A pod of two halves with the first half focusing on rugby union:

• Thoughts on ABs vs Stormers (0:57) then ABs vs Sharks (5:24)
• Observations from Round 2 of the NPC (9:05) and a brief (but vitally important) look at the Heartland Championship aka THE PEOPLES RUGBY! (14:26)

Before Sydney based Kiwi rugby league writer Stephen Gallagher joins me to talk the NRL season so far & what he is looking out for over the last two and a bit months of the competition (15:47)

HOST & PRODUCER: Nigel Yalden

GUEST: Stephen Gallagher

"If you like the vibe, please subscribe"

https://www.facebook.com/thenigelyaldenpodcast/

Nigel starts this weeks show with some quick thoughts, observations & opinions on the opening round of the NPC (0:44) before his combat sport guru & "That Sweet Pop" podcast co-host Brad "B-Rad' Lewis drops by to review WWE's latest premier live event SummerSlam (5:49)

• Night 1 (7:10)
• Night 2 (22:54)
• Raw after SummerSlam (37:50)

And finishes with his reaction to the All Blacks squad named to face the Stormers in the opening game of the South African tour (42:30)

HOST & PRODUCER: Nigel Yalden

GUEST: Brad "B-Rad" Lewis

"If you like the vibe, please subscribe"

https://www.facebook.com/thenigelyaldenpodcast/

Before diving into the traditional End of Month Mailbag, Nigel gives his reaction to the 44 player All Blacks squad to tour South Africa (0:50) Then its onto a two part mailbag:

PART 1

• Corey (12:22) looking for some NRL & AFL predictions
• Nigel (15:34) on the relevance and significance of the Commonwealth Games
• Craig (18:01) asks about the importance of Ryan Fox's Open Championship win and if the Comm Games are on their last legs?Damian & Brendon (24:24) both want Nigel's predictions/expectations for the All Blacks tour to South Africa
• Joe (27:57) shares some observations about the URC and its potential correlation to the All Blacks tour
• John (31:40) wants a second opinion on whether the ABs victory over Ireland is a positive indication ahead of their trip to the Republic

PART 2

• John (36:03) then switches codes to ask about the Warriors prospects for the rest of the NRL season
• David (40:26) is asking about potential contenders in upcoming NPC
• David & Isaac (44:00) are both interested in Nigel's reaction to a busy NBA off-season
• Isaac & Dean (49:24) are already looking ahead to the new NFL season
• And finally Dean (50:44) asks about this year's editions of the Tour de France

Host & Producer: Nigel Yalden

"If you like the vibe, please subscribe"

https://www.facebook.com/thenigelyaldenpodcast/

Nigel opens the show with his reaction to Ryan Fox winning the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale (0:49) followed by his review of the All Blacks Nations Championship win over Ireland at Eden Park (4:46)

• 1st Half (5:16)
• 2nd Half (20:23)
• Post Test Statistics, Thoughts and Observations (33;52)

Before finishing with a quick preview and some thoughts on this Saturday's Super Rugby Aupiki Grand Final between Matatu and Blues in Christchurch (40:46)

Host & Producer: Nigel Yalden

"If you like the vibe, please subscribe"

https://www.facebook.com/thenigelyaldenpodcast/

This weeks show begins with a review of the All Blacks 47-17 win over Italy to go two-from-two in the Nations Championship:

• 1st Half (0:46)
• 2nd Half (15:36)
• Post test stats and thoughts (28:24)

And then Nigel pays his respects to New Zealand screen great and all-round top kiwi bloke Sir Sam Neill (37:37)

Host & Producer: Nigel Yalden

"If you like the vibe, please subscribe"

https://www.facebook.com/thenigelyaldenpodcast/

On this episode, Nigel looks at the first All Blacks outing of 2026, an enthralling 34-32 win over Six Nations champions France:

• 1st Half (0:49)
• 1st Half stats & thoughts (15:00)
• 2nd Half (16:43)
• Final stats & post test observations (29:25)

Then Nigel concludes with a quick run through the ABs squad named to face Italy this Saturday evening (36:50)

Host & Producer: Nigel Yalden

"If you like the vibe, please subscribe"

https://www.facebook.com/thenigelyaldenpodcast/

On this episode Nigel gives his thoughts on the All Blacks squad to face France in Christchurch this weekend (0:51) and you'll hear ABs coach Dave Rennie define what playing optimistically looks like to him (7:11). Then Nigel responds to a couple of mailbag contributions (7:50) that barely missed the Monday cut-off from Matt (8:10) asking about All Blacks expectations, Australian Rugby, the White Ferns, Melbourne Storm and State of Origin & David (16:04) seeking thoughts on the Ben Stokes retirement

Host & Producer: Nigel Yalden

"If you like the vibe, please subscribe"

https://www.facebook.com/thenigelyaldenpodcast/

As we reach the middle of the year, Nigel dips into the Mailbag with contributions from:

• Skottie (0:28) asking about the NBA off-season, All Blacks in South Africa & Richie Mo'unga's availability status
• Jack (4:05) throws some names into the mix for the 10 extra players to go to the Republic
• Lauren (8:00) chats Formula 1 including an impending travel update, David Havili, Anton Segner and Marco and the MotoGP Marshall incident
• Before finishing with David's (13:04) quintet of FIFA World Cup questions

Host & Producer: Nigel Yalden

"If you like the vibe, please subscribe"

https://www.facebook.com/thenigelyaldenpodcast/

On a very rugby centric show, Nigel starts by reviewing the Hurricanes rampaging victory over the Chiefs in the Super Rugby Pacific Grand Final (0:40)

• First Half (2:40)
• Second Half (16:40)
• Post Match thoughts on the Hurricanes (26:38) & Chiefs (31:00)

Then it is time to react to the first All Blacks squad of 2026 (34:00) starting with the forwards (34:16) then the backs (41:04) before suggesting a potential starting XV (46:10) And then we finish with some thoughts on a very exciting Kapa o Pango Maori (Maori All Blacks) squad heading to Japan this week (47:25)

Host & Producer: Nigel Yalden

"If you like the vibe, please subscribe"

https://www.facebook.com/thenigelyaldenpodcast/

The ultimate week of the Super Rugby Pacific is upon us, culminating this Saturday night in Wellington. Nigel starts the show by looking at the semi-final performances of the Hurricanes & Chiefs (1:11) before a quick report card on the vanquished Crusaders (12:14) and Blues (15:24) Next you'll hear from two key members of the Chiefs - second five Quinn Tupaea (18:00) & hooker Samisoni Taukei'aho (20:33) followed by Nigel's thoughts on the referee appointment for the decider (23:35) Then its time to reviews the squads for the final, along the way trying to decipher who has the edge where before finally making a prediction as to who lifts the trophy this year (27:38) Enjoy the Grand Final

Host & Producer: Nigel Yalden

Guests: Quinn Tupaea & Samisoni Taukei'aho

"If you like the vibe, please subscribe"

https://www.facebook.com/thenigelyaldenpodcast/