The Rugby Pod

We're on the road this week, recording in Glasgow and looking back at a proper derby weekend. Leicester end Northampton’s dominance with 25 unanswered second-half points after a fiery half-time tunnel bust-up. Marcus Smith marks his 200th Harlequins appearance with a man-of-the-match display as Quins thrash a badly ill-disciplined Saracens. Gloucester survive three yellow cards to shut out Bath and stay top. Leinster come from behind to edge Munster at the Aviva, in a game with plenty of off-field fallout. The lads also react to England's Sqaud and Jim sits down with Connacht’s Sean Jansen ahead of the Nations Championship. In other news, they cover Sonny Bill Williams’ open-heart surgery, World Rugby’s call for a competition to trial a lower tackle height, and whether replacements should be allowed to celebrate tries on the pitch.

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Jim and Goodey open this week paying tribute to Lions lock Hyron Andrews after his tragic passing ahead of the opening round of the Champions Cup. We wish his family, friends, club and everyone who knew him well. On the pitch, Leinster’s young guns ran riot at Clermont, Toulouse edged an 83-point thriller with Exeter, and Gloucester held reigning champions Bordeaux to a 36-36 draw. It was a weekend to forget for most of the other Prem teams apart from Saints, while the Irish sides went unbeaten, Glasgow mauled their way to victory at Sale, and the Stormers and Bulls put over 100 points on Bristol and Stade Français. Plus the race to host RWC 2035, Ed Slater’s inspiring story, plenty of Goode, Bad and Ugly, and your shout-outs. Settle back, enjoy, and make sure you’re subscribed on Spotify.

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We're back to break down a weekend of action, including Saints and Bath combining for a 119 points result and sparking a debate: are cricket scorelines good for rugby? We look at Leicester’s comeback thriller against Gloucester, Leinster’s return to the RDS, the All Blacks dismantling Australia and the Springboks making their presence felt in the URC, with the Stormers and Bulls laying down serious markers. Plus, Ulster and Munster serve up another draw, Marcus Smith returns in style and we preview the opening round of the Champions Cup on Premier Sports. We’re also joined by Glasgow Warriors legend George Horne to talk try-scoring records and what makes a world-class scrum-half. Elsewhere, an NFL superstar takes to the grassroots rugby pitch, World Rugby cracks down on dangerous tackles and there’s all the latest news, big talking points and grassroots shoutouts.

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Gloucester top the Prem, the Sharks lead the URC and The Dragons and Edinburgh are unbeaten, who predicted that pre season?! Jim, Goodey and Biggs break down Bath's 40-34 win over Exeter, Edinburgh continue their strong start to the season, Munster return to winning ways, Gloucester's 48-0 thrashing of Quins, Sale's revenge at Saracens and a wild 33-33 draw between Glasgow and Ulster. Bristol Director of Rugby Pat Lam also joins the pod to talk about the Bears' flying start, Louis Rees-Zammit's form, and why rugby needs to open its doors to the media. Plus news, the Good, Bad and Ugly, and your shout-outs. Settle back, enjoy, and make sure you're subscribed on Spotify.

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Domestic rugby is back with a bang, and the lads are across an absolutely chaotic opening weekend. Jim reflects on pulling the boots back on for the 745 Game and picking up a broken thumb, before we dive into Saracens’ 12-try thriller against Leicester, big opening wins for Glasgow and Edinburgh, Gloucester ending their 12-year wait at Sandy Park and Louis Rees-Zammit lighting it up for Bristol. Plus, we unpack one of the wildest Test finishes you’ll ever see as Australia somehow survive four yellow cards and finish with 11 men to beat the Springboks 42-38 in Perth, complete with broken comms, referees on mobile phones and late drama. There’s also Dupont magic, Santi Carreras producing an early try-of-the-season contender and all the usual Good, Bad & Ugly.

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The domestic season is almost here, so the lads are back with a massive preview of the Prem and URC. Jim and Goodey run through all the big summer moves, the teams to watch and make their predictions for the season ahead. TNT Sports’ Craig Doyle joins us to chat all things Prem and the powerful new Lewis Moody vs MND documentary, which he co-produced alongside Brian O’Driscoll. Plus, there’s plenty happening across the Irish provinces, Shaun Edwards’ future, Peter O’Mahony’s explosive new book and all the Other News, as well as some Goode, Bad & Ugly. Enjoy!

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The Rugby Pod is BACK for Season 11! Jim, Goodey, Bigs and Producer Rob catch up on a massive summer of rugby, starting with South Africa sealing the Greatest Rivalry series 3–1 over the All Blacks. The lads debate whether the Springboks are now untouchable and what the rest of the World needs to do to close the gap. We also get stuck into Steve Borthwick’s new England deal and his revamped Elite Player Squad, Henry Pollock’s big-money Saints contract, the Six Nations potentially heading to the USA and the latest twists and turns in the club game. Plus, we look ahead to a huge season with some quick-fire predictions for the Nations Championship, Six Nations, Champions Cup and Rugby World Cup

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The Nations Championship delivered a final weekend of chaos as England survived a seven-card thriller against Argentina, with controversial calls, post-match bust-ups and massive performance from Manny Feyi-Waboso dominating the fallout. The lads debate whether England’s successful tour has eased the pressure on Steve Borthwick, assess Ireland’s costly collapse against the All Blacks at Eden Park and ask whether a gap is emerging between rugby’s top three and the rest. There’s also Scotland’s impressive win in Fiji, another brutal afternoon for Wales against the Springboks, all the latest other news and the final Good, Bad & Ugly of Season 10.

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Scotland push the Springboks to the limit and may have revealed a blueprint for troubling the world champions, but a second-half surge by the Boks leaves them wondering what might have been. England stop the rot with an 11-try demolition of Fiji, although questions remain over how much the result really tells us ahead of Argentina. Bigs breaks down Wales’ reality check against Los Pumas and the daunting trip to Durban, while the lads look ahead to Ireland’s shot at ending the All Blacks’ 52-match unbeaten run at Eden Park. Plus, Australia collapse again, France unleash Jalibert and Ntamack together, Rassie’s incredible squad depth, Henry Pollock’s hat-trick and all the latest news from across the rugby world.

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We break down a blockbuster opening round of the Nations Championship, with Ireland edging a thriller against Australia, Scotland lighting it up in Argentina, Wales finally finding back-to-back wins, and South Africa overpowering England at Ellis Park. The lads dig into the big tactical talking points, from Ireland’s grit and Scotland’s attacking threat to England’s lack of direction and Borthwick's pressure, before being joined by Springbok legend and World Cup-winning captain John Smit to talk Boks dominance, Rassie’s machine and whether anyone can stop South Africa.

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