The Rolling Maul

Mike and Elliott look ahead to what promises to be a brutal battle at Mattioli Woods Welford Road as Tigers host an in form Sale side with playoff places - and maybe even second place - on the line. Plus, we are joined by the turbo charged Adam Radwan, who jets in to tell us about how he's found his feet at Tigers and where *that* celebration comes from.

Mike is flying solo this week as Elliott sails the North Sea, but the bat signal went up and Bondi responds! The Tigers Comms guru sits down to reveal the key points from the "Meet the Board" event, put some rumours to bed and chat through a convincing bonus point win over beleaguered Harlequins which saw Adam Radwan pop his jet shoes on.

Mike and Elliott get the jacket of smugness back out of the closet following a nervy-yet-comprehensive win over the dangerous Bristol Bears, revelling in a performance of solid basics and vicious, intelligent defence. We look ahead to a key game against Harlequins which could cement playoff hopes and, dare we say it, put us in a good position for a home semi final. Of course, the head coach debate...

Mike and Elliott utilise yet another week of no news to effectively make their own news about who the new Tigers figurehead is likely to be, but we deduce that an announcement cannot now be far away. We also look ahead to a daunting trip to Ashton Gate and try to figure out a way to stop that incredible Bristol attack, which is hard enough to articulate, let alone to do.

Mike and Elliott get very grumpy as they review a chair-throwingly frustrating loss up in Scotland against Glasgow, with the mild benefit that at least we won't have to lose to Leinster this year. We also dive into the weekly muddy pond that is the world that is head coach rumours, but there are some potentially sweeter waters when it comes to the fly half situation...

Mike and Elliott have to remove last week's jacket of smugness as they come to terms with a frustrating loss at home to Sarries, along with the even more frustrating non-news in respect of the head coach and fly half search. Plus, we look ahead to a challenging fixture up in Glasgow, where a win would do wonders for the morale around the club.

Mike and Elliott record the podcast out of Smug City following a beautiful nilling of Saints on their own patch. We ask how much of that was due to great Tigers play and how much was down to Northampton having the worst case of the dropsies known to man. Plus, stay tuned throughout the episode for developing news on the Gustard situation, and we also look ahead to a home game against Sarries, who...

Mike and Elliott look at a potential hurdle in the Gustard appointment and enjoy the news (and reaction) that the Premiership will be trialling OPTIONAL away ends. We also pick apart a friendly win against a young Munster side and look ahead to an East Midlands derby which is sadly blighted by a case of "who-is-available-itis".

Mike and Elliott chat about some exciting and perhaps optimistic fly half rumours, the prospect of Gustard arriving as head coach, and a mid-season pre-season match against old rivals from across the sea, Munster. Plus, we speak to Fiji and Tigers fly half Ben Volavola about his experiences overseas, attacking rugby, and why he hasn't sampled a pork pie yet.

Mike and Elliott return from a week away to find all sorts of off-field developments taking place. The arrival of defence specialist and NRL legend David Kidwell, the departure of Handre Pollard and questionable comms on season tickets dominate the chat, but there's plenty more churn around the squad to discuss too.

Mike and Elliott speak to Tigers' legendary fullback Tim Stimpson in a no-holds-barred rollercoaster of a journey through his Tigers career, largely involving fighting and public urination (allegedly!) (by others!). Mike also reveals a slightly mad challenge for later this year to raise some money for good causes whilst we unsuccessfully try our hand at commentating on the highlights of the w...

Mike and Elliott churn through some chat regarding player retention, replacements for Cheika and a potential reshuffling of the coaching cabinet, before we turn our attention to a comprehensive yet frustrating win over Nottingham. We also look ahead to a tricky away fixture at Cov, and predict how the team will be shaping up for that...

Mike and Elliott deal, not for the first time, with the sad news that a head coach will be off following the confirmation that Michael Cheika will be leaving the club at the end of the season, and then have a deep dive into who will be filling the void next year. Plus, we are joined by Iain Morton to review the Premiership Cup win against Saints before looking ahead to another home fixture against...

Mike and Elliott return after a week off to attempt, unsuccessfully, to solve the same old riddles that keep plaguing our beloved Tigers side after an officiating-inspired collapse against Gloucester sees an opportunity for a depleted Tigers side slip through their fingers. We also look into a raft of exciting re-signings and look ahead to what will likely be a heavily rotated fixture against our...

Mike and Elliott rave about Freddie Steward's goal kicking (does he remind you of a certain other legendary Tigers 15??) and Michael Cheika's hairdryer treatment as the boys overcome a slow start and show glimpses of brilliance in a comfortable win over Ulster. Next up are the reigning champions, Toulouse, where nothing less than an absolute thrashing of our French friends will be accept...

Mike and Elliott go bonus podding by sitting down with young Tigers star Emeka Illione to ask him about the development of his game, balancing studies and rugby and finding out whether or not there is anything he is actually bad at...

Mike and Elliott take a breather after a pant-ruiningly tense game against Exeter which saw the boys come good at the end, another bonus point win but one which still leaves a number of questions unanswered. Plus, we talk about some potential good news around the corner to be shared by the club and look ahead to the visit of Ulster in the European Cup.

Mike and Elliott awaken from their festive slumbers to relive a nerve-shredding draw - unbelievably, the third consecutive Big Game draw - against Harlequins. Questions around consistency and defence continue to rear their unwelcome heads, but we take solace in the fact that we were rescued by a last minute screamer from Dan Cole. We then turn our attention to an opportunity to get back on the hor...

Mike and Elliott wonder who was on Santa's naughty list to deserve the drubbing handed out by the brilliant Bears as an unwelcome early Christmas gift. We look at what went wrong in an afternoon to forget before hauling ourselves back together with some festive cheer to look ahead to the Big Game against Harlequins, and celebrate some important re-signings.

Mike and Elliott celebrate an emphatic win over the Hollywood Bet Sharks and purr at the attacking plan that looks to be coming together. We chat through some key re-signings, rumoured comings and goings, and look forward to a festive bash against the Bears.

 Mike and Elliott look back at a bonkers game in Bordeaux which saw the boys go down fighting against a vastly better funded and star-packed Bordeaux pack, and ask how close Tigers were to a monumental upset. Plus we get excited about the prospect of some Sharks (and some brai) coming to town... 

Mike and Elliott lament an all-too-familiar implosion for the boys as they go down against their bogey side, Sale, away from home and try to pick apart what went wrong. It doesn't get any easier next week though, as we also look ahead to a daunting trip to French powerhouses, Bordeaux.

Mike and Elliott discuss new signings, mysterious sightings and a traditionally ominous fixture away at Sale...a fixture for which we're carrying, cautiously, a tad more hope than usual.

Mike and Elliott returned after an unscheduled week off to discuss a whole bag of news and rumours - Where is Corne Beets? What can we garner from the latest set of accounts? How sh*t is the latest franchise idea being banded about? We also look ahead to a Premiership Cup match at Nottingham, which will hopefully see the boys regain some momentum ahead of the Premiership restart.

Mike and Elliott are joined by new signing and former Cov star Will Wand to discuss outside centre skills, the step up from champ to premiership rugby, and tedious name puns. Plus we pull apart a disappointing display away at Franklins Gardens before looking ahead to bouncing back against Coventry at the weekend.