Second Captains @ The Irish Times

The learning curve doesn’t get any less steep for Joe Schmidt – after being humbled by Australia, we have the world champions New Zealand coming up this weekend. Shane Horgan, Jerry Flannery and Emmett Byrne tell us where Ireland can make the most improvements, quickest, between last Saturday and this Sunday. We have the latest from Poznan with Ken Early, and we also look at the life and times of Indian cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar, the most beloved Indian person since Mahatma Gandhi. Plus – the Aviva playlist, Lance Armstrong’s meeting with his former masseuse Emma O’Reilly, and what we can learn from the Australian approach to pre-match preparation. Follow the lads on twitter @SecondCaptains and email the show secondcaptains@irishtimes.com. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Ireland team has been named for this Saturday’s test against Australia – and Joe Schmidt has rolled the dice again. Eddie O’Sullivan and Shane Horgan give us their thoughts, and talk to us about the World Cup game between the sides in 2003 that Ireland so very nearly won. Candlestick Park in San Francisco has held more top-class sport than any other stadium in America, and US Murph has been going there since he was 6 years old. About to be demolished at the end of this year, he gives us his thoughts on a horrible, cold old dump that he’s happy to call home. We have the return of Pierce Brosnan’s Emigrant Shout-Outs, the latest from the Ireland football camp and the English media’s predictable response to Keano’s first press conference.Follow us on twitter @SecondCaptains, facebook.com/SecondCaptains and email us SecondCaptains@irishtimes.com. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Eoin and Ken and Ciaran wonder why images of Roy Keane standing in a field with his hands behind his back are exciting enough to be broadcast live on Sky Sports. And we've got the news from Martin O'Neill's first press conference (in ordinary time) as Ireland manager.We'll also hear from Stephen Ward after his first MONKEANO-operated training session.Sid Lowe joins us from Madrid to talk about Lionel Messi - uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.And Nick Harris of sportingintelligence.com analyses the implications of BT Sport beating Sky to exclusive Champions League rights. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Joe Schmidt has come into the Ireland job with an unimpeachable club coaching record – but does that insulate him from criticism, or make him more vulnerable than ever? Matt Williams, Trevor Hogan and the Irish Times’ Gerry Thornley talk about what would be a successful November series for Ireland’s new man as the test with Australia approaches.Tommy Walsh was a Gaelic football ‘outlier’ in 2009 – a boy giant with talent, athleticism and scoring ability. After he left for Australia, Kerry football was left wondering ‘what if?’ But he appears to be on the verge of a comeback. Laois’s Colm Begley has made that journey, in both directions, and tells us about the Irish experience in Aussie Rules.And we have the story of when Martin O’Neill came to speak to Ireland’s best Gaelic footballers, Dirty Dancing with Ryan Lochte, and Lance Armstrong’s crusading charge for justice. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In his first press conference as Ireland manager Martin O'Neill outlined his thought process in taking the job, what role Keane will have, what he thinks of Keane's temperament, and why volatility isn't always a bad thing.Ken and Eoin discuss whether the pair can bring some panache to Ireland's play, if the fans can be convinced to return, and if Delaney would ever let Keane get the main job. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

With the Joe Schmidt era starting on Saturday, we talk to Shane Horgan and Trevor Hogan about his team selection, how the players are adapting to the new methods, the sense of expectation among fans, and what changes we can expect to see on the pitch in the next few weeks.US Murph gives us some detail on a very strange tale of workplace harassment in the locker-room of the Miami Dolphins, which many in America have been trying to pass off as part of the culture of the NFL, or some gentle hazing... racial taunting and threats against a man's life included. All this plus Connacht coach Pat Lam on Samoan power, the importance of frat parties, Second Captains' Mikey Graham, and Trevor Hogan's 'Frank the tank' merchandise run. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

John Delaney today brought us confirmation that there will be a confirmation, heralding the dawn of the O'Neill Keane era. Eoin asks Emmet Malone if he foresees trouble, and we talk to former Ipswich player under Keane, Shane Supple, about Roy's management style.Eddie O'Sullivan has met and discussed tactics with Roy Keane, and believes the Cork man's straight talking will be a key ingredient for success. We also talk to Shane Jennings about Joe Schmidt's evolution as a coach, from assistant at Auckland, to becoming the top man in Irish rugby.All this plus the frog and the scorpion, the glorious history of Irish assistant managers, a Red Sox PBESO, and Keane's Dallaglio put-down. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Eoin and Ken are joined in studio by Seán Óg Ó'hAilpín, who opens up on his brilliant career in hurling, his recovery from the trauma of a serious car accident, and his lifelong struggle to come up to the standards demanded by his highly competitive father.Brian Murphy was watching as the Boston Red Sox won a World Series in front of their own fans at Fenway Park.And Simon Usborne joins us to talk about Garry Kasparov's chances of winning the election for president of the chess world governing body FIDE against a man who claims to have been abducted by aliens and taken to a distant star. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In his first year as a senior international Jason Quigley has won the National Champs, the European Champs and became the first Irish man to win a world silver medal - we talk to him about why he's still not satisfied.Sean O'Brien, Jamie Heaslip, Conor Murray and Donnacha Ryan have all recently been linked with moves abroad. Shane Horgan and Trevor Hogan explain how the IRFU need to act quickly and must revamp their approach to keeping the talent here.We ask former Olympian Jerry Kiernan if the incredible times run by Kenyan marathon runners can be believed. We also have narky captains, the worst position in sport and the evolution of 'running man'. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

With Joe Ward and Jason Quigley fighting for World Championship glory this weekend we speak to Billy Walsh about how he manages to coach and motivate such a diverse range of characters.US Murph will let us know how 2 late goals for the US men's soccer team might be enough to wipe away 250 years of hatred across the Rio Grande, and we speak to one of the greatest Aussie Rules footballers of all time - Adam Goodes, about racism, the stolen generation and representing Indigenous Australians. All that plus Daniel Day Lewis as John Delaney, Daily Express nutrition, Nation Lampoon's vacation and a miracle cure for baldness... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Four wins from four in the Heineken Cup for the Irish provinces last weekend, and Ulster might just be the form team in Europe at the moment. Shane Horgan and Eddie O'Sullivan on what Ulster learnt from last year, Munster and Leinster flaws, and who is best placed to take over from O'Driscoll at the end of the season.The subject of concussions in rugby has been getting plenty of coverage recently, and we speak to a player who's had more than his fair share of difficulties in that area - Ulster and Ireland centre Luke Marshall.And 6 months after the Boston marathon bombing, we hear how the city's most potent sporting symbol, the Red Sox, have played a part in the recovery process. All that plus baseball's Macho Man Randy Savage, the frequency illusion, Rock of Gibraltar and retiring the 13 jersey. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Eoin and Ken talk Alex Ferguson's book, which includes even less than might be expected about Rock of Gibraltar....except all the times Roy Keane irritatingly brought it up.Dion Fanning was at today's book launch in London and talks to us about the Fergie-Keane feud.Graham Hunter joins us to discuss how David Moyes might be feeling about the looming presence of his predecessor.And Philippe Auclair fills us in on the war between Patrice Evra and most of France's top football pundits See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Rob Penney and Conor O’Shea savaged their teams last weekend – can coaches motivate players by criticising them in public? Shane Horgan had experience of this in his playing days and joins us to discuss the rights and wrongs. We also speak to Leinster’s Sean Cronin, who was the player of the weekend in the first round of the Heineken Cup, with the numbers to prove it. And we speak to US Murph about beard tugging Bostonians and the difference between Mr April, and Mr October. Plus we have Mickey Goldmill wisdom, the prize bullock, why Eoin is like Aldous Huxley, and where’s the beef. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

After last weekend's surrender to Edinburgh, we ask Trevor Hogan and Gerry Thornley if complacency is an acceptable excuse for Munster. We also look at Sean O'Brien's evolving game, and how the provinces are shaping up for next weekend.Australia's International Rules side will be represented by an indigenous selection, one of the few exciting elements to this series. We chart the history of the Aboriginal player in the AFL and the role the sport has played in their fight against racism. We speak to Carl Frampton, the Belfast boxer who is managed by Barry McGuigan. Frampton defends his EBU European title in his home town on Saturday night, and the hype surrounding him is being likened to the McGuigan era. Plus we have the baby calf, Ken manager, boxing dinosaurs and balls of steel. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A doctor in Glasgow's Southern General Hospital believes that he has found the first case of early onset dementia caused by head injuries while playing rugby - in the week that Peter O'Mahony was taken off the pitch by Munster's medical staff, Grenoble coach Bernard Jackman and Jonny Watterson of The Irish Times talk us through why rugby has to do more to protect its players. Jason Ryan loved the idea of being a selector and coach with Kildare this summer, while manager Kieran McGeeney took all the heat. But now he's been named as McGeeney's successor, he talks to us about getting back into the hot seat. We also have US Murph on the real-life epilogue to Moneyball, the return of Pierce Brosnan's Emigrant Shout Outs, and Ken's nuanced view of the medical profession. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the build-up to this season's Heineken Cup Munster have answered a few questions, while Leinster struggle with injuries and new fitting in the new faces. Shane Horgan and Trevor Hogan look at what shape the Irish teams are in ahead of the opening weekend.Roddy Collins is back in the Airtricity Premier Division with Athlone Town, and has 40 years of friendship with Ireland interim manager Noel King to tell us about. After a summer of brilliant hurling, are the GAA about to leave themselves open to charges of elitism by saving Cork from relegation with one swipe of a committee’s pen? All this plus rugby nicknames, McDevitt's Sexton obsession, Gulliver memories and Cologne's drinking subculture. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The rugby season has been dominated by endless statements from administrators and club owners, but on Saturday in Thomond the fun starts. We talk to former Ireland head coach Eddie O'Sullivan and former Leinster, Munster and Ireland player Trevor Hogan about how the stars will perform with these issues hovering in the background.American sports franchises struggle to maintain consistency over a long period of time, but in the last decade the New England Patriots have managed it better than any other side. Brian Murphy explains why.We also have Oisin McConville on marking the legendary Tomas O'Se, the 1972 Miami Dolphins, panenka V roulada, and Brian O'Driscoll's game face. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The nation was blown away by Clare's confidence and skill on saturday, but they have designs on building an empire. We ask Nicky English, Malachy Clerkin and Christy O'Connor whether a county without a history of success can go on to dominate.Johnny Sexton has been one of the most influential and interesting men in Irish rugby for the last five years, and we talk to him about Paris, O'Gara, principles and the role Brian O'Driscoll has played in his career.There's also hurling exhortations, mature Clare youths, anger as a gift and rugby friendships. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Clare hurlers said they enjoyed the drawn final, while the Cork team have spent the last three weeks repeatedly being told they're an inferior side. Author, journalist and former Clare player Christy O'Connor and Tipp legend Nicky English join us to discuss what has been a strange build-up for the two sides involved.Irish amateur boxing is springing a few leaks at the moment with John Joe Nevin on the verge of turning pro, Olympic bronze medallist Michael Conlan threatening to turn pro and Katie Taylor disillusioned with her career since the London Games. We talk to Kenneth Egan about what is a difficult time for the sport ahead of next month's World Championships.We also have Ciaran 'lights out' Murphy, why its bad to be the underdog in a replay, enjoyable failure and Katie's Irish pub experience. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week we walk through the post All-Ireland wasteland to see if there are any Mayo bodies alive under the rubble. Oisin McConville and Anthony Moyles wonder if Dublin winning is good for football, and we ask Mike Finnerty of the Mayo News if this is the defeat that will finally break the county's will. Brian Murphy looks at the issue of preferential treatment for star players, and why the NFL continues to produce so many athletes who struggle with life, and the law, off the field of play.We also have Aidan O'Shea's favourite poem, filthy stadiums, youth V's experience and why Mayo can't become 'just another county'. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.