The Ruck

The Nations Championship returns this weekend!

Ahead of a bumper month of international rugby Alfie, Stuart and Charlie look ahead to all the action.

With Fin Smith potentially sidelined they ask who should start at fly-half for England against Australia? Despite their world ranking is there reason for Welsh positivity this Autumn? Plus, how much of an eye does each nation have on the world cup next year?

And, Mark Palmer joins the show to preview Scotland's match against the All Blacks. What chance does he give Gregor Townsend's side of getting a first victory over New Zealand?

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Following Derby Weekend in the Gallagher Prem Alfie, Alex, Elgan and Barnsey look back on the action.

They pick through an entertaining round of matches which, despite the torrential conditions, produced some excellent match-ups!

What is going wrong for Sale and Saracens? Have Harlequins turned a corner? And, are Gloucester proving that they're the real deal?

Plus, the boys chat about Steve Borthwick's England training squad ahead of the November internationals and look back on another defeat for the Red Roses! Following their defeat to Canada John Mitchell raised concerns about the PWR. Is he right to question the amount of game-time for England players? Or is the bigger picture more important?

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It's Derby Weekend in the Gallagher Prem!

So, Will and Alfie have travelled to Leicester to chat with tight-head Joe Heyes and Tigers' captain Ollie Chessum.

They preview their massive game against rivals Northampton Saints this weekend and chat about leadership, the club's DNA and why it's best to embrace the spice of a local derby.

Plus, why was Ollie grumpy? And, how will Joe get on with Will's history quiz?

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Spain have launched their bid to host the 2035 Rugby World Cup!

The federations president Juan Carlos Martin 'Hansen' joins Alfie, Will and Elgan and explains why hosting the world cup would be transformative for rugby in the country. He also outlines plans for a professional Spanish franchise to join the URC and their hopes of competing in the 6 Nations.

Plus, in the Champions Cup it was a poor weekend of results for the English clubs. Have Bath already blown any hope of winning the competition?

And, the Red Roses finally lost a test match, what does that reveal about the women's game?

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Following the third round of action in the Gallagher Prem Alfie, Will and Charlie review both the amazing matches on the pitch and the storylines off it.

Is Northampton 71, Bath 48 a good thing for the sport? Why are we getting so many crazy scorelines? And, does the league have an attendance problem?

Plus, issues with synthetic pitches, New Zealand winning the Bledisloe again and the Champions Cup returns.

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Alfie, Will, Charlie and Elgan look back on the second round of action from the Prem.

Gloucester, Bristol and Bath remain unbeaten, whilst Sale picked up a hugely important victory away to Saracens.

Exeter and Harlequins both remain without a win, which club should be more concerned?

Are Harlequins in another crisis? What's so impressive about Bristol's defence? And, would a Prem Welsh XV beat an equivalent side from the URC?

Plus, after Brendan Venter changed his job title to 'Wine consultant' to avoid media duties, the boys discuss why it's an issue and what it reveals about the club.

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The opening weekend of the Gallagher Prem saw Gloucester, Bristol, Bath and Saracens all win away from home.

Alfie, Charlie and Elgan ask which result was the biggest statement and look back on all of the action.

Should Sale be worried after they lost at home to Bristol? How did Saracens manage an away win at Leicester despite having a 20-minute red card? And, is Henry Pollock worth £400,000 a year?

Plus, by beating South Africa did Australia show that they'll be a force at their home World Cup in 2027? And, should the Black Ferns have settled for a draw against the Red Roses?

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Gloucester begin their Gallagher Prem campaign away to Exeter Chiefs this weekend!

For a city with such a strong rugby history they have never won the Premiership and have only reached the play-offs once in the last fifteen years.

So will their fortunes change this season?

Alfie and Will are at Kingsholm to chat with Dewi Lake and Jac Morgan. The Welsh internationals joined the club this summer from the Ospreys. They chat about dealing with the chaos in Welsh rugby in recent years, why they moved to the Prem and the new initiation at Gloucester now that the infamous 'milk challenge' has been replaced with something else.

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As we continue to build-up to the start of the new Gallagher Prem season, Alfie and Will are in the North-West.

They've made the trip to Sale Sharks to chat with new signings Alex Lozowski and Courtney Lawes.

Lawes returns to English rugby following two years playing for Brive in Pro D2. Will he return to the England squad in time for the 2027 World Cup? And why has he made the move to Sale?

Lozowski joins after ten years with Saracens. He explains why it's a homecoming of sorts and what the club can achieve this season.

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It's the start of a new Gallagher Prem season!

Alfie and Will are at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, to look ahead to another campaign.

They're joined by Newcastle Red Bulls head coach Dan McFarland, Harlequins and England prop Fin Baxter and the Northampton Saints and England fly-half Fin Smith.

Will Newcastle - now into a second season under Red Bull ownership - have a more successful campaign? Can Harlequins bounce back from last year's disappointment? And, will Northampton do a better job of defending their title than the last time they were defending champions?

Plus, will Sale's blockbuster recruitment drag them back up the table? What will Saracens look like under Brendan Venter? And - the all-important question - who will win the league this year?

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Rugby's Greatest Rivalry concluded with the Springboks winning the fourth test in Baltimore to secure a 3-1 series victory.

Alfie, Alex, Charlie and Elgan look back on the epic contest and discuss the best approach for beating the Boks.

With the match taking place in the USA they ask why rugby is taking matches Stateside? Was the occasion a success? And, could a 6 Nations match really happen in the US? It follows the news last week that World Rugby is keen for a fixture to take place across the Atlantic.

Plus, why have England given Steve Borthwick a contract extension? And the Red Roses were back in action and, as always, back winning.

***

From captaining the England rugby team to tackling life's toughest challenges — including his recent MND diagnosis — Lewis Moody has always been a man of action.

Don't miss Lewis in London on November 5th, where he'll be sitting down with Times rugby correspondent Alex Lowe to discuss his new book, Fronting Up. Expect an honest and deeply inspiring conversation exploring the mistakes, triumphs, and life lessons that forged a great man's mettle.

For tickets, head to thetimes.com/events

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The third match in Rugby's Greatest Rivalry produced another brilliant test!

South Africa leads the series 2-1 after beating New Zealand 29-24. Attention now turns to the USA as the fourth test takes place in Baltimore.

But, does that matter? Were the three games in South Africa the ones the nations cared about most? And, how far ahead of the rest are the Springboks and All Blacks?

Alfie, Charlie and Elgan react to the 3rd test and discuss whether other nations have a chance of beating South Africa.

They also look ahead to the start of the WXV, react to Steve Borthwick's latest training squad and ask, 'What is the point of the Prem Cup?'

***

From captaining the England rugby team to tackling life's toughest challenges — including his recent MND diagnosis — Lewis Moody has always been a man of action.

Don't miss Lewis in London on November 5th, where he'll be sitting down with Times rugby correspondent Alex Lowe to discuss his new book, Fronting Up. Expect an honest and deeply inspiring conversation exploring the mistakes, triumphs, and life lessons that forged a great man's mettle.

For tickets, head to thetimes.com/events

Hosted on Acast. See https://acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Greatest Rivalry series is level at 1-1!

South Africa beat New Zealand in Cape Town and now attention turns to the third test in Johannesburg. Despite being a four match series, is the third test - which is the final one on South African soil - the unofficial decider?

Alfie and Alex reflect on the second test including the controversial build-up, in which Rassie Erasmus made multiple changes to his matchday squad. Was this within the regulations? Did it go against the spirit of the game?

Plus, legendary former All Blacks captain Sean Fitzpatrick chats to Alex about the upcoming film 'Jonah' which focuses on the iconic Jonah Lomu. Sean explains why there will never be another player like him.

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The first test between South Africa and New Zealand produced a famous win for the All Blacks. Can South Africa respond?

Was this the best thing for the four match series? Why has Rassie Erasmus named his team for the second test already despite injury concerns? And, how important was Saturday's victory for New Zealand under Dave Rennie?

Alfie and Charlie are in studio to analyse the key moments which led to the All Blacks' victory and ask how big an impact will this have on the back-to-back world champions?

Alex dials in from South Africa to react to Rassie's team for the second test and explains why Handre Pollard has been selected over Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

***

From captaining the England rugby team to tackling life's toughest challenges — including his recent MND diagnosis — Lewis Moody has always been a man of action.

Don't miss Lewis in London on November 5th, where he'll be sitting down with Times rugby correspondent Alex Lowe to discuss his new book, Fronting Up. Expect an honest and deeply inspiring conversation exploring the mistakes, triumphs, and life lessons that forged a great man's mettle.

For tickets, head to http://thetimes.com/events.

Hosted on Acast. See https://acast.com/privacy for more information.

South Africa and New Zealand play the first test of their four match 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry' series this weekend.

Alfie is joined by Alex and New Zealand journalist Jamie Wall, who are both in South Africa, to look ahead to the series.

How big are the next four matches for rugby's two super-powers? How does it compare to when England took on the Boks just six weeks ago? And, why has there been a war of words this week in the build-up?

Jamie explains the headlines from Dave Rennie's All Blacks team selection and why winning the first test is so pivotal for New Zealand.

***

From captaining the England rugby team to tackling life's toughest challenges — including his recent MND diagnosis — Lewis Moody has always been a man of action.

Don't miss Lewis in London on November 5th, where he'll be sitting down with Times rugby correspondent Alex Lowe to discuss his new book, Fronting Up. Expect an honest and deeply inspiring conversation exploring the mistakes, triumphs, and life lessons that forged a great man's mettle.

For tickets, head to hetimes.com/events.

Hosted on Acast. See https://acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode 6 of our special series on the fierce rivalry between rugby’s superpowers, the sport is hurtling into the professional era.

South Africa are world champions after 1995 but New Zealand are on the verge of one of their greatest moments. We hear from John Hart, who led the All Blacks on their 1996 tour of South Africa, as well as former players Sean Fitzpatrick, Ian Jones and Josh Kronfeld.

Was theirs the greatest New Zealand side of all time? Plus, former Springbok Joel Stransky describes the team’s struggle to replicate the dizzying heights of ‘95.

This podcast was produced and edited by Alfie Reynolds, with help from Hope Federico, Rob Wallace, Jamie Wall and David Whisson.

Read more: Rugby’s Greatest Rivals: Springboks v All Blacks

Clips: DSPN Rugby (John Hart interview)

Photo: Getty Images

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In episode 5 of our special series on the fierce rivalry between rugby’s superpowers, Nelson Mandela walks free, apartheid crumbles and South Africa becomes a new country.

The Springboks and the All Blacks face off once more, with Mandela seizing the opportunity to help heal a wounded nation. With the 1995 World Cup reaching its final, two of the players - former Springbok Joel Stransky and All Black captain Sean Fitzpatrick - describe being part of one of the greatest moments in sporting history.

This podcast was produced and edited by Alfie Reynolds, with help from Hope Federico, Robert Wallace, Jamie Wall and David Whisson.

Read more: Rugby’s Greatest Rivals: Springboks v All Blacks

Clips: World Rugby (1995 World Cup final)

Photo: Getty Images

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In episode 4 of our special series on the fierce rivalry between rugby’s superpowers, we focus on the most controversial rugby tour in history: the 1986 New Zealand Cavaliers.

Despite the global boycott, a group of rebel Kiwi players agree to tour South Africa. Former Springbok Schalk Burger Sr describes how he found out about the deal before any of his teammates - and why it opened a door to the players being paid.

The chair of New Zealand Rugby and former World Cup-winning All Black captain David Kirk also explains his decision not to tour, and the fierce reaction amongst the NZ public when the tour went ahead.

This podcast was produced and edited by Alfie Reynolds, with help from Hope Federico, Robert Wallace, Jamie Wall and David Whisson.

Read more: Rugby’s Greatest Rivals: Springboks v All Blacks

Photo: Getty Images

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In episode 3 of our special series on the fierce rivalry between rugby’s superpowers, we are into the 1980s - a decade defined by rebellion.

The 1981 Springbok tour to New Zealand goes ahead despite an international agreement to stop sporting contact with apartheid South Africa. Unrest culminates in flour bombs being thrown out of aircraft at the players. Former Springbok Rob Louw reflects on matters on and off the pitch.

This podcast was produced and edited by Alfie Reynolds, with help from Hope Federico, Robert Wallace, Jamie Wall and David Whisson.

Read more: Rugby’s Greatest Rivals: Springboks v All Blacks

Photo: Getty Images

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In episode 2 of our special series on the fierce rivalry between rugby’s superpowers, the former Springbok Morne du Plessis talks about the sheer, violent ferocity of test matches between South Africa and New Zealand.

For decades, these matches continue to be played among the shadows of race tensions in both countries. The introduction of apartheid adds pressure, boiling over in a boycott of the 1976 Montreal Olympics.

This podcast was produced and edited by Alfie Reynolds, with help from Hope Federico, Robert Wallace, Jamie Wall and David Whisson.

Read more: Rugby’s Greatest Rivals: Springboks v All Blacks

Photo: Getty Images

Hosted on Acast. See https://acast.com/privacy for more information.