The British & Irish Lions on tour present the ultimate test of talent v cohesion. Gain Line Analytics know an awful lot about cohesion and how teams benefit from it, and co-founder and former Wallabies prop Ben Darwin joined Brett McKay & Harry Jones on The 8/9 Combo Rugby Podcast this week to get into the nuts and bolts of it. So how do the Lions build the cohesion they need? And which positions can be most affected by a lack of cohesion? And what is the best way for the Wallabies to overcome the very abundant levels of experience overflowing from whatever XV the Lions name for the Tests? It’s a great chat, we hope you get lots out of it. Games of the Week – it’s all International from here! • New Zealand v France, Dunedin • South Africa v Italy, Pretoria • Argentina v England, La Plata • Australia v Fiji, Newcastle #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #British&IrishLions #Lions2025 #internationalrugby #Wallabies #AllBlacks #Springboks #LosPumas Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The British & Irish Lions Tour of Australia in 2025 in finally underway, as Brett McKay and Harry Jones rip into the first Lions Tour edition of the Weekend Post-Mortem for The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast. The Western Force asked plenty of questions of the Lions for as long as they could in Perth, before the tourists’ class and experience rose to the top, sealing the 54-7 eight tries to one win to open their Australian tour with a win. Plenty of really good performers amongst then: Dan Sheehan, Joe McCarthy, ‘bellend-issimo’ Henry Pollock, Tomos Williams, and the unflappable Finn Russell. Darcy Swain from the Force did his chances of a Wallabies recall no harm, too. Plus, the French Top 14 and US Major League Rugby Champions have been crowned as well, and the Springboks raised the bat against the travelling Barbarians in Cape Town. #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #UnitedRugbyChampionship #Premiership #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MajorLeagueRugby #LionsTour Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Acclaimed crime and rugby author and notable weekly columnist Geoff Parkes joined Brett McKay & Harry Jones on The 8/9 Combo Rugby Podcast (briefly) to wrap up the Super Rugby Pacific Grand Final, where the Crusaders proved way too strong for the Chiefs in Christchurch. And Geoff was supposed to join the 8/9 as we slip firmly into Lions Tour mode, too, only for a network outage in New Zealand to rule him out of what still was an interesting discussion, as Brett & Harry turn their attention to the 2025 Briish & Irish Lions Tour of Australia, which begins this weekend in Perth. Plus, it’s the long awaited Top 14 Finale in France, and it’s the Championship Final in Major League Rugby in the States. Games of the Week: Top 14 Finale: Toulouse v Bordeaux; Stade de France, Paris MLR Final: New England v Houston, Rhode Island International Rugby! • Japan XV v Maori All Blacks, Tokyo • Western Force v British & Irish Lions, Perth • South Africa v Barbarians, Cape Town #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #URC #Premiership #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MajorLeagueRugby Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Already large trophy cabinets in Christchurch are now overflowing and the 2025 Lions Tour is officially underway! Brett McKay and Harry Jones rip into another Grand Final edition of the Weekend Post-Mortem for The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast. The British & Irish Lions got off to a rocky start with a 28-24 loss to an Argentinean team thrown together in the same timeframe, the Crusaders have won yet another bloody Super Rugby Pacific title with a performance more dominant than the scoreboard showed, and the longest season in France has finally delivered the Finale we all had pencilled in from the start Plus, the Major League Rugby Conference Champions have been crowned in the States. #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #UnitedRugbyChampionship #Premiership #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MajorLeagueRugby Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Legendary New Zealand commentator Tony Johnson joins Brett McKay & Harry Jones on The 8/9 Combo Rugby Podcast to contemplate the clash of styles, the different journeys, and the mouthwatering contest that awaits the Super Rugby Pacific Grand Final, where the Crusaders host the Chiefs in Christchurch. The Chiefs will be determined to kick the perennial ‘bridesmaid’ tag in their third straight decider, while the Crusaders will not want to be the team that undoes their incredible 31-game unbeaten streak in finals matches played in the Garden City. Plus, it’s also the Demi-Finales of the Top 14 in France, and it’s the Conference Finals weekend in Major League Rugby in the States. Games of the Week: Super Rugby Pacific Final: Crusaders v Chiefs, Christchurch Top 14 Demi-Finales: • Toulouse v Bayonne, Toulouse • Bordeaux v Toulon, Bordeaux MLR Conference Finals • EAST: New England v Chicago, Quincy MA • WEST: Utah v Houston, Salt Lake City #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #URC #Premiership #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MajorLeagueRugby #TonyJohnson Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The first domestic silverware of the year was handed out in London and Dublin, and Brett McKay and Harry Jones rip into it all for the first Grand Final edition of the Weekend Post-Mortem for The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast. Bath and Leinster took the spoils in the Premiership and URC deciders respectively, the former overcoming a valiant Leicester and the latter doing enough to stay ahead of and withhold the Bulls. There were Semi Finals of contrast in the Top 14, and it was very similar in Super Rugby Pacific, just much angrier and fightier. And what on earth does any of this have to do with the 2000 film High Fidelity, starring John Cusack? It’s a great question… Plus, the conference semi-finalists are underway in Major League Rugby in the States. #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #UnitedRugbyChampionship #Premiership #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MajorLeagueRugby Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s the pointiest weekend of all in the URC and the Premiership this weekend, and rugby Youtube star Riaan Louw joined Brett McKay & Harry Jones on The 8/9 Combo Rugby Podcast to ponder style over substance, power over precision. Leinster host the Bulls in Dublin in the URC Grand Final, while all English rugby eyes turn to a sold out Twickenham, when Bath and Leicester face off in the Premiership Final. Is Dublin still in love with Leinster? Will the Bulls’ private charter plane be their secret source? And who will the neutrals follow in the Prem decider? Plus, two properly mouth-watering semi-finals await in Super Rugby Pacific, it’s Phase Finale weekend in the Top 14, and it’s conference semi-final weekend in Major League Rugby in the States. Games of the Week: United Rugby Championship Grand Final: Leinster v Bulls, Dublin Premiership Final: Bath v Leicester, Twickenham Super Rugby Pacific Semi Finals: • Crusaders v Blues, Christchurch • Chiefs v ACT Brumbies, Hamilton Top 14 Barrages: • Bayonne v Clermont, Bayonne • Toulon v Castres, Toulon MLR Conference Semi-Finals #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #URC #Premiership #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MajorLeagueRugby #RiaanLouw #RugbyUpdate Find the Rugby Update here: https://www.youtube.com/@RiaanLouw Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Finals Series are set and finals formats are up for debate, as Brett McKay and Harry Jones rip into another Weekend Post-Mortem for The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast. While the URC Semi Finals went pretty much as expected, a major boilover has shaken up Super Rugby Pacific, with the most unlikeliest of scenarios exposing the one slight flaw with the new six-team finals format. The Premiership is set for a proper Twickenham blockbuster that could be the making of Michael Cheika, and it was a final round of truly French surprises in the Top 14. Plus, the conference semi-finalists are all but set for Major League Rugby in the States. #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #UnitedRugbyChampionship #Premiership #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MajorLeagueRugby Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Super Rugby Pacific talked a big game this season, promising better, faster rugby and better contests on the field, and even more ambitiously, they promised better social media presence and a significantly better fan engagement. Stan Sport‘s Sean Maloney joined Brett McKay & Harry Jones on The 8/9 Combo Rugby Podcast to concede that yes, they might just have ticked all the boxes. The regular season of ups and downs has delivered the finals series combatants we probably picked in pre-season, but didn’t think we’d get for most of it, leaving three ripping Qualifying Finals this weekend coming. Also, a Player of the Year and Team of the Year have been crowned, so more boxes ticked. Plus, it’s Semi Final weekend in the URC and the Premiership in England, and the final rounds of the Top 14 in France, and Major League Rugby in the States. Games of the Week: Super Rugby Pacific Qualifying Finals: • Crusaders v Queensland Reds, Christchurch • Chiefs v Blues, Hamilton • ACT Brumbies v Hurricanes, Canberra United Rugby Championship Semi Finals: • Leinster v Glasgow, Dublin • Bulls v Sharks, Pretoria Premiership Semi Finals: • Bath v Bristol at the Rec • Leicester v Sale at Welford Road Top 14 Round 26: Montpellier v Clermont, Montpellier MLR Round17: San Diego v Old Glory DC, San Diego #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #URC #Premiership #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MajorLeagueRugby #SeanMaloney #StanSport Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Finals series are taking shape around the rugby world, as Brett McKay and Harry Jones rip into another Weekend Post-Mortem for The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast, and in which they explore the power of song as a coping tool for loss. The URC Quarter Finals saw a fine line between plausible cramp and genuine shithousery, Super Rugby Pacific set its top six with a couple of genuine danger teams lurking, the Premiership semi-finalists include two teams that maybe only friends and family were talking about at the start of the year, and Richie Mo’unga proved he is worth every cent as he claimed another League One title in Japan. Plus, the penultimate rounds of the Top 14 in France and Major League Rugby in the US, where some tasty matchups are falling into place. #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #URC #UnitedRugbyChampionship #Premiership #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MLR Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rugby YouTube star Huw Griffin makes a rapid return back to The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast with Brett McKay & Harry Jones, as the fallout from the Champions Cup Final celebrations continue. Zebra-related injuries are not something a team typically plans for, but may feature in reviews of Bordeaux’s European campaign. From there, the URC moves into knockout mode, with Quarter Finals to be played in Scotland, South Africa, and Ireland this weekend, and with upsets possible in one, maybe two games at a stretch. Super Rugby Pacific and the Premiership line up for their final rounds of the season, and with most games having some degree of bearing on playoff berths. Plus, it’s the penultimate round of Top 14 in France and MLR in the States, and Grand Final weekend in Japan. Games of the Week: United Rugby Championship Quarter Finals: • Glasgow v Stormers, the Scotstoun • Bulls v Edinburgh, Loftus Versfeld • Leinster v Scarlets, Dublin • Sharks v Munster, Durban SRP Round 16: ACT Brumbies v Crusaders, Canberra Top 14 Round 25: Vannes v Pau, Vannes Japan Rugby League One Grand Final: Toshiba Brave Lupus v Kubota Spears, Tokyo MLR Round16: Old Glory DC v RFC Los Angeles, Maryland #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #ChampionsCup #SuperRugbyPacific #URC #Premiership #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MajorLeagueRugby #HuwGriffin #HGRugby Check out Huw’s YouTube channel, it’s great! https://www.youtube.com/@huwgriffinrugby Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The first silverware of the professional rugby year has been handed out, as Brett McKay and Harry Jones come together for a Champions Cup Final edition of the Weekend Post-Mortem for The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast, recorded as the Cup was being lifted in Cardiff. An enviable celebration is underway in the French wine regions, after Bordeaux’s super impressive 28-20 win over Northampton in the Final in Cardiff, a triumph for taking opportunities, game management, and supreme confidence in your methods. UBB were just a bit too clinical for the precocious Saints in the end, and will absolutely be eyeing off the Top 14-Champions Cup double in 2025 Plus: Premiership frontrunners Bath are eyeing off a double as well, after dominating Lyon to take out the Challenge Cup, plus there are cricket scores and sheer bloody-mindedness to overcome in Super Rugby Pacific, it’s semi-final weekend in Japan, and an early Western Conference upset in Major League Rugby. #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #ChampionsCupFinal #SuperRugbyPacific #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MLR Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lee Calvert from the outstanding Blood & Mud rugby podcast joined Brett McKay & Harry Jones on The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast to try and make sense of a Champions Cup Final that not too many saw coming, to contemplate where, if anywhere, Northampton and Bordeaux will find their point of difference, and just where 1980s mega group Duran Duran fits into this complicated picture. Plus, Lee shares some thoughts on the latest developments in Welsh Rugby, where having maintained four professional sides equally as part of a long-term strategy launched in 2024, the WRU announced an intention to implement a new two-tier funding system amid reports it intends to cut a team from its professional tier, reports which the Union has neither confirmed nor denied. Welsh rugby Hunger Games? Games of the Week: Champions Cup Final: Northampton v Bordeaux, Cardiff SRP Round 15: Queensland Reds v Hurricanes, Brisbane Japan Rugby League One Semi Finals: Toshiba Brave Lupus v Kobelco Kobe Steelers, Tokyo Panasonic Wild Knights v Kubota Spears, Tokyo MLR Rd.15: NOLA Gold v Utah Warriors, Salt Lake City #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #URC #Premiership #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MajorLeagueRugby #ChampionsCupFinal #Northampton #Bordeaux #LeeCalvert #BloodandMudpodcast Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The pointy end of the rugby seasons are only getting pointier, and finals football is very close as Brett McKay and Harry Jones hand down another Weekend Post-Mortem for The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast. And the Weekend Post-Mortems are going to start hotting up now – Super Rugby Pacific has a new competition leader and maybe a changing of the guard in Auckland, the URC finals are locked in after some final round movement saw some teams win through and others lose out, and Bath have extended their lead in the Premiership even further after a dominant win. Plus: the semi-finalists have been decided in League One in Japan, there’s still a few rounds of Top 14 left in France, and the conferences are tightening up again in Major League Rugby in the US. #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #UnitedRugbyChampionship #URC #Premiership #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MLR Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Crusaders CEO Colin Mansbridge joins Brett McKay & Harry Jones on The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast for an in-depth chat about what make the Crusaders so great, both as a team and an organisation. And we have to say, the explanation might surprise you! Fourteen Super Rugby titles in 29 season puts them in pretty rarified air, in terms of professional rugby, and it’s extraordinary to think that Colin is just the third Crusaders CEO in all that time. And he goes into great depth outlining how that success really just comes from alignment across the board, from players and coaches to the front office, from Chair and Board to CEO and then onto Head Coach and Captain. But also, how the history of the place doesn’t just define the Crusaders, it guides them every day. This truly is a Great Rugby Chat, we hope you enjoy it and take something out of it. Games of the Week: SRP Round 14: Brumbies v Reds, Canberra URC Round 18: Munster v Benetton, Limerick Premiership Round 17: Bath v Leicester, the Rec Top 14 Round 24: La Rochelle v Montpellier, La Rochelle Japan Rugby League One Qualifying Finals: Shizuoka Blue Revs v Kobelco Kobe Steelers, Osaka SAT Kubota Spears v Suntory Sungoliath, Osaka SUN MLR Rd.14: Houston SabreCats v Utah Warriors, Houston #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #URC #Premiership #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MajorLeagueRugby #Crusaders Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Harry Jones is out of hospital and triumphantly joins Brett McKay for a welcome return to the Weekend Post-Mortem for The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast. All the Leagues are on their downhill runs to playoffs and have common themes. Teams are well set and standout favourites – hello Leinster, Bath, and the Chiefs; Teams are making a charge – the Bulls, ACT Brumbies, Crusaders, and Leicester, and teams are really picking the worst time for form slumps – Glasgow, the NSW Waratahs, and Gloucester. Plus: the regular season is done in League One in Japan, there’s still a few rounds of Top 14 left in France, and there’s another new conference leader in Major League Rugby in the States. #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #UnitedRugbyChampionship #URC #Premiership #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MLR Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Telegraph’s Charlie Morgan joins Brett McKay but not Harry Jones to go through all the ins and outs of the Lions Squad announcement, in this bonus edition of The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast. With the British & Irish Lions arriving in Australia in less than two months for their 2025 Tour, the guys ponder the key questions from the announcement event at the O2 in London: Who were we most surprised to see? Who were we most pleased to see? Who will dominate the headlines and debate (because someone will)? And who was most unlucky? (Harry, as it turns out, who was still in the process of leaving hospital as we recorded. He’ll be back for the Weekend Post Mortem!) #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #LionsTour Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Lions Squad Announcements is almost here, the Champions Cup is saved (hoo-RAH!), and rugby YouTube star Huw Griffin joins Brett McKay & Harry Jones on The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast to celebrate the best of British and forget about everything we hated before the semi-final stage. As all rugby podcasts are at the moment, we’re contractually obliged to mention potential Lions Tour bolters amongst other educated guesswork for the make-up of Andy Farrell’s squad, and we hold up out end of the deal with a bolter from the leftest of left fields. Also, we rejoice in what will be a cracking Champions Cup Final between Northampton and Bordeaux in Cardiff in a few weeks, plus contemplate some tricky runs home in the URC and Super Rugby Pacific. Games of the Week: • SRP Round 13: Crusaders v Chiefs, Christchurch • URC Round 17: Bulls v Cardiff, Pretoria • Premiership Round 16: Leicester v Sale, Welford Road • Top 14 Round 23: Toulon v Toulouse, Toulon • Japan Rugby League One Rd.18: Urayasu D-Rocks v Mitsubishi Dynaboars; the Chichibu, Tokyo • MLR Rd.13: New England Free Jacks v Chicago Hounds, Quincy MA #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #URC #Premiership #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MajorLeagueRugby #HuwGriffin #HGRugby Check out Huw’s YouTube channel, it’s great! https://www.youtube.com/@huwgriffinrugby Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A stunned crowd in Dublin and a jubilant one in Bordeaux were the order of the day, as Brett McKay & Harry Jones rip into a Champions Cup Semi-Final edition of the Weekend Post-Mortem for The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast. Northampton and Bordeaux will face off in the European Final in Cardiff on May 24, after winning their respective Semi-Finals over Leinster and Toulouse in two brilliant games of knockout rugby. In Super Rugby Pacific, the Hurricanes have shaken up the table after knocking off the Chiefs and the ACT Brumbies humbled arch-rivals, the NSW Waratahs, both of them with dominant second halves. Plus: the finalists are set in League One in Japan and there’s a new conference leader in Major League Rugby in the States. #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #ChampionsCup #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MLR Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Brett McKay & Harry Jones tackle a very simple question on The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast this week: which team, out of all the teams in all the professional competitions around the rugby world, is bang on average? And how do you measure which team is properly average? For one thing, it’s not ‘average’ as is in terrible, it’s literally ‘average’. The very bog standard team in each comp, and then the most bog standard of all of them. It could be for and against, it could be tries scored v tries conceded, it could be jersey design, their home ground, the city, their fans… whatever it takes to define the most average team in pro rugby. Plus, Rugby Australia has finally announced their Joe Schmidt succession plan for the Wallabies. But can they have their coaching cake with Les Kiss and eat it? Games of the Week: Champions Cup semi-finals: Leinster v Northampton, Dublin Bordeaux v Toulouse, Bordeaux SRP Round 12: Hurricanes v Chiefs, Wellington Japan Rugby League One Rd.17: Kubota Spears v Saitama Wild Knights, Tokyo MLR Rd.12: New England Free Jacks v Houston SabreCats, Quincy MA #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #URC #Premiership #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MajorLeagueRugby #ChampionsCup #average Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices