Will the Lions tour save Australian rugby?
That is the picture facing Australia at the moment and then some, given the popularity of Rugby League, AFL, cricket, soccer, basketball and countless other codes down under. Yet just over 20 years ago, Australian rugby defied this sporting competition to produce a side good enough to win the 1999 World Cup, beat the Lions in 2001 and narrowly miss out on back-to-back global crowns in 2003. What has changed?
Jonathan Drennan is a Belfast-born journalist working for the Sydney Morning Herald. He joins host Nathan Johns to explain Australian rugby's recent demise.
Will this Lions tour, combined with hosting duties at the 2027 World Cup, give the sport the injection of eyeballs it needs, or will it bankrupt a once great rugby nation?
READ MORE
We'd love to find out what you think of The Counter Ruck podcast and to understand a little more about our listeners.
Please take our survey and you'll be entered into a prize draw to win a €100 One4All gift card:
https://www.research.net/r/CounterRuckWebApp
Produced by John Casey.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
5 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Women's Rugby World Cup: Six stars to watch out for
The Women's Rugby World Cup begins in Sunderland on Friday when hosts England face the United States at the Stadium of Light. The tournament concludes with the final at the Allianz Stadium on September 27. Take a look at some of the key players to watch during this year's competition. Aoife Dalton The Ireland international is only 22 but has 24 caps to her name and was awarded player of the year last season after a strong Six Nations performance. The dynamic centre started all five games for Ireland in the Six Nations and will be hoping to carry on that record in the WRWC where she is appearing for the first time. The Offaly native is a ball carrying powerhouse with 41 carries in the W6N as well as one try to her name. Claudia Pena The Spain international enjoyed a fantastic debut season in Premiership Women's Rugby with Harlequins this season. The 20-year-old centre joined Quins from Barcelona at the start of the season and went on to score eight tries in 13 appearances. Pena will be looking to carry on from that stellar season with Spain, who are ranked 13th in the world and face a tricky group with clashes against New Zealand, Ireland and Japan. Sisilia Tuipulotu Tuipulotu has returned to the Wales team in time to compete in her second World Cup. The ball-carrying prop missed the Six Nations after undergoing hamstring surgery, but returned for Wales' warm-up series against Australia, which they drew 1-1. World Cups are a family affair for Tuipulotu after her father Sione played at the men's 1999 and 2007 editions. Braxton Sorensen-McGee Still only 18 years old, New Zealand's Sorensen-McGee has quickly become a much talked about talent. The full-back stood out in her first season of Super Rugby Aupiki, where she scored four tries during the competition and helped the Blues win the final against Matatu. She then made her Black Ferns debut against Australia on May 10 and made an instant impression, scoring two tries and subsequently earned a maiden World Cup call-up. Another young talent aiming to make her mark on the World Cup is 18-year-old Australia full-back Halse. The teenager made her Super Rugby Women's debut aged 16 and in the process became the joint-youngest NSW Waratahs player to do so. Halse became the youngest debutant for either the men's or women's Australia teams in May 2024 when she played against the United States and has so far earned 11 caps for the Wallaroos. Abby Dow With 54 caps to her name, Dow will be aiming to continue her impressive year at her second World Cup. The England winger is a crucial part of a formidable back three, which includes Ellie Kildunne and Jess Breach for Friday's opener against the United States. Dow comes into the tournament on the back of a successful Six Nations campaign, where she finished top of the try-scorers list with six tries as England were crowned victors. Listen to the RTÉ Rugby podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch Ireland v Japan in the Rugby World Cup on Sunday from 11.30am on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on and the RTÉ News app. Listen to live radio commentary on 2fm.
Extra.ie
10 hours ago
- Extra.ie
Jackman believes Wafer and McMahon will make instant impact at World Cup
The Women's Rugby World Cup finally gets underway this weekend as hosts England kick off the tournament against the USA on Friday August 22 at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland. For Ireland, it's a chance to finally show off the progress they've made since missing out on the last tournament in 2021. Since that low point, Ireland have come on leaps and bounds, and now under Scott Bemand, they have a team that can really compete with the best of them. They showed glimpses of that last year at WXV 1 as they performed admirably against hosts Canada and managed to beat reigning World Champions New Zealand. Over the next month, Ireland can now show that 2021 was just a blip and this team belongs at the higher echelon of the women's game. However, they'll need their best players in peak condition. Ireland team celebrate winning against New Zealand. Pic: INPHO/World Rugby/Rich Lam That's where some worry comes in for Scott Bemand's squad. Having already been hampered by injuries to key players like Erin King and Dorothy Wall, Bemand has had to deal with players coming back after long-term lay-offs like Sam Monaghan who played her first minutes in over a year in Ireland's two warm-up matches against Scotland and Canada. Then there's the case of Edel McMahon and Aoife Wafer. The pair have had their preparation for the World Cup hampered by injuries and didn't feature in either of Ireland's warm-up games. Edel McMahon. Pic: INPHO/Ben Brady It means they are both coming in cold but, while speaking at RTÉ's launch of the Women's Rugby World Cup, ex-Leinster and Ireland hooker Bernard Jackman spoke about how it's easier to bring players back from injuries into squads these days, highlighting Will Skelton's performance in the Lions series. 'I think it's a lot easier now than it would have been in times gone past. There's so much data being connected, there's so much information that Bemand and his coaches will have in terms of where they are physically. There's such depth to the return to play protocols and I think we've seen more and more athletes be able to come in cold and perform as they had in the past. 'Even Will Skeleton, use him for the men's game. I mean, he was able to come in cold without doing a lot of work in terms of contact and actually be able to have a big influence in games.' RTÉ presenters Jacqui Hurley and Clare MacNamara pictured with Ireland Head Coach Scott Bemand and players Edel McMahon, centre, and Sam Monaghan at Dunboyne Castle in Meath as RTÉ launches its Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 Coverage. Pic: RTÉ Jackman then spoke about how the increased professionalism of the game in Ireland allows players to come back in better condition, and that Scott Bemand and his coaches will be more than prepared to bring them in. 'And I think that's the beauty of having contracts and more access and more specialist coaching who can bring those players to prime condition quickly. So it's not ideal. Obviously, you would like to have time on the field in games, but I think it's not anywhere near as big a negative as it would have been in the past. 'I would fully expect them to be able to be influential in games fit enough to be selected. As I said, he and his coaching staff will have a lot more information than he would have in the past and be able to make, hopefully, you know, really good decisions around when to play them and how long to play them for.' Aoife Wafer of Ireland on her way to scoring her side a try during the Women's Six Nations Rugby Championship match against Wales. Photo by Kian Abdullah/Sportsfile Ireland get their World Cup campaign underway on Sunday August 24, as they play Japan at Franklin Gardens in Northampton, kick off is at 12pm and it will be live on RTÉ2. Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 kicks off on 22nd August across RTÉ.
RTÉ News
10 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Japan women's rugby team: All you need to know
With the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup now just days away, all eyes are on Ireland's opener with Japan. Here's everything you need to know about Ireland's Pool C opponents. When do Ireland start their Rugby World Cup tournament? Ireland's opening pool game is this Sunday 24 August, as they face Japan in Franklins Gardens in Northampton. Kickoff is at 12 midday, and it is live on RTÉ 2 and the RTÉ Player, with live radio commentary on 2fm. Who else is in the pool? Ireland and Japan are joined in Pool C by Spain and the defending champions, New Zealand. Have these teams played before? Yes! Ireland and Japan have played each on seven previous occasions, winning six; including at Ireland's most recent World Cup appearance, 2017, a game which Ireland won 24-14 at the UCD Bowl. In recent times, the sides played three games across the 2021/22 season. Ireland took the spoils 15-12 in a home clash in the RDS in November of 2021, before a summer tour of Japan the following Summer. , with the home side taking the second test and most recent matchup between the teams by 29-10. How good are Japan? Japan are currently ranked 11th in the world rankings and enter the tournament off the back of a positive 2025. They started the year by beating Kazahkstan and Hong Kong in the Asian Championship before defeating the USA Eagles, in LA, early in the summer. They followed that up by recording two wins over pool rivals Spain on home soil, 32-19 and 30-19; before losing to Italy in Calvisano by 33-15 just two weeks ago. However, in last season's WXV tournament, the Sakura Fifteen finished bottom of the WXV 2 pool, failing to win any of their three games against South Africa, Scotland or Wales. What is their previous World Cup form like? Japan's best finish at a major tournament is eighth, coming all the way back in 1994. They finished in 11th spot in 2017, in what was their first tournament since 2002, and were eliminated in the pool stages in 2021, with no wins. How did they qualify for the tournament? Japan qualified for this Rugby World Cup off the back of being the Rugby Asia Championship winners in 2024, where they defeated Hong Kong and Kazakhstan in the three-team pool. They followed that up with a victory in the 2025 tournament meaning they have won each of the last six editions of the Asia Women's Rugby Championship they have entered. Who are the names we need to know? Firstly, Japan are coached by former Canadian international, Lesley McKenzie. An experienced coach who has plied her trade in Canada and New Zealand also, the Canadian first linked up with the Japan 7s team in 2018 as an assistant coach. Less than a year later, McKenzie returned to the 15-a-side game, where she was appointed head coach of Japan. During her time as head coach, McKenzie has led the team to two World Cups and has a stated aim of making the last eight this time around. At the squad announcement press conference, she told reporters, "We've got a fairly tough pool sequence in that we start with Ireland who have in two years gone from the third tier to the first tier of the WXV competition." "They will be our toughest challenge and our benchmark for success in terms of working towards a Quarter Final spot." The Japan squad is captained by experienced back-row forward Iroha Nagata. Now 26, Nagata is the one of the most capped players in the travelling squad with 40 caps her country. A tenacious ball carrying threat, Nagata is widely experienced at both codes, featuring prominently with the Japan 7s squad in recent years, where she won a gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games. Nagata featured at the 2017 World Cup in Ireland also. Another player to watch is Sachiko Kato. Having made her international debut at just 17 years old Kato has been long seen as a promising prospect in the Japanese game. Kato featured at the 2021 World Cup, as part of a storied first part of her career. After the tournament, she signed for English club, Exeter Chiefs. She has since returned to Japan and plays for the Yokogawa Musashino Artemi-Stars. Electric 20-year-old winger Matsumura Misaki is also one to keep an eye on, if Japan can get her reliable service to attack from. Ireland will be hoping to keep all three players quiet on Sunday, in order to cruise into the next round with a victory.
