The Ruck

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

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

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

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 thetimes.com/events.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.