Episode 24: Capping It Off Right

Episode 24: Capping It Off Right

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 [http://mudder-rucker-store.myspreadshop.net] 📸 Instagram → @mudderruckerpodcast 🟦 Bluesky → @mudderrucker.bsky.social [http://mudderrucker.bsky.social] 🎙️ Ailbhe → @irishwomens.bsky.social [http://irishwomens.bsky.social] 📚 Cian → @rugbykino.bsky.social [http://rugbykino.bsky.social] ▶️ YouTube → youtube.com/@MudderRucker 00:00 Welcome back — and Chloe's post-AIL confession 00:52 Heritage caps unveiled at the Aviva 03:52 Legends in the room — the women who built Irish rugby 05:33 31,294 people and the vibes were immaculate 08:47 Can Ireland keep this momentum going? 11:30 Ireland v Scotland — the most complete performance of the tournament 14:59 Rivalry history and why the SRU should know better 18:11 Six Nations trends — who's growing, who's not 22:12 England's attack is genuinely terrifying 23:20 England's defensive cracks — and why they probably don't care 24:28 France found their flow — and it's only going to get scarier 26:10 France's set piece wobbles — the thing to fix before Australia 27:56 Italy: attack up, defence down, Rigatoni still sulking somewhere 30:28 When the stats don't tell the full story 32:59 Ireland's growth is real — but is it fast enough? 36:18 Erin King: 80 tackles, 243 ruck entries, perfect intent 38:47 Interpros, WXV, and the road to Australia 41:38 Favourite moments of the Six Nations — and that's a wrap

Episode 23: What's Up With Wales? Huw Knows...

Round 4 is done — and this week Ailbhe and Cian are joined by not one but two guests. Chloe Pearse is back as ever, and making his MudderRucker debut is Huw Griffin of HG Rugby — Welsh rugby analyst, stats obsessive, and self-declared England hater. He fits right in. Huw takes us inside the chaos engulfing Welsh rugby and what it actually means for the women's game, while we try to work out if Sean Lynn's rebuild is finally starting to take shape. England are still winning but something is shifting — Italy put three tries past them before half time, and suddenly the grand slam decider against France in Bordeaux feels a lot more interesting. Ireland beat Wales in Belfast in front of a sell-out crowd, and the back row did what the back row does. Hogan, Wafer, King — we're running out of superlatives. And Cliodhna Maloney McDonald is firmly team niggle, for better or worse. Next up: 27,000 tickets sold for the Aviva. Scotland in round 5. No pressure. Also — the mBan Squad t-shirts are selling. Cian explains how it all started. 👕 The mBan Squad kit is on sale — all proceeds to HerSport → mudder-rucker-store.myspreadshop.net [http://mudder-rucker-store.myspreadshop.net] 📸 Instagram → @mudderruckerpodcast 🟦 Bluesky → @mudderrucker.bsky.social [http://mudderrucker.bsky.social] 🎙️ Ailbhe → @irishwomens.bsky.social [http://irishwomens.bsky.social] 📚 Cian → @rugbykino.bsky.social [http://rugbykino.bsky.social] ▶️ YouTube → youtube.com/@MudderRucker [http://youtube.com/@MudderRucker] 00:00 Podcast Introductions 01:14 Welsh Rugby Resurgence 03:48 Sean Lynn Vision 06:41 England Leakier Defence 10:47 Injuries And Leadership 14:21 Why England Concede 17:48 Italy Third Place Race 19:28 France Clicking Early 23:24 Scotland Defensive Crisis 25:27 Tackling And Athletic Gap 26:10 Scotland Attack Sparks 28:06 Ireland Pack Dominance 28:47 Back Row Breakdown 31:15 Eve Higgins And Kicking 33:31 Flashpoint Yellow Card 35:45 Team Niggle Debate 38:06 Scotland Threats Next Week 41:29 England France Prediction 43:09 Ireland U20s Pipeline 45:47 Mban Squad Merch Story 47:50 Round Four Wrap Up

Episode 22: Obviously Maybe

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 [http://mudder-rucker-store.myspreadshop.net] 📸 Instagram → @mudderruckerpodcast 🟦 Bluesky → @mudderrucker.bsky.social [http://mudderrucker.bsky.social] 🎙️ Ailbhe → @irishwomens.bsky.social [http://irishwomens.bsky.social] 📚 Cian → @rugbykino.bsky.social [http://rugbykino.bsky.social] ▶️ YouTube → youtube.com/@MudderRucker [http://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

Episode 21: Three Parsons and a Wafer Walk Under A Bar...

Round 2 is in the books — and Ireland finally made it to Galway. The Dexcom delivered, the crowd delivered, and by God did the team deliver. Ailbhe and Cian are joined once again by Chloe Pearse — now preparing for an AIL final at the Aviva, no big deal — to break down a weekend that had everything. Scotland hosted England in front of 30,000 at Murrayfield and were absolutely, comprehensively, historically annihilated. France stuttered and scraped past Wales in a game that raised serious questions about their discipline. And Ireland put on a show in Galway that felt like something shifting. Aoife Wafer was back to her brilliant best. Erin King was everywhere — 14 carries, 16 tackles, leading from the front. And then there's Dorothy Parsons. We'll leave it at that. Eyes turn to Clermont-Ferrand next — France away. Chloe has a very specific prediction involving a scoreline, a penalty and a red card. She's confident. We'll see. 📸 Instagram → @mudderruckerpodcast 🟦 Bluesky → @mudderrucker.bsky.social 🎙️ Ailbhe → @irishwomens.bsky.social 📚 Cian → @rugbykino.bsky.social ▶️ YouTube → youtube.com/@MudderRucker

Episode 20: I Can't Believe It's Not Kiwi

Round 1 is done and dusted — and Chloe Pearse is back, fresh off an AIL semi-final POTM, to help us make sense of it all. France beat Italy, but don't let the scoreline fool you — their breakdown was an absolute shambles and Italy had them rattled for long stretches. Chloe still thinks France are beatable, and honestly, after watching that, it's hard to argue. Wales and Scotland served up the kind of thriller that reminds you why you love this sport, and then there was Twickenham. 77,120 people. The biggest crowd in the history of women's rugby. Ireland were 21-0 down at half time, came out for the second half, and matched the world champions score for score. It's not a win. But something is very much happening here, and we're not done talking about it. Butter wouldn't melt. But it might get cut right up. 📸 Instagram → @mudderruckerpodcast 🟦 Bluesky → @mudderrucker.bsky.social 🎙️ Ailbhe → @irishwomens.bsky.social 📚 Cian → @rugbykino.bsky.social ▶️ YouTube → youtube.com/@MudderRucker 00:00 Episode 20 — we're still here 00:56 France v Italy: messy breakdown, ruthless finish 10:44 Is France actually beatable? Chloe still thinks so 12:51 Wales v Scotland: the thriller no one expected 20:14 England v Ireland: the first half we'd rather forget 28:30 The breakdown battle — and what it means for France away 33:10 21 missed tackles and the stats that hurt 37:15 78 → 44 → 21: is this serious progress? 39:30 77,120 people. Let that sink in. 41:05 Eilish Cahill arrives and immediately terrorises everyone 44:30 Changes for Italy — Chloe's teamsheet 48:15 Predictions for Galway