Rugby Union Weekly

Sara Orchard and Philippa Tuttiett preview the second round of the Six Nations as England prepare to take on Wales at the Principality Stadium. Philippa and Sara discuss playing at the bigger stadiums but with less fans, versus smaller stadiums that is more likely to sell out. Sara has been into the England camp and caught up with centre Meg Jones who speaks very openly about the death of both her...

Sara and Ashy are in central London chatting to Lions head coach Andy Farrell and four of his assistant coaches in this bumper pod. Farrell tells us whether he will pick French-based players this summer, how many names are on his shortlist for captain and why a lack of Lions coaching experience won't be a problem for his team. Wiggy reflects on his rise through the coaching game and how his family...

The Red Roses won again, Scotland and Wales produced another thriller and Ireland pushed France all the way in Belfast. Sara rounds up the opening weekend of the Women’s Six Nations and we start in York. World Cup winners Kat Merchant and Katy Daley-McLean look back at England’s 30th successive Six Nations win. But why did their performance drop off so dramatically in the second half? And did the...

What was the most impressive win in the 2025 Six Nations? And which nation actually exceeded expectations this year? Chris, Tom English and Gareth Rhys Owen are back for one last Nations Pod. Tom is claiming a unique Grand Slam for Scotland despite their fourth place finish. But what was the main reason behind another disappointing campaign for Gregor Townsend's side? Are there still more question...

Who underperformed and who overachieved in the 2025 Six Nations? Ugo Monye, Sam Warburton and John Barclay are back to round up an eventful tournament that saw France crowned champions on 'Super Saturday'. What next for Wales after a 17th Test defeat on the spin? Sam puts forward some radical ideas to fix Welsh rugby which includes cutting one of the regions and creating an Anglo-Welsh league. Did...

Does this Six Nations title signal the start of a dominant period for France? Have England laid down a marker with their record win in Cardiff? And where do Wales go from here, after an 17th successive test defeat? Fraser Brown, Sara Orchard and Chris Jones react to France’s win over Scotland in Paris to claim the 2025 Men’s Six Nations championship and reflect on the tournament. Shaun Edwards joi...

Is this finally the weekend Wales end their losing run? Chris is greeted in Cardiff by Wales and Lions legend Jamie Roberts to preview the fixture he says brings the best out of the every aspect of Welsh rugby. Tomos Williams discusses his form and teaming up with his Gloucester team-mate ‘Chicken’ on international duty. Chris then heads into the England camp to speak to Sale’s Tom Roebuck ahead o...

Marcus Smith is back in the starting XV. Tommy Freeman moves to outside centre. Tom Roebuck get his first Test start, but there's no room for Ollie Sleightholme. All this and more for Ugo and Sara to discuss as Steve Borthwick names his England team to face Wales in Cardiff this Saturday. Ben Earl is also on the pod as we get his take on playing in Cardiff, facing the 'phenomenal' Jac Morgan and l...

Bielle-Biarray, Penaud, Freeman… a few of the players who have made their try-scoring mark on this year’s Six Nations. With a number of individual records up for grabs on Super Saturday, Chris and Ashy discuss the men who have taken the Championship by storm. Tommy Freeman is our guest as he looks to become the first Englishman to score a try in every single round of the Six Nations. And we are jo...

Is playing Ireland in Dublin the ultimate challenge in northern hemisphere rugby? Shaun Edwards thinks so, and we hear how he's been motivating himself and the French players ahead of Saturday's showdown in Dublin. Chris chats to Gavin Mairs, chief rugby correspondent for the Daily Telegraph, and senior writer at ESPN Tom Hamilton. We look at Fabien Galthie's mind games this week with his comments...

Chris is joined by Johnnie Beattie and French rugby journalist Paul Eddison to dissect the teams for round four. Does this France team need to win in Dublin to silence the French critics? There are plenty of talking points after Fabien Galthie named his team on Thursday, he's opted for a 7:1 split on the bench again and brought Romain Ntamack straight back in. We discuss Jamie Osborne's selection...

Will we finally see England's attack click? Marcus Smith drops to the bench and Elliot Daly starts at full-back for England's Six Nations clash against Italy this weekend. Danny and Sara discuss the changes Steve Borthwick has made, plus Fraser Dingwall joins the pod as he starts alongside Ollie Lawrence in midfield. We hear about the challenge that has kept the players entertained in camp during...

We're at Pennyhill Park speaking to England legend, and pod favourite, Jamie George ahead of his 100th cap this weekend. He tells Chris and Ashy how it feels "surreal" to be reaching a century of caps for his country but how he remains as driven as ever. George also opens up about how difficult it was to lose the England captaincy before the start of the 2025 Six Nations and how head coach Steve B...

Is this the week Ireland take a huge step towards Six Nations history? The pod is back as we start the build-up to round four with Grand Slam winner Donncha O'Callaghan. What impact will the trio of retiring greats have? One man who will miss the France showdown is centre Garry Ringrose, but we lament the process that means he will only miss the one championship match. Plus, Felix Jones has a new...

England regain the Calcutta Cup and Ireland remain on course for a Grand Slam. Round three of the 2025 Six Nations is in the bag and Ugo is alongside John Barclay and Sam Warburton to wrap it all up. Wales impressed under new interim boss Matt Sherratt despite slipping to another defeat. What would Warren Gatland have made of the performance? England backed up their win over France with another na...

Wales interim head coach Matt Sherratt is on the pod fresh after naming his team to face Ireland this weekend. He's made eight changes following the defeat to Italy and says the team "picked itself". What can Welsh rugby fans expect from Sherratt's team after less than a week in situ? We also get to the bottom of his nickname 'jockey'. Chris then heads to the Scotland team hotel to catch up with T...

Scotland rarely used to win the Calcutta Cup. Now, they can't stop winning it. What is behind this dramatic turnaround? Chris, John Barclay and Danny look at Scotland's resurgence and the impact the it's had on the rivalry. John tells us how importance of the win in 2018 which ended a 10 year wait for the trophy. How much has that turned the tide? Danny was part of the England team that put 60 poi...

Chris and Ashy head to Pennyhill Park to chat to Ollie Chessum, who will make his first Test start in nearly a year on Saturday. He tells us the win over France will count for nothing if England can't back it up this weekend and win a first Calcutta Cup since 2020. Chessum also tells us what sets him apart from other locks and how ]he's changed since playing with Ashy at Leicester. Steve Borthwick...

Can England finally end their Calcutta Cup hoodoo or will Scotland make history? Can Wales win a first Test match since 2023 or will Ireland seal the Triple Crown? Ugo, Danny and Ashy preview round three of the Six Nations as all four home nations do battle this weekend. With England looking to build on their impressive win over France, we look at the key selection decisions facing Steve Borthwick...

Warren Gatland has left his role as Wales head coach after a record 14 successive Test match defeats. Chris and Ugo bring you reaction to the news in a special bonus pod. Cardiff head coach Matt Sherratt will take over as interim head coach for the remaining three games of the Six Nations. But who will be Gatland's long-term successor? We get the thoughts of Wales' fly-half Rhys Patchell on Gatlan...

After two rounds only one team is still in with a chance of a Grand Slam. We look at another Ireland win over Scotland who extended their winning run to 11 matches. Why do Scotland struggle so much against the Irish? Where has Sam Prendergast's performance in Edinburgh put him in the pecking order for the Lions 10 jersey? Chris, Ugo, Ashy and Johnnie Beattie wrap up events at Murrayfield and disse...

We’re at the Allianz stadium reacting to England’s dramatic 26-25 win over France thanks to a late Elliot Daly try in the 79th minute. Chris Jones is alongside Matt Dawson and Paul Grayson to dissect how England found a way to win and overcome a tough French side. Hear from head coach Steve Borthwick after that huge win at Twickenham. Gareth Rhys Owen and James Hook join the pod from the Stadio Ol...

Gregor Townsend chats to us ahead of Scotland's huge clash with Ireland in round two of the Six Nations. He addresses their losing run against Ireland and how they plan to fix it. Townsend also explains the decision to pick Tom Jordan at 12 and if Lions selection is starting to creep into the conversation in camp. Sara is joined by Johnnie Beattie who outlines the areas where Scotland can exploit...

The Smiths both start as Steve Borthwick tinkers with his England team for the visit of France this weekend. How will this affect England's gameplan? What happens if they lose to a Tier 1 nation for a record eighth game in a row? Danny and Chris look ahead to Le Crunch at Twickenham where two years ago France put 50 points on England. You will hear from fly-half Fin Smith on the pod, who has vowed...

What would Andy Farrell's Lions team look like if the first Test against Australia was next week? What positions are still up for grabs? And where is Farrell spoilt for choice? Ugo and Chris discuss all this and chat to the Wallabies captain Harry Wilson to get his take on the Lions after playing all four home nations during the Autumn Nations Series. Are there certain players he is keeping an eye...