Rugby Union Weekly

Bath and Leinster end their seasons on a high, lifting the Premiership and URC titles. Will Bath now kick on and pick up next season where they left this one? And what will this mean for Leinster after a few barren years? Owen Farrell is once again a Saracens player after his year in France comes to a premature end. Ashy gives us the inside scope having bumped into him while walking the dog. Plus,...

The wait is over! Bath are Premiership champions again. They ended a 29-year wait for the biggest prize in English rugby with a narrow win over Leicester. Chris, Ashy and Matt Dawson are at Twickenham to bring you reaction to a momentous day for Bath. Finn Russell tells us what it means to clinch the treble and explains why he decided to pass to Max Ojomoh when he was clean through. We also assess...

It's the big one! Saturday sees the finale of the domestic season as Bath and Leicester go head-to-head at Twickenham for the Premiership title. Will Bath lift the trophy for the first time since 1996? Or will Leicester win a record-extending 12 title and send Michael Cheika and their club legends off into the sunset? Is Cheika using the emotion of Saturday to motivate his players? We hear from th...

We go behind the scenes at the Lions training camp in Portugal to see how preparations have begun for the clash with Argentina in Dublin and the tour down under. Chris chats to Ellis Genge who's already striking up an unexpected 'bromance' with one of the Irish players he's usually slating on the pitch. Genge talks openly about trying to get out of his comfort zone in camp and how he's approaching...

A massive weekend of finals await. Can Bath end their 29-year wait for Premiership glory? Will Leinster finally end their trophy drought? Danny, Ashy and Chris are on the sofa to break it all down. It’s also been a busy week for the Lions with injury and availability issues prompting Andy Farrell to bring reinforcements into camp. Could Argentina be favourites in Dublin? And can the proposed R360...

It's that time of year where we sit down with all four directors of rugby involved in the Premiership semi-finals. Johann van Graan, Michael Cheika, Alex Sanderson and Pat Lam all join Chris to reflect on a chaotic and action-packed year. We get Cheika's impression of the Prem and hear what the coaches feel sets the league apart. But what are the next steps in order to grow the club game in Englan...

Jaden Hendrikse sent the rugby world into meltdown over the weekend for his wink at Jack Crowley. Was the Springbok scrum-half genuinely injured or not? There is plenty for Chris, Ashy and Ugo to debate, including the fine line between gamesmanship and bad sportsmanship. Ashy and Ugo share their own tales of opponents winking at them on the pitch and the times they overstepped the mark on the rugb...

The fallout from the Champions Cup final continues. As the Bordeaux party made its way back to France, some of their players were still aiming jibes at Henry Pollock during their trophy parade. What advice do Danny, Ashy and Ugo have the young Englishman? We reflect on Bath's Challenge Cup triumph and the controversy surrounding Sam Underhill's tackle. There's a new tournament to look forward to i...

We're in Cardiff to bring you immediate reaction to the Champions Cup final as Bordeaux overpower Northampton to win club rugby's biggest prize for the first time. Matt Dawson and Paul Grayson, who lifted the cup with Saints 25 years ago, join Chris to pick the bones out of a thrilling and chaotic final. They discuss the impact of the injuries to Saints duo George Furbank and James Rahm early in t...

Ashy and Chris take the pod on the road to Franklin's Gardens ahead of Northampton's Champions Cup final against Bordeaux. They chat to captain Fraser Dingwall about the size of the occasion for the players and the club. Can they draw inspiration from the class of 2000? And what makes the bond between the Saints team so special? Scrum-half Alex Mitchell reflects on an emotional few weeks for the c...

It's a big day for Danny as he pods for the first time as an ex-player. He tells Chris and Ugo all about his emotional farewell at The Stoop and what is next for him besides building forts in his back garden. Can DC's former club shock Bristol on the final day of the season and blow the play-off race wide open? If you could only pick one fly-half from the URC or Prem to win you a final, who would...

The Lions squad continues to dominate the pod agenda as speculation intensifies around the two extra players Andy Farrell said he would take on tour. Ugo is convinced Owen Farrell will get one of those places, but is there another Englishman who could also get the nod? Danny and Ashy give their take on the 38-man squad and explain just how tough it is to miss out on selection after Mike Brown's co...

The Nations pod is back to run the rule over Andy Farrell’s 38-man squad for the British & Irish Lions. Chris, Tom English and Gareth Rhys Owen see how the squads they picked after the Six Nations compare. GRO is forced to address the elephant in the room as only two Welsh players made the cut. How many more players will be called up? And will Owen Farrell end up in Australia after all? GRO ma...

We are at the O2 for the Lions squad announcement. Fresh from presenting the show, Ugo joins Chris to dissect the 38-man squad. Andy Farrell talks through his selection and why he decided to take Henry Pollock on tour and make Maro Itoje captain. Marcus Smith, Fin Smith and Finn Russell are on the plane, but could there be another fly-half added further down the line? Meanwhile Itoje sits down wit...

After Northampton stunned Leinster to reach the Champions Cup final, what impact could that result have on Andy Farrell's Lions squad? Ugo, Danny and Ashy discuss who played their way into contention and whose place could now be under threat. Is Maro Itoje now favourite to be named captain on Thursday? Northampton DOR Phil Dowson joins us to relive that epic victory in Dublin and and gives us a gr...

Fresh from his Ash Splash at the weekend, England and Northampton star Henry Pollock is our special guest on this week's pod. Pollock chats to Ugo and Ashy about the Champions Cup semi-final with Leinster this weekend and his remarkable rise through the ranks over the past 12 months. We also learn how he deals with criticism on social media and how he stays grounded away from the pitch. There is p...

England held off a late France fightback to secure a fourth consecutive Grand Slam and a seventh straight title. Sara Orchard is joined by Kat Merchant, Katy Daley-McLean and Claire Thomas to dissect how England nearly let the title slip away. The team chat England’s performance with questions around selection and how this England team would fair at the World Cup which is fast approaching. James B...

Only France stand in the way of England securing a fourth consecutive Grand Slam. Sara Orchard and Philippa Tuttiett preview the final weekend of the Six Nations, including the big showdown at Twickenham. Red Roses head coach John Mitchell talks about the connection he has formed with his players and how he is still assessing his options at fly-half. French rugby expert Paul Eddison joins the pod...

Christian Wade is our special guest on the pod! He chats to Ugo, Ashy and Danny about his shock move to rugby league and how it all came about. Does this mean Ashy's Premiership try-scoring record is safe? We also react to Johnny Sexton joining Andy Farrell's Lions coaching team and look at the impact on those in contention for the 10 jersey this summer. Plus, Leinster sign another All Black, and...

We are all set for a Grand Slam showdown at Twickenham after England thrashed Scotland and France edged past Italy in Parma in round four. Sara is joined by World Cup winner Katy Daley-McLean and former Scotland international Heather Lockhart to bring you reaction to another big Red Roses win. Who did enough to secure a place for next week’s decider against France? What were the positives for Scot...

With the Red Roses on course for a fourth successive Grand Slam, has the competition becoming too predictable? What can be changed to help make the Six Nations more competitive? Sara Orchard and Philippa Tuttiett discuss what can be done, and crucially, how the other nations can close the gap on England. We go inside the Scotland camp to get the thoughts of head coach Bryan Easson and we hear from...

Sara Orchard is joined by England World Cup winning captain Katy Daley-McLean to discuss Saturday’s action in the Women’s Six Nations. France beat Wales 42-12 before England thrashed Ireland 49-5 – and this after Ireland had taken a 5-0 lead. So what does that mean for the Championship? How impressive were England and what next for Ireland? We hear from Ireland coach Scott Bemand, while former Wal...

Does the round of 16 need to be scrapped? Are Leinster a better team than Ireland? When will English sides be able to compete for club rugby’s biggest prize again? Ugo, Danny and Chris pick through a tricky weekend in the round of 16 for the Champions Cup, as the Irish and French clubs underlined their dominance and Premiership clubs were eliminated. Plus, we talk Jack Willis, Jack Crowley and Tom...

Is the hype around Henry Pollock justified? Is he England’s next superstar? If you’ve lost heavily, should you be dancing with an opponent on TikTok? Sarah Bern and Jaz Joyce-Butchers went viral after England’s big win over Wales but some fans didn’t think it was appropriate. And as we head into the round of 16 of the Champions Cup, Mark McCall rests his big England stars for the trip to Toulon. U...

Sara Orchard is joined by former England flyhalf Katy Daley-McLean and former Wales international Philippa Tuttiett to reflect on England's 11-try thrashing Wales in front of a record crowd of over 21,000 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.