The Big Jim Show

James Smith is a personal trainer, author, comedian and social media sensation. We discuss his journey from playing rugby in National 2, the drug-related incident that inspired him to move to Australia, people's relationship with food in the modern world, the need to have a desperation to succeed, the pandemic, his rise to notoriety, the evolution into live shows and comedy, social media algorithms and much more...

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Martin Anayi is the CEO of the United Rugby Championship. We discuss the many iterations of the URC, the impact of the South African sides and their involvement in the Champions Cup, how to appeal to a broader and younger audience, whether a global calendar is achievable, if it's possible for a single broadcaster or platform to be the home of all rugby and much more...

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Frank Murphy is a former Leicester, Munster & Connacht scrum half and now international rugby referee. We discuss his journey into refereeing, literally learning to blow the whistle, being fast-tracked, what a week looks like for a referee, the assessment process, what laws need to change, his disappointment at missing out on refereeing at the 2023 World Cup and much more...

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Craig Doyle is a broadcaster extraordinaire, host of BT Sport's rugby coverage and window salesman! We discuss his route from Ireland to the BBC, the emotional highs and lows of presenting Grandstand and working on an Olympics, the difficult position rugby currently finds itself in, what it was like to be in Ireland camp discussing the Shoulder To Shoulder documentary, how significant it would be for Ireland to win a World Cup and much more...

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Jasper Wiese is a Leicester and South Africa number eight and one of the hardest to be playing the game at the moment. We discuss his father's hatred of rugby, steroids in the sport, the number of South Africans playing in the Premiership, travel for the SA franchises in European rugby, fulfilling a dream of playing for the Boks, Rassie Erasmus' special gift, how a night out cost him dear with Franco Smith, why he loves the physical confrontation and much more...

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Bernard Jackman is one of the best thinkers and prominent voices in rugby. The former Ireland international discusses the perils of coaching, life in France, his own journey from buying cattle to playing rugby for a living, the financial situation in the sport, the phenomenal schools system in Ireland, why Johnny Sexton is the greatest and why this time it'll be different and Ireland will win the World Cup...

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Ellie Kildunne is still only 23 and is a World Cup finalist. The England full back discusses the final defeat, the effect the game had on women's rugby, how best to grow the sport, the sort of money being earned by players, whether now is the right time for a Lions women's tour and much more...

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Gordon Smart is a former deputy editor of the Sun and now broadcast journalist. From Noel Gallagher to Vinnie Jones and Bono to Amy Winehouse, he has stories for days from the heady world of showbiz but also candid reflections on the fine line that's trodden between those in the public eye and the media and a fascinating personal back story to boot...

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Paul Gustard is a former England assistant coach who has also coached at Saracens, Harlequins, Benetton and now Stade Francais. He discusses life under Eddie Jones, the potential for central contracts to solve some of English rugby's problems, cultural differences coaching abroad, the genuine hatred between Saracens and Harlequins and how that affected his time at the latter and much more...

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Wayne Pivac is a Six Nations and PRO12 winning coach but most recently he was replaced as Wales boss after home defeats to Italy and Georgia. He discusses when he knew his time was up, the move made to bring Warren Gatland in, the ongoing contract situation in Welsh rugby, his view on what should happen with the regions, how Scott Robertson's actions are ruffling feathers in New Zealand and what the future holds for him...

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