The Rugby Pod

Former All Black and now Bristol Bears Scrum coach and prop, John Afoa joins us to discuss Bristol's difficult start to the season. Big Jim and Goodey also chat through the new laws around contact training and Jim describes his midweek tackle shield exploits. We run through the major inclusions and exclusions from Eddie Jones' England training squad and reflect on the first weekend of the United Rugby Championship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Andy Rowe is bloodied & broken and still stuck in Ibiza after his stag and we hear how Jim saved his life. We're also joined by friend of the show Freddie Burns to catch up on life back home in Leicester. He talks through his new role at Tigers, his homecoming reception at Welford Road last Saturday, and reflects on his time in Japan. The guys dissect all this week's premiership action as well as South Africa's disappointing performances in The Rugby Championship and lots more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The wait is over, we're back with Season 6 and it's going to be bigger and better than ever! Jim and Goodey predict this season's Premiership Top 4 as well as giving their guesses for who's going to finish last. We're joined by Racing 92, Scotland and British and Irish Lions star Finn Russell, who gives us his debrief from the South Africa tour, his third test performance and has his say on who should be England's number 10. We also introduce a new segment ' Guess the Go-At' and cover Australia's win over South Africa, some big transfer rumours and all the Goode, Bad and Ugly. It's great to be back! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're back for the 50th and final episode of season ever to wrap up the Lions' third Test defeat to South Africa, discuss missed opportunities and reflect on how the tour will be remembered as a whole. Plus, we look ahead to the next Lions tour, suggest who the coach might be and chat about what kind of opposition the Wallabies will provide. And, we cheer ourselves up by catching up with Australia legend Matt Giteau fresh from winning the MLR and celebrating in Vegas and hear how he might have even more rugby in him... going out in style! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Former Springbok and World Cup winner Schalk Brits joins us this week to fill us in on what the second Test was like from his viewpoint pitchside, how Rassie Erasmus' video and the refereeing has gone down in South Africa and what he thinks will happen in the deciding third Test. Plus, Jim and Goodey pick the bones out of all the major controversial refereeing calls, discuss what changes Warren Gatland should make in personnel and tactically and put their money where their mouth is on whether the Lions can win the series. And, Goodey fills in on his own interactions with Rassie Erasmus in the lead-up to the second Test! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Scrum half Ali Price joins us on the show this week to chat about the British & Irish Lions' win in the first Test and Big Jim can't wait to get him back to Edinburgh to celebrate! We discuss the emotion of being handed a starting jersey, facing Faf de Klerk, Warren Gatland's half-time team talk, toasting victory in the bubble, preparations for the second Test and much more. Plus, Jim and Goodey pick their starting XV for the crucial second Test just before Gatland names his, we discuss all the TMO outrage and Rassie Erasmus' social media activity and there's a word on Eddie Jones losing another England assistant coach as well... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As a bonus episode ahead of the first Lions test, Andy Rowe chats with Lions legend John Bentley about the most iconic Lions Tour of all time. Bentos gives us a first-hand account of what really happened in 1997. To read the full story, get your hands on probably the greatest rugby book of all time This Is Your Everest: The Lions, the Springboks and the Epic Tour of 1997 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The waiting is over and Test week is finally upon us as the British & Irish Lions get set to face the Springboks. Big Jim and Goodey name their starting XVs for the first Test and we go inside the Lions camp to chat to strength and conditioning coach and former Great Britain rugby league international Jon Clarke about how preparations have gone ahead of the Test series. We discuss life in the bubble, Alun Wyn Jones' miraculous recovery, Tom Curry's freakish athleticism, Louis Rees-Zammit's lid, working with Paul 'Bobby' Stridgeon, what it'll take to beat the Boks and much more... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Football may not be coming home but maybe rugby should be as we discuss whether the British & Irish Lions tour should be relocated to the UK given the issues in South Africa at the moment. We also chat about how Big Jim and Goodey would fare in a penalty shootout, Marcus Smith's Lions call-up ahead of Johnny Sexton, Alun Wyn Jones' Lazarus-esque recovery, the unofficial fourth Test against South Africa A and who is nailed on to be starting in the Tests. Plus, we look at England, Ireland and Wales' games from the weekend and England full-back Freddie Steward joins us to talk initiations, losing bets, life in the bubble, bringing the feelgood factor back and much more... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're joined by a pair of skippers this week as legendary former Springboks captain John Smit fills us in on the situation with Covid-19 in South Africa, the latest positive case in camp and how the Boks are shaping up aside from that. He also takes a trip down memory lane to talk captaining the Springboks to victory against the Lions in 2009 and tells us what chance the current crop have of repeating that feat. And, we're joined by new England captain Lewis Ludlow to talk about skippering on debut, learning leadership lessons from Big Jim, life in camp and capping off a hell of a season for him in style! All that plus a look at how British & Irish Lions selection is looking ahead of the Tests and a round-up of all the international action from the weekend Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices