Rugby Union Weekly

Do we now know Andy Farrell's Test team? Chris, Gareth Rhys Owen and Tom English assemble for the Nations pod take on the Farrell's 23 for the Brumbies game on Wednesday. Who is in need of a a big performance in Canberra to nail down a Test spot? They reflect on a tricky few days for the Lions tour after an unconvincing display against the Waratahs and Joe Schmidt's comments about Australia after they scraped past a spirited Fiji ...

Chris Jones and Chris Ashton dissect the Lions 21-10 win over the New South Wales Waratahs.

The Lions remain unbeaten but weren’t impressive in their win over the New South Waratahs in Sydney. Two weeks before the first test the Chris’s pick what they think that side currently looks like and ask why the team hasn’t been able to hit the heights just yet. Plus what do they want to see from the next match against the Brumbies on Wednes...

Sam Warburton and Martin Johnson are the only players to captain the British & Irish Lions on back-to-back tours. So for this episode they sit down together to discuss their incredible achievement. They talk leadership, feeling under qualified, handling pressure and the art of a good team talk. Martin also relives the famous series win over South Africa in 1997. You’ll hear about training in the dark, getting stitches during a ...

Ugo Monye & correspondent Chris Jones reflect on The British and Irish Lions eight-try win over Western Force in the first game of their tour on Australian soil. Plus BBC Sport reporter Lauren Jenkins joins the pod live from Perth.

00:30 What grade would you give it? 04:05 Initial thoughts on Tomos Williams’ injury 06:15 Lions ‘scruffy but clinical’ 09:10 How do Lions find the synergy? 13:20 Who should start at 9 and 10? 17:10 L...

Was Owen Farrell ever in contention for England’s summer tour to Argentina and the US? England head coach Steve Borthwick joins Chris and Danny to reveal all, and to outline what he expects from his young squad over the coming weeks. He also shares his memories of the British and Irish Lions from watching them as a kid to being part of the coaching staff in 2017. And Danny picks out a couple of England players he thinks could make ...

Gareth Edwards, Martin Johnson or Willie John McBride? Who is the most iconic British & Irish Lion of all time? In the first episode of a new six-part series, Matt Dawson and Jamie Roberts join Chris to answer that very question. How many Wales legends of the 70s make the cut? Do any coaches make the list? Find out which former Irish and Lions captain misses out. Plus, Matt reveals which Lions legend inspired his dad to give hi...

We’re again podding from the heart of Dublin after Argentina pull off a famous win over the Lions at the Aviva. Chris and Ugo are joined by two former Lions, Dwayne Peel and Anthony Watson, to debate what went wrong - and right - for Andy Farrell’s side, and what they need to fix as they fly to Australia. Did the Lions attack actually show plenty of potential? Will that accuracy come in time? And we pay homage to the Pumas who made...

Chris, Ugo and 2009 Lion Luke Fitzgerald are in the heart of Dublin ahead of the Lions tour opener against Argentina. What should we expect from Andy Farrell’s men at the Aviva? And should the Pumas be such big underdogs? We hear from Jamie George after his week in Lions camp and Owen Farrell tells Sara why he’s glad Ashy was there to welcome him home. And Lauren Jenkins from Scrum V pops in to talk Jac Morgan, Tomos Williams, and ...

Bath and Leinster end their seasons on a high, lifting the Premiership and URC titles. Will Bath now kick on and pick up next season where they left this one? And what will this mean for Leinster after a few barren years? Owen Farrell is once again a Saracens player after his year in France comes to a premature end. Ashy gives us the inside scope having bumped into him while walking the dog. Plus, they look ahead to the Lions’ warm...

The wait is over! Bath are Premiership champions again. They ended a 29-year wait for the biggest prize in English rugby with a narrow win over Leicester. Chris, Ashy and Matt Dawson are at Twickenham to bring you reaction to a momentous day for Bath. Finn Russell tells us what it means to clinch the treble and explains why he decided to pass to Max Ojomoh when he was clean through. We also assess where it went wrong for Leicester ...

It's the big one! Saturday sees the finale of the domestic season as Bath and Leicester go head-to-head at Twickenham for the Premiership title. Will Bath lift the trophy for the first time since 1996? Or will Leicester win a record-extending 12 title and send Michael Cheika and their club legends off into the sunset? Is Cheika using the emotion of Saturday to motivate his players? We hear from the Aussie and from Bath legend Tom D...

We go behind the scenes at the Lions training camp in Portugal to see how preparations have begun for the clash with Argentina in Dublin and the tour down under. Chris chats to Ellis Genge who's already striking up an unexpected 'bromance' with one of the Irish players he's usually slating on the pitch. Genge talks openly about trying to get out of his comfort zone in camp and how he's approaching his first Lions tour aged 30. Forw...

A massive weekend of finals await. Can Bath end their 29-year wait for Premiership glory? Will Leinster finally end their trophy drought? Danny, Ashy and Chris are on the sofa to break it all down. It’s also been a busy week for the Lions with injury and availability issues prompting Andy Farrell to bring reinforcements into camp. Could Argentina be favourites in Dublin? And can the proposed R360 breakaway league succeed? Or is thi...