The Ruck

With the sport suspended during the worsening coronavirus situation, Owen Slot is joined at a safe distance by Stephen Jones and Lawrence Dallaglio to discuss what rugby should do to combat the crisis Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Ruck returns with Stephen Jones, Owen Slot, Stuart Barnes and Jonny Fordham.The panel discuss why Dylan Hartley's club form will not change Eddie Jones' thinking on starting him for England. Owen explains the book which led Jones to think this way and Jonny reveals the day to day relationship between captain and coach.Stephen and Stuart then disagree on the England coach's criteria and selection policy. There's also a full preview of all the big european action and Stuart explains why he thinks Jordan Larmour could be worth the hype. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What a weekend of 6 Nations action!Italy recorded their first-ever win against England, Scotland produced one of their best performances to put 50 points on France and Wales continued their revival in defeat to Ireland.Alfie, Elgan and Charlie look back on all the action and ask where this weekend ranks all-time in 6 Nations history?They also discuss what makes Scotland so impressive after their victory gives them a shot at the title on Super Saturday? How damaging was the defeat for France and what does it mean that they will miss out on a Grand Slam for the second year running? Plus, how will England regroup after their defeat in Rome?***Allianz Future Fund | Allianz Insurance Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

England have lost to Italy for the first time!Following a historic day in Rome, Alfie Reynolds and Will Kelleher are in the Stadio Olympico to unpack an incredible occasion and hugely damaging England defeat.What does the future hold for Steve Borthwick? Can he continue as England head coach? How can a team that won 12 matches in a row suddenly look so lost?They also heap praise on Italy and discuss why this is a significant moment for Italian rugby and the 6 Nations as a whole.***Allianz Future Fund | Allianz Insurance Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

England make the trip to Rome in the 6 Nations following two defeats and two terrible performances against Scotland and Ireland. So how much pressure are they under ahead of facing Italy on Saturday?Alfie Reynolds, Will Kelleher and Alex Lowe are on the streets of the Eternal City to look ahead to the match. They chat about the raft of changes Steve Borthwick has made for the game and what that tells us about the position England find themselves in. Is it bold selection or panic?They also speak with the Italy winger Louis Lynagh who reflects on his move from Harlequins to Benetton - where he now lives with his Italian grandad - and his time in the England setup under Eddie Jones.Plus, the boys look ahead to Ireland v Wales and Scotland vs France this weekend.***Allianz Future Fund | Allianz Insurance Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week the English league system saw its biggest shake-up since the dawn of professionalism: it was confirmed that from 2029/30 the PREM will change to a franchise system and there will be no promotion or relegation starting next season.Alex Lowe, Will Kelleher and Stuart Barnes join Alfie Reynolds to chat about those developments. Is this an inevitable step to try and fix a system which doesn't work? Or is it betraying the very essence of sport?They also look ahead to round 4 of the 6 Nations. How important is this week for England and Steve Borthwick? And, Scotland gear up for a crunch game against France!***Allianz Future Fund | Allianz Insurance Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's a fallow week in the 6 Nations so Alfie Reynolds, Elgan Alderman and Stuart Barnes discuss all of the action from round three.They chat about Scotland's nervy performance in Cardiff as Gregor Townsend's side (just!) got the victory. Was this Scotland banishing demons from previous campaigns? Or have they once again failed to back up an impressive performance against England?Barnsey gives his verdict on what on earth is going wrong for England following a terrible day at Twickenham in defeat to Ireland. And, Elgan was in Lille as France remained unbeaten by winning against Italy.Could the Italians now be the favorites to beat England for the first time in their history? Are Ireland or Scotland best placed to challenge for the title alongside France? And, which nation benefits from the timing of the fallow week?***The Ruck Live!Before the final whistle is blown on the 2026 Guinness Men’s Six Nations, there’s the small matter of Super Saturday. This year the final round promises to be even more explosive, with rivals England and France going head-to-head in the very last match of the competition at the Stade de France.Tough-tacklers Courtney Lawes and Serge Betsen will join Charlie Morgan, Senior Rugby Writer at The Times, and Alfie Reynolds — host of our podcast The Ruck — to compare notes on Le Crunch and the biggest moments of this year’s tournament.Book tickets on thetimes.com/events Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

England's hopes of a 6 Nations title went up in smoke as they lost to Ireland at Twickenham.Following a loss to Scotland a week ago, Steve Borthwick's side produced another lacklustre and dreadful performance. Alfie, Will and Charlie try to pick through the bones of a galling defeat which will ask major questions of this England team. Will it be a performance which ends England careers for some players? Is this 6 Nations campaign salvageable? And, why have the wheels come off so spectacularly?Plus, they chat about Ireland's excellent display! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Following defeat to Scotland in the Calcutta Cup last weekend, England host Ireland in round three of the 6 Nations on Saturday.Alfie Reynolds, Alex Lowe, Will Kelleher and Charlie Morgan are at the England training base ahead of the match and ask whether England or Ireland are under more pressure heading into the fixture? They chat about Steve Borthwick's squad selection, with Henry Pollock making his first start and Maro Itoje set to earn his 100th cap for his country.Jack Crowley is set to start at fly-half for the Irish, is that a good or bad thing for England? Would they have rather come up against Sam Prendergast?Plus, this weekend Wales host Scotland and France play Italy.***The Ruck Live!Before the final whistle is blown on the 2026 Guinness Men’s Six Nations, there’s the small matter of Super Saturday. This year the final round promises to be even more explosive, with rivals England and France going head-to-head in the very last match of the competition at the Stade de France.Tough-tacklers Courtney Lawes and Serge Betsen will join Charlie Morgan, Senior Rugby Writer at The Times, and Alfie Reynolds — host of our podcast The Ruck — to compare notes on Le Crunch and the biggest moments of this year’s tournament.Book tickets on thetimes.com/events Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The second round of the 6 Nations produced plenty of thrills and spills! Scotland stunned England in Edinburgh, Ireland got up and running by beating Italy and Wales shipped fifty points in defeat to France.Alfie Reynolds is joined by Elgan Alderman, Charlie Morgan and David Walsh to look back on the action and preview round three. They ask whether anyone will prevent a French Grand Slam? Whether there is any evidence to suggest Wales are able to win a match this year? And, how damaging was England's performance in the Calcutta Cup?They also discuss Sam Prendergast's future as Ireland fly-half, whether Steve Borthwick will make changes ahead of hosting the Irish on Saturday and the importance of Italy's development.***The Ruck Live!Before the final whistle is blown on the 2026 Guinness Men’s Six Nations, there’s the small matter of Super Saturday. This year the final round promises to be even more explosive, with rivals England and France going head-to-head in the very last match of the competition at the Stade de France.Tough-tacklers Courtney Lawes and Serge Betsen will join Charlie Morgan, Senior Rugby Writer at The Times, and Alfie Reynolds — host of our podcast The Ruck — to compare notes on Le Crunch and the biggest moments of this year’s tournament.Book tickets on thetimes.com/events Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Scotland destroyed England 31-20 to win the Calcutta Cup!From the stands at Murrayfield Alfie Reynolds, Mark Palmer and Will Kelleher try to unpick a crazy match.The ghosts of Calcutta Cups past came back to haunt England as they once again produced a lacklustre performance in Edinburgh. Their losing streak in the Scottish capital continues. But Scotland were brilliant and bounced back from defeat to Italy the week before.What does this tell us about both sides? Are France the best side in the 6 Nations by some distance? And, why can't England win away?***The Ruck Live!Before the final whistle is blown on the 2026 Guinness Men’s Six Nations, there’s the small matter of Super Saturday. This year the final round promises to be even more explosive, with rivals England and France going head-to-head in the very last match of the competition at the Stade de France.Tough-tacklers Courtney Lawes and Serge Betsen will join Charlie Morgan, Senior Rugby Writer at The Times, and Alfie Reynolds — host of our podcast The Ruck — to compare notes on Le Crunch and the biggest moments of this year’s tournament.Book tickets on thetimes.com/events Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's Calcutta Cup week as Scotland host England in the 6 Nations.Alfie, Alex and Will are in Edinburgh to look ahead to the match. They discuss the pressure on Gregor Townsend and Scotland, England's poor record north of the border with their last win being back in 2020 and Steve Borthwick's squad for the match on Saturday.They chat about England's continuing drive for positional versatility and ask 'how good are Scotland?' who come into the fixture on a poor run of form, despite the quality of their side on paper. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the opening weekend of the 6 Nations Scotland lost against Italy to heap pressure on Gregor Townsend, Ireland lost to France who produced a statement performance and England hammered Wales.Alfie Reynolds is joined by Owen Slot and The Times' new signing, Charlie Morgan, to look back on all the action.The boys discuss whether Townsend departing seems inevitable, whether Andy Farrell has done a poor job in regenerating this Ireland team and whether Thursday night 6 Nations rugby works.Plus, they look ahead to round two which includes a massive Calcutta Cup clash in Edinburgh, Ireland hosting Italy in a game which could go either way and Wales taking on France which could be in front of a half empty Principality. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

England got their 6 Nations campaign up and running with a ruthless 48-7 victory over Wales who endured a torrid day at Twickenham.Alfie Reynolds, Will Kelleher and Elgan Alderman look back on all the action and discuss whether the result actually could have been worse for Wales who saw four players yellow carded. And, where do Steve Tandy's side can go from here as they welcome France to Cardiff next weekend? They look ahead to England's trip to Edinburgh to face Scotland, chat about who impressed the most including Henry Arundell who scored a hat-trick and debate if the current Wales side are worse than the Italian team who went on a 30 game 6 Nations losing streak. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What chance do Wales have of beating England at Twickenham this weekend in the opening round of the 6 Nations? The bookmakers have them as huge outsiders so from the England team hotel Alfie Reynolds, Will Kelleher and Elgan Alderman look ahead to the weekend.They chat about whether Wales can harness the passion and spirit of the country to lift their performance. How will England deal with the expectation that they will compete for the title? And, is the big shock on the opening weekend going to happen in Rome? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 2026 6 Nations is here!Who are the favorites to win the championship? Is it France as the defending champions or a resurgent England?Alfie Reynolds, Elgan Alderman, Alex Lowe and Mark Palmer look ahead to the opening weekend of fixtures. They ask whether Scotland will benefit from flying under the radar? Could Wales win a match? And, who will play fly-half for Ireland?Plus, they chat about a massive Calcutta Cup fixture in week two in Edinburgh, whether England need to reach Paris on the final weekend with a chance of winning the title and if Antoine Dupont and Matthieu Jalibert can work as France's half-backs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alfie and Will welcome Mark Evans back onto The Ruck having returned from his time as the CEO of the Fijian Drua.They chat about the latest developments in Welsh rugby with Y11, the owners of the Ospreys, becoming the WRU's preferred bidder for Cardiff and ask whether there is a danger that rugby in Wales might become like cricket in the West Indies.Mark also gives his views on two of his former clubs Saracens and Harlequins, after it was announced Mark McCall would step away from his role with Sarries at the end of the season and fans at the stoop left early following another disappointing defeat.Plus, Steve Borthwick has named his England squad for the upcoming 6 Nations and was in a very confident mood when Will went to chat with him last week. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Following the All Blacks sacking head coach Scott Robertson, Alfie, Will and Alex are joined by the New Zealand Herald's Liam Napier to explain why he's been given his marching orders just two years into his tenure. Was it down to losing the dressing room? Or was he not suited to the spotlight which comes with the role?They also look back on the final round of the pool stages in the Champions Cup and explain why the format, despite its issues, is here to stay. They breakdown the last-16 and route to the final which could serve up some cracking ties and also look ahead to Steve Borthwick naming his England 6 Nations squad on Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Following another weekend of action in the Champions Cup Alfie, Elgan and Alex look back on all of the big stories.With only one round of matches to go until the knockout stages they explain why, despite some great games, the competition continues to have structural issues. They ask what is going wrong at Toulouse who have lost twice already in the pool stage and discuss which teams are in the running to go on to be crowned champions. Plus, Henry Pollock, as always, was in the headlines after an impressive performance despite Northampton losing to Bordeaux and Bristol produced an incredible result in beating the Bulls in South Africa.And, they round off the pod by chatting about the possibility of the 6 Nations going behind a paywall, the latest developments in Welsh rugby and Newcastle Red Bull's recruitment drive for next season. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Henry Pollock had a remarkable 2025!Breaking through with Northampton Saints, making his England debut, beating Leinster in Dublin, a Champions Cup final appearance and being named on the British & Irish Lions tour.So Will and Alex have made the trip up to the East Midlands to chat with Henry Pollock and his director of rugby Phil Dowson. How does the youngster reflect on the past 12 months? Does he enjoys ruffling feathers or care about people's perceptions of him? Plus, what are his aims for 2026? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.