Rugby Union Weekly

England held off a late France fightback to secure a fourth consecutive Grand Slam and a seventh straight title. Sara Orchard is joined by Kat Merchant, Katy Daley-McLean and Claire Thomas to dissect how England nearly let the title slip away. The team chat England’s performance with questions around selection and how this England team would fair at the World Cup which is fast approaching. James Burridge catches up with scrum-half Natasha Hunt and how she is feeling after that narrow victory at Twickenham. There are also questions around the other end of the Six Nations table with Wales and Italy playing Sunday for the wooden spoon.

Only France stand in the way of England securing a fourth consecutive Grand Slam. Sara Orchard and Philippa Tuttiett preview the final weekend of the Six Nations, including the big showdown at Twickenham. Red Roses head coach John Mitchell talks about the connection he has formed with his players and how he is still assessing his options at fly-half. French rugby expert Paul Eddison joins the pod to give us the lowdown on their championship, and why they are struggling to keep pace with England. We also look ahead to a huge game for Wales in Italy as Sean Lynn warns his players their World Cup hopes could be in jeopardy if performances don't improve.

Christian Wade is our special guest on the pod! He chats to Ugo, Ashy and Danny about his shock move to rugby league and how it all came about. Does this mean Ashy's Premiership try-scoring record is safe? We also react to Johnny Sexton joining Andy Farrell's Lions coaching team and look at the impact on those in contention for the 10 jersey this summer. Plus, Leinster sign another All Black, and it was a big weekend in the race for a Premiership play-off place.

We are all set for a Grand Slam showdown at Twickenham after England thrashed Scotland and France edged past Italy in Parma in round four. Sara is joined by World Cup winner Katy Daley-McLean and former Scotland international Heather Lockhart to bring you reaction to another big Red Roses win. Who did enough to secure a place for next week’s decider against France? What were the positives for Scotland? And can France finally end their losing streak and stop another England Grand Slam?

With the Red Roses on course for a fourth successive Grand Slam, has the competition becoming too predictable? What can be changed to help make the Six Nations more competitive? Sara Orchard and Philippa Tuttiett discuss what can be done, and crucially, how the other nations can close the gap on England. We go inside the Scotland camp to get the thoughts of head coach Bryan Easson and we hear from Rachel McLachlan who wins her 50th cap on Saturday. Plus, England lock Abbie Ward shares some exciting news and talks to us about her husband Dave Ward leaving Bristol Bears.

Sara Orchard is joined by England World Cup winning captain Katy Daley-McLean to discuss Saturday’s action in the Women’s Six Nations. France beat Wales 42-12 before England thrashed Ireland 49-5 – and this after Ireland had taken a 5-0 lead. So what does that mean for the Championship? How impressive were England and what next for Ireland? We hear from Ireland coach Scott Bemand, while former Wales captain Philippa Tuttiett leaves a voicenote with her thoughts on the performance of Wales. Oh, and Sara and Katy also look forward to Scotland’s match against Italy on Sunday.

Does the round of 16 need to be scrapped? Are Leinster a better team than Ireland? When will English sides be able to compete for club rugby’s biggest prize again? Ugo, Danny and Chris pick through a tricky weekend in the round of 16 for the Champions Cup, as the Irish and French clubs underlined their dominance and Premiership clubs were eliminated. Plus, we talk Jack Willis, Jack Crowley and Tommy Freeman.

Is the hype around Henry Pollock justified? Is he England’s next superstar? If you’ve lost heavily, should you be dancing with an opponent on TikTok? Sarah Bern and Jaz Joyce-Butchers went viral after England’s big win over Wales but some fans didn’t think it was appropriate. And as we head into the round of 16 of the Champions Cup, Mark McCall rests his big England stars for the trip to Toulon. Ugo, Chris and Ashy debate all this and more.

Sara Orchard is joined by former England flyhalf Katy Daley-McLean and former Wales international Philippa Tuttiett to reflect on England's 11-try thrashing Wales in front of a record crowd of over 21,000 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.

Sara Orchard and Philippa Tuttiett preview the second round of the Six Nations as England prepare to take on Wales at the Principality Stadium. Philippa and Sara discuss playing at the bigger stadiums but with less fans, versus smaller stadiums that is more likely to sell out. Sara has been into the England camp and caught up with centre Meg Jones who speaks very openly about the death of both her mum and dad last year and this being the first England match without them. Meg talks about what makes teammate Ellie Kildunne so good ahead of her winning her 50th cap this weekend and how she is feeling about playing at the Principality stadium. We also hear from Kayleigh Powell and how Wales are preparing as they head into this huge fixture. Plus Sara and Philippa chat how France are not at the level of England right now and how Scotland can take confidence from their win against Wales. Philippa also shares her views on Eoife Wafer and her potential to be a stand-out player for Ireland. This episode includes themes of addiction. If you've been affected by any of the issues discussed in this interview, BBC Action Line has links to organisations that can offer help and advice.