The Ruck

Weekend two of the 6 Nations is in the books and there's plenty to get stuck into... Will Kelleher is joined by Mark Palmer, Stuart Barnes and Owen Slot to discuss a controversial French win at Murrayfield, a familiar result for Wales at Twickenham, and Ireland putting Italy to the sword.

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The opening weekend of the 6 Nations lived up to its billing with plenty of drama on the pitch. Alfie Reynolds is joined by Owen Slot and Peter O'Reilly to look back on the action in Marseille as Ireland beat France, Will Kelleher and Alex Lowe send in a dispatch from Rome following England's opening weekend victory and Mark Palmer joins the pod to reflect on Scotland winning in Cardiff for the first time in over twenty years and what could have been a famous Welsh comeback.

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Will Kelleher heads north of the border and is joined by Mark Palmer to spend a day in the Scotland camp ahead of the start of the 2024 Six Nations. They chat to Kyle Rowe, Luke Crosbie, Arron Reed and Andy Christie as Scotland prepare to get their tournament underway against Wales in Cardiff, a venue they haven't won at for two decades. They hear from the players about their back stories and discuss how the squad can move on from the disappointment of the Rugby World Cup.

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The Six Nations is here! With the 2024 championship kicking off on Friday night, Alfie Reynolds is joined by Will Kelleher, Mark Palmer, Peter O'Reilly and Elgan Alderman. They discuss each nation and the big questions and talking points they face heading into the tournament. Who are the favorites out of Ireland and France? What does success look like for Scotland? Can England reconnect with Twickenham? And, will it boil down to a wooden spoon decider between Wales and Italy?

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Alfie Reynolds, Will Kelleher and Stuart Barnes reflect on the conclusion of the Champions Cup pool stages and question whether the format of the competition still needs tweaking. They discuss the massive news that Louis Rees-Zammit is putting his rugby career on hold to pursue a career in the NFL and that Joe Schmidt is the new head coach of the Wallabies. Plus, Alfie and Will sit down and chat to James Gay-Rees, the executive producer of the new Netflix series Six Nations: Full Contact which comes out this week.

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Alex Lowe and Will Kelleher join Alfie Reynolds to look back on another weekend in the Champions Cup, which once again provided some great matches and highlighted the current issues with the competitions structure. They also chat about Andy Farrell being named British and Irish lions head coach last week and debate whether a lions tour would be successful for the women. Plus, with Steve Borthwick naming his England Six Nations squad on Wednesday they discuss the big decisions that he faces.

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England, Saracens and British and Irish Lions hooker Jamie George joins Will Kelleher and Alfie Reynolds for today's episode. He chats about the latest round of Premiership action, as the race for the play-offs hots up and Jamie's team mate Owen Farrell has been linked with a move to France. He also explains why England players have opted to start a new agency to look after their contractual and commercial deals with the RFU. Plus, he looks ahead to the 2024 6 Nations as England aim to build-up on their third placed finish at the World Cup.

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Happy new year! What better way to start 2024 than with the first Ruck of the year. Alfie Reynolds, Alex Lowe and Will Kelleher name a men's World XV of 2023, which is dominated by South Africa and New Zealand who reached the World Cup final. Alfie chats with England under-20 and Northampton Saints back-row Henry Pollock to chat about his successful 2023 and look ahead to what the new year might bring. Plus, the boys name their end of year awards and reveal their hopes for 2024.

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Sale Sharks invited us up to Manchester to go behind the scenes at the club. Alfie Reynolds, Alex Lowe and Will Kelleher make the journey to the North-West to get a better understanding of what is making the Sharks tick and the overall development of the club. They chat to co-owner Michelle Orange, Director of Rugby Alex Sanderson, England internationals George Ford and Manu Tuilagi and youngsters Tom Roebuck and Joe Carpenter. They chat about the importance of rugby in the north, the women's team, the Premiership final defeat and how they are a Premiership club that is building something special.

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Alfie Reynolds and Will Kelleher round-up another weekend of the Champions Cup. Including good wins for Northampton, Saracens, Leicester, Exeter and Bath. But with a number of teams deciding to rotate their squads at the weekend they debate if that is a negative thing for the competition. They also chat to Stormers Head Coach John Dobson after they beat La Rochelle with a last-gasp conversation. Plus, they also name their God or Goddess of the week.

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Following English clubs winning 7 of their 8 matches across the opening round of the Champions Cup, Alfie Reynolds, Will Kelleher, Alex Lowe and Stuart Barnes reflect on all the action, including the awkward problems which arise from South African clubs taking part. They also debate Henry Arundell deciding to miss out the 2024 6 Nations by staying in France with Racing 92 and what it means for the RFU. Plus they name their God or Goddess of the week.

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A busy pod this week! Alfie Reynolds, Alex Lowe and Will Kelleher ask if the media are responsible for Owen Farrell having to take time away from international rugby. They also question where Newcastle Falcons go next after an eighth straight defeat in the Gallagher Premiership, plus they round up all the other results including more heartache for Gloucester but big wins for Harlequins and Northampton. Bath second-row Charlie Ewels chats to Will and Alfie about the blue, black and white's strong start to the season and looking ahead to Europe.

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Alfie Reynolds, Stephen Jones and Will Kelleher round up all the latest Premiership action. They discuss England's mounting injury list in the back-row, Gloucester and Bristol's struggles and Saracens and Sale still looking like the two best sides in the league. With last week marking the 20th anniversary of England's World Cup win in 2003, Steve laments on the RFU not capitalising on that success and they question if the URC can ever be a successful competition. Plus, they name their God or Goddess of the week.

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Wayne Barnes joins Alfie Reynolds and Stephen Jones to reflect on his career as a referee after retiring following the World Cup final. He chats about how to stamp down on abuse in rugby, a 20 second shot clock for lineouts and the importance of officials working as a team. Alan Dymock also joins Alfie and Steve to reflect on derby weekend in the Premiership, the opening round of Premiership Women's Rugby, the URC and to name a God or Goddess of the week.

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Following the 5th round of fixtures in the Gallagher Premiership, Alfie Reynolds, Stuart Barnes and Elgan Alderman look back on all the action. They discuss Finn Russell 'shushing' The Shed as Bath beat Gloucester, what a great weekend it was for fly-halves and Bristol's struggles. They also chat about the return of the England A side and how important those fixtures can be for developing talent. Plus, Jess Hayden joins the show to preview the start of the Premiership Women's season. And, the panel name their God or Goddess of the week.

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Alfie Reynolds, Elgan Alderman and Alan Dymock are back in the studio after months on the road at the Rugby World Cup. They turn their attention to domestic action in the Gallagher Premiership and also chat to Mark Palmer about the opening rounds of the URC. They debate the future of Wales' fly-half jersey, Exeter's rebuild and the impact of the World Cup on the start of the season. Plus, Alan asks if the British and Irish Lions should add France to the list of countries they tour and the boys name their God or Goddess of the Week.

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The Springboks retained the Word Cup as they beat New Zealand in a gripping and tense final. Alfie Reynolds, Stephen Jones, Will Kelleher and Alex Lowe reflect on the match and tournament as a whole. They have conflicting views on whether the final was a great spectacle and also talk about the big refereeing decisions which saw All Blacks captain Sam Cane get sent off. Plus, they chat about England winning a bronze medal, pay tribute to Ben Youngs who retires as England men's most capped international, mention Eddie Jones' departure from the Wallabies and name their God or Goddess of the week.

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It's New Zealand versus South Africa in the Rugby World Cup final. Alfie Reynolds, Will Kelleher, Alex Lowe and Stephen Jones preview the match. They discuss the Springboks extraordinary team selection by going 7-1 on the bench and not having a back-up scrum-half. Plus, they reflect on the All Blacks' resurrection over the last year having gone from being branded as one of the worst New Zealand sides ever to a World Cup final.

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Alfie Reynolds, Alex Lowe, Will Kelleher and Stephen Jones look back on the semi-finals of the Rugby World Cup as the All Blacks and Springboks booked their spots in the final. They discuss England's heart breaking 15-16 defeat and how it is a platform for Steve Borthwick's side to build upon. Plus they discuss a much more one-sided semi-final as New Zealand hammered Argentina 44-6. Plus they name their God or Goddess of the week.

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Ahead of the Rugby World Cup semi-finals between Argentina and New Zealand, as well as England versus South Africa, Alfie Reynolds is joined by Alex Lowe, Will Kelleher and Sam Warburton to preview all the action. They discuss how England might be able to produce an upset against the Springboks and all the big talking points ahead of the matches this weekend.

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The Rugby World Cup quarter-finals lived up to the hype as four brilliant matches took place over the weekend with New Zealand, Argentina, England and South Africa progressing to the last four. Alfie Reynolds, Stephen Jones, Owen Slot and Chris Jones were in Paris for two of the best matches in world cup history, so they look back on the victories for the All Blacks and Springboks. Whilst, Alex Lowe and Will Kelleher review the action they witnessed in Marseille where Argentina beat Wales and England held on to defeat Fiji. Plus, they all name their God or Goddess of the week.

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Four years ago South Africa won the Rugby World Cup for the third time! Francois Louw was a part of that success as they beat England in the final and explains to Will Kelleher how the Springboks won, having been underperforming just 18 months before. He chats about getting revenge on the host nation, Japan, for the infamous defeat they suffered in 2015, the importance of Siya Kolisi as the captain and facing Eddie Jones' England team just after they had produced a stunning performance to beat the All Blacks in the semi-final.

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Alfie Reynolds is joined by Will Kelleher and Alex Lowe to look back on the pool stages at the Rugby World Cup and preview the quarter-final line-up. He also chats to Mark Palmer and Peter O'Reilly at the Stade de France following Ireland's victory over Scotland and Elgan Alderman reflects on Wales and Argentina's final pool fixtures as they meet in the quarter-finals this weekend.

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The 2011-2015 All Blacks are arguably the greatest international rugby team ever, having won back-to-back World Cups. But prior to that they were known as a side who always failed to deliver when the pressure was on. In this episode, Will Kelleher chats to New Zealand legend Conrad Smith about how they went from World Cup disappointment to domination. He explains how they changed their mindset, dealt with the absence of Dan Carter in 2011 and then waltzed to the title in 2015.

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Alfie Reynolds is joined by Alex Lowe, Mark Palmer and Elgan Alderman to look back on the latest action at the World Cup. Following rest weekends for England, Wales and Ireland they discuss whether the schedule at the tournament is working and how it can be improved in 2027. Mark looks back on Scotland's 84-0 victory over Romania and previews a massive game against Ireland this coming weekend. And, they ask what sort of game people want to watch, following New Zealand head coach Ian Foster's comments after their thumping win over Italy. Plus, Alex chats about Jersey Reds announcement last week that they have ceased trading and are no longer able to operate, becoming the latest English club to go bust.

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This time on 'How to win the World Cup', Will Kelleher chats to the former Springbok Fourie du Preez who was a part of the 2007 South African winning side. They look back on the Boks second world title as they defeated England in the final. Should Mark Cueto's 'try' have been given? And what was it like having Eddie Jones as part of the coaching staff?

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Alfie Reynolds is joined by Stephen Jones, Stuart Barnes, Will Kelleher, Alex Lowe, Elgan Alderman and Peter O'Reilly to look back on the third round of fixtures at the Rugby World Cup. Steve and Stuart discuss the weekend as a whole and what stood out for them, Will and Alex have an update after England's victory over Chile and Alfie chats to Peter following Ireland's excellent win over South Africa and Elgan after Wales' dominant display against the Wallabies.

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How did England win the World Cup in 2003? On this episode Will Kelleher chats to Lawrence Dallaglio and Owen Slot about that glorious triumph 20 years ago. Lawrence explains what it was like watching that Wilkinson drop goal sail through the posts and how English rugby have never capitalised on the victory. Owen Slot was reporting on the tournament at the time and remembers what it was like to see the development of Clive Woodward's side in the years building up to 2003.

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Alfie Reynolds, Will Kelleher and Stephen Jones look back on the second weekend of action at the Rugby World Cup. They discuss unconvincing wins for England and Wales, as well as Fiji providing the highlight of the weekend with victory over Australia. Elgan Alderman joins the show to review Wales' win against Wales. Plus, the boys preview a massive weekend coming up and chat about a few minor negatives about the tournament so far.

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This time on 'How to win the World Cup' Will Kelleher chats to the former Springbok Joel Stransky. One the most iconic rugby and sporting moments of all time happened at the 1995 World Cup, as Nelson Mandela handed over the William Web Ellis trophy on home to South Africa. Stransky kicked the winning drop goal in the final at Ellis Park as the Springboks silenced a rampaging Jonah Lomu.

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Alfie Reynolds is joined by Will Kelleher, Owen Slot and Steve Jones to look back on the bulk of the opening weekend action at the Rugby World Cup. They discuss the atmosphere out in France, including a bouncing couple of days in Marseille, plus England's great win and the curtain raiser between France and New Zealand. Plus, Alfie catches up with Mark Palmer following Scotland's disappointing defeat to the Springboks and Elgan Alderman reflects on Wales scraping past Fiji.

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This time on how to win the World Cup Will Kelleher chats to John Eales who was a member of the victorious Wallabies sides from 1991 and 1999. He explains what it was like to win Australia's maiden title in '91, at the start of his career, and the '99 tournament when he was the captain. He recounts both triumphs, which came pre and then post rugby turning professional.

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Will Kelleher, Alex Lowe, Owen Slot and producer-turned presenter Alfie preview the 2023 Rugby World Cup! Ahead of France and the All Blacks getting the tournament underway on Friday they look ahead to each pool. Including, the group of death involving Ireland, Scotland and the Springboks, an intriguing Pool C with Australia, Fiji and Wales, plus they talk about England and the massive concerns about their form on the eve of the tournament.

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How do you win the Rugby World Cup? On this episode Will Kelleher chats to the 1987 winning All Black Sean Fitzpatrick, about how New Zealand won the inaugural tournament. He recounts stories from a time before professionalism and how their world cup triumph was very different to the scenes of today. This is the first in a special series speaking to a member of each winning world cup side.

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Stephen Jones, Alan Dymock and Elgan Alderman look back on the final weekend of Rugby World Cup warm-up matches. They chat about Fiji's historic first ever win over England at Twickenham, as well the Springboks scintillating victory over the All Blacks and Eddie Jones' Wallabies losing to France. Plus, now that all eyes are on the start of the tournament they ask who are the favourites to win it? And, they name their God or Goddess of the Week.

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Stephen Jones, Mark Evans and Mark Palmer look back on the weekend's matches as England put in another underwhelming performance, Wales were hammered by South Africa and Fiji faced France. Mark Evans brings us up to date on his work with the Fijian Drua in Super Rugby, the boys react to Wales 33 player squad for the World Cup and Mark Palmer discusses the hope building within Scotland. Plus, they name their God or Goddess of the week.

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Will Kelleher, Stuart Barnes and Peter O'Reilly reflect on the World Cup warm-up matches over the weekend. They chat about a dire match at Twickenham as England beat Wales in unconvincing fashion, as well as France and Scotland playing out a brilliant match in St Etienne. They also discuss France fly-half Romain Ntamack being ruled out of the tournament, Jack van Poortvliet's injury and Owen Farrell's red card and subsequent suspension. Plus Peter chats about Ireland ahead of them hosting England this coming weekend and the latest on the fly-half position.

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Will Kelleher, Stephen Jones and Alex Lowe are at Twickenham to react to Steve Borthwick's England squad for the Rugby World Cup. After breaking the news of what the official squad would be over the weekend they discuss some of the big talking points, including Henry Slade missing out. Plus, they look back on all the World Cup warm-up results including big wins for Scotland and Wales.

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Will Kelleher, Alex Lowe and Stephen Jones return to begin the build-up to the Rugby World Cup. With Steve Borthwick naming his England squad in a week's time, they select their 33 man England team who they would take to France. Plus, they reflect on the Rugby Championship and how New Zealand, South Africa, Australia and Argentina are looking.

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Saracens beat Sale to win the Premiership and Munster's famous victory over the Stormers in Cape Town as they were crowned URC champions. Plus, they cover the fate of London Irish as the deadline for their takeover to be completed draws near, they chat about the Barbarians, Premier 15s and name their God or Goddess of the week.

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Will Kelleher, Stuart Barnes and Stephen Jones look back on the final of the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup. They ask whether Leinster v La Rochelle was the greatest final in the competitions history? Plus, they preview the Premiership final this weekend and chat to former Sale winger Mark Cueto, who was a part of the 2006 side who last won the Prem for Sale. And, they name their God or Goddess of the week.

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Will Kelleher, Elgan Alderman and Mark Palmer bring you the latest episode of The Ruck. They look back on the Premiership and URC semi-finals following some big results, including Leinster's surprise defeat to Munster. Dan Biggar joins the pod as his Toulon side prepare to face Glasgow in the Challenge Cup final. Plus, the panel preview the Champions Cup final as well!

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Alex Lowe, Alan Dymock and Stuart Barnes look back on the final round of the Premiership season and preview the semi-finals this coming weekend. Stuart voices his frustration about the dominance of driving mauls, plus Steve Jones interviews Jersey Reds director of rugby Harvey Biljon after the club won the Championship. Alex, Alan and Stuart talk about grief in rugby, Gregor Townsend's new contract with Scotland and name their God or Goddess of the week.

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Alex Lowe and Steve Jones look back on the semi-finals of the Champions and Challenge Cups. They discuss Leinster and La Rochelle setting up a repeat of last year's final after they beat Toulouse and Exeter respectively in their semi-finals. Producer Alfie caught up with former Red Rose, Rachael Burford, after England won yet another Grand Slam in front of a record crowd at Twickenham. Plus, Alex and Steve talk about the latest regarding London Irish and further concerns about their finances, plus they name their God or Goddess of the week.

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Will Kelleher and Alex Lowe round up all the latest across the Premiership, Women's 6 Nations and the European semi-finals. They are joined by the Chairman of European Club Rugby, Dom McKay, to discuss the challenges facing the Champions Cup from the administrative point of view. Plus, they are also joined by Exeter centre Henry Slade to look ahead to their match against La Rochelle. Jess Hayden talks all things Women's 6 Nations as England setup a Grand Slam decider this weekend at Twickenham against France. And, they name their God or Goddess of the week.

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Will Kelleher and Alex Lowe look back on the latest round of the Gallagher Premiership as the race for the top 4 hots up. They reflect on Chris Ashton scoring his 100th Premiership try and the controversial red card for Olly Woodburn. London Irish Head Coach Les Kiss joins the show as they prepare for their final two matches of the season, which could see them reach the play-offs for the first time since 2010. And, Jess Hayden talks all things women's Six Nations as England and France continued their winning ways.

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Stephen Jones and Stuart Barnes look back on the quarter-finals in the Champions and Challenge Cups. Jess Hayden joins the show to preview the third round of the women's 6 Nations. Plus, Steve and Stuart name their God or Goddess of the week.

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Steve Jones, Adam Hathaway and Stuart Barnes look back on the last-16 of the Champions Cup and ask whether it was one of the greatest rounds in the competitions history? They also look ahead to the quarter-finals this coming weekend, Jess Hayden joins the show to look back on round two of the Women's 6 Nations and they name their God or Goddess of the week.

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Will Kelleher and Stephen Jones look back on the latest round of Premiership fixtures and also preview the last-16 in the Champions Cup. They chat with RPA General Secretary Christian Day on the 'State of the Game' and what the players would like to gain from the next Professional Game Agreement. Plus, they also look back on the opening round of the Women's 6 Nations with former Red Rose, Rachael Burford.

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Stephen Jones and Alan Dymock look back on the conclusion of the men's 6 Nations along with Pete O'Reilly. They assess Ireland's famous Grand Slam as well as covering all the big talking points from victory over England, including Freddie Steward's red card. They are also joined by Jess Hayden to preview the start of the women's 6 Nations this weekend. And, they name their God or Goddess of the week.

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