The Rugby Pod

Jim’s dialling in from Spotify HQ in the USA, and Goodey’s fresh off a busy Champions Cup weekend. We’re diving into all the action, including Leinster’s brutal bust-up against La Rochelle, Glasgow's big win against Racing, and Freddie Steward’s Six Nations stock is rising after Leicester's win against Ulster. Plus, Junior Kpoku—England U20 star and Racing 92 powerhouse—joins us to chat about life in the TOP14, who's England jersey he's coming for, and what’s next for the 6ft 8 phenom. Also on the pod, the lads give their take on the Mack Hansen’s ban, and why South African fans don't rate Dupont as the GOAT. Subscribe on Spotify, sit back, and enjoy the ride! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The lads are back from their festive break and after some holiday chat, we dive straight into some rogue rugby predictions for 2025 including whether the Boks might join the Six Nations, Lions Tour predictions and which team the Saudis are buying. We’ll also take a look at the Prem, URC, TOP14 over the Xmas period. We also catch up with Andre Esterhuizen to talk Sharks, life in South Africa, and preparing for Toulouse in the Champions Cup. Don’t forget to get your tickets for our live shows on Ticketpass.org and also to vote for us as the best rugby podcast at the Sports Podcast Awards—head to sportspodcastgroup.com and give us a nod! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and The Rugby Pod is bringing you the End of Year Awards & Christmas Special! Jim, Goodey, and Producer Rob look back on the highs, lows, and downright bizarre moments of 2024 with plenty of laughs. From Ireland’s epic comeback in South Africa to the RFU’s financial skid marks, nothing is off-limits in this festive rugby roundup. Who’s the player you’d least want to tackle? Who bagged the Shithouse of the Year award? Plus, we debate the best rigs, breakthrough stars, and even take a look at some utterly bizarre moments—like Leigh Halfpenny doing a haka or Gavin Coombes taking one for the team. Plus the big ones, Top Lad and best coach and player of the year. Grab a mince pie, crack open a beer, and join us for a few laughs as we wrap up 2024 in style! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The lads dissect a big weekend of Champions Cup rugby. Jim shares some tales from his trip to Paree for the Saracens game, while Goodey has been on the road too. We break down Saracens’ win over Stade Français, Sale’s performance against Racing 92, and England's overall dominance over South African opposition, including Northampton grinding out a win over the Bulls, and Leicester running riot against the Sharks. We give our take on the South African struggles in European competitions and Plumtree’s calls for change. Elsewhere, Leinster hold firm against Clermont, plus, the lads share thoughts on England 03: Unbreakables, and we give you the lowdown on their upcoming live show. Settle in and enjoy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s blowing a gale both on and off the pitch. Goodey’s been on the wet and windy road between London, Bath and Glasgow for the opening round of the Champions Cup, while Jim's tweeting up his own storm over rugby platforms and where fans can watch all the action. We cover all the action, including Saracens win and Tom Willis' England shout, Bordeaux overpowering Leicester, Leinster's Guinness bomb squad doing the business, and some WWE action in Thomand Park. Plus, Toulouse and Scotland All-Star Blair Kinghorn joins us to chat life in France, Dupont’s greatness, and Scotland's Six Nations ambitions. Throw in a big update on our upcoming live show tour, some listener questions and the rumour mill, and you’ve got a belter of an episode. Settle back, hit subscribe on Spotify, and enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’re back with a packed episode! Jim and Goodey dissect Ireland’s final Autumn Nations match against the Wallabies, Caelan Doris’ Lions captaincy credentials, and Schmidt’s revivied Wallabies. Stephen Ferris joins to rate Ireland’s performances, chat about rising star Sam Prendergast, and debate the Lions back row for 2025. Plus, Champions Cup dark horses, RFU bonuses, and your listeners' questions—Yorkshire puddings, best tours, and pre-Lions selection matches.Enjoy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, we recap all the winners from the World Rugby Awards from Monaco including player of the year, Coach of the year and the XV Dream Team. On the pitch, England snapped their losing streak with a commanding win over Japan and some bright shoots, but defensive woes remain under scrutiny. Scotland set a record nine wins this year with a lot of players setting down a marker for Lions selection against Australia. South Africa’s stock keeps rising after their perfect tour with a hammering of Wales in Cardiff. Plus, TJ Perenara’s farewell, Ireland’s dominant win over Fiji, and Predergast's performance at fly-half. Lots more in a packed episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jim and Bigs are joined in studio by Aussie legends Matt Gitaeu and Drew Mitchell to chat about their Northern Tour on and off the pitch. The lads give some great insight into the Aussie revival, where it's come from and what it means for the Lions Tour. Plus the lads share some cracking stories on dodgy physios in France, playing in the US, and a punch-up last week in Cardiff. Bigs gives us his thoughts on another disastrous Welsh performance and what it means for Gats and Welsh fans, plus we look forward to this weekend's action with the Aussies looking to keep the slam dreams alive against Scotland. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The lads are feeling inspired after an epic cross-code weekend for the MND charity game in Leeds, before crashing back down to earth with another England loss. We break down all the weekend’s matches including Ireland’s patchy win over Argentina, England’s defensive frailties against South Africa, and Wales’ drubbing by Australia. The lads discuss who England and Wales might be approaching as their potential saviour. Plus, we look at the hype and the off-field drama from France’s thriller against the All Blacks. We also cover the latest rumour around a potential global franchise competition set to shake up rugby by 2026 and what it potentially means for the sport. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fresh off another loss to the Boks, Steve Borthwick and Jamie George face some tough questions from the media with pressure piling on. Is England’s rebuild on track, or are they running out of excuses? Rassie Erasmus also chats to the press and credits South Africa’s victory to their experience and cohesion, and also offers some advice to Borthwick and England moving forward. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're back for a bonus episode to preview England’s massive showdown with South Africa. Can England handle the Bok bomb squad and hold steady in the scrum? What’s the ideal bench strategy and has Borthwick made the right changes? We’re also joined by Mark Mapletoft to discuss England's upcoming stars from the Under 20s and England A ahead of their clash with Australia. Plus we preview Wales vs. Australia, Ireland vs. Argentina, and France vs. New Zealand. Don’t miss our live show at the Ed Slater game with rugby legends coming together to fight MND. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jim and Goodey dissect a tough weekend for Northern Hemisphere rugby. England’s defeat to Australia raises big questions, including their defensive woes, midfield struggles and coaching frailties. The lads give their take on what's going wrong behind the scenes and some potential fixes. Scotland fell to the Boks despite some standout moments, while Ireland’s unbeaten home run ended against the All Blacks on a damp night in Dublin, who look to be rebuilding a terrifying squad. Plus, listener questions: Should England poach NRL stars? Is the 20-minute red card working? And does Owen Farrell change England’s fortunes? All this and lots more—subscribe now on Spotify to get notified as soon as it's released. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Austin Healy joins the lads for a bonus episode this week to chat about the Autumn Nations Series and how rugby is promoted and packaged from a commentary and insights perspective. Austin is one of the most respected pundits in the game and gives some insight into what it's like behind the mic, how he sees the media landscape changing, dealing with social media abuse, and what he thinks of the rule changes. He also gives his take on England's performances and looks forward to Ireland v All Blacks and Australia coming to Twickenham. The lads also reminisce about their Leicester days, we get to the bottom of Goodey and Austin's punch-up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bigs joins the lads in studio this week as we break down England’s narrow 22-24 loss to New Zealand, marking their third straight defeat to the All Blacks despite leading into the final quarter each time. We chat about England's struggles to close out games, Steve Borthwick’s massive decision to sub out Marcus Smith and Ben Spencer early, and standout performances from Marcus Smith, and Feyi-Waboso and Wallace Sititi. We also cover Scotland’s impressive 57-17 win over Fiji, where Darcy Graham returned in style with four tries, and look forward to massive Friday night lights in Dublin as Ireland take on the All Blacks in rugby's newest grudge match. Plus we look Wales vs Fiji, while also tackling listener questions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You asked for it, so we're back for a bonus episode during the November internationals. We preview the two opening fixtures of the November series, with the Al Blacks coming to Twickenham, and Fiji visiting Scotland. The lads give their thoughts on Borthwick's early team announcement, the 6-2 bench, Marler's comments around the Haka, and where the game will be won. Meanwhile, Scotland has a tough test against a flying Fijian squad coming off the back of some big wins. The lads give their thoughts on Gregor's tactics, Scotland's new captain Sione Tuipulotu, and predict the outcome of both big games. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lots to cover this week across the Prem and URC. Jim gives some insight into Michael Cheika's culture-building at Leicester, while Goodey is frothing over Argentine star Marcos Kremer Isgro and his moustache. We chat EPS and how England is trying to avoid more situations like Jack Willis. The lads reminisce on their best team talks from legends like Lawrence Dallaglio and Greig Laidlaw. Plus, we're joined by Rugby League Hall of Famer Jamie Peacock, who gives his take on Andy Farrell and Kevin Sinfield, his retribution list, and what he has planned for Rob during the Lions Tour in Australia. You don't want to miss this one. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It was an inspiring and emotional weekend with the Slater Cup, where Leicester pulled off a thrilling comeback, beating Gloucester 29-26, thanks to a halftime spray from Cheika. The big news of the week, though, is Newcastle breaking their 25-match losing streak with a 24-18 win over Exeter, can Steve Diamond keep the momentum? We’re joined by Bath’s rising star, Guy Pepper, to talk about his comparison to Richie McCaw, what it’s like training with the stacked Bath back row, and how he's adjusting to life at the club after moving from Newcastle. Elsewhere, Siya Kolisi marked his second debut for the Sharks with a try, and Saracens pulled off a hell of comeback to beat Bristol 37-35 in an action-packed game at Ashton Gate. And we dive into the latest on 20-minute red cards, as they're set to be trialled during the Autumn Nations Series. Ireland and France are opposed, but Southern Hemisphere teams are all in. What impact will it have on the biggest stage? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s been a weekend of massive rivalries, with Leinster taking on Munster in front of a sell-out crowd in Croke Park, Quins taking on Sarries, Saints playing Leicester and few other big grudge matches. We'll cover all the action, but we're also taking a deep dive into the Irish rugby system this week, chatting with one of the masterminds behind their successful schools program and how it supports the professional game. Oh, and we're coming to Dublin! So, settle back and enjoy another packed episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bigs is back with Jim & Goodey this week lifting the lid on some of the major goings on in Welsh rugby over the last decade. The lads also discuss the bubbling beef between Ireland and the All Blacks and reminisce over the best sledging they’ve ever dished out on a rugby pitch. We’re also joined by the Welsh half back pairing that’s been tearing up the prem for Gloucester, Tomos Williams & Gareth Anscombe chat with the lads about the new Cherry & Whites all out attack and take a trip down memory lane with their old mate Bigs. Combine that with your usual dose of Prem & URC analysis & review and you’ve got one hell of a show so sit back, enjoy and make sure you’ve subscribed on Spotify. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It was another big weekend in the rugby world and the lads are back to cover every minute of it. We chat all things Prem, including that legendary interaction between props at Gloucester, some shocking results in the URC, the Springboks seal their first Rugby Championship title since 2019 AND the lads select their GOAT of all GOAT XV's. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices