Sam Worthington from Stan Sport and nine.com.au joined Brett McKay on the AUS Rugby scene this week, as things start getting serious with Super Rugby Pacific reaching the knockout stage, starting with this weekend’s Qualifying Finals.

The Australian record in New Zealand in finals matches is well known, but what better time for a bit of history? The QFs start with the Hurricanes-ACT Brumbies in Wellington on Friday night, before the Crusaders host the Blues in Christchurch on Saturday afternoon, followed by the Chiefs-Queensland Reds in Hamilton that evening.

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Music: "Up Above" by Letter Box (via YouTube Creator Studio)

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Irish rugby writer Pat McCarry returns to the 8/9 Rugby co-host chair, where he and Brett McKay cast an eye back over the first weekend of finals anywhere in the rugby world, the United Rugby Championship quarter-final weekend.

Though the URC finished in a flurry, as teams jostled for the final playoff spots, the four QFs all went the way of the home teams, with Glasgow, the Bulls, Stormers, and Leinster all winning through to the semis. But, it remains to be seen if the top two will definitely win through to the Final on June 20.

Plus, a rapid wrap-up of the final rounds of the Premiership in England, the Top 14 in France, the League One SFs in Japan, plus Major League Rugby and Super Rugby Americas, too.

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Find Brett on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport

Music: "Up Above" by Letter Box (via YouTube Creator Studio)

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TV’s Michael Atkinson joined Brett McKay on the AUS Rugby scene this week, making time in his busy morning TV and Stan Sport Rugby schedule, to take a look at final round permutations for Super Rugby Pacific.

Despite the top six being set, and even despite the top six being set back in March essentially, the final finishing positions for four of those six teams are still a long way from set, and with plenty of options still in play this weekend. But how will they play out? And how many equations are still valid now teams have been named?

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Find Brett on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport

Music: "Up Above" by Letter Box (via YouTube Creator Studio)

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Rugby YouTube star Huw Griffin is back in the 8/9 Rugby co-host chair, where he and Brett McKay look back over the Champions Cup final and everything that worked for Bordeaux, everything that didn’t for Leinster, and to ponder whatever happened to Kurtley Beale’s mail.

The European final was surprisingly one-sided and pushes Bordeaux’s unbeaten streak in the tournament out to 15 games. For Leinster however, it’s five lost finals of the last eight played, and some serious questions are being asked.

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Find Brett on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport

Music: "Up Above" by Letter Box (via YouTube Creator Studio)

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Commentator, presenter, and former Sunwolves lock Sam Wykes joined Brett McKay on the AUS Rugby scene this week, to peer into the dangers of the final two rounds of Super Rugby Pacific.

Looking resplendent in his old Mighty Moondogs team kit, Sam gave some great first-hand insights into the anxiety around the final games for Moana Pasifika, and the impediments stopping the Fijian Drua becoming the finals team we think they can become, as well as working through the games that matter this weekend and next.

#rugbypodcast #89Rugby #SuperRugbyPacific

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Find Brett on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport

Music: "Up Above" by Letter Box (via YouTube Creator Studio)

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Rugby traveller and storyteller Harry Jones returns to 8/9 Rugby, reuniting with Brett McKay to dig into all the juicy bits in the lead-up to the Champions Cup Final in Spain this weekend, between Bordeaux and Leinster.

The Bilbao clash pits a stark contrast of styles: the all-out, at times chaotic attack of UBB vs. the ideally impenetrable Jacques Nienaber defence of Leinster. From there. It’s just a matter of who can on the day. Can Bordeaux back up last year’s triumph and match the party that went for days? Can Leinster carry their growing URC momentum to another European title at the same venue as their last?

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Music: "Up Above" by Letter Box (via YouTube Creator Studio)

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Rugby writer, analyst and creator John Ferguson joined Brett McKay on the AUS Rugby scene this week, as Super Rugby Pacific properly hots up for the remaining three rounds.

With the valid assumption that the Hurricanes and Chiefs are locked into the top two – which looks highly likely – the run home for the remaining eight teams in finals contention is examined to work out who might finish where in the playoff positions, who might force their way in, and who’s in danger of missing out.

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Find John’s channel Off The Ruck on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OfftheRuck

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Find Brett on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport

Music: "Up Above" by Letter Box (via YouTube Creator Studio)

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Jake Mangin, Head Coach of Chilean professional team Selknam joined Brett McKay on 8/9 Rugby this week, for another state of play chat around Super Rugby Americas.

Following on from similar State of Play chats on League One in Japan, and Major League Rugby in the US, Jake provides first hand insight into the origins and structure of the eight-team Super Rugby Americas competition in South America, how good of a job it’s doing in developing players for Chile, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina, and how the 2026 season is playing out for the competition and his team.

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More on Super Rugby Americas here: https://www.superrugbyamericas.com/

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Find Brett on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport

Music: "Up Above" by Letter Box (via YouTube Creator Studio)

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A peer behind the curtain into the world of rugby broadcasting on the AUS Rugby scene this week, as Stan Sport Exec Producer and Commentator Andrew Swain joins Brett McKay to share some of the secrets of what goes on behind the cameras at a rugby game, and how it all gets to air.

As a commentator, ‘Swainy’ is also often juggling the many moving parts of live TV with having to call games – including the now famous night he stepped in as colleague Sean Maloney’s voice failed him.

And as if that’s not enough, this all happens as Super Rugby Pacific pushes headlong toward the finals series, with unknown numbers of equations and permutations available over the next month of action, as teams jockey for a finals berth.

#rugbypodcast #89Rugby #SuperRugbyPacific

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Social media: search for ‘8/9 Rugby’ on Twitter, Bluesky, LinkedIn, and on Instagram, too

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Find Brett on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport

Music: "Up Above" by Letter Box (via YouTube Creator Studio)

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Gain Line Analytics co-founder Simon Strachan joined Brett McKay on 8/9 Rugby this week, to dig into the current state of play around League One in Japan.

Following on from last week’s MLR State of Play, Simon provides great insights into how League One came about, the structures of corporate rugby in Japan within sport and business, how changes to League One player classification are impacting the competition, and how the 2026 season will play out with one round remaining before the promotion/relegation games and the finals to follow.

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As promised! The Toshiba Brave Lupus player profile pics: https://www.bravelupus.com/member/

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Social media: search for ‘8/9 Rugby’ on Twitter, Bluesky, LinkedIn, and on Instagram, too

And please do check out and subscribe to 8/9 Rugby on Substack: https://89rugby.substack.com/

Find Brett on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport

Music: "Up Above" by Letter Box (via YouTube Creator Studio)

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