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The Ruck

The Times

514 episodes

1 day ago

The Ruck is the journalists rugby podcast from The Times & The Sunday Times.

Join Alfie Reynolds, Alex Lowe, Will Kelleher and a selection of guests every week as they provide insight and reports throughout the season, including big name interviews and forthright analysis.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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All content for The Ruck is the property of The Times and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

The Ruck is the journalists rugby podcast from The Times & The Sunday Times.

Join Alfie Reynolds, Alex Lowe, Will Kelleher and a selection of guests every week as they provide insight and reports throughout the season, including big name interviews and forthright analysis.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Show more...

Episodes (20/514)

The Ruck

Two Lions on the pod: Fin Smith staying at Saints & Tommy Freeman’s positional switch.

Ahead of 'Derby Weekend' in the Gallagher PREM, Will Kelleher heads to the midlands to chat to Northampton Saints. He speaks with Director of Rugby Phil Dowson, plus two of the clubs British & Irish Lions in Fin Smith and Tommy Freeman.

Fin explains that wanting to earn more caps for England was a big motivation for signing a contract extension, despite the lure of R360. And find out why he was disappointed with his performances on the Lions tour.

Tommy Freeman brings up his 100th Saints appearance on the weekend so he reflects on the journey to this point and discusses what the future might hold. Will he be a 13 going forward?

Plus, Phil Dowson looks ahead to a big East Midlands derby against Leicester Tigers!

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1 day ago

43 minutes 21 seconds

The Ruck

Lewis Moody's heart-breaking MND diagnosis - what is sport's connection to the disease?

2003 World Cup winner Lewis Moody has announced that he has motor neurone disease, so, Alex Lowe and Stuart Barnes join Alfie Reynolds to pay tribute to a great man and brilliant player. Tom Kershaw also discusses his investigation for The Times earlier in the year where he looked into the links between elite sportspeople and MND.

They also look back on the second weekend of the PREM and ask whether Newcastle were correct to part ways with Steve Diamond and if it's too early to view Bath and Saracens as the best two clubs in the division. It was the opening weekend for the CHAMP which saw the return of Worcester Warriors, their back-rower Matt Kvesic chats to Alfie and Alex.

And, Stuart explains why 2025 was the best Rugby Championship we've ever seen.

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4 days ago

54 minutes 17 seconds

The Ruck

The Champ, The Prem, and the future of English club rugby

Promotion and relegation, franchising and the rugby pyramid; these are all issues that are so fundamental to the state of English rugby, and things so few people agree on.

So, to tackle these meaty topics Will and Alex go to Twickenham to meet Simon Gillham, the chair of the new Tier 2 board, and vice-president of French Pro D2 side Brive.

Can the Champ, which relaunches this weekend, and the Prem finally get on, coexist and thrive together?

How could promotion to the top flight work? Will London Irish return like Worcester Warriors have?

And Will there be an end to "self-interest" on all sides? We discuss it all, and rattle through the news from the opening round of the Prem, plus the finale of The Rugby Championship.

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1 week ago

1 hour 6 minutes 44 seconds

The Ruck

Red Roses glory as England win home World Cup

England are world champions! The Red Roses have won the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup so outside Twickenham Alfie, Elgan and Alex look back on the final and the tournament as a whole. They ask what this moment will mean for women's rugby in England? And, what it will mean for the women's game as a whole as other unions play catch up to this all conquering England side? They dissect the performance and credit England's dominance in the final over Canada, plus talk about the job John Mitchell has done as head coach.

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1 week ago

26 minutes 59 seconds

The Ruck

Women's Rugby World Cup final preview!

This weekend England face Canada in the Women's Rugby World Cup final. Alfie and Elgan look ahead to the match and ask if the Red Roses can finally get over the line and become world champions. How big a burden are the psychological scars from previous failures? Will it be a seminal moment in the history of women's rugby in England? And, has this tournament broken through to new audiences outside of rugby circles? Alfie also chats to Red Roses legend Rocky Clark who admits it will be an emotional moment watching them play in front of a sold out Twickenham.

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2 weeks ago

39 minutes 42 seconds

The Ruck

'PREM' season preview - A new Red Bull era and Thursday night rugby

The new season is here! Ahead of domestic rugby restarting Alfie and Will are at Twickenham to look ahead to the action. It's been a huge summer of change at Newcastle who are now owned by Red Bull, so Director of Rugby Steve Diamond explains what that means for the club and how they can start looking up the table. The season kicks off on Thursday night as Sale host Gloucester, so Sale Director of Rugby Alex Sanderson looks ahead to that and reveals he was watching on in awe at Tom Curry during the Lions tour. Alex and Will then speak with PREM Rugby CEO Simon Massie-Taylor who explains that the league is in a great place, why they decided to rebrand and who he thinks will win the title!

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2 weeks ago

1 hour 3 minutes 49 seconds

The Ruck

Were Ireland robbed of a World Cup semi-final?

Alfie and Elgan are at the England team hotel ahead of their semi-final against France in the World Cup this weekend. They chat to second-row Morwenna Talling following her player of the match performance against Scotland. They also look back on all the other quarter-final action and ask whether Ireland were unlucky that France's Axelle Berthoumieu wasn't shown a red card for biting but instead only banned retrospectively. Plus, what next for South Africa and Scotland following excellent campaigns? And, who will progress into the final? They also round up another brilliant weekend of action in the Rugby Championship.

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3 weeks ago

46 minutes 4 seconds

The Ruck

Is an England v New Zealand final the best thing for the World Cup?

The Women's World Cup is into the knockout rounds! Ahead of the quarter-finals Alfie and Elgan are at Twickenham where they chat to the Managing Director of the tournament Sarah Massey. They discuss the great attendances during the pool stages, TV viewership and the importance of growing women's rugby. They also ask whether New Zealand displayed their title credentials for the first time at the weekend and whether the Black Ferns meeting England in the final is the ideal match-up. Plus, Fiji beat Wales for their first win over northern hemisphere opposition, Australia caused England problems and John Mitchell has injury concerns ahead of the last-8. They also round up the action in the Rugby Championship.

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1 month ago

36 minutes 48 seconds

The Ruck

Australia and USA in Pool A shootout & South Africa produce the shock of the tournament

The second round of the women's rugby world cup provided the best two matches of the tournament so far! Alfie and Elgan are down near Brighton to review all the action and preview the final round of pool matches. They discuss who will progress from Pool A out of Australia and the USA and hear from the Wallaroos co-captain Emily Chancellor as Australia hope to upset England this weekend. They also ask if South Africa qualifying for their first quarter-final at a women's world cup can be the inspiration their women's side need?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 month ago

35 minutes 53 seconds

The Ruck

Are one sided score lines an issue at the World Cup? When will LRZ return for Wales?

Following the opening round of fixtures at the women's Rugby World Cup, Alfie and Elgan look back on all the action. They discuss the Red Roses performance against the USA and question who impressed out of France, Ireland, New Zealand and Canada as the sides best placed to trouble England. They also reflect on a brilliant Scotland performance against Wales but also how disappointing Sean Lynn's side were. Plus, how big an issue are the one-sided score lines across the opening weekend? Alfie heads to Bristol to chat with Louis Rees-Zammit on his return to the sport and they also round up the latest results in the Rugby Championship.

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1 month ago

38 minutes 19 seconds

The Ruck

Can the Red Roses finally win the world cup?

The women's world cup starts this week so Alfie Reynolds and Elgan Alderman look ahead to the tournament. They ask whether 2025 is going to be the year that England are finally crowned world champions and who out of France, Canada and New Zealand are best placed to trouble them. They preview every pool, speak about who the stars of the world cup will be and discuss whether a home world cup win could be the Red Roses 'lionesses' moment. Plus, they round up the latest from the Rugby Championship, including Australia's historic comeback victory over South Africa at Ellis Park.

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1 month ago

35 minutes

The Ruck

Goodbye from Australia - Lions tour review

Following the conclusion of the 2025 Lions tour Alfie Reynolds, Alex Lowe, Owen Slot and Will Kelleher bring you one final pod from Australian soil.

They reflect on a joyous 7 weeks covering the tour, including their final reflections on the test series and what the future of the Lions tour looks like. How can they make the tour games in Australia more engaging? Should there be a Barmy Army-style supporter package to make it affordable for a younger audience? And, have the Wallabies' performances in the final two matches given hope for their home world cup in 2027?

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2 months ago

53 minutes 15 seconds

The Ruck

Was the 2025 Lions series a missed opportunity for Australia?

The 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia ended with one of the most bizarre test matches!

Biblical rainfall and a thunderstorm delayed proceedings before Australia won the match in Sydney. Will Kelleher and Alex Lowe join Alfie Reynolds to round up the occasion and the series as a whole.

They ask whether Australia were under-prepared for the first test and how much that cost them in the three game series? Is a 2-1 series victory for the Lions an accurate reflection of how good they are? And, what on earth was going on when play was stopped early in the second half?

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2 months ago

39 minutes 53 seconds

The Ruck

Lions eye famous whitewash - 3rd test preview

Alfie Reynolds, Alex Lowe and Owen Slot preview the third and final test in the 2025 Lions tour.

They discuss why Andy Farrell naming such a strong squad is no surprise as the Lions eye a 3-0 series victory. Plus they ask whether Australia are capable of winning the match to avoid being labelled the 'worst' opposition the Lions have faced.

They also salute Tadhg Furlong as he is set to start his 9th straight test and how much winning on Saturday will determine the Lions' legacy.

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2 months ago

32 minutes 58 seconds

The Ruck

"The Incident", The Australian view and the Lions drive for 3-0

Following the controversial ending to the 2nd test between Australia and the Lions, Will and Alfie are joined by Christy Doran, rugby editor of The Roar, to get the Aussie perspective. They chat about how Australian rugby can be successful ahead of a home world cup in 2027 and the importance of winning the final test in the series. Plus, the boys provide an update from the Lions ahead of the final test and ask what is the purpose of a Lions tour? Winning or something more?

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2 months ago

29 minutes 6 seconds

The Ruck

An all-time classic at the MCG as the Lions win the series

The British & Irish Lions have won the test series against Australia! Hugo Kennan scored the winning try in the final play of the game to cap off an extraordinary match at the MCG.

Alfie, Alex and Will reflect on a match which will go down in Lions history. They chat about Jac Morgan's controversial clear out at the end of the game, how impressive the Lions were to come from behind and the utter devastation for Australia.

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2 months ago

37 minutes 5 seconds

The Ruck

Australia vs Lions - 2nd test preview

It's the second test between Australia and the British & Irish Lions, Joe Schmidt and Andy Farrell have named their sides.

Alex Lowe, Will Kelleher, Owen Slot and Alfie Reynolds are in Melbourne to look ahead to what could be a series clinching match for the Lions, or will Australia respond to their defeat in Brisbane?

They discuss both team selections, including Garry Ringrose ruling himself out through injury, Will Skelton's return for the Wallabies and Joe Schmidt's anti-hype approach to the series.

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2 months ago

40 minutes 40 seconds

The Ruck

Have the First Nations & Pasifika XV given the Wallabies a blueprint to beat the Lions?

The British & Irish Lions won their final tour game on Australian soil as they beat the First Nations and Pasifika XV at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne.

Alfie, Alex, Will and Owen are pitch side to review the match and ask whether it was the best tour game so far? And, does it give an idea on how Australia could beat the Lions int he second test? They also discuss all the selection dilemmas facing Andy Farrell, including whether Owen could feature on Saturday, who replaces Joe McCarthy and whether Jac Morgan could will be involved.

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2 months ago

24 minutes 8 seconds

The Ruck

The Lions beat the Wallabies in Brisbane to go 1-0 up in the series

The British & Irish Lions are 1-0 up in the test series against Australia. They won 27-19 in Brisbane to gain a huge advantage in the three test series. Alfie Reynolds, Alex Lowe and Will Kelleher are on hand to look back on the match. They discuss a very impressive Lions performance in which they physically dominated the Wallabies and ask how Australia can get back into the series? Plus, they praise Ellis Genge, Tadhg Beirne, Tom Curry and Finn Russell's performances.

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2 months ago

25 minutes 36 seconds

The Ruck

Wallabies and Lions name their 1st test squads. Is it advantage Lions?

Australia and the Lions have named their matchday squads for the first test in Brisbane on Saturday. Alex Lowe and Will Kelleher are alongside Alfie Reynolds to go through all the big talking points. The Wallabies are without Will Skelton and Rob Valetini, how big a blow is that to their chances? Why has Andy Farrell selected Tom Curry over Jac Morgan? And, is this a Lions squad designed to overpower Australia?

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2 months ago

28 minutes 5 seconds