Elite Rugby Banter

Hot off the press! Phil, Andrew, and Ant give their immediate reaction to the Springbok squad announcement, with some still in shock. No Pollard, Am, or Lood - but Andrew has been secured as the team kicking coach so there's that. It's not all doom and gloom. Music by @monstroid, 80s TV Show.

With the Rugby Championship out of the way, the gang run the rule over the World Cup warm up fixtures. The Wallabies rediscover their basics, Argentina regress, Manie Libbok loses his kicking boots and then finds them again, Samoa have better ex-All Blacks and Wallabies than Tonga while Fiji's homegrown heroes get it done, Japan see red again, Wales get an unforgettable win over Borthwick's lost b...

The Rugby Championship is all wrapped up, with the imperious All Blacks turning the Wallabies into Joeys and the Boks just winning a contentious joust in Jozi. Andrew and Phil run through the last results, reflect on the state of play after the abbreviated tournament, and start to turn a meaningful eye to the Rugby World Cup and the warm up games to come. Who will put their hands up in Buenos Aire...

The Boks tinker with their lineup again ahead of the final round of Rugby Championship against Argentina. Will the South Americans dare to kick onto our diminutive back three and risk the electric counter attack? Will Libbok get the ball past the muscly ball hogs in the middle to his wings? Will Frans Malherbe start every Bok test from now until eternity? These are the important questions we ask o...

Ant gets much needed counselling in a cathartic and pensive dissection of the Springbok loss to the All Blacks in Orcland. Question marks abound as the World Cup draws ever nearer but not all is lost. P.S. we now have an IG and Threads account - give us a follow! Music by @monstroid, 80s TV Show.

We're back to a full front row complement and we're excited as we discuss Rugby World Cup fashion, preview the Bok team for the first round of The Rugby Championship, and get real-time updates on the Baby Boks vs Argentina from Ant (spoiler: we're somehow in the semi finals). Music by @monstroid, 80s TV Show.

Ant and Phil dissect the latest rugby happenings in Andrew's skeptical sickness-enforced absence including a thrilling URC final where Andrew's beloved Stormers couldn't make home advantage count, a nail-biting Champions Cup final where Leinster threw away an early lead and a splattering of other rugby from Super Rugby to the Currie Cup. Music by @monstroid, 80s TV Show.

The cards are put on the Tafel as the team pick their playoff contenders in the URC, Heineken Champions Cup, and Challengers Cup. Will Leinster withstand the Flying Fish in Dublin or will they be distracted by the prospect of La Rochelle? Will the Stormers rediscover their fizz against the flat Bulls in the shadow of Devils Peak? Will Glasgow's Castle withstand the storming of Toulon? Among these...

History is made as the pod panel assembles in person for the first time, which is one more than Italy's Six Nations victories, Tuks' Varsity Cup wins, and the number of positive results in the Bulls last seven fixtures put together, all of which is discussed in the Pod's typically haphazard, vaguely informed way. Theme: 80s TV Show by @monstroid

Have a listen to find out how bird jizz is actually really useful, why Irish men can't finish, why Len Ikitau is (not) the world's best 13, if Ollie Lawrence is a great pretender or the English Messiah, how good Huw Jones really is and, hot off the press - a breaking scandal: Andrew reveals a secret love affair! Music by @monstroid, 80s TV Show.

Will the 6 Nations be celebrated with Guinness or champagne? Will the ale be fresh out the tap or will there be a whisky hangover? And what of a pairing with prosciutto, or perhaps a Welsh rarebit? Join the gang for their January broadcast covering the best of European rugby (which, by extension, includes South Africa now), running the rule over the URC ahead of playoffs and making some big claims...

We review each of the 12 top-ranked men's international sides and their performances in 2022 with an eye to the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Gats and Borthwick are against the clock, Fozzie and Aussie need to find some consistency, and Wales are just shit. Is it all coming together for the Boks? Music by @monstroid, 80s TV Show

The Boks put the English pretenders to the sword as Phil and Ant discuss the emphatic victory while checking in on Wales and Australia attempting to have a worse year than each other, and discussing the woes of the Sharks in the URC. Music by @monstroid, 80s TV Show

No, they're not talking about the decision to ban Rassie from social media, but rather the exclusion of a certain Southern Hemisphere duo from the official team of the year. In a rare turn of events, South Africa is the one shining light for the southern hemisphere, primarily because they know what necks are, and how not to touch them. Music: "80s TV Show" by @monstroid

Another week, another close defeat for the Springboks on tour. The disappointed yet still hopeful panel closes out the Women's Rugby World Cup, does their best to defend Pieter-Steph ahead of his disciplinary hearing, debates modern rugby hairstyles, and go full Dan Brown on the French TMO or the lack thereof. Music: "80s TV Show" by @monstroid

Ant, Phil, and Andrew review the bumper weekend of international rugby, covering the semifinals of the Women's Rugby World Cup (which year is it?), the 7s, and the Test matches. Catharsis and verbal therapy (read-Bok bashing) are met by talking up Italy, despairing about Scotland despite a victory, celebrating Argentina's renaissance, and taking a token shit on Wales (thanks, Ben). Music by @monst...

With so much to cover, Phil and Ant ditch Andrew to fly through the various goings-on from the last week in the world of rugby, including, but not limited to Henco not knowing he's made the Bok Squad, and the All Blacks continuing to climb the red card tally. Music by @monstroid, 80s TV Show.

Phil shits on Bafana Bafana, NZRU are more All Blacks than Black Ferns, Jack Dempsey is not Scottish (and does Charles Piutau have tattoos?), and a URC wrap. Music by @monstroid, 80s TV Show.

World Cup heartbreak, Jantjies yanked, and Ant calls Evan Roos a flat track bully (but not to his face). Music by @monstroid, 80s TV Show.

Ant makes a welcome return to the pod as the team discusses whether Steven Kitshoff is better off assimilating with other redheads through his current move to Ulster or at the Auckland Blues, the eerie and magnificent Black Ferns' haka at the opening round of the World Cup, and the latest in South African dominance, Welsh capitulation, and Irish petulance in the URC. Music by @monstroid, 80s TV Sh...

Adam, Phil, and Andrew dissect the latest round of United Rugby Championship action and preview what lies in store for the Springbok Women at the Rugby World Cup 2021 (sic). Music by @monstroid, 80s TV Show.

Phil and Andy run the rule over the last round of the Rugby Championship and the second round of the URC, and end by selecting their Team of the Tournament for the former. Music by @monstroid, 80s TV Show.

The team dissect the tribulations of the Sevens World Cup while paying tribute to Neil Powell, debate the Bleddy ref, and waste time on disclaimers attached to the upcoming Boks v Argentina fixture (penalty). Music by @monstroid, 80s TV Show. Sorry this is a week late - Matt

The team, assisted by our Aussie correspondent, discusses the mixed results from the SA vs Aus series, selection issues, and whether Elton Jantjies is better than Tane Edmed. Music by @monstroid, 80s TV Show.

The pod team looks over some of the interesting selections for the week. Music by @monstroid, 80s TV Show.