Rugby Direct
Every week, Rugby Direct gives you the lowdown on all you need to know from the rugby world. Whether it's the All Blacks, Black Ferns, NPC, Farah Palmer Cup, or just what's going down at the club grounds, we have you covered on your home for all things rugby. Listen on iHeartRadio for every angle, every moment, and every opinion.
Episodes
On Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith and Liam Napier wrap up the 2024 All Blacks season and hand out some awards from the campaign and get out their red pens and mark the season that was.
We dig into the eligibility saga as it continues to rage around New Zealand rugby, ask whether Joe Schmidt will stay in charge of the Wallabies beyond the Lions series and also flag a potential job he could take up if not and give our thoughts on the Se...
This week on Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith (in Turin) and Liam Napier review the All Blacks' 1-point loss to France in Paris and how the defeat changes the complexion of the end of year tour. We also look ahead to the final test of the year against Italy and consider the likely make-up of the 23.
We also talk the news of Harry Plummer's impending departure from New Zealand Rugby, the continued noise about a F1/LIV Golf style rugby br...
This week on Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith in Paris and Liam Napier discuss the All Blacks' win over (now former) world number ones Ireland in Dublin - what it means in both the context of the tour and the year and how they managed to wear down Ireland. We also look ahead to the penultimate test of 2024 against France this weekend and ponder some selection headaches for the selectors.
We also wrap up the rest of the weekend in the en...
This week on Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith in Dublin is joined by Liam Napier to reflect on the All Blacks' tight win over England at Twickenham and we break down the performance - the good and the bad.
We also look ahead to Ireland and the remainder of this weekend's test matches as the end of year internationals ramp up.
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This week on Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith and Liam Napier review the All Blacks win over Japan in Yokohama and look ahead to Sunday morning's big test against England, we also review the NPC final and sit down with New Zealand Rugby chief executive Mark Robinson in London to chat some of the burning issues in the sport.
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This week on Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith dials in from Tokyo to run through with Liam Napier the All Blacks team named for Saturday's test against Japan in Yokohama and what it means for the rest of the tour.
We also preview the NPC final, discuss Rugby Sevens being given the heave-ho from the pared-back 2026 Commonwealth Games and big moves in the commercial arm of NZ Rugby.
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This week on Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith and Liam Napier recap all the big news of the rugby world from the last fortnight - beginning with the All Blacks and All Blacks XV squads selected for tours north - who were the unlucky ones that missed out and who can count themselves lucky to be there?
We review the Black Ferns' WXV1 campaign and assess their stocks a year out from the Rugby World Cup in England, as well as look at the NP...
This week on Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith and Liam Napier review the second Bledisloe Cup test in Wellington with the All Blacks beating Australia and ending the 'Capital Curse'.
We review the Rugby Championship as a whole, dish up some awards and look ahead to the end of year tour and what big calls the ABs selectors will have to make.
We also ask if there is a Crusaders bias in the All Blacks and cover off some interesting news ou...
This week on Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith and Liam Napier review the Bledisloe Cup opener in Sydney - and how the All Blacks nearly let what was heading for a comfortable win turn into a nervy defeat.
We again try to answer what is going wrong in the last 20 minutes of test matches and what changes might be in the offing for Wellington.
We run through a controversial ANZAC rugby side of the professional era, as well as look back at ...
Elliott Smith and Liam Napier are in Sydney this week for the opening Bledisloe Cup and in a crossover special, stopped by the ESPN Scrum Reset podcast studios to count down to Saturday’s match with Aussie rugby journos Sam Bruce and Christy Doran.
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This week on Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith and Liam Napier are in Sydney and celebrate touching down by jumping straight into a podcast.
They discuss the Bledisloe Cup test this weekend between the Wallabies and All Blacks and whether the Australians have a show, and what the All Blacks strategy is around blooding new talent.
Also on the podcast, a look back at the Black Ferns v England, Super Rugby format changes and the Ranfurly Sh...
This week on Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith and Liam Napier assess another All Blacks' defeat to the Springboks, this time in Cape Town as opportunities go begging. We ask what are the reasons for the All Blacks being unable to put away the 'Boks and what is missing from the side at the moment.
We also dig into further information around a 2026 tour of South Africa by the All Blacks, the possible ANZAC Day match against the Wallabies ...
This week on Rugby Direct, ZB's own Elliott Smith reviews the first All Blacks v Springboks test and unpacks what went wrong towards the second half the match.
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Elliott's landed in Johannesburg and he and Liam assess the stunning news that Leon MacDonald has quit the All Blacks coaching staff after just five tests.
Elliott and Liam also offer some thoughts on where the first test between the All Blacks and Springboks will be won and lost, as well as the latest in the NPC and FPC.
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This week on Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith and Liam Napier discuss the All Blacks' comeback victory over Argentina at Eden Park - and whether or not the team is ready to face off against South Africa.
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This week on Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith and Liam Napier review the All Blacks' stunning defeat against Argentina in Wellington and dig into how it happened and what needs to be changed for the rematch against Los Pumas at Eden Park this weekend. We also put some perspective into the reason behind so many empty seats at Sky Stadium.
We also pick through the highlights of the opening round of the NPC and Farah Palmer Cup, the Spring...
This week on Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith and Liam Napier return from a week off to talk the Black Ferns Sevens' gold medal in Paris and how to try and solve the men's Sevens issues at the Olympics.
We dig into the All Blacks squad for the Rugby Championship ahead of this weekend's test against Argentina, debate some contract news for the All Blacks and ask the question... is Antoine Dupont the GOAT? Plus plenty more.
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This week on Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith and Liam Napier discuss Ardie Savea's bombshell Super Rugby switch from the Hurricanes to Moana Pasifika and the implications for him as well as both franchises before we dig into the All Blacks third test of the year against Fiji in San Diego.
We also rank the All Blacks halfbacks, discuss the chances of gold medals for the sevens sides at the Olympics and whether the NZ U20s finishing thir...
This week on Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith and Liam Napier wrap the second test against England and discuss the All Blacks' game plan - or seeming lack thereof, as well as the impact of Beauden Barrett, line-out struggles and how they might line up against Fiji in San Diego.
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This week on Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith and Liam Napier assess the first All Blacks' test of the 'new era' and a tight win over England under the roof in Dunedin. We assess who stood out and where the improvements will need to be made for the second test in Auckland on Saturday.
We also run the rule over the other test matches around the globe over the weekend and reveal some battle scars of our own from Dunedin.
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