The Rugby Pod

Jim and Goodey dissect a tough weekend for Northern Hemisphere rugby. England’s defeat to Australia raises big questions, including their defensive woes, midfield struggles and coaching frailties. The lads give their take on what's going wrong behind the scenes and some potential fixes. Scotland fell to the Boks despite some standout moments, while Ireland’s unbeaten home run ended against the All...

Austin Healy joins the lads for a bonus episode this week to chat about the Autumn Nations Series and how rugby is promoted and packaged from a commentary and insights perspective. Austin is one of the most respected pundits in the game and gives some insight into what it's like behind the mic, how he sees the media landscape changing, dealing with social media abuse, and what he thinks of the rul...

Bigs joins the lads in studio this week as we break down England’s narrow 22-24 loss to New Zealand, marking their third straight defeat to the All Blacks despite leading into the final quarter each time. We chat about England's struggles to close out games, Steve Borthwick’s massive decision to sub out Marcus Smith and Ben Spencer early, and standout performances from Marcus Smith, and Feyi-Wabos...

England fell painfully close to a massive win against the All Blacks. Post-game, we hear from both coaches and captains, and they're asked some tough questions about where the game was won and lost, the big decision to take Marcus Smith off, and what both sides can take away from England's first game and New Zealand's second of the series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com...

You asked for it, so we're back for a bonus episode during the November internationals. We preview the two opening fixtures of the November series, with the Al Blacks coming to Twickenham, and Fiji visiting Scotland. The lads give their thoughts on Borthwick's early team announcement, the 6-2 bench, Marler's comments around the Haka, and where the game will be won. Meanwhile, Scotland has a tough...

Lots to cover this week across the Prem and URC. Jim gives some insight into Michael Cheika's culture-building at Leicester, while Goodey is frothing over Argentine star Marcos Kremer Isgro and his moustache. We chat EPS and how England is trying to avoid more situations like Jack Willis. The lads reminisce on their best team talks from legends like Lawrence Dallaglio and Greig Laidlaw. Plus, we'r...

It was an inspiring and emotional weekend with the Slater Cup, where Leicester pulled off a thrilling comeback, beating Gloucester 29-26, thanks to a halftime spray from Cheika. The big news of the week, though, is Newcastle breaking their 25-match losing streak with a 24-18 win over Exeter, can Steve Diamond keep the momentum? We’re joined by Bath’s rising star, Guy Pepper, to talk about his comp...

It’s been a weekend of massive rivalries, with Leinster taking on Munster in front of a sell-out crowd in Croke Park, Quins taking on Sarries, Saints playing Leicester and few other big grudge matches. We'll cover all the action, but we're also taking a deep dive into the Irish rugby system this week, chatting with one of the masterminds behind their successful schools program and how it supports...

Bigs is back with Jim & Goodey this week lifting the lid on some of the major goings on in Welsh rugby over the last decade. The lads also discuss the bubbling beef between Ireland and the All Blacks and reminisce over the best sledging they’ve ever dished out on a rugby pitch. We’re also joined by the Welsh half back pairing that’s been tearing up the prem for Gloucester, Tomos Williams & Gareth...

It was another big weekend in the rugby world and the lads are back to cover every minute of it. We chat all things Prem, including that legendary interaction between props at Gloucester, some shocking results in the URC, the Springboks seal their first Rugby Championship title since 2019 AND the lads select their GOAT of all GOAT XV's. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/ad...

After a hell of an opening weekend of domestic ruggers, some absolute crackers which we’re going to cover, including all the Prem, URC and Rugby Championship Action, BUT ALSO we’ve got a deep dive into the Blitz style defence you’re seeing teams like England and the Springboks play with one of the best coaches int he game, Exeter Chiefs Defence Coach Omar Mouneimne!  Learn more about your ad choic...

The lads look ahead to a massive new season of ruggers in the Prem and URC. We look at some of the best signings across both competitions and give our predictions for the season ahead. We also chat about the rumours of a merger between the competitions, and whether there's any merit in a British & Irish league. We're joined by Ospreys Head Coach Toby Booth to hear how he's turned things around at...

Forget Oasis, the reunion we've been waiting all summer for. Jim and Goodey are back and on form after eventful breaks, and we're joined by Bigs who's already knee-deep into a new French season. We briefly look back the summer internationals, what's been happening behind the scenes in England with Borthwick losing two of his coaches, some pre-season insight on squads, and what's going on in the Ru...

Should England have beaten the All Blacks this weekend at Eden Park? Goodey is joined by Bigs this week as they give their take on the big moments from the second test in New Zealand, including England's tactics, Marcus Smith mercurial fly half performance, and whether it was a massive missed opportunity for England. We were also treated to another brutal battle in South Africa. Have you seen more...

The lads are back in the studio this week to chat about all the talking points from this weekend's summer series, including narrow defeats for England & Ireland. We’ll give our take on England’s new identity and some bright shoots across the board. We’ll also go into the brutal Ireland v Boks grudge match, and Warren Gatland’s Wales extending their losing streak to 8 games and dropping out of the...

Two teams desperately seeking to rebuild, Bigs catches up with his old mates Liam Williams and Andrew Kellaway to find out exactly how Wales & Australia plan to stop the rot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Championes! We’ll be chatting to newly crowned URC Champ Duncie Weir this week and hear all about the celebrations after Glasgow's sensational victory down in Pretoria. The lads will also be discussing Eddie Jones’ Japan not quite pushing England to their limit and Steve Borthwick’s plan for New Zealand. Plus the lads pick their URC/Prem combined team of the season Learn more about your ad choices...

Bigs is back this week to review the URC semi-finals, including huge upset wins for The Bulls and Glasgow, and where Leinster and Munster fell short after a disappointing end to their season. The lads also build up the hype around the summer tours, including the niggle between Soth Africa and Ireland, an under the radar All Blacks squad to face England, and a summer of rebuilding for Wales. Plenty...

After a premiership final that saw Northampton Saints crowned champions for the first time in a decade, we’ve managed to drag one of the heroes out of the pub still in his playing kit and ski goggles. Saints’ 21-year old Flyer George Hendy joins us fresh off his man-of-the-match performance at Twickenham to give us the low down on the final and post match celebrations. We’ll also be rounding up th...

We’re nearly at the climax of the domestic season, so the lads preview the big one. It's Fin (one n) VS Finn (two n’s) Saints V Bath in the prem final. Bath's Ollie Lawrence joining to give his take, and the lads break down where the game will be won, and who they're backing. We’re also looking at the final regular round of the URC with massive wins for Munster and the Ospreys and agony for Jim's...

London hosted one of the great Champions Cup finals between Toulouse and Leinster this weekend, so the lads will be discussing all the fallout from an EPIC match and where it was won and lost. Jim and Goodey disagree on whether Dupont is the GOAT, and also give their view on where to next for Leinster and Leo. We’ll also be chatting about a massive triumph for the Sharks as they dominated Gloucest...

Very special guest this week as we're joined by Biggs' old gaffer, and Wales' most successful ever coach, Warren Gatland, to give some awesome insight into leading the British & Irish Lions, making tough decisions, the rebuild of Welsh Rugby, the state of the games, AND what Biggar was really like to coach. Jim and Biggs also chat about the confirmed Premiership Top 4, some shock results in the UR...

Off the back of another Grand Slam winning Six Nations campaign, Ellie & Jess return to the Rugby Pod to review a mega tournament for John Mitchell's England side. They discuss what makes the Red Roses so special, Disaronno in the changies and the radical changes in the programme. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's all change as World Rugby announce several law changes that will have a big impact on the game. The lads give their take on what these mean and how they'll affect teams. We'll also be discussing a frenetic, penultimate round of Premiership action including a big away win for Saracens, Exeter seeing off Quins and the spanking of all spankings for Gloucester. We’ll also be looking at some crack...

The lads look back at another hell of a weekend as Europe's best went head to head in the Champions and Challenge Cup semifinals. We'll dissect Quins' performance in Toulouse and Leinster's hard-fought win over Northampton at a sold-out Croke Park. We've also got a chat with Saints and England fly-half, Fin Smith. Plus, Jim is deepening his Saffa ties, hanging out with The Sharks for their Challen...