Rugby Union Weekly

All eyes are on Sandy Park this weekend as Rob Baxter and Mark McCall go head-to-head for one last time. Danny, Ugo and Chris look back on Exeter’s impressive win at Leicester that sets up Saturday’s showdown with Saracens for the final play-off spot. Who will come out on top? Will anybody other than Northampton rotate this weekend? It’s now only one win in five for Bath, what is behind their recent slump? Newcastle produced one of...

We are podding from the San Mamés stadium in Bilbao after Bordeaux win a second successive Champions Cup crown. Chris and Paul Grayson chat to one of the key man behind Bordeaux’s success, their attack coach Noel McNamara. We also grab a word with Adam Coleman who vows to spend days partying in his match shirt. But where did it go wrong for Leinster? They’ve now lost five finals since their last triumph in 2018. Will there be big c...

Ashy and Chris are back with a bonus pod after Steve Borthwick spoke to the media for the first time since England's disappointing Six Nations campaign. Chris went inside the camp to see the England head coach who explained why he's selected Benhard Janse van Rensburg selection for the three-day training camp and what he expects the South African-born centre to bring. But what does his selection mean for Ollie Lawrence and Max Ojom...

How do you sum up the life and legacy of Scott Hastings? Chris, Ashy and Danny are joined by his close friend and former teammate Andy Nicol to share memories of the great man, both on and off the pitch, following his death over the weekend. Plus, as Steve Borthwick names his latest England training squad, the guys debate the inclusion of former South Africa Under-20 centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg. The Bristol Bears player quali...

Sara, Ugo and Katy Daley-McLean are podding pitch side immediately after the Red Roses won an eighth successive Six Nations title and fifth Grand Slam. Given the injuries, absentees and retirements - is this the best one yet? And does this latest triumph now make the Red Roses one of the greatest sports teams of all time? We chat to England centurion Marlie Packer who tells us she isn’t going to hang her boots up any time soon. We ...

Will England claim an eighth successive Six Nations? Or will France finally beat the Red Roses and claim a first title since 2018? Ugo, Sara and former Ireland international Anna Caplice look ahead to the big showdown in Bordeaux. Could England's leaky defence cost them on Sunday? Are England demanding too much of their star centre Meg Jones? Ireland’s first standalone fixture at the Aviva is expected to attract 30,000 fans. Anna e...

It was a huge weekend in the race for the Prem play-offs as the top two both lost. Ashy, Danny and Chris dive into Leicester’s massive derby win over Northampton and discuss the electric atmosphere at Welford Road, the Tigers pack and if Henry Pollock needs to shake the pantomime villain image. Bath missed the change to go top after Exeter put them to the sword with an impressive second half display at Sandy Park. Are the Prem cham...

Former England international Katy Daley-McClean and ex-Black Fern Ruby Tui join Sara Orchard to review the Red Roses’ 61-33 thrashing of Italy in Parma.

John Harrison’s reigning world champions made it 37 consecutive wins across all competitions with a dominant display in their fourth bonus-point victory of this year’s competition.

That’s now 38 successive Six Nations wins, setting up what should be an epic grand finale in Bordeaux a...

Should the women’s game be using smaller balls? The debate is back on the agenda after Zoe Harrison’s interview with Sara about the decision to use size 4.5 balls at this autumn's WXV Global Series. Kat Merchant and Philippa Tuttiett give their views on ball trial, and discuss whether it is a backwards step for the game. We also examine the state of the women’s game in Italy as they prepare to face the Red Roses after an impressive...

We’re podding from the Stade Atlantique in Bordeaux after Bath’s hopes of winning a first Champions Cup since 1998 were dashed by the holders. Chris and Paul Grayson pick the bones out of an epic encounter and discuss where the semi-final got away from Bath. They also chat to Johaan van Grann who airs his frustration with the lack of consistency from the French TV directors. Bordeaux progress to the final in Bilbao and we grab a wo...

Can Bath reach a first Champions Cup final since 1998? Do they have the gameplan to beat the holders Bordeaux in their back yard? Chris and Ashy look ahead to what promises to be an epic semi-final weekend. Henry Arundell is on the pod to discuss Sunday’s showdown in the south of France and what it would mean to reach the final with his boyhood club. We also catch up with Toulon and Scotland scrum-half Ben White as he looks to clai...

Is Noah Caluori ready for England? Have we entered a new era for try records? Can Bath topple the best club team in Europe? Chris Ashton, Danny Care and Chris Jones dissect the big talking points from the weekend, including another thriller between the Prem's top two, and look ahead to the Champions Cup semi-finals. Plus, after Pat Lam criticised Newcastle's pitch, we discuss what it is really like to play on an artificial surface.

Sara is joined by World Cup winner Kat Merchant and former Wales captain Siwan Lillicrap to reflect on England's victory over Wales. Despite the Red Roses scoring 62 points, there were still plenty of positives for Wales who earned a try-bonus point as Alisha Joyce returns, Keira Bevan shines at nine and their lineout bamboozled England. Despite shipping four tries, the Red Roses completed a record-extending 36th consecutive Test w...

The Women’s Six Nations is pulling in record crowds and viewing figures, but is the tournament itself keeping pace? Ugo, Sara and Philippa Tuttiett discuss whether there needs to be more emphasis on the rugby than the spectacle. Sean Lynn is still searching for a first Six Nations win as Wales boss and with the Red Roses up next, we look at how they should approach the match and what would constitute success. Ireland have revenge o...

There was an astonishing 54 tries across the five Prem matches this weekend, but is it a positive when so many matches were one-sided? Is the Prem in danger of becoming a two-tiered league or are teams just in transition? Ugo, Danny and Chris try to make sense of a crazy weekend which saw Saracens’ Noah Calouri bag another five tries against Sale in a huge win on Sunday. How costly could that defeat be for Sale? Exeter put on a sho...

Warning: This episode contains discussion of disordered eating which some may find distressing.

Sara is joined by World Cup winner Katy Daley-McLean and former Scotland fly-half Lisa Martin to talk all things Women's Six Nations. There is still plenty to discuss from the opening weekend after a big omission in the Wales matchday programme and Meg Jones' joining the post-match celebrations with fans at a Twickenham pub. Over 30,000 ...

Danny and Ashley are here to wrap up the champions cup quarter-finals . They reflect on Friday’s epic clash at The Rec and Henry Pollock’s controversial yellow card. Is Maxime Lucu France’s number one scrum-half right now? Does Bordeaux’s defence get credit it deserves? Leinster are into yet another semi-final, but can Toulon defy the odds again next month in Dublin after dumping Glasgow out of the competition? Where did it go wron...

The quarter-finals in the Champions and Challenge Cup are set. Ashy, Ugo & Chris look back at the round of 16. There were stunning solo tries and plenty of TMO controversy, but did the weekend deliver? We also preview the blockbuster showdowns in Bordeaux and Bath this weekend as the best teams in France and England go head-to-head. Who is best placed to go all the way? Should seedings from the pool stages last until the semi-f...

Did taking Prem rugby to bigger stadiums pay off? Danny and Ashy were blown away by the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, despite getting lost. Is too much being made of Geoff Parling’s outburst at Craig Doyle? Ashy questions whether Saracens are bringing through enough academy players amid their bad run. And what about Robbie Deans’ appointment at Quins? Will it work out if he’s only spending 12 weeks of the year at the club?...