The Ruck

Owen Slot welcomes Alex Lowe, Stuart Barnes and Al Dymock for an in-depth look into England's disastrous campaign and the major questions they now face.

Including: has England's world cup chance already gone, why did performance levels drop so quickly and should Eddie Jones' position now be questioned?

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Stephen Jones welcomes Times rugby writer Steve James, editor of Rugby World, Sarah Mockford and world cup winner, Michael Lynagh. 

The panel discuss, who England need to change in the back row, whether all the problems lie there and if this England side has plateaued? 

There's also debate whether Eddie Jones should make sweeping changes with 5th place looming, if Owen Farrell needs to move to 10 and can they rescue their campaign and stop the Irish grand slam?

Also analysed: where England go wrong at the breakdown, why Wales are quietly having an excellent tournament, why the Irish depth is their real strength and the finale of the Women's Six Nations tournament.  

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In this special episode Stephen Jones welcomes Owen Slot and ex-Harlequins CEO and Saracens boss, Mark Evans to cast an eye over Rugby's professional era.

They discuss if the unions have too much power, the mass media effect, whether the Premiership is marketed correctly, should lessons should be learned from Australia and America, and if relegation needs abolishing in order to grow?

Mark then presents his blueprint to improve the games standing and details his involvement with the stadium for Cornwall project.

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Stephen Jones welcomes, SJA rugby writer of the year, Owen Slot and ex-Harlequins CEO and Saracens boss, Mark Evans to preview a crucial weekend.

Can England strike back if the team is unchanged, are France a national joke, can Scotland improve even further, will Ireland's depth see them to a grand slam and would relegation and promotion for the tournament help or hinder a team like Georgia?

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Stephen Jones welcomes the Rugby Paper's, Nick Caine, The Sunday Times, Nigel Botherway and red top favourite, Adam Hathaway.   

They discuss the passion and precision of Scotland and where "flummoxed, static and poor" England go next, after being dominated. 

The panel also detail the changes they would make for England. Do Hartley, Brown and Robshaw survive? Or does the entire game plan need an overhaul? 

The rest of the weekend is reviewed and players of the weekend picked. 

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Recorded from England's training camp, Owen Slot welcomes Alex Lowe from The Times and Alex Spink from The Mirror. 

They discuss why the Calcutta Cup has been such a bore for decades, why Ireland suddenly look beatable and after post match turmoil, why France have gone backwards.

There's also an exclusive interview with Dean Benton, Head of Sports Science for England Rugby, who describes the difference in culture when it comes to working with players.

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Owen Slot welcomes Rugby World's, Al Dymock and The Observer's, Michael Aylwin to a special episode focusing on the future of the game.

Will rugby turn into thirteen man game, can Georgia turn into a tier one side, will we need bigger pitches, can England win three out of the next world cups and will all performance enhancing drugs soon be legal?

The panel also debate Stephen Jones' 6 Nations team of the week.

Next week is a mailbag special email your questions to [email protected].

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Owen Slot welcomes Rugby World's, Al Dymock, The Observer's, Michael Aylwin and Times columnist, Ben Kay.

The panel discuss, the Sam Underhill tackle, Finn Russell appearing to regress, and opposing coaches putting players under pressure in the media. We also hear who is ahead between grand slam contenders England and Ireland. 

And the big question question is answered: was it a try?

Tomorrow's episode features disagreement over Stephen Jones' team of the week and there is discussion on what the game will look like in 2030.

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Recorded in Rome, Owen Slot welcomes Alex Lowe from The Times and Jonny Fordham from The Sun for a review of the 6 Nations first weekend.

Up for discussion: why Alex only rated Sam Simmonds 8/10 for his performance against Italy, what shone from England's play, did Scotland believe their only media hype and what will Stephen Jones' mandatory talking points say about Ireland being firm favourites?

In the final section, the panel predict the next round of fixtures, pick a team of the week and Owen sets you all homework.  

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Stuart Barnes hosts a special episode, welcoming former Ireland international and Sunday Times columnist Shane Horgan, Wales international and Harlequin, Jamie Roberts, with regulars Stephen Jones and Owen Slot completing the panel. 

Up for discussion: the volume of player injuries, if the 6 nations is tainted without big stars, why Ireland are the journalists pick to win, where and why England have stagnated, how rugby has evolved in the last four years and the panel predict the player of the tournament.

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