Do you ever get the feeling that French rugby just works? If so, then our guest, James Harrington, will be able to tell you why. This Blindside ep, we wanted to learn all things JIFF and get a headstart as the new ProD2 and Top14 seasons kick off. This is a must listen if you want to watch French rugby this season!

Sam Roberts is currently sunning himself in the wilds of Spain, so we thought we'd call up a ringer in the shape of former player and current coach Charlie Beckett. Hot on the heels of the news about Louis Rees-Zammit's NFL career potentially ending and then looking like it will continue, we spoke about the benefits of this to rugby, plus, we spoke about reasons to be optimistic ahead of the Championship season.

Like it or loathe it, a good social media game can make a massive difference when it comes to getting fans through the gate. One person who knows this better than most is Tom Tainton, COO of the Bristol Bears. Since 2018, the Bears have done things differently both on and off the pitch. Tom talks to Sam Roberts and Sam Larner about what they're doing, why they're doing it, and why it works!

As teams put the finishing touches to their squads for the season, Sam Roberts and Sam Larner discuss whether the market is good for players or not. They also review all the signings who have left the Premiership and what that says about the differing power dynamics of the European leagues.

Plus, Sam Larner tries to pick his way through the qualification process for the 2027 Rugby World Cup. How is it different and how is it the same to what we have seen before.

With rugby in the US reaching levels far in advance of what we've ever seen before, we thought we needed someone to tell us what this all means for the game over there. Carly Mackinnon is tied to the fabric of rugby in the US both as a player and as someone who has worked in communications for both MLR side the Seattle Seawolves and, currently, Rugby Americas North. She tells us what playing in the US is like and also how American rugby can capitalise on its moment in the sun.

The Olympics have come to an end and both Sams are bereft at the lack of sport. They look bad fondly on their first Olympic experiences and the sports they fell in love with during those two week periods in the summer. 

Plus, they ask what rugby needs to do to capitalise on the enormous success it experienced in Paris. Plus, they ask if there is anything rugby wouldn't sell and whether £100mn to rename Twickenham is good business. 

Finally, after Argentina's victory in round one of The Rugby Championship over New Zealand, is this a sign of a growing Pumas or yet more evidence of their inconsistency?