For The Love Of Rugby

In 2009 Sir Ian McGeechan came back to save the Lions, four year after their disastrous tour of New Zealand. He initially left Tom Croft out of his squad, but through a combination of hard work, scrabble, Alan Quinlan getting banned and Crofty being in the form of his life - he started the first two tests! It was the most brutal test series we’d ever seen, and in this special episode Crofty takes...

After 118 caps for England, two British & Irish Lions tours and over 340 appearances for his boyhood club Leicester Tigers, Dan Cole has decided that the time is right to hang up his boots at the end of the season. In this episode, we celebrate the career of a true rugby legend, hear from famous faces from the sport, and discover what comes next for one of England’s greatest ever players. 🏦 Save...

Bordeaux Bègles are Champions of Europe after defeating Northampton Saints in the 2025 Investec Champions Cup Final. Ben Youngs and Dan Cole have gathered in the virtual For The Love Of Rugby podcast studio to analyse the action. Elsewhere Bath Rugby secured their second trophy of the season as they romped to a win against Lyon in the EPCR Challenge Cup final. Plus, with the news that a Club World...

Part-time guitarist and full-time tackle monster Sam Underhill joins the show to preview Bath Rugby’s Challenge Cup Final against Lyon on Friday.   Sam takes us inside a Bath dressing room that has gone from rock bottom to front runners in the Premiership across just three years, discusses his England Summer Tour ambitions, and just how he became a tackle machine. 🎟️ Get tickets for both European...

Geoff Parling is the new Leicester head coach, Danny Care is retiring and Northampton are trying to win the Investec Champions Cup. Saints, England and Lions scrum-half Alex Mitchell joins Ben Youngs and Dan Cole to look ahead to Bordeaux in Cardiff this Saturday.  Get tickets for both European finals here: https://www.eticketing.co.uk/principalitystadium/Events?preFilter=45&preFilterName=EPCR%20F...

Dan Cole is joined by Squidge Rugby to answer your questions! How did Robbie become the world's biggest rugby YouTuber? Do players use stats in their game? And most importantly who would win in a fight between Napoleon or Churchill? 🏦 Save more, earn more—up to 4.22% AER (variable). Interest rates are tiered, with the top rate for balances over £1M. Each tiered rate applies to the portion within...

Will Genia and Ben Youngs went head to head for England, Australia and the Lions for a decade. In this special episode they tell each other how they prepared to take each other on, analyse the best scrum-halves in the world right now and reflect on the 2013 Lions series in Australia. To get 20% off your first Thriva blood test, click here: thriva.co and use the code LOVEOFRUGBY 🏦 Save more, earn...

The British & Irish Lions squad to face Australia has been announced and Ben Youngs and Dan Cole are here with the ultimate guide to the team. In this episode we’ll bring you analysis of the final squad and you’ll hear from the coach Andy Farrell; the captain Maro Itoje; Lions Ellis Genge, Ollie Chessum, and Elliot Daly; and oracle Squidge Rugby. 🩸 Use code FTLOR to get 20% off your first Thriva...

It's the most anticipated day in the rugby calendar as Andy Farrell names his British & Irish Lions squad to tour Australia this summer and former Lions Ben Youngs & Dan Cole are watching the action unfold LIVE. You’ll be able to watch all the action from the official announcement, plus our very own For The Love Of Rugby alternative commentary and analysis! Watch from 13:45 UK: https://www.youtube...

Northampton Saints deliver one of the great European performances to defeat Investec Champions Cup favourites Leinster in Dublin and reach the final. What now for Leinster? Were they arrogant with their selections? And what does this mean for Sam Prendergast’s British & Irish Lions chances? Andy Farrell names his Lions squad on Thursday, but how many Saints will be in it? Could Henry Pollock have...

With the British & Irish Lions squad announcement merely a week away, Ben Youngs and Dan Cole assemble in the For The Love Of Rugby studio to preview a massive game of European rugby. There are Lions match-ups galore as Leinster host Northampton Saints in the Investec Champions Cup semi-finals, whilst Jack Willis stakes his claim one final time as his Toulouse outfit travel to Bordeaux Bègles. Mea...

Maud Muir, Sadia Kabeya and Shaunagh Brown are reunited this week to review the final weekend of the Women's Six Nations and unpack their one point thriller against France in Twickenham.  How do things change in the run up to the biggest game of the tournament? What was the messaging to the girls at half time? And the biggest question of them all: where do you go ‘out-out' after you win the Six Na...

Leicester Tigers & Argentina captain Julián Montoya crashes the podcast this week as Ben Youngs and Dan Cole reflect on life on the road, the fallout from Ben's retirement announcement and answer your burning questions. 🎟️ Live Show tickets: https://fkpscorpioent.com/en/events/for-the-love-of-rugby-live 🏦 Save more, earn more—up to 4.48% AER (variable). Interest rates are tiered, with the top rat...

Ben Youngs, Dan Cole, Anthony Watson and Squidge Rugby pick their 2025 Lions squads (NFL Draft-style) live on stage at the Clapham Grand in London. Be prepared for Lions stories, arm wrestling and England's most capped male singing Wonderwall in our first ever live show. He might be the only 35 year old man in England who doesn't know the words. Get tickets to our live shows: https://rb.gy/edowu9...

Maud Muir and Shaunaugh Brown look ahead to England’s grand slam game against France at Allianz Stadium this weekend.  Get tickets to our live shows: https://rb.gy/edowu9 To get 20% off your first Thriva blood test, click here: thriva.co and use the code LOVEOFRUGBY 💭 Got a question for us? Fill in this form: https://forms.gle/4o1f7VCSFvj5aZb38 If you want to nominate your local club to take part...

After 127 caps for England and 332 appearances for his boyhood club Leicester Tigers, Ben Youngs has decided that the time is right to hang up his boots at the end of the season. In this episode we celebrate the career of a true rugby legend, hearing from famous faces from the sport, and discover what comes next for one of England’s greatest ever players. 🎟️ Live Show tickets: https://fkpscorpioen...

After weeks of hints and speculation, Dan Cole attempts to uncover the truth about Ben Youngs's next move. 📋 Have your say in our FTLOR survey: https://forms.gle/1MQ32bQwxzVKa7B79 ✍️ Subscribe to Coley's newsletter: https://loveofrugby.substack.com/subscribe 📺 Watch For The Love Of Rugby on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LoveOfRugby 🎟️ Live Show tickets: https://fkpscorpioent.com/en/events/...

England rugby legend Jonathan Joseph joins Anthony Watson and Ben Youngs on the For The Love Of Rugby podcast to reveal all about life playing in France's Pro D2, reliving England Grand Slam memories and his ambitions of becoming a coach. 🍷 Find out more about JJ & Anthony's testimonial: https://awjj.legends.co.uk/ 🎟️ Live Show tickets: https://fkpscorpioent.com/en/events/for-the-love-of-rugby-li...

Maud Muir is player of the match again, just 24 hours after eating a three-course meal that involved sausage and crêpes. She’s joined by Red Roses team-mate Sadia Kabeya and Shaunagh Brown to break down England’s latest Six Nations win, which was in some doubt at half time against Ireland in Cork. What was said at half time? Who does the talking? And what makes a good team talk?  Plus, why is Zoe...

Anthony Watson and Dan Cole join Ben Youngs to relive the 2017 British & Irish Lions Tour of New Zealand. The drawn series may have been one of the greatest series in the professional era of rugby, but in this episode, we'll share the off-field moments that make a Lions tour truly unforgettable. 📋 Have your say in our FTLOR survey: https://forms.gle/1MQ32bQwxzVKa7B79 ✍️ Subscribe to Coley's news...

Fresh from a tough trip to Glasgow Warriors, Leicester Tigers' very own Dan Cole and Ben Youngs reassemble in the virtual For The Love Of Rugby studio to assess just why Premiership rugby teams are finding wins hard to come by in the Champions Cup. We also look ahead to this weekend's Women's Six Nations action, celebrate the return of Worcester Warriors, and Coley responds to some of your feedbac...

Red Roses Head Coach John Mitchell joins Ben Youngs and Dan Cole in the For The Love Of Rugby studio for a fascinating deep dive into his intrepid coaching career. One of rugby's most interesting characters, John shares stories of facing the British & Irish Lions as a player, managing the All Blacks at the 2003 World Cup, coaching Ben and Dan in 2019 for England, and his plans for the Red Roses as...

Ben Youngs and Dan Cole return to the For The Love Of Rugby studio to answer your questions. Will Coley ever play for the Barbarians? Who are our dream podcast guests? And a shocking revelation is made about a former England rugby player... ✍️ Subscribe to Coley's newsletter: https://loveofrugby.substack.com/subscribe 📺 Watch For The Love Of Rugby on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LoveOfRugby...

Maud Muir, Sadia Kabeya and Shaunaugh Brown are back to review the second round of Six Nations matches. This week, the girls have been on a journey of self-discovery as they faced Wales at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. Get tickets to our live shows: https://rb.gy/edowu9 To get 20% off your first Thriva blood test, click here: thriva.co and use the code LOVEOFRUGBY 💭 Got a question for us?...

Anthony Watson, Ben Youngs and Dan Cole are in studio for a special episode on the evolution of the modern day winger. Which players are under-appreciated? And who makes Ant’s list of the top 10 wingers in the world.  Get tickets to our live shows: https://rb.gy/edowu9 To get 20% off your first Thriva blood test, click here: thriva.co and use the code LOVEOFRUGBY 💭 Got a question for us? Fill in...