TQL Rugby Podcast

This week I was overjoyed to reunite with a legend of Champ rugby and phenomenal fly-half, Bruce Houston!

Bruce’s rugby CV boasts a wide range of experience from club level to international duty as he toured South Africa, Canada and America playing for Zimbabwe. I first spoke to Bruce in 2025 whilst we played with Champ side Cornish Pirates and we really hit it off, Bruce’s enthusiasm and experience makes an interview feel more like a chat and now the Ulsterman returns to The Champ the tournament will be more thrilling then ever!

Honing his skills with Ulster, Edinburgh, Ealing Trailfinders, Cornish Pirates, USBPA rugby and even on an international duty with Zimbabwe, Bruce is certainly one to watch and as I’ve keenly been watching his career with interest, I can’t wait to see what’s in store next for the 26-year-old!

Also an impromptu and unexpected chat about golf for good measure!

This week I was delighted to be joined by one of my favourite rugby YouTubers, Riaan Louw! Riaan is a serial Lions & Springbok supporter as well as a fair and fun observer of all teams and games and when it comes to South African rugby there are few people who can match his passion and knowledge. Riaan’s love of the game speaks for itself.

Dedicating six years to creating nearly 200 fun and informative YouTube videos; the Rugby Updates, Riaan is a regular guest over many podcasts and he works hard to share his devotion of rugby to all supporters worldwide!

I first came across the Rugby Updates when a video entitled “What is Rugby” popped up on my feed and I’ve been hooked ever since. Riaan offers a funny, fair and has knowledgeable opinions on a wide array of games from club to international, women’s and men’s games alike!

We discuss what got Riaan into rugby, his beloved Lions and how they put the All Blacks to the test, how the Springboks maintain such dominance in the world of rugby as well as take a look at the upcoming URC season starting this weekend!

You can find Riaan on YouTube, X and Instagram!

With the new URC season starting on Friday next week, I took a moment to look back and reflect on my top five comical/unusual and downright embarrassing moments I’ve had when meeting Leinster players and their family over the years.

Each encounter has been at away games as living in the UK it’s much easier to see them when they come over and as ever the players always make time for us fans, mad ones and all.

Despite being six months out of being 40 so older than all players concerned, a rugby writer and technically a journalist to the players, I find that like any fan I find when meeting the players that my brain and voice decide to go on their own little adventure resulting in me asking the most bizarre questions or making the most ludicrous statements. Long may it remain.

So I compiled my top five moments meeting Leinster players and I hope you enjoy!

As Ronan O'Gara decides La Rochelle is home and that's where he's staying I took some time to think about another front runner in the Leinster head coach race, Felipe Contepomi.

The Argentine already has great familiarity with Leinster both on and off the field, between 2003 and 2009 Felipe scored an astonishing 1225 points for Leinster before returning in 2018 to become the back's coach.

During his time as Argentina head coach Felipe can hang his hat on an impressive number of international wins including a series win against Scotland as well as defeating Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa as well as their first win on Dublin soil as they defeated the British & Irish Lions.

Can Felipe's experience and prowess help Leinster achieve that ever elusive fifth star? Here's hoping!

Today I was delighted to be joined by Guernsey Raider’s dead-eye fly-half Charlie Simmonds!

Charlie’s remarkable story stood out to me as his journey to the number ten shirt was quite different to many other players. Diagnosed with ulcerative colitis whilst at university, Charlie spent years managing the condition before eventually undergoing surgery to have his colon removed.

The operation left him with a stoma bag however it has not diminished his enthusiasm for rugby and with his impressive skillset Charlie helped Gurnsey Raiders this year to retain one of rugby’s oldest ever trophies; the Siam Cup.

Charlie’s story doesn’t end there.

The Guernsey Raiders this year teamed up with neighbouring rivals Jersey to form a collaboration known as The Channel Islands.

This collaboration took on Poland’s international team in July and won an impressive 38 – 27 at Footes Lane in Guernsey. From overcoming medical issues to facing international teams, Charlie’s story is an inspiration to everyone and one to keep an eye on as his career develops!

This morning I was delighted to speak to Senior Sports Reporter for the Irish Examiner, Simon Lewis!

Simon has a decade of experience in the field and as a Munster fan he is delighted to be able to write, report and on occasion follow his beloved team around which increases the joy and satisfaction Simon gets from the game no end.

Simon was kind enough to make time for me on his travels as from his location in La Rochelle he was getting ready for tomorrows pre-season friendly between Ronan O'Gara's La Rochelle and his old club Munster! Forgive the WIFI dropout around minute 11 however we didn't let it stop us 🤣

You can find Simon at @irishexaminer and across all other social media platforms 👍

Feel free to like, share and subscribe and I'll see you out there 🍀🏉👍 #rugby #rugbyunion #ireland #münster #munsterrugby #larochelle #france #preseason #rivals #irishlegend #irfu #irishrugby #top14 #podcast #podcasting #journalism #reporting #reporter

Today’s guest on TQL Rugby Podcast is club and country legend of Irish Rugby, Shane Byrne! With 41 international caps to his name, one British I& Irish Lions Tour and a staggering 115 for Leinster and 49 for Saracens, Shane’s record is hard to match and speaks for itself.

In one of the most insightful interviews I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in, Shane dove deep into what training was like when he first laced up his boots to how well drilled and professional the coaching and training is now and that the whole process deserves more recognition praise.

With over a decade of experience in the front row from scrums to throw-ins Shane has plied his trade across many countries and clubs and undoubtably set the benchmark for future generations of hookers to follow.

Since retiring in 2007 Shane is now the Director of Arklow Waste Disposal however has also been welcomed with open arms in the world of television with regular appearances as a captain on “Know The Score” to his first film appearance in “Mrs Brown’s Boys D’movie”. We discuss Shane’s standout moments, life after rugby, becoming a tv panellist and film star, wonderful praise and opinions on the current game and player development and ideas for Leinster’s next head coach! Thank you so much Shane for your time today!

Remember to like, share and subscribe and you can also listen to this episode wherever you stream your podcasts! Just search for @therugbypaperpodcast or TQL Rugby Podcast! #rugby #rugbyunion #ireland #irishrugby #leinster #leinsterrugby #ireland #blackrock #dublin #legend #sportsshow #sports #film

In my final video about the summer leg of Nations Championship Series, I break down what has been an exceptionally action-packed tournament that, with thanks to the new format, has revolutionized the Summer and Autumn Internationals!

From edge-of-seat thrillers to one-sided bulldozing performances the first three games for every team had it all. I'll go over the scores, moments that caught my eye, analysis of the six home nations along with where I think they will go from here, what we can expect in the second leg of the competition along with final standings for the summer series!

Stay tuned for more videos and interviews with various people all from the world of rugby! Be sure to like, share and subscribe wherever you stream your podcasts! Just search for The Rugby Paper Podcast or TQL Rugby Podcast!

In Round Three of the Nations Championship, Ireland face off against their old nemesis New Zealand at the All Black’s “mecca” Eden Park!

Since 1994 when France shocked the world with a 22 – 8 victory over the All Blacks, in the following 31 years and 52 matches the All Black’s remain undefeated at Kingsland.

It’ll be a return for Ireland who last set foot at Eden Park in 2022 in which they suffered a 41 – 19 loss at the hands of the All Blacks before going on to win their first ever Summer Tour of New Zealand and climbed the World Rugby Rankings to No1.

In this video I break down the history between these two international heavyweights, discuss the key players who will be integral to a legendary win at Eden Park, thoughts, facts, opinions and predictions on not only Ireland’s behemoth challenge but on the remaining fixtures in the final round of the Nations Championship!

Feel free to like, share and subscribe and don’t forget to find me wherever you stream your podcasts! Just search for @therugbypaperpodcast or TQL Rugby Podcast!

Man of the march Sean Jansen made his mark with a stand out performance against Japan along with landing a vital try on his first international cap! In a game I found myself having flashbacks to the 2019 World Cup Pool stages, in which Ireland lost to the host nation, I’ve thrown together my thoughts, analysis and opinions on a cracking game in which Japan showed their impressive talent and Ireland, with nine changes, bedded in the debutants and got the job done!

Feel free to like, share and subscribe and you can listen on Spotify/Amazon Music an wherever you stream your podcasts!

Just search for The Rugby Paper Podcast or TQL Rugby Podcast!