Second Captains

Ireland are the reigning Women's Six Nations Grand Slam champions, and they realise the time is now if they want to grow the popularity of their sport. Their most capped player, Lynne Cantwell talks to us about success on and off the field of play. US Murph on the first gay player to declare himself for the NFL draft, and Malachy Clerkin is in Sochi, for the warmest Winter Olympics in history. Ken asks if it's ever a good idea to beat up your dad (it's not), grits, Arsenal fans and packing out Donnybrook.

Eoin, Ken and Ciaran talk about the fire of Luis Suarez, the diffidence of Mesut Ozil and the robotic assembly-line mentality of Manchester United. Jonathan Wilson joins us for a deeper look at United's failure at Fulham and the exact meaning of the term "width" in the football context. And Philippe Auclair on whether the defeat at Anfield suggests Arsenal's season is poised to spin into that long-anticipated death-spiral.

On Second Captains this week – Gerry Thornley, Malcolm O’Kelly and Liam Toland on Ireland’s 26-3 win over Wales and managing expectations before Twickenham in 2 weeks time. Colin Jackson held a world record for 13 years but never won Olympic gold – he tells us about the pressure of delivering at an Olympics, winter or summer. And we have the solid work of Peter O’Mahony’s PR entourage, the second-row’s understanding of beauty on a rugby field, and Rene Meulensteen’s towering intellect.

The Welsh players have been told by Gatland this week to strut around Europe like the champions they are. We ask Welsh legend Jonathan Davies if this suits the Welsh psyche, and we talk to former Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan about the D'arcy O'Driscoll axis, and the departure of Rob Penney. The Irish Times' Malachy Clerkin is in Sochi for the Winter Olympics so we talk to our journalistic comrade about the long list of political and social issues associated with Putin's Games. We also have US Murph on American sports stars choosing success over wealth, George Plimpton, stray dogs, an Austrian-Mexican prince, whiney journalists and airplane toilets.

Eoin, Ken and Murph discuss the differences between Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon work culture, and Ken eats his words after doubting Chelsea's ability to win at Manchester City. Gabriele Marcotti joins us to talk about David Beckham's dream of a Miami-based superclub. And we ask Stuart James if Michael Laudrup was too cool for British football.

Eoin, Ken and Murph discuss Ronaldo's red card, Craig Bellamy's angst, Chico Flores' revenge and Jose Mourinho's steampunk vision. Jonathan Wilson analyses Sunderland's resurgence under Gus Poyet. And Kieran Canning joins us from Madrid where people are starting to believe Atletico might just take the title off the big two.

After assessing whether we're tougher than Paul O'Connell we launch straight into Six Nations chat with Shane Horgan and Denis Hickie, asking them if the Scottish game was any sort of a barometer for the Wales game. Paul Galvin has retired from inter-county football, and with him goes another link to the great Kerry team of the last decade. Darragh O Se tells us about his former team-mate, and passenger on countless trips to training. And we closely evaluate the singing talents of Peter O’Mahony, the Denver Broncos Superbowl disintegration, sleep deprivation and why it suits the Welsh to be cocky.

On the eve of the Six Nations, we speak to Ronan O'Gara, the top points-scorer in the tournament's history about documentaries, life in Paris, and a first Spring without international rugby. The Superbowl is a ridiculous affair, but we love it. US Murph is covering it from the madness of 'Radio Row' in NYC, while Jerry Izenberg, 14-time Pulitzer Prize nominee and a giant in American sportswriting, is yet to miss a Superbowl, one of only 2 writers with that unblemished record. B-Hop gets the musical tribute an alien of his stature deserves plus there's celebrity frauds, Snoop Dogg impressions, pastor Darryl Strawberry and Christy Ring.

Eoin, Ken and Murph talk about Sam Allardyce's tactical genius, Jose Mourinho's trolling, and Toni Kroos's gloves. Emmet Malone tells us why he's not sure Mourinho's standing among the Chelsea support is as rock-solid as most people think. And after a half-season which has seen universal praise for Roberto Martinez, Miguel Delaney considers why it is that Martinez teams so often have a match where they concede a gigantic number of goals.

Eoin, Ken and Ciaran talk about Juan Mata's blog, third-party negotiation and Roberto Martinez's secrets to a healthy diet and happy marriage. Raphael Honigstein talks to us about Pep Guardiola's tough love for Toni Kroos and Arsenal's thriving German colony. And Tim Vickery analyses Neymar's relationship with his father.

The week before the 6 Nations might be the most enjoyable week of the entire tournament – before your team starts losing, and before you remember that for all the pageantry, and all the brilliant occasions, the rugby can sometimes be pretty soporific. Shane Horgan and Gerry Thornley are optimistic about Ireland’s chances of sustaining our interest right to the end, and injured lock Donnacha Ryan talks to us about getting back in time to take part in the drama this year. Bernard Hopkins is 49 years old, a world champion, and still one of the most entertaining boxers in the game. We speak to him about defying medical logic, unifying the belts in time for his 50th birthday next year, and being an alien. The interminable Gatland-O’Driscoll ‘feud’, Copernicus, and national anthems all in the mixer too...

Eoin, Ken and Ciaran discuss penalty technique, PSG's prosperity and Sandro Rosell's tangled web. FIFA presidential candidate Jerome Champagne joins us to talk about what needs to change with world football's governing body. And John Brewin and Miguel Delaney analyse the implications of Juan Mata's move to Manchester United

Manchester United fans have had to experience some pretty low moments this season – we discuss where Phil Jones' purposeful stride towards the penalty spot ranks in the pantheon. After two biting incidents in a year, have Dublin now got an image problem, and with their big sponsorship deals, is there now more pressure on them to keep high standards. Another fan-base discovering that sport can be a cruel and unforgiving mistress this week were US Murph and his fellow San Francisco 49ers fans – we try and apply balm to his poor, wounded heart. And with the Australian Open being re-energised by coaches who are figures from our childhoods, why are we talking about Andre Agassi’s toupee obsession?

Eoin, Ken and Murph get teased by the English media, discuss Ribery's bitterness, Gerrard's quarterback role and the reason why Moyes should sell Rooney. Richie Sadlier joins us in studio to discuss Man United's body language, lack of unity and if a total revamp is what's needed. Dion Fanning was in London to witness the launch of the Jerome Champagne FIFA presidential campaign. The Frenchman loves FIFA, media grillings and orange cards. All this plus McDowell's burgers, monkey DNA, Jose's competitive juices and Stevie G's lust for battle.

Cheating in real life really pays off – so why are we so hard on golfers who step on the wrong side of a totally pointless white line? Rory McIlroy saw red last weekend, fouling foul of one of the sport’s more technical rules – Malachy Clerkin of the Irish Times joins us. It could be argued that the relative strengths of Munster, Ulster and Leinster have never been more closely matched – and the impact of their director of rugby David Humphreys is a major factor in Ulster’s recent renaissance. We speak to Humphreys about the challenges for them on and off the field. We'll also speak about the brilliantly-named Jerome Champagne, who could be the next FIFA president. All that plus the first PBESO of 2014, what Richard Krajicek is up to these days, and the next link in the Gorgeous George-Muhammad Ali-Zlatan Ibrahimovic chain.