cell C Sharks

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club, James Blanchfield from Kilkenny Rugby Club, and Johnny Tobin from Tullow Rugby Club.

The lads discuss lots including….

• Leinster League reviews for Wicklow V Tullow, Suttonians v Kilkenny and Mullingar V Carlow
• Leinster League previews of Tullow V Mullingar, Carlow v Athy and Kilkenny v Bective.
• We look back at Leinster's win over Benetton and preview their game away to Ulster.
• The lads discuss Munster's shock loss to the Dragons and we look ahead to their game with Zebre, as well as talk about their season so far.
• The Emerging Ireland team is named for their first game in South Africa, we chat through that

And lots more......

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more.

This episode is a Kilkenny College special where we focus on the school's rugby output.

Stephen Byrne is joined by Colm Moloney, Director of Rugby at Kilkenny College and coach Johnny Tobin.

The lads discuss lots including the school's rugby team, players, management, structures and more.

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club, James Blanchfield from Kilkenny Rugby Club, and Johnny Tobin from Tullow Rugby Club.

The lads discuss lots including….

• A review of Kilkenny's win over Ashbourne in the first round of Leinster League
• Carlow took on New Ross in the J2 Leinster League, we look back at that game
• We preview Wicklow v Tullow, Suttonians v Kilkenny and Mullingar v Carlow this weekend
• Leinster name a very strong team for their first home URC game against Benetton, Ciaran Frawley named at 10
• Stuart Lancaster is rumoured to be leaving Leinster and heading to Racing 92 at the end of the season.

And lots more......

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club, James Blanchfield from Kilkenny Rugby Club, and Johnny Tobin from Tullow Rugby Club.

The lads discuss lots including….

• We look back at the Carlow and Kilkenny derby games in J1 & J2 last weekend, a win for each side
• Tullow got the better of Wexford Wanderers, we hear about the game and how the team is shaping up
• We preview the local games this weekend
• Sean O'Brien's application to play junior rugby with Tullow has been denied, we discuss that
• The lads chat about the Emerging Ireland Squad that has been named and if it's a good idea in general

And lots more......

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club, James Blanchfield from Kilkenny Rugby Club, and Johnny Tobin from Tullow Rugby Club.

The lads discuss lots including….

• Carlow v Kilkenny derby in South East League, we preview the game
• Wexford Wanders welcome Tullow, we look ahead to the match
• We hear how pre-season has gone for Carlow, Kilkenny and Tullow, and what developments the clubs are doing
• Munster v Leinster derby in the USA, would you be bothered?
• Ireland Rugby 7's men's and women's teams reach quarter-finals
• We round up the week's rugby news from near and far

And lots more......

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club, James Blanchfield from Kilkenny Rugby Club and Johnny Tobin from Tullow Rugby Club.

The lads discuss lots including….

• We get the latest from Kilkenny rugby club, including how they got on when the Leinster team visited last week
• Tom Crotty and his Carlow sides are up and running and have more games this week, we hear about those
• We hear the latest from Tullow rugby club and about Sean O'Brien's return in the maroon and white
• We pick through the Munster V Gloucester game and see what players put their hand up for the new season
• The Ireland Emerging Squad is to tour South Africa, it's a new initiative to bring through young Irish players, but is it a good idea?
• We chat about the All Blacks, Argentina, South Africa, and Australia 

And lots more......

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club and James Blanchfield from Kilkenny Rugby Club.

The lads discuss lots including….

• Ireland's series win over the All Blacks in New Zealand
• Leinster's new and departing players and coaches including Tullow's Sean O'Brien who re-joins his old club
• Munster's new signings and their completely new coaching ticket, how will they fair this season?
• Kilkenny has brought in a few new players and lost a few, we chat about those and their hopes and aspirations for 2022/2023
• Carlow continues to build their young team of mostly homegrown players, we talk about their ladies rugby too, and developments there
• Leinster visit Kilkenny's grounds in Foulkstown on Friday 26th August for a training session, we get the news on that.

And lots more......

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club and Johnny Tobin from Tullow rugby club.

The lads discuss lots including….

• Preview of Leinster v La Rochelle in the Heineken Champions Cup final
• Leinster's defeat over Munster in the URC last weekend.
• How Leinster and building a strong homegrown team and culture
• Where Munster are going wrong and how they'll turn it around

And lots more......

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club.

The lads discuss lots including….

• Carlow's J2 loss to North Meath/Athboy in the Second's Plate Final
• We review Munster's loss to Toulouse in the Heineken Champions Cup
• We look back at Leinster's win over Leicester in the Heineken Champions Cup
• Preview Leinster v Toulouse in the Semi-Final of the Heineken Champions Cup

And lots more......

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club and James Blanchfield from Kilkenny Rugby Club.

The lads discuss lots including….

• Carlow taking on North Meath/Athboy in the Provincial Seconds Plate on Sunday from 3 pm.
• Preview of Leicester Tigers v Leinster in the Heineken Cup Quarter Final
• Preview of Munster v Toulouse in the Heineken Cup Quarter Finals and their new coaching ticket for next season
• The Leinster Junior team take on Munster on Saturday with Kilkenny's Jake McDonald and Wes Carter involved, we look ahead to that

And lots more......

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club, Johnny Tobin from Tullow Rugby Club, and James Blanchfield from Kilkenny Rugby Club.

The lads discuss lots including….

• Kilkenny winning the Towns Cup beating Ashbourne.
• Tullow winning the Town's Plate
• Tullow Ladies win the Paul Flood cup
• Kilkenny ladies win the Division 5 cup
• Carlow's J2 team reach the second's plate final after beating Kilkenny
• Underages success for Carlow, Tullow, and Kilkenny
• The Irish province's weekend's in the URC
• Discussion about Irish women's rugby and about turning professional after they were hammered by England

And lots more......

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club, Johnny Tobin from Tullow Rugby Club, and James Blanchfield from Kilkenny Rugby Club.

The lads discuss lots including….

• Sean O'Brien's retirement from professional rugby
• Champions Cup chat, Munster v Exeter, Leinster v Connacht, Graham Rowntree appointment
• Tullow Women in the Paul Flood cup final v Tullamore
• Kilkenny Women v Tallaght in Division 5 cup final
• We preview the Provincial Towns Cup final between Kilkenny and Ashbourne on Sunday, it's 20 years since they won it last
• Preview of the Provincial Towns Plate Semi-Final between Enniscorthy and Tullow on Friday

And lots more......

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club, Johnny Tobin from Tullow Rugby Club, and James Blanchfield from Kilkenny Rugby Club.

The lads discuss lots including….

• Kilkenny's win over Carlow in Towns Cup Quarter Finals
• Preview of Kilkenny v Dundalk in Towns Cup Semi-Final
• Tullow's win in the Provincial Towns Plate and J2 cup
• Women's rugby, Kilkenny in cup action this weekend
• Munster V Leinster 

And lots more......

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club, Johnny Tobin from Tullow Rugby Club and James Blanchfield from Kilkenny Rugby Club.

The lads discuss lots including….

• Kilkenny stays in Division 1A of the Leinster League after an impressive win over Wicklow.
• We preview the biggest game of the season as Kilkenny and Carlow go head to head in the Towns Cup quarter-final.
• Preview of Tullow v Naas in the Towns Plate this weekend
• We discuss the Provincial Towns Cup history and what it means for local clubs
• We chat about Tullow ladies and their big win in the Paul Flood Cup
• And we chat six nations, Ireland's win over Scotland and where the team is now ahead of the world cup

And lots more......

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club.

The lads discuss lots including….

• 1A/1B promotion/relegation playoff between Kilkenny and Wicklow and Kilkenny's win over Edenderry in the Town's Cup
• Carlow's win over Navan in the Towns Cup
• Tullow bow out of the Towns Cup after loss to Dundalk
• Kilkenny and Tullow women's teams finish up Leinster League campaigns
• We look back at Ireland's win over England in the Six Nations
• Preview of Ireland v Scotland and discuss the team named by Andy Farrell

And lots more......

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club and James Blanchfield from Kilkenny Rugby Club.

The lads discuss lots including….

• Kilkenny's league win over Ashbourne sees them avoid automatic relegation.
• Preview of Kilkenny V Edenderry in the Provincial Town cup
• Carlow's narrow win over Longford in the Towns Cup and a preview of their game against Navan
• Tullow's win over New Ross in the Towns Cup and a look ahead to their clash with Dundalk
• Kilkenny women's clash against Swords in a top of table decider
• We chat about the Ireland team to play England in the Six Nations and how they can beat them
• Kilkenny College's loss to St Marys in the Leinster Senior Schools cup.

And lots more......

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club, Johnny Tobin from Tullow Rugby Club, and James Blanchfield from Kilkenny Rugby Club.

The lads discuss lots including….

• Kilkenny's showdown with Ashbourne to save their season
• Carlow expecting a bruising encounter with Longford in the Towns Cup
• Tullow take on recently promoted New Ross in the Towns Cup
• Ireland’s win over Italy, we look at the good, the bad, and the ugly from the game

And lots more......

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club and Johnny Tobin from Tullow Rugby Club.

The lads discuss lots including….

• We review last weekend's action including Tullow's loss to Boyne
• We preview a crucial game for Kilkenny away to Dundalk as they try to stay in Division 1A and Carlow take on Clondalkin as preparations for the Towns Cup
• Andy Farrell has made a number of changes for the Ireland team v Italy, we discuss the team
• We chat about Leinster's new signing from Munster, Jason Jenkins

And lots more......

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club and James Blanchfield from Kilkenny Rugby Club.

The lads discuss lots including….

• Tullow get the bragging rights over Carlow in the J1's but Carlow seconds win the league
• Kilkenny in trouble in Division 1A after loss to Ashbourne and a disrupted season
• This weekend sees Tullow heading for Boyne and Carlow entertain bottom side Clondalkin, we preview the games
• Ireland v France, the main talking points
• Ed Byrne, Leo Cullen sign contract extensions for Leinster

And lots more......

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club.

The lads discuss lots including….

• A bad weekend for Carlow and Kilkenny J1's, Tullow men and women's teams pick up good wins.
• Leinster League previews, Kilkenny fight for survival away to Ashbourne, Carlow and Tullow clash in local derby.
• Ireland’s win over Wales
• Ireland team to play France, Sexton out, Henshaw and Henderson in.
• Leinster v Edinburgh

And lots more......

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club, James Blanchfield from Kilkenny Rugby Club, and Johnny Tobin from Tullow Rugby Club.

The lads discuss lots including….

• Kilkenny v Bective Leinster League preview.
• Tullow and Carlow are back to winning ways, we review the games.
• Tullow women v MU Barnhall & Kilkenny women v De La Salle Palmerston.
• Champions Cup chat, Leinster beating Bath and Munster beating Wasps, Irish getting stronger in the competition.
• Ireland’s preparations for Six Nations.

And lots more......

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act and lots more

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club and James Blanchfield from Kilkenny Rugby Club.

The lads discuss lots including….

• Review of losses in last weekend’s Leinster League games.
• Preview of Seapoint v Kilkenny, Tullow v Clondalkin and Carlow v Longford.
• Women’s rugby, Kilkenny V Athy and Tullow v Port Dara Falcons.
• Leinster thrash Montpellier in Champions Cup, preview Bath game.
• Munster's last gasp win over Castres, winning ugly.
• Ireland Squad is named for Six Nations, the main talking points.

And lots more......

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act, and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club and James Blanchfield from Kilkenny Rugby Club.

The lads discuss lots including….

• A return to local action, we preview Kilkenny v Monkstown, Tullow v Cill Dara and Wicklow v Carlow in the Leinster League.
• We preview Leinster v Montpellier in the Champions Cup and discuss Dan Leavy being injured again.
• We look back at Munster v Ulster and look ahead to their Champions Cup game this weekend.
• We chat about Munster’s signings this week including RG Snyman.
• And the annual Ireland v England game which this year will be a tribute to Gary Halpin.

And lots more......

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act, and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club and James Blanchfield from Kilkenny Rugby Club.

The lads discuss lots including….

• Leinster League games cancelled this weekend due to covid cases, Kilkenny, Carlow, and Tullow’s games are off.
• Youths Rugby over the Christmas period, plenty of action for the local clubs.
• Munster Rugby and the problems there getting worse, we discuss Johann Van Graan leaving for Bath, who takes over and when?
• Covid cancellations of Champions Cup and URC games.
• Leinster v Montpellier, was it fair to give the french side the points even though Leinster had a team ready to play.

And lots more.

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act, and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club and James Blanchfield from Kilkenny Rugby Club.

The lads discuss lots including….

• Kilkenny's loss to Suttonians in the Leinster League.
• Tullow beaten by Wicklow.
• Carlow's loss to Mullingar.
• Women's and Youth rugby update.
• Leinster team for Montpellier, weakened through covid (Game cancelled after the podcast was recorded). 
• Johann Van Graan leaving Munster, where does it leave the province?
• IRFU's response to the Irish women’s team's letter.

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act, and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club and James Blanchfield from Kilkenny Rugby Club.

The lads discuss lots including….

• Kilkenny wins ugly against Gorey but picks up injuries.
• Suttonians v Kilkenny preview.
• Tullow beaten by a late penalty by Mullingar, we also discuss their injury list.
• Tullow v Wicklow preview.
• Carlow continue their good form beating Cill Dara.
• Carlow v Mullingar preview
• We preview Leinster V Bath in the Heineken Champions Cup and Wasps v Munster.

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act, and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club and James Blanchfield from Kilkenny Rugby Club.

The lads discuss lots including….

• Carlow’s narrow win over Tullow in the local derby & preview of the Cill Dara game.
• Kilkenny’s game called off over covid in the opposition club, no games played for five weeks, they play Gorey this weekend.
• Covid disruption in the Leinster League.
• Leinster losing to Ulster and a preview of Leinster v Connacht
• Munster getting stuck in South Africa with covid cases, and the Heineken Champions Cup games, what happens next?

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act, and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club, Johnny Tobin from Tullow Rugby Club, and James Blanchfield from Kilkenny Rugby Club.

The lads discuss lots including….

• Kilkenny v Ashbourne Leinster League preview
• Carlow v Tullow Leinster League Preview
• Ladies Rugby
• A look back at the talking points for Ireland v Argentina
• Tadgh Furlong signs a three year deal with the IRFU
• Stephen Larkham leaving Munster, Van Graan not doing the business
• Club Community Rugby Officers and their value

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act, and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club and Johnny Tobin from Tullow Rugby Club.

The lads discuss lots including….

• Ireland's win over the All Blacks
• We preview Ireland V Argentina 
• In the Ireland half-back pairings, will Conor Murray and Joey Carbery revert to a slower kicking game?
• Is it disrespectful to sing during the Haka?
• Carlow v Tullow, the local derby takes place next week
• Youths rugby

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act, and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club and James Blanchfield from Kilkenny Rugby Club.

The lads discuss lots including….

• Carlow's incredible comeback and savage win over Boyne.
• Tullow's game with Longford called off with ten minutes to go because of behaviour on the sideline, the Leinster branch are involved now.
• Kilkenny’s game was called off too due to covid cases.
• We discuss referee abuse in general and is it on the rise?
• We review Ireland V Japan and preview Ireland v All Blacks.
• Ireland women’s rugby and the current issues.

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act, and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club, James Blanchfield from Kilkenny Rugby Club and Johnny Tobin from Tullow Rugby Club.

The lads discuss lots including….

• Kilkenny lost to Seapoint after having a good lead.
• Carlow come up short in Longford.
• Tullow get the better of Clondalkin, return of Willie O’Brien.
• Preview next round of games, Carlow v Boyne, Longford v Tullow, Bective v Kilkenny.
• Preview of Ireland V Japan and the team selection & main talking points.
• Discussion over the Irish and provinces style of play and what needs to be done to develop it across the country.

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act, and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club and James Blanchfield from Kilkenny Rugby Club.

The lads discuss lots including….

• J1 rugby returns this weekend for the local teams who are looking to get back to winning ways.
• Women’s rugby on the up locally.
• Local players dominate the South East squads.
• Leinster and Connacht's impressive wins in the URC and what went wrong with Munster.
• Jack Carty and why he’s not in the Ireland squad.
• Should we bring back the Ireland A teams to give up and coming stars an international run out?
• We need more referees! the lads discuss a shortage of the whistleblowers.

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act, and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club and James Blanchfield from Kilkenny Rugby Club.

The lads discuss lots including….

• Carlow, Kilkenny and Tullow ship losses in the Leinster League
• No games this weekend for the men, the women’s team are out though
• We discuss the pressure of the Leinster league and how a loss can send your season into a spiral 
• The lads talk about their clubs ambitions for the next few years
• And the Irish Squad has been named for the November Internationals, no Ed Byrne, Simon Zebo is back and we discuss the other talking points.

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act, and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Johnny Tobin from Tullow Rugby Club, Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club and James Blanchfield from Kilkenny Rugby Club.

The lads discuss lots including….

• Kilkenny beat Dundalk in a poor game
• Carlow hammer Clondalkin to keep 100% record
• Tullow beaten at home by Boyne, they’re missing experienced players
• Preview of weekend’s action for the clubs
• Youths and Women’s teams
• Leinster beat Zebre, Harry Byrne’s injury a cause for concern
• Sexton still the out half to beat, Jack Carty said he’s the man to take over the 10 jersey but where are we realistically?
• RG Snyman injured again for Munster, blow to the province
• And the lads debate the name of County Carlow Football Club, or is it Carlow Rugby Club, or Carlow Football Club?

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act, and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Johnny Tobin from Tullow Rugby Club, Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club and James Blanchfield from Kilkenny Rugby Club.

The lads discuss lots including….

• Carlow’s wins over Mullingar in J1 and J2 in the Leinster League
• Preview of Kilkenny v Dundalk
• Preview of Clondalkin v Carlow
• Preview of Tullow v Boyne
• Youths and Ladies team games
• Johnny Tobin coming out of retirement for Tullow
• Tullow’s Cillian Redmond signs for London Irish
• Leinster V Dragons review
• Munster v Stormers review
• 70’s porn star moustaches & going from videoing a game to playing in it

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act, and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Johnny Tobin from Tullow Rugby Club, Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club and James Blanchfield from Kilkenny Rugby Club.

The lads discuss lots including….

• A look back at Kilkenny and Tullow’s games last weekend
• Preview of Carlow v Mullingar this weekend in the Leinster League
• Review and preview of women’s and youth games
• Kilkenny College beaten narrowly in the Leinster Schools Junior Cup
• Tom Daly in Connacht, will he make the Irish camp again?
• Munster Management pivot?
• Leinster front row experiments
• Players leaving to go abroad, who could the provinces lose?
• Women’s rugby and why there should be more investment into it from kids up to adult level.

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act, and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Johnny Tobin from Tullow Rugby Club and James Blanchfield from Kilkenny Rugby Club.

The lads discuss lots including….

• Review of the first weekend of Leinster League games and other club action.
• Preview the games this weekend.
• 50 man panel named for Irish rugby camp, no Simon Zebo.
• Johnny Sexton, is it time to see him dropped from the Ireland squad to bring youth through?
• Leinster v Vodacom Bulls preview in United Rugby Championship.
• Munster and what's needed for them to be back at the top table.
• Up and coming talent in Leinster and Munster.

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act, and lots more.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Johnny Tobin from Tullow Rugby Club, Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club and James Blanchfield from Kilkenny Rugby Club.

The lads discuss lots including….

• The Leinster League gets underway, we preview Carlow, Kilkenny and Tullow's games
• The Tullow ladies face Old Belvedere in the Paul Flood cup semi final 
• Tullow are to host the finals of the Paul Flood and Paul Cusack competitions
• We discuss the controversy over the changing facilities for the provincial women’s teams that made the news.
• Tom Crotty talks about how the Rhino team is getting on (Tullow/Carlow combined)
• The Ireland women’s senior team, what happened in their world cup qualifier and what issues there are.
• New signings for the provinces including Duane Vermeulen for Ulster
• Sean O’Brien was in action in a pre-season friendly against Connacht
• And the lads have a few tales about marking pitches for games

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act, all things MMA, and lots more. 

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Johnny Tobin from Tullow Rugby Club, Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club and James Blanchfield from Kilkenny Rugby Club.

The lads discuss lots including….

• Tullow’s 50th anniversary this year and their 100th anniversary in 7 years time?, explain that one! 
• Lack of players available means a number of women’s and youths cup games didn’t go ahead.
• Tullow and Carlow combine to become Rhino Rugby in U14 and U16 girls grades.
• Women’s rugby getting more profile and women’s sport on the up.
• The start of the Leinster League soon, are the teams ready for action?
• Players at clubs coming out of retirement to run out in the club colours again.
• Players used to keep going into their 40’s, why doesn’t it happen anymore?
• Carlow in the AIL, the good old days.

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act, all things MMA, and lots more. 

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Johnny Tobin from Tullow Rugby Club and Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club.

The lads discuss lots including….

• Kilkenny’s win over the Carlow J2’s in an epic first game back.
• Upcoming training matches between Kilkenny, Carlow and Tullow.
• New players in and out of Carlow and Tullow.
• Kilkenny college and the work being done there with their teams.
• Covid restrictions lifting, what does it mean for local clubs.
• Artificial pitches, why young lads love them and the older lads don’t.
• Sean O’Brien and Tom Daly go head to head in London Irish v Connacht friendly
• Leinster move early season games to the Aviva, the lads prefer RDS for atmosphere.
• Carlow Rugby’s skydiving fund raiser at the weekend.

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act, all things MMA, and lots more. 

In this episode, Stephen Byrne is joined by Johnny Tobin from Tullow Rugby Club, James Blanchfield from Kilkenny Rugby Club, and Tom Crotty from Carlow Rugby Club.

The lads discuss lots including….

• Pre-season training and the slow start to the season.
• No South East Cup this year, it should be prioritised.
• Numbers available to teams, players in and out.
• Rebuilding their teams after covid.
• Youths leaving their clubs for the bright lights of Dublin, how can they retain their players?
• No feeder schools rugby in Kilkenny, hard to get it off the ground.
• How Kilkenny hurler Adrian Mullen would be playing for Leinster if he stuck at the rugby.
• Sorting out the seasons between sports, rugby, soccer, and GAA, can they work together?
• Leinster underage teams with big local representation on them.

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your GAA, we have the clash act, all things MMA, and lots more. 

In this episode, Stephen Byrne and former Leinster captain Chris Pim talk about lots including….

• The Lions loss to the Springboks in the final test.
• What players stood out in the final game.
• Should Warren Gatland be the next Lion's coach or is it time for a change?
• Lack of interest in this Lions tour, should the competition be scrapped?
• The Irish rugby team's busy calendar including four games against the All  Blacks.
• Which positions on the Ireland team need nailing down?
• The Colm O'Shea cup, a new junior pre-season tournament for Carlow,  Kilkenny, and Tullow clubs.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne, former Leinster captain Chris Pim, and Tullow Rugby’s Johnny Tobin talk about lots including….

• The dire second test, and why the Lions lost to South Africa
• Six changes to the Lion’s team for the final test, will it make a difference
• Players not making an impact on the tour
• Players not being used for any of the games on the tour and why it’s wrong
• The Springboks missing two key players, will it help the Lions?
• How the Lions will aim to beat South Africa
• Rassie Erasmus being called in front of World Rugby, does he have a point though?
• Our predictions for the final test.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne and former Leinster captain Chris Pim talk about lots including….

• How the Lions won the first test over South Africa
• Player performances, the good and the not so good
• Springbok's coach Rassie Erasmus and his off-field antics
• Analysing the Lions team selected for this week
• How the Lions will beat South Africa and wrap up the series

Don't forget to visit scoreline.ie for more on rugby, and of course, if you’re into your gaa, we’ve the clash act, all things MMA, and lots more. 

In this episode, Stephen Byrne, former Leinster captain Chris Pim, and Tullow rugby’s Johnny Tobin talk about lots including….

• The Lions team selection for the first test, has Gatland got it right?
• The balance of players on the pitch and the bench
• What Warren Gatland’s possible thinking is with the team selection
• Where The Lions will hope to beat the Springboks, we look at tactics
• The Heineken Champions Cup draw and new format, Leinster’s group.

And more......

In this episode, Stephen Byrne, former Leinster captain Chris Pim, and Tullow rugby’s Johnny Tobin about lots including….

• Ireland’s win over the US and the blooding of new players
• The Lion's hammering of the Sharks in a facile game
• The Lions get a wakeup call from the so-called Springbok "A" side
• Alun Wyn Jones makes a miraculous recovery to re-join the Lions
• Ronan Kelleher joins up with the Lions
• Looking ahead to this weekend’s game against the Stormers
• Picking the Lions test team

And lots more....

In this episode, Stephen Byrne, former Leinster captain Chris Pim, and Tullow rugby’s Johnny Tobin about lots including….

• Ireland’s win over Japan and the stand out players
• Ireland’s game against the U.S and the new caps
• The Lions are hit with covid
• Lions having to play the Cell C Sharks twice
• Is the Lions tour in trouble and should it have gone ahead?
• Kilkenny's Tim Corkery and the Irish U20’s
• Tullow, Carlow, and Kilkenny club players playing provincial underage.

In this episode, Stephen Byrne and former Leinster captain Chris Pim talk about lots including….

• The Ireland U20’s loss to England on Thursday, Tim Corkery from Kilkenny was involved
• Ireland and the team to play Japan in the Summer Series in the Aviva Stadium - Ed Byrne involved, no Tom Daly.
• The opening British & Irish Lions game against Japan and the news around that
• The Opening Lions game against the Sigma Lions in South Africa

And lots more....

In this episode, Stephen Byrne talks to Carlow Rugby Club member Tom Crotty

They chat about:

• Developments at the club and freshening up after lockdown
• Summer touch rugby tournament
• The Bee's which is their all-inclusive special needs tag rugby team
• Underage boys and girls teams
• The J1, J2, and J3 teams and how they’re shaping up
• PRO’s Tom Daly, Ed, and Bryan Byrne and how they help out at the club
• 150 year anniversary coming up
• Aims for the new season

And lots more....

They chat about:

• Developments at the club, a new 4g pitch, two grass pitches, and a new car park
• Underage touch rugby at the club and numbers getting involved
• The men & women’s teams and how they’re coping and shaping up for next season
• Players coming through and those involved with Leinster underage teams
• Charlie Ward and how he’s getting on with Connacht
• Carlow’s representation in pro rugby, Tom Daly, Ed Byrne, Bryan Byrne, and Sean O’Brien
• Johnny’s thoughts on Leinster, Ireland, and the Lions

And lots more.....

They chat about:

• Summer tag rugby
• Covid Lockdown
• Men's teams returning to training
• Their plans for women's rugby
• Tim Corkery being capped by Leinster 
• Willie Duggan and the club becoming a Lion's "club of origin"
• Gary Halpin's death

And lots more.....

During the interview we chat about:

* Playing for Carlow underage with his twin brother Bryan and progressing up through the Leinster and Irish underage ranks.

* Carlow when they had Felipe Contepomi on their books during their heyday in the AIL.

* Playing for Leinster and the competition for places and the environment in the club.

* Being capped for Ireland and training under Andy Farrell and Paul O’Connell.

* This season's PRO 14 win and the Champions Cup semi-final loss to La Rochelle.

* The Lion's Tour and keeping in contact with his Carlow friends Tom Daly, Sean O’Brien, and more.

Stephen Byrne chats exclusively to Carlow man and Connacht rugby player Tom Daly.

We talk about his younger years playing Gaelic football and rugby, representing Leinster and Ireland underage, his time in the Leinster academy and senior team, and then moving across to Connacht.

We talk about the work being done at Connacht rugby and Bundee Aki being called up for the Lions.

And he talks about his aspirations for the Irish senior team and more.

We preview the champions cup final between Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle and Toulouse.

We analyze Leinster’s Rainbow cup win over Ulster and Connacht’s impressive win over Munster in Thomond Park.

James Cronin is to depart Munster while Connacht’s Stephen Fitzgerald is being forced to retire at the age of 25.

And we chat about fans being allowed back into stadiums, Eir Sports wrapping up at the end of the season, and the future of rugby broadcasting, and we talk about Australia’s bid for the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

Join Stephen Byrne and former Leinster captain Chris Pim every week talking all things rugby, local, provincial and international.

This week, we talk about the new rainbow cup fixtures that have been released, Leinster's win over Connacht, and their game against Ulster this weekend.

We discuss Tadhg Furlong's contract renewal, Quinn Roux leaving Connacht, and Jack Regan joining the Ospreys.

Is Johnny Sexton being wrapped up in cotton wool now having not been selected for the lions?

And we talk about the summer internationals against Japan and the USA and how they will help bring some younger players through.

Stephen Byrne and former Leinster captain Chris Pim are here every week to chat all things rugby, local, provincial and national.

This week, it’s all about the Lions Tour as Warren Gatland names his 37 man squad to tour South Africa.

We chat about the Irish players included and those who missed out. 

And talk about the balance of the squad through the different positions and who could be the back up’s should any players be injured.

We’ll go through the teams and assess where both side's strengths and weaknesses are ahead of this huge game.

We discuss Twickenham being picked to host this year's final and they’re going to let in 10,000 fans but from where?

We chat about the Lions too, the team will be picked this week and we chat about what Irish players we think will be there and how it will all balance out.

And we chat about Leinster’s loss to Munster last weekend in their opening Rainbow cup game.

On the show, we talk about the PRO 14 Rainbow Cup competition being split this week over travel restrictions on the South African teams.

We talk about the three new rule trials being introduced this weekend as well including bringing on a new player 20 minutes after a red card.

We preview Leinster V Munster in their opening Rainbow Cup game.

Johnny Sexton has been ruled out for a few weeks for concussion and has been to see an expert, what does that mean for him and his future.

The Irish Women’s team takes on Italy next in the Six Nations, we chat about that and their huge loss to France and the gulf between professional and amateur.

And we discuss Michael Bent retiring from Leinster and Ronan O Gara’s promotion at La Rochelle.

On the show, we talk about Leinster’s Heineken Champions Cup Quarter Final win over Exeter and look ahead to the semi-final against Ronan O Gara's La Rochelle, 

We talk about the Irish women’s team hammering of Wales in the Six Nations.

There are tons of comings and goings with contracts in Leinster, and Munster has brought back Simon Zebo.

We discuss the lions coaching appointments, nominations for European player of the year, and Leinster going to trial antigen tests to bring supporters back to the RDS.

We also talk about the future of Munster rugby, are they going backward or is it just a blip? We also preview Leinster’s Champions cup game against Toulon.

They also preview the Guinness PRO 14 final between Leinster and Munster and chat about the Rainbow Cup which will take place from late April.

They also chat about the Lions tour, who's possibly on the plane, and more.

We also talk about Kilkenny man Tim Corkery getting his first Leinster cap and his second and we chat about Leinster signing Leo Cullen, Stuart Lancaster, and the management team up to new contracts.

Keith Earls one-year contract with the IRFU is discussed, the Six Nations being bought into by CVC and the knock-on effect it will have to fans and putting the game behind the paywall.

We discuss Kilkenny-man Tim Corkery and his possible senior debut for Leinster off the bench against Zebre.

Leinster's PRO14 win over Ulster last weekend and the number of cards that were handed out during the game make an appearance.

And we chat about the Champions Cup draw made during the week.

Keep up to date online at scoreline.ie.

This week Stephen Byrne is chatting to the former Leinster back row and captain Chris Pimm about Ireland's Six Nations showing against Italy - what were the positives and what did Ireland do wrong?

We'll chat through the matchday squad and how they all performed, Ireland's upcoming Six Nations clash with Scotland, the rescheduled game with France and the Covid cases in the French camp.

Johnny Sexton and Peter O'Mahony have had their contracts extended by the IRFU and we'll look at Leinster's top-of-the-table clash against Ulster in the PRO14 this weekend.

It's The Knock On, now streaming, with rugby updates across the week online at Scoreline.ie.

On this edition of The Knock On you'll hear from

• Mick Galwey - formerly Munster and Ireland
• Shane Byrne - formerly Leinster and Ireland
• Chris Pimm - former Leinster captain
• Ian Dowling - formerly Munster and Ireland

For more rugby news across the week, check scoreline.ie.

Former Munster and Ireland man Mick Galway shares his thoughts on why Ireland just aren't gelling together for the Six Nations, former Leinster captain Chris Pimm gives his views on the Irish team named to face Italy while Kilkenny man - also former Munster and Ireland player - Ian Dowling offers his thoughts on Ireland taking chances, or not, on blooding younger players.

Catch up on all our rugby coverage across the week online at Scorleine.ie or on KCLR's Scoreline sports show, weekends from 2pm.

There's plenty of debate around Irish rugby circles at the moment given Ireland's opening two defeats for this year's tournament.

Our Stephen Byrne is joined by former Leinster back row, Chris Pimm, to talk about a few of the big points in rugby at the moment including

• the successor to Johnny Sexton 
• Ireland's lack of a game plan under Andy Farrell
• the depth of players at all levels, in particular, the forwards
• what makes a good back-rower
• the gulf in quality from our world-class players to some of those in the current Irish squad
• and more

You can catch Scoreline live every Saturday and Sunday on KCLR from 2 pm or subscribe now to the Scoreline Extra podcast to make sure you don't miss out on any of the show's best bits, featured interviews and one-off specials.