The Whiteboard Rugby Podcast

Matt Banahan joins the show to talk about his move to coaching with the Scottish women's team, plus his return to playing in the historic cross-code 745 game at Headingley. The game will be played in tribute to Rob Burrow and organised by Ed Slater and tickets can still be brought here - https://www.therhinos.co.uk/rob-burrow-cbe/the-745-game .

Sam Larner is joined by Rocky Clark to talk about her exceptional career and what comes after the boots are hung up.

Sam Roberts is away this week, but his replacement is Rugby World Cup winner Rocky Clark. In this episode, Sam Larner and Clark talk about the upcoming Rugby World Cup and which teams will enjoy success in the UK.

Sam Roberts and Sam Larner are joined by the ever excellent Luke Pearce to talk about refereeing in the age of social media, plus Luke is asked what happens if a mascot tries to interfere in play...

Sam Roberts and Sam Larner return to preview the four home nations chances ahead of the Autumn Internationals. Plus, they discuss the storm in the teacup which is Hakagate!

Gavin Thomas is a grassroots legend. He's been involved in running clubs, running competitions, and most importantly playing over 500 grassroots matches. Gavin tells us stories about the game, why he loves it, and what he thinks about the future.

Sam Larner and Sam Roberts are joined by their biggest guest to date; Israel Dagg. The All Blacks' legend tells them about his humble upbringing, his unplanned retirement, and the northern hemisphere club he almost signed for.

Sam Roberts and Sam Larner return to pull together their XV of New Zealanders who played in Britain and Ireland. Plus, should Exeter or Gloucester be more optimistic of turning things around? Finally, news of an enormous guest who will be gracing us with their presence on Monday's Blindside edition.

Sam Roberts is joined this week by Bath's Head of Analysis Dan Cooper to talk about what an analyst actually does and what clubs focus on behind closed doors. He is also joined by Sam Larner who hops the fence this week and sits in the guest chair to discuss the differences between in-club analysis and social media analysis.

In light of the recent proposed law changes by World Rugby, the Sams discuss what they might mean for the game, plus which are inspired and which should be chucked out immediately!

One of the smartest rugby minds, Charlie Morgan of the Telegraph joins us to talk about his journey in journalism and what the future looks like. Plus, we talk about the perils of criticising players you might then end up in the vicinity of.

Sam Roberts and Sam Larner discuss the first round of WXV 2024 and why it should give some countries reason to be optimistic. Plus, are rugby's finances as concerning as they seem? The Sams disagree on that. Finally, 1/6th of the way through the season, what is happening in ProD2?

Osprey's CEO Lance Bradley joins the podcast to discuss the business of rugby. Is rugby actually financially healthy, why don't teams drop ticket prices, and what are the benefits of playing matches elsewhere? This episode covers all that and more to get behind the scenes on what it's like to run a rugby business.

The Championship returned on the weekend and Sam Roberts launches a passionate case for why we should all get behind the second tier of English rugby. They also discuss what the future might be for the league. Plus, there's discussion about Argentina's recent success plus stats and what they outline. 

In this Blindside edition, Sam Roberts and Sam Larner spoke with Christian Day, the General Secretary of the Rugby Players Association (RPA) about some of the reasons to be positive about rugby. Earlier in the month, the RPA co-signed the professional game partnership (PGP) to hopefully set rugby on a more solid footing. Christian talks about the impact of that as well as how else the RPA assists...

Sam Larner has some grassroot rugby frustrations to get off his chest and Sam Roberts previews Newcastle's season and gives his opinion on whether Christian Wade can set the Premiership try scoring record or not. Plus, we share some deep heat based stories.

Will Roberts is better known as the creator of the Young Rugby instagram page. He is an expert in all things youth rugby and in this edition of the Blindside he talks us through some of the challenges and opportunities young players have, plus, he gives us the low down on the future stars of the game!

Sam Roberts and Sam Larner are back to discuss the significant worries facing rugby down in Australia and what it might mean for the Lions tour. Plus, we follow the lead of Hever Castle and copy a meme. Can men really just have fun naming old sports people?

What does the life of a journeyman rugby player hold? Charlie Beckett has recently retired from his playing career and started his new role as a coach at Loughborough Lightning. In this episode, Charlie lays clear the frankly astonishing mismanagement that goes on at some clubs and why players are right to be disloyal when it comes to jumping ship.

Sam Roberts returns to the podcast after a week away and we discuss whether there's still a place for cap limits and national team selection restrictions in the modern game. Plus, we talk about how the relationship between fans and players might have changed.

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 Champ...

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 i...

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 th...