DSPN - RUGBY

At Super Rugby’s Super Round, Dan Carter joins Martin Devlin on the DSPN for a wide-ranging chat. He reflects on the city’s earthquake recovery, Crusaders history, and the buzz around the new stadium, while highlighting his work with UNICEF delivering clean water to Pacific communities. Carter also weighs in on the All Blacks’ No.10 depth, the challenge of locking down the jersey, and why New Zealand’s Rugby future remains full of potential.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This one starts in the Mailbag and ends with a proper farewell.

We get stuck into your feedback on Super Rugby, from whether the comp is actually sustainable to draft systems, salary caps, provincial pride, and why league keeps pinching hearts and minds.

There’s plenty on the Chiefs vs Hurricanes thriller too, including the Cam Roigard substitution, Ruben Love at 10, golden point, and whether a draw is actually the smarter option.

We also get into Silver Lake, dodgy tackle calls, the state of rugby administration, and why some media still seem determined to moan their way through a genuinely good comp. Then, right at the end, there’s the big one: Lachlan is off to Sky, and next week’s Mailbag will be his last.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We caught up with Crusaders legend and ex All Blacks captain Todd Blackadder to talk about the brand new stadium in Christchurch - it is a massive moment for the city. We also get his honest take on the current state of Super Rugby, the Crusaders' season so far, and what he thinks about players moving between international competitions.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Riley Higgins is off, Ardie Savea’s next move is suddenly a proper talking point, and we’re still no closer to a clean answer on the All Blacks No. 10 jersey.

This week on the DSPN’s Rugby Roundtable, we get into what Higgins leaving actually says about New Zealand Rugby, whether players should be free to move right across Super Rugby, and why Damian McKenzie might have pushed himself back to the front of the first-five queue. We also dig into whether the Chiefs and Hurricanes are giving us proper test-level footy, and whether the Crusaders are cooked or just biding their time.

Plus, Whitney Hansen’s influence on the Black Ferns, why that win over Canada felt different, and the argument over whether Auckland is a rugby city anymore.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some of rugby’s toughest calls went under the microscope this week, and we got Jeff the Ref in to break it all down properly.

We go through a stack of big moments from across Super Rugby, including the Zarn Sullivan tackle that had everyone split on red versus yellow, head-on-head collisions, forward pass debates, and whether the TMO is getting involved in the right situations.

There’s also a really interesting chat around quick tap penalties near the line and why defending them might be close to impossible.

As always, Jeff brings the law book, the real-world ref perspective, and a bit of common sense to it all.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who should wear six, seven and eight for the All Blacks? We got Murray Mexted back on to do what he does best - get right into the guts of loose forward play and explain what actually matters when selectors start circling names.

We dig into Chiefs vs Hurricanes, the back row battle inside that game, and why Mex still believes the All Blacks trio will come from those two sides. He breaks down the different roles of six, seven and eight, explains why size still matters, and gives his thoughts on players like Jacobson, Kirifi, Lakai, Flanders and Sititi.

We also get into the bigger picture, including whether Kiwi players should be allowed to head offshore and still be picked, and why Murray reckons rugby’s decline in New Zealand is very real if the grassroots game keeps getting neglected.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

That was one of those Super Rugby weekends where the table shifted, the pressure cranked up, and nobody got to hide.

We get into the Chiefs’ statement win over the Hurricanes in Hamilton, why Damian McKenzie’s influence mattered so much late, and what golden point does to the blood pressure. Then it’s on to the Drua pulling off one of the biggest away wins the comp’s seen, the Crusaders looking vulnerable again, and the Blues doing enough before nearly leaving the back door open.

We also finish on the Black Ferns, with Whitney Hansen’s first big marker as coach. The result over Canada mattered, but so did the way it happened. More structure, more control, and a performance that looked like a side with a clear plan.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Super Rugby Vibe Rankings are back and, honestly, it is absolute carnage. This week on DSPN, we try to make sense of a Super Rugby comp where the Chiefs have muscled their way to the top, the Hurricanes picked the wrong time to get loose, and half the ladder feels like it could beat the other half on any given day.

We get into why the Chiefs now deserve the flowers after closing out a huge win over the Canes, why Wellington’s game management let them down late, and why the Blues are still sitting right in the mix. We also try to work out what on earth to do with the Brumbies, Crusaders, Reds, Waratahs, Force, Highlanders and Drua, who all seem to be taking turns confusing us.

Plus, there’s some love for Moana Pasifika’s effort, some proper chat about form versus feel, and a reminder that Super Round is nearly here.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This round had everything. A golden-point gut punch in Hamilton, the Drua pulling off a proper stunner in Canberra, and the Crusaders coughing up a 19-nil lead. Just a normal weekend in Super Rugby, obviously.

On this episode, Martin and Jamie rip through all the big Round 10 talking points, starting with whether the Hurricanes blew their shot against the Chiefs and what Damien McKenzie’s control said about the first five battle. We get into the Drua’s away win, the Crusaders’ latest wobble, whether the Blues showed title-winning signs, and where the All Blacks loose forward pecking order is heading.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ruben Love at 10? We’re done dancing around it. This week’s DSPN Mailbag gets stuck into the big one, with plenty of you making the case to just hand him the jersey and find out if he’s the real deal.

We also rip through overseas eligibility, whether New Zealand should loosen the rules with a few caveats attached, and if Super Rugby is actually enough to prepare players for test footy.

On top of that, there’s a proper yarn about Springbok-style bench splits, why the rolling maul still does everyone’s head in, and whether people have completely overcooked the reaction to our Sir Graham Henry and Brent Impey interview.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices