South Africa and New Zealand - the Springboks and the All Blacks - the Greatest Rivalry. Plenty is spoken of their rugby tactics, their strengths and Weakness on the pitch, but what about behind closed doors? What are South Africans and New Zealanders really like as cultures really like, both in training and away from the rugby's pitch?

This week I was joined by rugby coach Ben Pegna who has lived and worked in both of these iconic countries. He lifts the lid on what the rugby cultures are really like in New Zealand and South Africa, drawing heavily on his experience coaching at the Bulls in Pretoria.

We then finish the podcast with a debate: is the World Cup really worth sacrificing other games for?

Ben Pegna's CV:Coached at London Scottish for a few years with the academy and seniors. Wasps for three seasons across the academy and on the pathway to seniors.England 7s - performance analyst with Ben Ryan and Russell Earnshaw (also did 1 to 1 skills and some S and C etc)Consulted to Argentina coaches, consulted to Melbourne Rebels - coaches and players with Dave Wessels as head coach. Consulted twice at Bulls across seniors and juniors. Consulted as technical advisor to RGC on behalf of WRU and supported Mark Jones, current Ospreys head coach.Numerous schools and unis across different countries.

#rugby #southafrica #newzealand #springboks #allblacks #coaching #podcast #interview #worldcup

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episode 3 of my mini-series bringing you all the latest from Tier 2 rugby as the Nations Cup played out its second weekend of fixtures! - this time I was joined by my friend Joe Santamaria. ⁠

How did Hong Kong shock Uruguay and is this the moment to panic for Uruguayan rugby? How did USA see off Spain and go unbeaten? What of Tonga and Samoa? all that and more covered in this week's episode!

#usa #zimbabwe #rugby #canada #spain #portugal #romania #georgia #hongkong #chile #uruguay #tonga #samoa These videos are now also available on Substack, click the link below to find my page!https://substack.com/@hgrugby?utm_source=user-menu

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Exclusive interview with Chile's Raimundo Martinez and Inaki Ayarza! In this episode of the HG Podcast I get a fascinating and unique insight into Chilean rugby courtesy of two of their biggest stars who tell me all about their sporting origins in South America and the latest events from the Nations Cup!

Number 8 Raimundo and winger Inaki share with me how they got started in rugby, how they chased their dreams in France and how they took their nation to the Rugby World Cup.

They then share secrets on Chile's progression over the last five years from behind the scenes innovations to Super Rugby Americas and more! They even tell me about their heated rivalry with Uruguay and some of the scapes they have gotten into behind closed doors..

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episode 2 of my mini-series bringing you all the latest from Tier 2 rugby as the Nations Cup played out its second weekend of fixtures! - this time I was joined by my fried Carl from @RugbyTTL

How did Spain & Portugal inflict big wins over Tonga and Canada? Are Georgia finished as a T1 contender and what on earth is the deal with Romania?! we cover all this and even more on this week's bonus podcast.

#usa #zimbabwe #rugby #canada #spain #portugal #romania #georgia #hongkong #chile #uruguay #tonga #samoa

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What's gone wrong with the flying Fijians? I took a trip to the Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool to watch Fiji take on England in the Nations Championship 2026. After being humiliated 8-73 by the English, I wanted to know the reasons why. Was it the payers? The coaches? The off-field governance? I discuss all of it.

In this mini-documentary I use highlights and analysis to pose some serious questions about Fiji rugby. Why are they playing away from home? Why have the performances gone backwards? Do the coach's excuses make sense?

#rugby #fiji #vlog #liverpool #england #documentary #analysis #highlights #Wales #fijian

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Welcome to a new min-series for the July tests! Covering the nations cup: the Tier 2 international rugby competition containing USA, Canada, Uruguay, Chile, Zimbabwe, Hong Kong China, Spain, Portugal, Romania, Georgia, Samoa and Tonga.

This week, I focus on the South American might of Chile and Uruguay - how is their rise up the rugby ranking progressing and how are they shaking up the powers in Europe?

#Chile #uruguay #usa #canada #zimbabwe #hongkong #tonga #samoa #spain #portugal #georgia #romania #rugby #podcast

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Chapters

0:00 Intro

2:10 Uruguay vs Georgia

5:40 Chile vs Romania

9:55 Samoa vs Hong Kong China

14:00 Tonga vs Zimbabwe

18:35 USA vs Portugal

20:50 Canada vs Spain

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Are the Barbarians RFC still relevant in 2026? For this mini-documentary I took a trip to Allianz Stadium (Twickenham) to watch the Barbarians vs Wales in June 2026 to see if the famous rugby team still mattered.

I watch both the men's and women's teams take on the Welsh to see what the differences were between both sides. With star players like Faf de Klerk and George North, can the Baabaas still work their magic? Or has Ruby Tui shown that now is the time for the women to take over?

Featuring  @Sport-in-a-Minute  and  @8-9Rugby 

the 89 combo pod referenced: https://youtu.be/nfswgdQjBu0?si=UkMFzwsMuFbfbeWu

#rugby #barbarians #Wales #highlights #vlog #interview #documentary #springboks #women

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link to the members only video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/hXGWUrycjz8

leagues not mentioned because they are still ongoing or not started yet:

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Bernard Jackman joins me to discuss the prospects for Antoine Dupont and France as they head down to the Souther Hemisphere for the July tests and the Nations Championship. We discuss if Dupont's position in the France team is under threat from the likes of Maxime Lucu and where France truly lie in the global game. How will that play out against the All Blacks and Australia? Bernard gives his take exclusively on the HG Rugby podcast.

We also deep dive the TOP 14 final and Bernard explains what makes Stade Toulousain (or Toulouse to you and me) the powerhouse that they are - from coaching, to players, to culture. Finally, to finish the pod, Bernard gives his take on the current unrest in Irish rugby, the lessons he learnt from Welsh Rugby and what he really thinks about Fabien Galthie.

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#france #rugby #podcast #ireland #wales #top14 #toulouse #dupont #allbacks #coaching #analysis

Chapters

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I don't get Bath Rugby Club. In this video I will use highlights and analytics to explain why they shouldn't be as good as they are and what really makes them such a competitive rugby team (spoiler: Finn Russell helps).

I’m going to investigate this bizarre contradiction of numbers verses reality. I’ll be asking if Johann van Graan doing something to break rugby statistics as we know them, or are Bath simply overrated? Then, at the end of the video, I’ll be saying something that English rugby fans are going to absolutely hate…

Keywords:

#bath #rugby #prem #england #analysis #highlights #southafrica #dyson #explained

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