Rugby Union Weekly

Harriet heads into the England camp to catch up with Hannah ahead of the World Cup final. Meg is tied up with interviews after being nominated for World Player of the Year, so we have a new Red Rose alongside them in Amy Cokayne. Is she a big fan of the series? And how much has Harriet watched of the Red Roses journey to the final? We hear about Amy’s role as a police officer in the RAF and how ma...

Is this the biggest match in the history of the women's game in England? With the World Cup final just days away, Sara is alongside 2014 World Cup winner Kat Merchant to preview Saturday's showdown at Twickenham between the Red Roses and Canada. They get a fascinating insight into Canadian rugby with former international Lesley McKenzie, who explains the complexities and challenges of representing...

There's a big Lions feel to the second part of our Prem rugby pod. Ashy and Sara speak to new Leicester DOR Geoff Parling fresh from coaching the Wallabies in Australia. We find out how he's settled in at his old stomping ground and what his vision is for the club. Then we chat to Tom Curry and Tommy Freeman about their experience on tour and what we can expect from their respective clubs this sea...

The Red Roses will play Canada in the World Cup final after they battled past a stubborn French side in Bristol. Sara is joined by 2014 World Cup winner Kat Merchant and commentator Claire Thomas to analyse another England victory over France. Ellie Kildunne scored two tries on her comeback but there were still issues with England's attack. We hear from head coach John Mitchell and prop Hannah Bot...

Ugo, Sara and Claire Thomas look ahead to England's semi-final against France in Bristol. Will the Red Roses make it 17 in a row against France and reach another World Cup final? How is head coach John Mitchell dealing with the pressure? He chats to Sara and explains his decision to bring Ellie Kildunne straight back and also explains his selection at fly-half. Bristol local Abbie Ward who has a b...

The new Prem rugby season is almost upon us! Ashy and Sara head to the launch at Twickenham to catch up with someone from every club ahead of the big kick-off on 25th September. In part one they chat to Prem winner Max Ojomoh, who is still sporting a bracelet given to him by a Bath supporter at their title parade. Exeter's Henry Slade tells us why this year will see a change in their fortunes. Ste...

In this final episode of the mini-series Meg and Hannah put Harriet to the test - to see how much she has actually learnt about rugby!  Talk turns to fitness with Hannah loving a battle on the pitch...but running not so much - whereas Meg likes the athleticism of the sport.  Puppy yoga and weightlifting get a mention in how to keep fit and we find out about the importance of gym etiquette and avoi...

England’s new attack coach Lee Blackett chats to Ashy and Sara from the team’s training camp at Pennyhill Park. He explains why the time with England in Argentina was so special and why he loves coaching so much. But was it a tough decision to leave Bath having just won the treble? Is that the final rejig of Steve Borthwick’s coaching staff? England, and now Lions, lock Ollie Chessum also joins us...

And then there were four! Sara and Ugo reflect on the World Cup quarter-finals in Bristol and Exeter as England, France, New Zealand and Canada all booked their spot in the last four. Did England finally hit top gear at a rain-soaked Ashton Gate? Or were Scotland their own worst enemy as they slumped to another heavy defeat to the Red Roses? Lisa Martin and Kat Merchant reflect on a 31st consecuti...

It’s World Cup quarter-final weekend, Ugo and Sara preview to Sunday’s matches in Bristol and Exeter – and the weather! Can Scotland beat England for the first time since 1999? Or will the Red Roses march into the semi-finals? We hear from returning captain Zoe Aldcroft and get the inside scoop on her weekend with the Princess of Wales in Brighton. Holly Aitchison also discusses her return from in...

On episode four of Barely Rugby Harriet, Meg and Hannah chat everything dating - from going out with fellow rugby players, advice for all the single listeners out there and bad Hinge dates.  And as always all the big questions try to get answered... is Hannah or Meg a connector, are running clubs the new dating apps and if Hannah was a boy what name would she have? And Meg and Hannah debate whethe...

On episode three of the pod Harriet digs deep into the lives of Hannah and Meg before their actual day jobs as professional rugby players!  Meg tells the tales of being a delivery driver and the issue of not having toilet breaks - and Hannah on working as a painter and decorator. The chat then turns to how Hannah and Meg both switch off - Meg's girlfriend is her hobby and looking after her dog, wh...

Ugo, Sara, Katy Daley-McLean and Philippa Tuttiett reflect on a mixed day for the home nations at the Women’s Rugby World Cup. England and Scotland are into the quarter-finals, but defeat to Canada sees Sean Lynn’s Wales eliminated. Despite their tournament ending after only two matches, are there still plenty of positives for Wales to draw upon? The 92-3 victory over Samoa was the Red Roses’ bigg...

Can Wales shock Canada this weekend? Will Scotland and Ireland book their place in the quarter-finals? Sara and Philippa Tuttiett look ahead to a huge weekend for the three home nations. Sean Lynn has made a raft of changes, but are his side capable beating one of the tournament favourites to stay in the World Cup? Former Ireland international Anna Caplice explains how Scott Bemand how transformed...

On this episode of the pod Harriet gets some insight from Hannah and Meg all about life on tour - and secrets will be spilled! Harriet finds out what's good and bad sharing room etiquette; from DJ'ing in the bedroom, having multiple alarms and why Hannah is a bad roommate... snoring might be involved! As we know Hannah is the social animal of the group and she lets us in on some team bonding exerc...

Do Scotland already have one foot in the World Cup quarter-finals? Fran McGhie’s hat-trick inspired the Scots to a record win over Wales in their World Cup opener, despite all the uncertainty around player contracts. Where did it all go wrong for Wales and why are they still not clicking under head coach Sean Lynn? Ugo, Sara, and Katy Daley-McLean discuss all this and more as they dissect the open...

Will cutting two of the four regions save the game in Wales? Ugo chats to Lauren Jenkins about the WRU's radical proposal that has sent shockwaves through the game in Wales. In this bumper pod you will also hear from two of the biggest names in world rugby. Ugo has been chatting to Ilona Maher ahead of the Women's Rugby World Cup opener in Sunderland as she reflects on a remarkable year and tells...

In this very first episode of Barely Rugby comedian Harriet Kemsley gets the lowdown on what life is really like for England stars Hannah Botterman and Meg Jones. Harriet knows absolutely nothing about rugby as the trio all meet for the first time - and nothing is off limits. Harriet finds out all about dealing with boobs in a scrum and even has a feel of Hannah's cauliflower ear. They discover wh...

With just over a week to go before England host the Women’s Rugby World Cup, how much has changed in the 34 years since Wales hosted the inaugural event? And what does the future look like? Eleanor Oldroyd and Sara Orchard are joined by 1994 World Cup winner Giselle Mather and 2014 World Cup winner Rachael Burford to reflect on their experiences. Also hear from Red Roses lock Abbie Ward getting re...

What was the best moment of the 2025 Lions tour? Who should have been crowned player of the series? Chris is joined by Tom English, Lauren Jenkins and Nigel Ringland to dissect the tour of Australia. We pick our combined XV from the Test series, how many Wallabies will make the cut? You’ll hear how Bundee Aki became a father for the fifth time in rather unusual circumstances and how Tom's tour got...

On a filthy Sydney afternoon, we bring together a gang of loyal pod listeners to thrash out some of the major talking points of this Lions tour from a fans' perspective. How much do Lions fans just want to win, and how much do they want a close contest? How has this tour compared to others from a supporters' perspective? And does it matter if your country is represented in selection? We have peopl...

We’re podding from the Lions team hotel after Andy Farrell named his squad for the third Test in Sydney. Chris, Ugo and John Barclay discuss the two changes to the Lions starting XV with Blair Kinghorn replacing James Lowe on the wing and James Ryan coming in for Ollie Chessum at lock. Joe Schmidt has turned to veteran scum-half Nic White who bows out from international rugby on Saturday, but ther...

1997 or 1974? Two iconic tours to South Africa, but which one ranks higher? In the final episode of our top 10 series, Lions legends Jamie Roberts and Matt Dawson join Chris to rank the best tours of all time. We ask Jamie to rate his two tours - the 2013 win in Australia and the epic series against South Africa in 2009. We debate what makes a great tour - is it all about winning the Test series o...

We're in Sydney next to the opera house chatting to Wallabies legend Michael Hooper to get his take on THAT clearout and to discuss the health of Aussie rugby following the series defeat with the World Cup coming up in two years. We also chat to World rugby boss Alan Gilpin who has rejected Joe Schmidt's claim that the decision at the end of the second Test contravened the sport's player welfare d...

Chris and Tom have made it to Sydney for final Test week and GRO is back in the Nations pod squad having been declared fit for selection. There is lots of love for Finn Russell and how he orchestrated the final moments of the game. Of course, Jac Morgan’s clearout is also a hot topic of conversation as another series delivers another controversial moment at the death. Do this Lions team need to wi...