The Ruck Rugby Podcast

Alfie Reynolds, Alex Lowe and Will Kelleher review another weekend of domestic rugby as the Gallagher Premiership served up contrasting matches in Bath v Saracens and Harlequins v Northampton, both of which were fascinating! They chat about officiating controversy and the race for the play-offs, Rocky Clark joins the pod to look back on the conclusion of the Women's 6 Nations as England won another Grand Slam. Plus, the boys preview the Champions Cup semi-finals and name their God or Goddess of the week.

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Ahead of Harlequins facing Northampton Saints at Twickenham this weekend and with a big Champions Cup semi-final on the horizon against Toulouse; Alfie Reynolds, Will Kelleher and Alex Lowe head to the training ground to find out what makes the club unique. They speak to Chandler Cunningham-South, Cadan Murley, CEO Laurie Dalrymple and Head Coach Danny Wilson about the clubs playing philosophy, putting on big events at Twickenham and the Premiership run-in.

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Alfie Reynolds, Alex Lowe and Elgan Alderman reflect on the weekend's action in the Premiership and Women's 6 Nations, including huge wins for the Red Roses and Bristol. Following England's comfortable victory over Ireland at Twickenham Alex chats with broadcaster Johnnie Hammond about the competitive balance to the women's tournament. And, with Newcastle shipping over eighty points to Bristol, where do the north-east club go from here? Plus, they name their God or Goddess of the week.

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With England set to host Ireland at Twickenham in the Women's 6 Nations this weekend Alfie Reynolds, Will Kelleher and Elgan Alderman head up to Pennyhill Park to go behind the scenes of the Red Roses training camp. They speak to head coach John Mitchell as well as Sydney Gregson and Ellie Kildunne about what drives the number one team in the world to keep improving, teacher training, unexpected job interviews and much more!

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Following the Champions Cup quarter-finals Alfie Reynolds, Alex Lowe, Will Kelleher and Alan Dymock review the weekend. Alex was in France for Harlequins' sensational win away to Bordeaux and Exeter's defeat to Toulouse. They question whether South African sides being involved in a 'European' competition is currently working and how the issues facing the tournament can be resolved, after the Bulls made 13 changes for their trip to Northampton. And, Will chats with Harlequins scrum coach Adam Jones to review their historic win.

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Alfie Reynolds, Will Kelleher and Elgan Alderman review the last-16 in the Champions Cup, preview the return of the Women's 6 Nations and discuss rugby's scheduling issues. They also chat to the England and Toulouse flanker Jack Willis about life in France, wanting to add to the club's great history and being unable as an overseas player to be picked by England.

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Alfie Reynolds, Mark Palmer and Elgan Alderman round-up the latest action from the Premiership and Women's 6 Nations, plus look ahead to the last-16 of the Champions Cup. They discuss Irne Herbst's 7 minute yellow card in the Quins v Bath game, a missed opportunity for Scotland in the 6 Nations and Elgan's weekend of French rugby. Alfie also chats to Northampton Saints back row Lewis Ludlam to preview their match against Munster this weekend.

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Following a busy weekend of Women's Six Nations and Gallagher Premiership, Alfie Reynolds, Alex Lowe and Will Kelleher look back on the action. Alfie chats with England back-row Marlie Packer after she made her 100th England appearance in their win over Italy. Plus, the boys discuss which sides might be hitting their form for the Premiership run-in, how much is too much for season tickets? And, name their God or Goddess of the week.

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The men's Six Nations reached its conclusion on the weekend as Ireland won back-to-back titles. Alfie Reynolds, Elgan Alderman and Mark Palmer review all the action between Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Italy. Whilst Will Kelleher and Alex Lowe report in from Lyon where England narrowly lost to France. They chat about Wales' wooden spoon, Italy's best ever Championship and ask where Scotland go from here? Plus, they look ahead to the Women's 6 Nations and name their God or Goddess of the week.

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The Six Nations produced one of its great days on Saturday with Italy and England beating Scotland and Ireland in two epic matches. Alfie Reynolds, Alex Lowe and Will Kelleher discuss all, including why it is England's best performance and result since the 2019 World Cup semi-final. Will chats to Italy back-row Seb Negri after they won at home in the Championship for the first time in 11 years. Plus, they discuss France beating Wales, why bonus points in the Six Nations are ludicrous and name their God or Goddess of the week.

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Will Kelleher and Alex Lowe are joined by two British Lions legends, to find out if anyone (but particularly England) can stop Ireland, if Italy can bring the fight to Scotland, and to ask what would be a successful championship showing for Wales.

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Will Kelleher, Alex Lowe and Mark Palmer get together in an Edinburgh hotel lobby to unpick the 3rd round of the 6 nations. It's a familiar story for Wales and England, but the ending in France for Italy was anything but...

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Times columnists and former internationals Courtney Lawes and John Barclay join Will Kelleher to look ahead to Saturday's Calcutta Cup Clash, and to look back on their own memories of thumpings, scuffles in the tunnel and that Finn Russell pass...

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Will Kelleher is joined by Elgan Alderman, Mark Palmer and Bernard Jackman to preview next weekend's 6 Nations 3rd round. The team also get stuck into a discussion on how to speed up the game and reduce stoppages PLUS an interview with Harlequins and England A wing Cadan Murley.

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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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Alex Lowe, Will Kelleher and Stephen Jones look back on the latest round of the 6 Nations. They dissect what went wrong for England as they suffered their heaviest Twickenham defeat to France and Wales returning to winning ways with victory away to Italy. Plus, they speak with former Ireland hooker Bernard Jackman as Ireland beat Scotland and are set to win the Grand Slam if they can win against England this Saturday.

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Stephen Jones, Will Kelleher and former Wales captain Sam Warburton look ahead to the penultimate round of the 6 Nations as Wales travel to face Italy, England host France and Ireland meet Scotland. They also speak to Sale Sharks Director of Rugby Alex Sanderson on the club's impressive Premiership form.

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Alex Lowe, Stephen Jones and Alan Dymock look back on the third round of the 6 Nations. They discuss Italy's improvements as they pushed Ireland close in Rome, England's victory over Wales in Cardiff and a missed opportunity for Scotland as they lost to France. Plus, they name their God or Goddess of the week.

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Will Kelleher, Stephen Jones and Steve James look ahead to the third round of the 6 Nations. They are joined by former Wales international Tom Shanklin to ask whether Wales v England will go ahead with potential strike action taking place by Welsh players. They also preview Italy v Ireland and Scotland's trip to face France and they name their God or Goddess of the week.

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Will Kelleher, Stuart Barnes and Alan Dymock look back on the second round of the 6 Nations. Including Ireland against France which is being called one of the greatest 6 Nations games ever, Scotland's impressive win over Wales and England beating Italy. Plus, Will chats to the former Scotland international Scott Hastings, who was a part of the last Scotland side to win their opening two matches of a Championship. And, the panel name their God or Goddess of the week.

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Will Kelleher, Alex Lowe and Stephen Jones pick the bones out of the opening weekend of the 6 Nations. Including Scotland winning the Calcutta Cup again, Ireland's dominant win over Wales and Italy's narrow defeat to France. They also speak with Gloucester and Italy scrum-half Stephen Varney to look ahead to Italy's trip to Twickenham this weekend and name their God or Goddess of the week.

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Steve Jones, Will Kelleher and Mark Palmer look ahead to the opening round of the 6 Nations. England host Scotland at Twickenham, Wales meet Ireland and Italy play France. They chat to the former Scotland captain John Barclay to preview the Calcutta Cup, as well as looking ahead to the rest of the matches. Will provides an update on the RFU's controversial plan to lower the tackle height and they name their God or Goddess of the week.

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Will Kelleher and Alex Lowe are at the 6 Nations launch with the 2023 tournament a little under two weeks away. Will chats to the Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend to look ahead to their opening match against England at Twickenham, he also speaks to 6 Nations Chief Executive Ben Morel about the upcoming Netflix documentary and the state of the Championship. Plus, Will and Alex discuss the RFU´s tackle height changes for the community game, the latest from the Champions Cup and name their God or Goddess of the week.

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Alex Lowe, Will Kelleher and Stephen Jones are on location at Twickenham to react to Steve Borthwick naming his England squad for the upcoming 6 Nations. They also discuss Eddie Jones' return to international rugby after he was named as the new Australia Head Coach, look back on the weekend in the Champions Cup and name their God or Goddess of the Week.

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Will Kelleher is joined by Alan Dymock of Rugby World and the Chief Exec of Fijian Drua, Mark Evans!

We look back on the recent round of Premiership action including a huge win for Newcastle over Leicester, another defeat for Bristol and a last gasp Owen Farrell drop goal which saw Saracens edge out Gloucester

It was a costly weekend for new England head coach Steve Borthwick, Owen Farrell could be banned for England's Six Nations opener after being cited for a dangerous tackle, meanwhile Luke Cowan Dickie and Tom Curry look set for a spell on the side lines after picking up knocks.

There is some positive news coming from the England camp, Nick Evans has been added to their backroom staff, Mark Evans talks about his role in bringing him from New Zealand to the UK and what impact he could have as part of Steve Borthwick's team

And as always we have our God and Goddess of the week!

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Will Kelleher, Stephen Jones and Stuart Barnes are here for the first show of 2023!

We look back on the recent round of Premiership action including Saracens sublime win over Exeter and also the fallout from Joe Marler's incident with Jake Heenan which saw him subsequently banned for six weeks.

Saracens Nick Tompkins joins the show to discuss this weekends game with Gloucester, the departure of Wayne Pivac from Wales and the return of Warren Gatland ahead of the Six Nations

Plus there's a bit of England chat as Steve Borthwick made further changes to his backroom staff as well as our God and Goddess of the week!

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Merry Christmas from everyone at The Ruck! Will Kelleher, Alex Lowe and Alan Dymock look back on 2022 by naming their men's XV team of the year, plus a number of other end of year awards! Will chats with England and Saracen's Zoe Harrison to look back on her year, which included another 6 Nations Grand Slam and a world cup final defeat. And, the panel say what they would like to see happen for rugby in 2023.

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Steve Jones, Stuart Barnes and Elgan Alderman react to Steve Borthwick being unveiled as England's new coach. He replaces Eddie Jones and leaves Leicester Tigers along with defence coach Kevin Sinfield. They also look back on the latest round of results in the Champions Cup and name their God or Goddess of the week.

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Will Kelleher is joined by Stuart Barnes and Elgan Alderman to look back on the Champions Cup. They talk about the format of the competition and whether it needs changing and review the opening round of results. Plus, they discuss Eddie Jones' departure as England head coach and the latest on Steve Borthwick being lined up as a replacement. Finally, Will chats with Northampton Saints captain Lewis Ludlam following their European defeat to defending champions La Rochelle and his views on Eddie Jones, who gave him his England debut.

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Will Kelleher, Stephen Jones and Stuart Barnes react to Warren Gatland returning to Wales. They also look back on the Premiership and discuss the negative impact of not having relegation. Plus, they chat to Stormers Head Coach John Dobson ahead of South African sides joining the Champions Cup this weekend!

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Will Kelleher, Alex Lowe and Stephen Jones look back on the final two games of the Autumn as Wales and England fell to awful defeats. They debate the futures of Wayne Pivac and Eddie Jones, as well as hearing from former England number 8 Nick Easter on England's current struggles. Plus, they name their God or Goddess of the week and pay tribute to Doddie Weir.

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Alex Lowe and Alan Dymock look back on the latest round of the Autumn Nations Series including a 25-all draw between England and New Zealand, as well as a famous victory for Georgia over Wales. Plus, they speak with Portugal captain Tomas Appleton after they qualified for the 2023 Rugby World Cup, discuss Rassie Erasmus latest ban and the winners of World Rugby's end of season awards.

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Steve Jones, Will Kelleher and Stuart Barnes bring you the latest - and very busy - episode of The Ruck. They chat to Jess Hayden to look back on a dramatic Women's World Cup final as the Red Roses lost 34-31 to the Black Ferns. Plus, Elgan Alderman and former World Cup winner Rachael Burford reflect on the final from out in New Zealand. Steve, Will and Stuart also review the action from the Autumn Nations series this weekend, including Rassie Erasmus' latest criticism of match officials and they talk about World Rugby end of season award nominations.

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England face hosts New Zealand in the World Cup final this weekend. Jess Hayden and Elgan Alderman look ahead to the match and discuss all the key talking points ahead of the final. Jess also catches up with England's Tatyana Heard, who is on the bench for the game.

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Will Kelleher and Alex Lowe look back on the weekend's fixtures in the Autumn Nations Series. They discuss Argentina's victory over England, the lack of atmosphere at Twickenham and all the other results from the weekend including wins for France, New Zealand and Ireland. Wales fly-half Dan Biggar joins the show following his move from Northampton Saints to Toulon. Plus, the boys look ahead to the Women's World Cup final between England and New Zealand and name their God or Goddess of the week.

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Jess Hayden, Rachael Burford and Stephen Jones look ahead to the semi-finals at the Women's World Cup as England face Canada and New Zealand play France. Jess also catches up with England's most capped international player, Sarah Hunter.

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Alex Lowe and Will Kelleher look ahead to the Autumn Nations series which gets underway in full this weekend. They chat about England's training camp in Jersey, plus hear from Jess Hayden as the Red Roses make it into the semi-final of the World Cup and they look back on the latest round of fixtures in the Gallagher Premiership.

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Jess Hayden and 2014 Rugby World Cup winner Rachael Burford preview the quarter-final stages of the World Cup. They are also joined by England prop Maud Muir who talks about personality traits, beach cricket and England's formidable driving maul. Plus, they discuss the fixture clash which sees New Zealand's men and women's sides playing at the same time this weekend!

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Will Kelleher and Steve Jones bring you a very busy episode! They speak with Sale centre Sam James following Sale's defeat to Harlequins, Jess Hayden joins the show to look ahead to the quarter-finals of the Women's World Cup, they round up all the rest of the action in the Gallagher Premiership and ask whether central contracts could come into English rugby? Plus, they name their God or Goddess of the week.

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Jess Hayden and Rachael Burford look ahead to the final round of pool stage matches this weekend and explain what the quarter-finals might look like. They look back on last weekend's fixtures, including a scare for England against France! Plus, they ask why this World Cup is more competitive than previous tournaments and speak to Squidge Rugby about Wales' defeat to New Zealand.

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Will Kelleher and Alex Lowe are on-location at Twickenham stadium as Eddie Jones announces his England squad for the up-coming internationals. They explain the situation with Wasps, who have entered administration and hear from ITV commentator Nick Heath following another weekend at the Women's World Cup.

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Jess Hayden and Rachael Burford look back on the opening weekend of the Women's World Cup, including wins for England and Wales. They speak with the Scotland captain Rachel Malcolm and England's Sadia Kabeya. Plus, they preview this weekend's fixtures, including a huge clash between France and England.

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Alex Lowe hosts the latest episode of The Ruck and is joined by former England performance analyst Ross Hamilton to look at some of the tactical trends in the opening five rounds of the Premiership. He speaks with Simon Halliday, the former Chairman of European Club Rugby, about the state of the domestic game and his ideas to help it progress. And, Jess Hayden looks back on the opening weekend of the Women's Rugby World Cup.

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Jess Hayden hosts a new weekly Thursday episode of The Ruck ahead of the Women's Rugby World Cup. Throughout the tournament she'll preview the weekends fixtures. Ahead of the opening round she speaks with World Cup winner Rachael Burford to look ahead to the tournament getting underway, current England player Sarah Beckett on the disappointment of missing out on selection and Wales scrum-half Keira Bevan on their match against Scotland.

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Alan Dymock and Stuart Barnes look back on another highly entertaining weekend in the Gallagher Premiership, including big wins for Saracens, Newcastle, Sale and Harlequins. They also chat about the concerning attendances so far this season and speak to Christian Day, Head of Player Affairs at the RPA, about the situation with Worcester, after the club entered administration. Plus, they name their God or Goddess of the week.

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Alex Lowe and Alan Dymock are on-location in Twickenham. They look back on a brilliant weekend of Premiership rugby and provide an update on the latest for Worcester and Wasps who continue to face financial difficulties. Alan interviews Stormers Head Coach John Dobson whose side won the URC last season despite being put into administration. Eddie Jones has named an England training squad ahead of the Autumn and the Rugby Championship concluded over the weekend. So the boys give their thoughts on both of those plus name their God or Goddess of the week.

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A very busy show this week! Will Kelleher, Alex Lowe and Stuart Barnes look back on the latest round of fixtures in the Gallagher Premiership. Jess Hayden joins the show to react to the England World Cup squad. Plus the panel discuss the future of the Premiership with continued uncertainty about Worcester Warriors, debate the controversial ending to the Wallabies versus All Blacks game and pay tribute to the late Eddie Butler.

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Alex Lowe and Will Kelleher are joined in the studio by Mark Evans to look back on the opening weekend of Gallagher Premiership rugby. Before chatting about the action on the pitch, they explain the chaotic decision making regarding whether to play games following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II and ask if it is time for the Premiership to have an independent Commissioner? They reflect on opening weekend victories for London Irish, Bristol, Gloucester, Sale, Harlequins and Exeter. And, discuss the on-going uncertainty about Worcester Warriors future. Finally, they name their God or Goddess of the week and speak to Mark about becoming the CEO of Fijian Drua in Super Rugby.

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Alex Lowe and Will Kelleher are back to preview the new Gallagher Premiership Season! This week the pod comes from Twickenham and the official season launch. They speak to Sale Sharks fly-half George Ford and the Director of Rugby Alex Sanderson. As well as Wasps Director of Rugby Lee Blackett, Saracens and England hooker Jamie George and the newly capped England winger, Tommy Freeman from Northampton Saints. Plus, they also speak with Worcester Warriors Director of Rugby Steve Diamond following a summer of financial uncertainty at the club.

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In this special Counter Ruck podcast, Will Kelleher sits down and chats with Bristol and England prop Kyle Sinckler. They talk about his recovery from injury, ambitions outside of rugby and his holistic approach to life. A full write up of the interview is available in The Times and online.

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