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Welcome to Rucks Mauls & Oval Balls, the ultimate podcast for all things English rugby! Hosted by two former university teammates who shared the pitch and forged a lasting bond, this show takes you behind the scenes of the rugby world, blending insightful analysis with a shared passion for the sport. Each episode dives deep into the game, with a special focus on statistics, player performance, team dynamics, and match breakdowns. Whether you're a die-hard fan or new to the game, Rucks, Mauls & Oval Balls offers expert commentary, fun debates, and insider knowledge that you won’t find anywhere else. Tune in for the perfect mix of rugby banter, in-depth analysis, and a true love for the game!
58 Episodes
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Send us a text... thoughts, feelings & feedback are all welcome! We will address them on the podcast! No relegation, franchise-style planning, and a Premiership Rugby “reset” that could change English rugby for the next decade. We get straight into what the new structure really signals: less pretending, more long-term certainty, and a clearer pitch to investors who want to know what they’re buying into. We talk expansion timelines, why 2030 matters, and how a smart map (not just a bigger...
Send us a text... thoughts, feelings & feedback are all welcome! We will address them on the podcast! Ninety-four points in Paris will do funny things to your mood as an England fan. One minute we’re watching England finally play with ambition, carry hard, and move the ball like a proper Test side. The next, we’re staring at another late swing, another lesson in game management, and Thomas Ramos doing what Thomas Ramos does from the tee. We take Super Saturday in order and pull out what...
Send us a text... thoughts, feelings & feedback are all welcome! We will address them on the podcast! A weekend of rugby made one truth impossible to ignore: courage and clarity beat caution every time. We open with Ireland steadying their identity against a ferocious Welsh defence, where McCloskey’s carrying and Gibson-Park’s tempo rekindled the familiar squeeze-and-strike rhythm. Wales brought heart and heft, racking up outrageous tackle numbers and unveiling a front row with bite. Rhy...
Send us a text... thoughts, feelings & feedback are all welcome! We will address them on the podcast! A week that began with jokes about sore calves and team-name puns turned into one of our frankest breakdowns yet. We open with the biggest off-field story: reports that the RFU council is set to back a franchise model, pausing promotion and relegation while plotting a path to expanded conferences by 2030. We explore why this shift might be necessary to stabilise the Premiership, how it c...
Send us a text... thoughts, feelings & feedback are all welcome! We will address them on the podcast! A round of Six Nations rugby that felt like a truth serum: Italy no longer “plucky,” England stuck in the wrong gear, and France blending steel with swagger. We open in Dublin, where Italy’s identity is no longer a theory but a threat. Their scrum rattled Ireland, their defence held shape under pressure, and their attack showed an all-court game that creates, not just reacts. Ireland got...
Send us a text... thoughts, feelings & feedback are all welcome! We will address them on the podcast! A night in Marseille told a bigger story: France didn’t just beat Ireland, they showed how to turn slow phases into strike ball against an elite defence. We walk through the blueprint — tall, mobile back-row hybrids, ruthless ruck speed, and a 10–15 axis where Jalibert and Ramos dictate choice after choice. When a pack offers three or four live options every touch, the defence tires in t...
Send us a text... thoughts, feelings & feedback are all welcome! We will address them on the podcast! A shock retirement, a tournament on edge, and three games that could rewrite the pecking order—this Six Nations kickoff special goes deep where the headlines meet the hard questions. We start by reflecting on Uini Atonio’s sudden exit and what he changed about front-row play: mass with skill, power with evolution. From there, we chart the tournament’s pressure points: England’s shift fro...
Send us a text... thoughts, feelings & feedback are all welcome! We will address them on the podcast! Two truths collided this week: English rugby is trying to grow up fast, and the Premiership is a brutal teacher. We open with a Barking away day and a soon-to-be dad’s “one last season?” question, then jump into England’s Six Nations squad with calm heads—celebrating Greg Fisilau’s fit for a flexible back row and a front row picked as a unit, not a collection of names. The real intrigue ...
Send us a text... thoughts, feelings & feedback are all welcome! We will address them on the podcast! A weekend of rugby that actually moved the needle: transfers shifting the Premiership landscape, a coaching carousel with Razor-sized implications, and European performances that exposed who’s real and who’s bluffing. We open with the Newcastle Red Bulls’ rebuild and why their layered signings suggest a club planning for a full-season grind, not just headline moments. Then we zoom out to...
Send us a text... thoughts, feelings & feedback are all welcome! We will address them on the podcast! A stormy European weekend delivered clarity and chaos in equal measure. Saracens dragged Toulouse into a classic slugfest and found a way, Bordeaux lit up Bordeaux with ruthless counter-punching against Northampton, and the Bulls shipped 61 at altitude as Bristol ran riot. We connect the dots you care about: why Premiership sides are winning more, how Top 14 mid‑table priorities skew Eur...
Send us a text... thoughts, feelings & feedback are all welcome! We will address them on the podcast! A sold-out Kingston Park, a year-long drought snapped, and a recruitment plan that actually makes sense—Newcastle’s resurgence sets the tone for a week where club identity matters more than hype. We unpack how the Red Bull-backed project is prioritising prime-age talent, robust coaching, and behind-the-scenes investment that turns travel, data and welfare into wins. It’s not about Galáct...
Send us a text... thoughts, feelings & feedback are all welcome! We will address them on the podcast! Joined by Mark Williams from MWRUGBYCOACHING Two hours of rugby without the fluff: we look back at 2025’s biggest swings and set our stall out for 2026. From the Lions’ series win to Elliot Daly breaking French hearts, from Bath’s irresistible maul to Saints’ statement in Europe, we map the moments that mattered and why they’ll shape the year ahead. We get into the rise of Steve Borthwi...
Send us a text... thoughts, feelings & feedback are all welcome! We will address them on the podcast! A weekend that felt like a pressure test for the Premiership delivered on every front. Leicester bullied the basics and shredded Gloucester’s confidence, Exeter turned the StoneX into a second-half workshop, Saints ran riot against a leggy Sale, Bristol lit up Big Game while Quins wilted, and Bath rolled out an eight-man bench detonation that shows exactly why they’re so hard to live wit...
Send us a text... thoughts, feelings & feedback are all welcome! We will address them on the podcast! A pint-soaked weekend in Cork quickly gives way to the biggest question in English rugby: is a sealed Premiership the only path to stability? We don’t dodge it. We weigh romance versus reality, outline how a franchise model can expand into Yorkshire and the southeast without ripping clubs from their roots, and sketch a ten-year roadmap that funds academies, powers a revived A‑League, and...
Send us a text... thoughts, feelings & feedback are all welcome! We will address them on the podcast! European rugby didn’t whisper this weekend—it roared. We dive straight into a Champions Cup slate packed with statement wins, shock upsets, and a few uncomfortable truths about where the competition stands. From the moment Sale’s injuries met Glasgow’s 25‑minute surge, the theme was clear: momentum punishes hesitation, and the best sides control the tempo. We unpack Saracens suffocating...
Send us a text... thoughts, feelings & feedback are all welcome! We will address them on the podcast! A week off and the rugby world refused to sit still. We kick things off with the headlines: R360’s two‑year delay and why the money never looked real, a quietly improving Premiership balance sheet that’s letting clubs hand out deals to 2029, London Irish stirring again, and ITV nabbing England tests for free‑to‑air. Great for reach—so long as the coverage upgrades from remote sofas to re...
Send us a text... thoughts, feelings & feedback are all welcome! We will address them on the podcast! A 12–0 hole against the All Blacks usually means lights out. Not this time. We break down how England wrestled control back at Twickenham: Ford’s cold-blooded drop goals, a backline reshuffle that added real speed with Marcus Smith at 15, and a pack that went from shaky lineouts to statement scrums. Dingwall and Lawrence offered balance and bite in midfield, while Underhill and Earl set ...
Send us a text... thoughts, feelings & feedback are all welcome! We will address them on the podcast! A bright afternoon in Bath set the scene for a tougher truth: cohesion beats potential. We walk through England A’s sobering loss to a slick New Zealand XV and pull out what matters for selection, development, and how fast “promising” becomes “test-ready.” Two names rose above the noise — Ollie Hassell-Collins under the high ball and Tom Pearson around the breakdown — but the wider lesso...
Send us a text... thoughts, feelings & feedback are all welcome! We will address them on the podcast! England put on a clinic. We break down how a sharp kicking plan, relentless two‑man tackles, and a late “Pom Squad” surge turned Australia’s momentum to dust, with Alex Mitchell’s box kicking and Tom Roebuck’s aerial work setting the tone. We get into the selection debates too: Tommy Freeman’s smart decision‑making at 13, a three‑way race at 10, and why Freddie Steward’s tough takes unde...
Send us a text... thoughts, feelings & feedback are all welcome! We will address them on the podcast! A whirlwind weekend gave us everything: Saints igniting Franklin’s Gardens with 30 minutes of pure velocity, Saracens scrambling to recover, Tigers and Sale trading test-level shots, and the PWR roaring back with pace and bite. We dive straight into the England squad for the Autumn Nations and ask the real selection questions: stack the 9-10-12 with Northampton’s chemistry, or ride Ford’...
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