
Show Notes
Round 3 is done — and Chloe Pearse is back, somehow vertical after UL Bohemian's AIL title win, to help us make sense of it all. England did England things against Wales. Italy absolutely shocked Scotland in a result nobody saw coming. And Ireland went to Clermont, matched France for long stretches, created chances, and came home empty-handed. Again. The margins are getting smaller. The performances are getting better. The results just aren't following yet. Cian has done something slightly unhinged with statistics that we're not going to spoil here. Let's just say the number is one in four thousand, and leave it at that. We also get into the bench decisions that had us shouting at the screen, the art of managing a referee without getting binned, and what Ireland need to do differently when Wales come to Belfast on the 9th of May. 👕 The mBan Squad kit is now on sale — all proceeds to HerSport → mudder-rucker-store.myspreadshop.net 📸 Instagram → @mudderruckerpodcast 🟦 Bluesky → @mudderrucker.bsky.social 🎙️ Ailbhe → @irishwomens.bsky.social 📚 Cian → @rugbykino.bsky.social ▶️ YouTube → youtube.com/@MudderRucker 00:11 Chloe returns — held together with adrenaline and goodwill 01:05 Three AIL titles in a row — how did it happen? 07:32 England v Wales — more of the same, but Wales showed heart 10:34 Zoe Harrison and the one in four thousand 16:36 Italy shock Scotland — discipline, yellow cards, and a record bonus point 21:16 The table — what it means for Ireland, Italy and Scotland 25:05 Ireland v France — so close, so frustrating 29:03 Erin King, Aoife Wafer and the performances that gave us hope 34:27 The bench decisions that had us shouting at the screen 38:12 Do Ireland need to be in the referee's ear more? 43:11 The art of managing a referee — Chloe's masterclass 43:40 Belfast on the 9th of May — get your tickets
More from MudderRucker
Finals day at the Dexcom, and what a way to close out the Interpros. Caolán Scully joins Ailbhe and Cian to wrap up the tournament — this week sporting a brand new jersey, still fielding accusations of bias. Ulster produced the shock of the competition, beating Connacht to claim third place and their first win in over a decade. A different Connacht side turned up on the day, and we get into what went so wrong after a promising start to the campaign. Then it's the final — Munster back-to-back champions after grinding out a nervy, attritional win over a much-improved Leinster. Eilish Cahill handed the referee a yellow card. We still don't have it on camera. We're devastated. We talk about what makes this Munster side so relentless, why Leinster's efficiency in the 22 let them down again, and whether a certain out-half's form is becoming a genuine concern heading into the international window. Interpros are done. Eyes turn to WXV.
Round 3 of the Interpros is done, and Munster are into the final. Caolán Scully joins Ailbhe and Cian again — this week in blue, which he insists is also not a declaration of allegiance. We start with the newly announced WXV training squad. Seven new caps, some big decisions still to be made, and a proper debate about who should and shouldn't have made the cut. Then it's onto the weekend's action: Leinster put 75 points on Ulster, with Robin O'Connor grabbing a hat trick in 21 minutes, though the scoreline flatters them more than the performance did. Munster booked their spot in the final with a comfortable win over Connacht, but it's what happened at out-half that's the real story. Caitríona Finn was excellent again. So excellent that the conversation about Ireland's long-term 10 is shifting fast. We get into why she looks like the real deal, and what it means heading into the World Cup year. We also look ahead to next week's final, and the fitness worries that could shape it. 👕 The mBan Squad kit is on sale — all proceeds to HerSport → mudder-rucker-store.myspreadshop.net 📸 Instagram → @mudderruckerpodcast 🟦 Bluesky → @mudderrucker.bsky.social 🎙️ Ailbhe → @irishwomens.bsky.social 📚 Cian → @rugbykino.bsky.social ▶️ YouTube → youtube.com/@MudderRucker 🎙️ Caolán → instagram.com/caolan_scully_media/ 📺 Inter-Pro Show → open.spotify.com/show/5EOPsPEyDzB63H5d5E2IZC 🎙️ Red Army Podcast → open.spotify.com/show/047VXpC70UxcV4QWxWcIHD
Round 2 of the Interpros is done — and Munster are making everyone look very ordinary indeed. Caolán Scully is back to join Ailbhe and Cian as they break down a weekend that raised as many questions as it answered. Munster completely shut out Ulster — 62-0 in Cork, the kind of scoreline that tells you everything about the gap between the provinces right now. Leinster grew into their win over Connacht, though not without some serious growing pains, and the question of whether Connacht can make the final is answered pretty definitively when Cian invokes meteor strikes. We also dig into the new central contracts — 31 players, a lot of youth, a lot of forwards, and one notable absence in Enya Breen that sparks a proper debate. And Dana O'Brien being outplayed by Connacht's young 10 is not something we're glossing over. Caolán will be at the Dexcom next week. He claims he'll be impartial. Certainly not wearing red. Away colours, he says. All games are live on TG4's YouTube channel — go watch. 👕 The mBan Squad kit is still on sale — all proceeds to HerSport → http://mudder-rucker-store.myspreadshop.net 🎙️ Caolán → instagram.com/caolan_scully_media/ 📺 Inter-Pro Show → open.spotify.com/show/5EOPsPEyDzB63H5d5E2IZC 🎙️ Red Army Podcast → open.spotify.com/show/047VXpC70UxcV4QWxWcIHD
Season 4 is here — and we're kicking it off with a collab. Caolán Scully of the Inter-Pro Show joins Ailbhe and Cian for the first ever MudderRucker x Inter-Pro Show episode, as the Women's Interprovincial Championship gets underway. Caolán is deputising for Chloe Pearse. He arrived in a red shirt and claimed to be neutral. We'll let you decide. Munster put on a clinic against Leinster — 12 of their 23 from UL Bohemians, a system that just keeps producing. Connacht edged Ulster in the other game, and we get into what it all means for the provinces heading into a competition that finally feels like it has a purpose, perfectly timed before WXV. We also get into the international players back in provincial colours for the first time, Grace Moore putting herself in the shop window, and Ailbhe makes a very bold claim about the future of the Irish 10 shirt. Eilish Cahill is mentioned. Obviously. All games are live on TG4's YouTube channel — go watch.
That's a wrap on the 2026 Women's Six Nations — and what a way to finish it. 31,294 people at the Aviva for a first ever standalone fixture. A heritage caps ceremony honouring 30 years of Irish women's rugby. And Ireland putting in arguably their most complete performance of the tournament to send Scotland home empty-handed. Chloe Pearse is back — cap 206, AIL Player of the Year, and now apparently the person most responsible for Beatrice Rigoni going missing from the Italian squad. We're saying nothing. We do a full tournament report card — England's cracks, France's rebuild, Italy's rise, and the uncomfortable question of whether Wales and Scotland are being left behind. Cian has the numbers. Chloe has opinions. Ailbhe has ponchos, apparently, and a new nickname she didn't ask for. Roll on the interpros. Roll on WXV. Roll on Australia. 👕 The mBan Squad kit is on sale — all proceeds to HerSport → mudder-rucker-store.myspreadshop.net 📸 Instagram → @mudderruckerpodcast 🟦 Bluesky → @mudderrucker.bsky.social 🎙️ Ailbhe → @irishwomens.bsky.social 📚 Cian → @rugbykino.bsky.social ▶️ YouTube → youtube.com/@MudderRucker