Rugby Union Weekly

Sara and Danny react to England's 36-man squad for the Autumn Nations Series which sees Henry Slade included despite not yet playing for Exeter this season. Sara chats to Steve Borthwick about why he included Slade and the return of fellow centre Alex Lozowski to the England fold. With Alex Mitchell missing out through injury, we get Danny to predict how Borthwick will his scrum-halves during the November Tests. Is Ben Spencer finally going to get his first start for England? Sara also quizzes Borthwick on the numerous changes to his coaching staff over the summer and the decision to promote Richard Wigglesworth to senior assistant coach.

Ugo, Danny and Ashy wrap up a try-laden derby weekend in the Premiership. There 12 tries at Kingsholm which ended with Finn Russell shushing the Shed for the second year running. There was another 10 tries at Sandy Park, three of them scored by Bristol's Gabriel Ibitoye who joins the pod to tell us why he's loving life at Bristol and whether we can expect to see him in an England shirt soon. Quins finally got the better of Saracens, there was a 25th successive defeat for Newcastle and Leicester took the bragging rights in the Midlands derby. Plus, we also react to the news that Richard Wigglesworth has been promoted to become Steve Borthwick's number two in the latest change to England's coaching set-up.

Chris and Ashy sit down with one of Ireland's greatest ever players, Johnny Sexton, to look back at his illustrious career. We find out how Sexton is finding retirement and what the biggest challenges have been so far. We hear about his admiration for Owen Farrell and he reveals the best coach he's ever worked with. Will Sexton himself ever be tempted into coaching? He also picks through that painful World Cup quarter-final defeat to New Zealand, and we get the lowdown on his spat with Rieko Ioane.

There is plenty for Ugo, Danny and Chris to discuss on and off the pitch this week as the war of words - and emojis - continues between Rieko Ioane and Johnny Sexton. But it was Bristol who delivered the knockout blow of the weekend as they wrecked Bath's perfect start to the season. Alex Lozowski could be in line for his first England cap since 2018, but were there any big omissions from Steve Borthwick's training squad ahead of the autumns? The Red Roses beat the Black Ferns again and things aren't going well for Chris in Fantasy rugby.

Ashy, Danny and Chris react to an eventful weekend of rugby including Christian Wade’s hat-trick for Gloucester. Is Ashy going to be tempted out of retirement or is he resigned to losing his Premiership try record? We chat to the league’s in-form 9 as Bath’s Ben Spencer reflects on their win at Welford Road and tells us about his England ambitions. There are upsets in the URC and WXV, but not in the Rugby Championship. Is this Springbok team the greatest ever? And there are more complications for Steve Borthwick as he tries to rebuild his coaching team before the autumns.

Danny, Ashy and Ugo are on the sofa to look back at a hectic weekend which featured an impressive win for Bath and a good old fashioned smash and grab by Leicester to get Michael Cheika off to a winning start. DC has an issue with his market value on Fantasy Rugby and we debate what a prime Ashton and Monye would have fetched. The code if you want to join the league is: posysash or you can email: rugbyunionweekly@bbc.co.uk for the link. Plus, we look back at round five of the Rugby Championship delivered yet again, with a thrilling Bledisloe Cup encounter in Sydney and Los Pumas stun the Springboks.

For our last pre-season pod, Danny and Chris head into central London to chat to one of the Premiership's biggest stars in Finn Russell. We hear all about his parenting skills after becoming a dad for the second time and how fatherhood has changed him as a player. He also talks Lions selection, life in the Prem and his desire to win a title. They also chat to Mike Brown who claims he's never been interviewed on the pod despite playing 300 games with DC. He reveals what keeps him motivated at 39, gives plenty of insight into Michael Cheika and where it went wrong for Tigers last season. Plus, we hear all about Danny rubbing shoulders with a Hollywood A-lister while at a 40th birthday party in Surrey at the weekend.

Danny, Ashy and Chris are back on the sofa as we continue to gear up to the new domestic season. There is more talk about Ashy coming out of retirement after Gavin Henson's comeback Pencoed and how Danny's knee is holding up ahead of a 20th season at the top level. They discuss the pros and cons of a potential merger between the Premiership and the URC; which league would benefit most and is it inevitable at some point to secure the future of the domestic game? We also discuss Australia's struggles and what it means for the Lions tour next summer, plus if anyone - or anything - can stop the Red Roses from becoming world champions on home soil next summer.

Sara sits down with England captain Marlie Packer and new vice-captain Natasha Hunt to look ahead to a big 12 months for the Red Roses. They can lay down a big marker in their quest for World Cup glory next year by beating New Zealand on home soil this weekend. Ruby Tui gives her take on England and Hunt's return to the set-up after missing last year's World Cup. Marlie talks about juggling motherhood with a busy schedule and why Mo is doing such a great job as vice-captain. We also hear all about coffee etiquette and which players are always desperate to be involved in the photos for a trophy lift.

Chris and Ashy chat to some of the biggest names in the Premiership as we continue our build up to the new season. Ashy quizzes Christian Wade on his desire to break his Premiership try record. With Wade needing 19 tries to usurp Ashy, how concerned should he be? Ben Earl is back on the pod to tell us what to expect from a new-look Saracens and whether his golf game has improved over the summer. We also chat to the new Northampton captain George Furbank. Can he lead the Saints to back-to-back Prem titles for the first time? Marcus Smith gives opens up about how much those missed kicks in Dunedin affected him and give us an update on Danny’s fitness.