Best Castlebar Podcasts (2025)

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Ep 3286: The Meath Miracle, Kerry Class It Out, Kick Out Strategy, Losers Assemble - 30/06/25 1:07:24

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15h ago1:07:24

1:07:24

Murph and Mark headed off to Croke Park together yesterday for the MARPH derby. Murph's initial arrogance slowly curdled into horror as he and everyone else in the stadium witnessed the return of the Royals; Meath are back! Mark is on the show today to celebrate on behalf of his people, but otherwise, it's wall-to-wall losers as Dublin and Armagh's…

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Ep 3285: The Worst Idea ever Implemented In Football, Poch Flirts, FIFA's NFTs - 30/06/25 56:17

16h ago56:17

56:17

Friend of the show David Sneyd sent US Soccer into a tailspin over the weekend with his exclusive report that Brentford interviewed Mauricio Pochettino for the job they ended up giving to Keith Andrews. But doesn’t Poch already have a job? In Ireland we can empathise with the American soul-searching. Meanwhile, certain senior German grandees been e…

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Sin And Win, Italian V American Cuisine, Messi Longevity, Lions Roar 36:49

4d ago36:49

36:49

Welcome to our weekly World Service taster menu which this week includes the voice of Saipan (trailer), the Joe Duffy era coming to a close and a new door opening, Tim Vickery on Brazilian footballers' ability to sin and win, Messi's secret to longevity, and Ken on the USA V Italy cuisine wars. Plus there's Lions o'clock, climate change, ASMR, and …

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Argentina upset the Lions. 48:30

8d ago48:30

48:30

Argentina flipped the script and upset the Lions. Was it an actual upset? We don't think so. We review the game and look ahead.

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Ep 3280: Dublin Beat Goliath In An All-Time Shock, Galway Give Up, Kilkenny For The Win? - 23/06/25 44:38

8d ago44:38

44:38

14-man Dublin's win over Limerick on Saturday has been described as the greatest upset in championship history - is that hyperbolic or on the money? Is this the end of an era or can we expect to see a less dominant but still title-contending Limerick going forward? And what are Dublin capable of against Cork in two weeks' time? Jamie Wall and forme…

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Ep 3279: Duff Departs, Energy Vampires, League's Needs, Eoin's Goals - 23/06/25 1:03:28

8d ago1:03:28

1:03:28

Ken is back from holidays and so is Branno. Did they... go on vacation together? Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened... is what Branno's Shels-supporting friends are claiming they are thinking the day after Damien Duff walked out of the club. Today's show is mainly about perhaps the last-ever Duff-LOI Bomba - although it was a di…

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Every Instinct You've Ever Had Is Wrong 30:40

11d ago30:40

30:40

Welcome to our weekly World Service taster menu which this week includes Dion Fanning and Rory Smith on Trent, the Spurs killjoys, sacking Ange and hiring Thomas Frank. Plus there's Gavin Cooney on the rights and wrongs of Ireland welcoming the Trump aligned NFL to Dublin, the wildly popular new slot "Lions Watch", all the best GAA and rugby covera…

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Leinster win the URC Final! 49:53

14d ago49:53

49:53

Leinster have won a trophy. We are unhappy about this. That's zero craic for us. We break down an impressive win and what does this mean big picture for Leinster. We also look ahead to the Lions game against Argentina.

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Ep 3274: McConville's Men Get It Done, Mayo Go Lose By One, And Lots Of Other Football Fun - 16/06/25 49:25

15d ago49:25

49:25

Another insane weekend of Gaelic football, and finally we have some teams departing the scene - including, most chaotically of all, Mayo. They conceded a last-second score to a team who needed it not even a small little bit, and they, Derry, Roscommon and Clare are gone. Former Galway player Barry Cullinane is on the line to chart his old team's pr…

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Ep 3273: Duffer's Stance On Trance, Komodo And Kalimotxos, ICE And Infantino's Club World Cup - 16/06/25 58:33

15d ago58:33

58:33

Today's football show contains all the meats of the football stew, from local LOI beefs to the state of the world game. First we chat to David Sneyd about where exactly things stand in the League of Ireland season, a season in which Damien Duff and Stephen Bradley are at each other's throats. Why? Because of Italian trance classic, Komodo by Mauro …

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Caring About The Club World Cup, No RTE Panel, Box To Box, Transcendent Tennis 31:10

20d ago31:10

31:10

Welcome to our weekly World Service taster menu which this week includes Tim Vickery on South America's keen interest in Infantino's Club World Cup, Dion Fanning and David Sneyd on RTE's panel, Ire V Lux and Tuchel's tricky start to life as England coach. We also discuss football midfielders' brain power requirements, transcendent tennis, we previe…

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Ep 3267: Cork Take Limerick In Epic, Lilies In Bloom, TV Killed The Podcast Star - 09/06/25 58:46

22d ago58:46

58:46

Cork won a Munster final that "began at tea-time and didn't finish until bed-time", as Denis Walsh put it on Saturday night - a win on penalties over Limerick after a raucous, controversial, enthralling match that was perfect in its imperfection, as Jamie Wall explains to us. Kilkenny won a sixth Leinster title in a row, but the real headlines from…

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Ep 3267: Nations League Finale, The Ronaldo Reign, Lux Redux, Godwin Author Joseph O'Neill In Studio - 09/06/25 1:14:01

22d ago1:14:01

1:14:01

The Nations League final four turned out to be pretty good but it's clear that what international football needs right now is to reverse the FIFA diktat to make every emotional stadium moment sound the exact same. We talk about Ireland's draw with Senegal and look ahead to tomorrow's season-closing friendly in Luxembourg, before the PEN/Faulkner Aw…

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Dublin Wit, Dublin Miss, Munster Hurling Final Preview 24:00

25d ago24:00

24:00

Welcome to our weekly World Service taster menu! For access to all our shows go to secondcaptains.com/join – its 5 euro a month with no sign-up fee, no minimum stay, no sneaky contract, and no ads. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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STUART LANCASTER EMERGENCY POD!!! 48:54

28d ago48:54

48:54

Massive news for Connacht today. We also touch on the quarter finals but who cares!!!

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Ep 3262: Paris Reach Holy Grail, Just Doué It, Luis Love, Ken V German Police - 01/06/25 1:12:37

30d ago1:12:37

1:12:37

PSG are the champions of Europe after crushing Inter 5-0 in the most one-sided final in European Cup history. The night was a complicated mix of emotions; awe at the sheer brilliance of PSG's performance, respect and affection for their charismatic coach Luis Enrique, sympathy for the hopelessly outclassed Inter, unease and foreboding at a second C…

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Bernie Sanders In Studio, John Egan Live In Cork, Champions League Final, Wedding Plans 23:32

1M ago23:32

23:32

Bernie Sanders has been one of the most electrifying figures in American life for half a century, and is one of the most high-profile global political figures of the current moment. He joined us in our studio in Dublin this week for an exclusive interview, and we have a taster of the chat on today's best of show. In what was a massive week for Seco…

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Ep 3257: Parade Season - 26/05/25 1:09:07

1M ago1:09:07

1:09:07

We're into the time of celebrations, drifting clouds of flare smoke, players grabbing mics and managers maybe dropping them. Palace, Liverpool and Tottenham all celebrated their big trophy wins in the last few days while Katie McCabe has been leading Arsenal's celebrations after winning the Women's Champions League. Spurs fans: we see you, we belie…

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Ep 3256: Clare Bow Out, Lines On A Map, Allez Les Verts, Bernie Chats Muhammad Ali - 26/05/25 48:25

1M ago48:25

48:25

We have our provincial hurling final pairings, but Cork didn't exactly roar into the Munster final, enduring a nervy second half before finally putting Waterford away in Páirc Úi Chaoimh. They'll face Limerick in two weeks' time, and Jamie Wall and Liam Rushe say farewell to All-Ireland champions Clare, while looking ahead to Galway/Kilkenny in the…

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Ange Delivers, Amorim Sticks, Pope University, Chalamet Sings, Colin Healy Exclusive 30:20

1M ago30:20

30:20

Welcome to our weekly World Service taster menu which this week includes an in-depth look at a Europa League final result that's produced so many talking points for both Spurs and Man Utd, US Murph on the New York sports fan and Pope University, Paul Flynn on Dublin's (surprise?) win over Galway, and Timothee Chalamet being a good sport. We also ha…

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URC RD 18 recap! Season grades for the Provinces. 1:03:41

1M ago1:03:41

1:03:41

The regular season is over and we grade each of the provinces seasons. We also discuss Macks comments about Connacht and Scott Fardys departure.

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Ep 3250: Palace Make Wembley Shake, Peno Game Theory, Amorim V Glasner - 19/05/25 1:18:54

1M ago1:18:54

1:18:54

The FA Cup: good when the underdogs actually win. We look at some key moments of Palace's epic and emotional victory. Why didn't the VAR send Dean Henderson off? Why did Erling Haaland let Marmoush take the penalty? And did Oliver Glasner get in Pep Guardiola's head when he warned him, you play that system against us again and we will solve it? And…

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Ep 3250: Limerick Quell Rebels, Naked Mountaineering, Maestro Lynch 48:51

1M ago48:51

48:51

Limerick and Cork has been the marquee hurling rivalry of the recent past - but yesterday in the Gaelic Grounds, Limerick sent out a fairly thundering message that they are the team to beat in this year's All-Ireland championship. Liam Rushe and Jamie Wall are in studio again to talk to us about Kyle Hayes' dominance, Cork's naive puck-out defence,…

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Brazil And Argentina's Football Cultures, Glorious GAA, The Great Kate, Ken's War - 15/05/25 45:10

2M ago45:10

45:10

Welcome to our weekly World Service taster menu which this week includes the mighty Kate O'Connor live in Belfast on her incredible year of success, Ken on his US civil war ancestor, a brilliant GAA show with Paul Flynn and Oisin McConville, and fan favourite Tim Vickery on why Brazil and Argentina have such different football philosophies. For acc…

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URC RD 17 Recap! 58:14

2M ago58:14

58:14

Only one round of the URC left to go0 and Connacht and no Ulster are out of top 9 contention. We recap the round of games and look back at Leinsters loss while looking ahead to the Lions.

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Ep 3245: Can Clare Beat The Odds?, Skorts Saga Rumbles On, Cork & Limerick Go Again, Louth Take Leinster - 12/05/25 45:16

2M ago45:16

45:16

The All-Ireland champions Clare are on the precipice after their defeat at home to Tipperary in a packed Cusack Park in Ennis on Saturday - but our analysts Liam Rushe and Jamie Wall reckon there's still a chance they survive. We also discuss the skorts issue that continues to rumble on inexplicably, John McGrath's late-career renaissance, Shane O'…

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Ep 3244: Trent's Bernaboo, Ruben Amorim Pundit Of The Season, The Moose Is Loose, Classic Classico 1:18:16

2M ago1:18:16

1:18:16

The spectrum of football emotion runs wide. At one end, Trent Alexander-Arnold, once beloved and now accursed by his own people. At the other the Moose, surfing to his first LOI goal on a tidal wave of inexplicable love. Football can be a confusing place for footballers. We talk about another epic Clasico as Real Madrid fall apart in a comical firs…

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Second Captains Live at the Guinness Open Gate Brewery 42:42

2M ago42:42

42:42

Join us live from the Guinness Open Gate Brewery in Dublin City, with Gary Breen and Damien Delaney for a very special Second Captains football podcast, as we reflect on the Premier League season that was. Have Salah’s legs gone, what next for our boy Caoimhín and just why is Chelsea’s Enzo Maresca the anti-McIlroy? Plus Ken puts some working relat…

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Ep 3239: Leinster Lose Their Minds And Lose The Game, The Galactico Model, Nienaber's Defence, Jordie Benched - 05/05/25 1:13:32

2M ago1:13:32

1:13:32

From the moment we saw the team-sheets, right through to the final moments when they chose not to kick at goal, this was a baffling display by the coaching staff and players, and it all ended with a defeat that will have repercussions far beyond the province of Leinster. We chat to Shane Horgan and Ruaidhrí O'Connor about the mental state of the pl…

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Arteta's Psychobabble, Life In Gaza, Don Diego On Decay 27:26

2M ago27:26

27:26

Welcome to our weekly World Service taster menu which this week includes Ken on Arteta's psycho babble and Lamine Yamal's greatness, Diego Torres on Arsenal's decay, Meath beating the Dubs, and Abubaker Abed came to our studio for a sit-down with Ken. Abubaker arrived in Dublin late last month having left the Gaza Strip for the first time in his li…

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URC RD 16 RECAP. All IRISH TEAMS LOSE! 1:08:06

2M ago1:08:06

1:08:06

URC season is coming to its conclusion soon but the competition is still fierce. So fierce that for the first time in a decade, all 4 Irish teams lost in the one round. We recap all the games and dig into the impact of a poor season for 3 of the Irish teams.

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Ep 3234: Liverpool Champions, Slots Right In, Copa del Rüdiger - 28/04/25 1:24:20

2M ago1:24:20

1:24:20

Liverpool are the 24-25 Premier League champions. We talk about their victorious campaign, why this should be regarded as one of the great coaching achievements in English football history, and why other Liverpool managers who came close in the past might feel a little envious of the circumstances in which Arne Slot won the Premier League at his fi…

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Ep 3233: Meath Storm The Capital, An Lu Abu, Armagh Take Tyrone In Thriller - 28/04/25 45:45

2M ago45:45

45:45

15 years of hurt are over - the Royals have stormed the capital and are back in power, and back in a Leinster final. Some saw this coming, most didn't. We talk to the soothsayer Paul Flynn about where this shock lies on the GAA Richter Scale, how Meath did it, and where this leaves Dublin now. We also chat to Conor McManus about the Leinster final …

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Canham's Final Deadline, Lovin' Football, Lovely Hurling 32:52

2M ago32:52

32:52

Welcome to our weekly World Service taster menu which this week included Ken on Canham, making football great again. Bohs beating Rovers, Paul Flynn on fabulous football, Liam Rushe and Jamie Wall on hurling's hectic draws, and we have "fun and games" coming on Friday too. Get daily shows for just a fiver a month – no contracts, no sign-up fee, no …

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URC RD 15 Recap! Pete Wilkins leaves Connacht. 46:51

2M ago46:51

46:51

Connacht lose a tight game in South Africa with a decent performance. We also recap the other provinces and discuss Pete Wilkins decision to leave Connacht.

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Ep 3228: Sic Transit Gloria Mundi - 21/04/25 54:25

2M ago54:25

54:25

ope Francis, who died today aged 88, once told the players of Celtic FC that the essence of sport lay in 'gratuitousness', to give of yourself without expecting something in return. The idealism of his message doesn't resound widely in top-level football, where the contrasting experiences of two current stars expose the calculating self-interest th…

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World Service Rory Mania (And Other Less Important Sporting Events) 28:15

3M ago28:15

28:15

Well, that was something. Rory McIlroy's Masters win rightly managed to make it into most of our conversations this week, and we're not even done yet - Lawrence Donegan is slated to do his victory lap tomorrow on the World Service after finally seeing his pre-tournament prediction line up with reality. Ken also sat down with Sol Campbell yesterday,…

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European QFs Recap! 58:42

3M ago58:42

58:42

Connacht's European campaign comes to an end with yet another rollercoaster performance. We are really getting tired of repeating ourselves haha. We also recap Munster and Leinsters performances in the Champions Cup.

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Ep 3223: The Anti-McIlroy, Football: Better Than Ever (But Here are Some Suggestions Anyway) - 14/04/25 1:13:49

3M ago1:13:49

1:13:49

After Rory McIlroy’s open heart captivated the world last night, we identify the anti-McIlroy who has become the symbol of the Premier League 24-25. We survey the gallant efforts of the sports media to spin gold out of the straw of the past weekend and inspect some of the suggestions that have been put forward to revive football as a spectacle. Jon…

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Ep 3222: The Drought Is Over, The Grand Slam Secured, Long Live Rory McIlroy - 14/04/25 1:00:57

3M ago1:00:57

1:00:57

After what must surely have been one of the most amazing days of sport any of us has ever seen, Rory McIlroy did what it often seemed he never would: won at Augusta and joined the very, very short list of golfers who've won a career Grand Slam. And he did it in the most 'Rory McIlroy at The Masters' way imaginable. We're joined in studio by Malachy…

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Ken's Prem, Prince William's Tactics Truck, Bottle Cork, Responsibility For Rory 28:35

3M ago28:35

28:35

Welcome to our weekly World Service taster menu which this week includes Ken on his all-time Prem XI, Prince William's tactics masterclass before the Villa PSG game, Cork's march to an inevitable All Ireland hurling title and we ask Lawrence Donegan to take responsibility for Rory not yet winning The Masters. We also covered Munster's magic day in …

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Connacht remain unbeaten in Europe. European Weekend Recap! 53:07

3M ago53:07

53:07

Connacht beat Cardiff for the 3rd time and are into the QFs of the Challenge Cup. Ulster give a great account of themselves. Leinster are dominant and Munster continue to do Munster things!

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Ep 3217: A Red Weekend, Crowley Does A ROG, The Coombes Block, Bonkers In Bordeaux - 07/04/25 51:44

3M ago51:44

51:44

If you felt some almost imperceptible shift in the world this weekend, the minutest tilting of the Earth on its axis, perhaps, there can only be one coherent explanation: it was the county of Cork and the province of Munster reclaiming their positions at the centre of the sporting universe. The first righting of the celestial wrong came in the Stad…

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Ep 3216: Damp Manchester, Kevin de Baller, Reynolds Is Cooking - 07/04/25 1:05:29

3M ago1:05:29

1:05:29

Ken, Branno and Mark went to Dalymount Park in search of vitriol - and they found it - but also nearly all of the other emotions on an evening that veered wildly between blind rage and helpless laughter. If everyone can agree the LOI is in a good place the same is not universally said of the Premier League where most of the teams are giving the imp…

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Ref Squid Games, Making Art, GAA Football Championship Preview 47:59

3M ago47:59

47:59

Welcome to our weekly World Service taster menu. Join in the fun for just a fiver a month – no contracts, no sign-up fee, no minimum stay, no hidden charges, and no ads. Head to secondcaptains.com/join for more details. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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URC Round 14 recap - A disappointment in Castlebar. 56:22

3M ago56:22

56:22

Its another URC recap and another loss to report on. A great day in Castlebar was tarred by a poor performance once again. We dig into out frustrations. We also reflect on a great win for Ulster and a dogged win for Leinster in SA.

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Ep 3211: Geordie JFK, Stadium Perverts, Dark Dalyer, Anna Livia - 31/03/25 45:49

3M ago45:49

45:49

The most cinematic moment in world football this weekend happened at Dalymount Park as Moses Dyer hammered in a killer second goal for Galway United to plunge Branno, among many others, into a world of pain. Today he takes us behind the veil of darkness as we try to reckon with Bohemians' 5 defeats in their last 6 games. We also discuss Newcastle's…

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Ep 3210: Crowley's Class, Connacht In Castlebar, Leinster Bite Sharks, Ireland Hammer Italy - 31/03/25 52:21

3M ago52:21

52:21

It was a positive weekend for Irish rugby with the women's team getting a near flawless 8 try victory in Italy, Leinster's B / C team taking down Siya Kolisi's star studded Sharks in Durban, Ulster showing further signs of life against the Stormers, and Munster's halfbacks steering them to a win over Connacht. And even Connacht, as bad as they were…

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David And Chantal Sneyd On The Failure Of The Irish Healthcare System To Provide For Their Son - 26/03/25 1:07:17

3M ago1:07:17

1:07:17

We have a special edition of the show for you today; we’re putting yesterday’s conversation with David and Chantal Sneyd about their son Dylan, out free to all. There was a phenomenal reaction from our members and we felt this one should be shared as widely as possible. When Dylan was two David and Chantal grew concerned that he hadn't yet started …

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URC Rd 13 Recap! 47:56

3M ago47:56

47:56

The URC is back and amazingly its 3 losses for the 4 provinces and Ulster were the only win! We dig into the infuriating Connacht team and finally look at an interesting Leinster side.