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Martin Devlin is a seasoned sports broadcaster in New Zealand, famous for his high-energy, no-nonsense style on both radio and TV.
He’s covered everything from the FIFA World Cup to the Rugby World Cup and is known for his passion for the game.
Now, he’s about to take things up a notch by launching the DSPN—The Devlin Sports Podcast Network.
DSPN promises to be a wild ride through the sports world, packed with Devlin’s signature energy, bold takes, and insider insights.
Get ready for sports talk that’s fast-paced and unapologetically Devlin!
He’s covered everything from the FIFA World Cup to the Rugby World Cup and is known for his passion for the game.
Now, he’s about to take things up a notch by launching the DSPN—The Devlin Sports Podcast Network.
DSPN promises to be a wild ride through the sports world, packed with Devlin’s signature energy, bold takes, and insider insights.
Get ready for sports talk that’s fast-paced and unapologetically Devlin!
338 Episodes
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Martin Devlin and Lachlan Waugh dive into a brutally honest look at next year’s All Blacks tour to South Africa, and Martin makes his stance crystal clear: offer him a two-all draw today and he’d take it without blinking. This isn’t defeatism. It’s rugby logic. The Springboks are operating on a different level right now, and the numbers back it up.
We break down why this four-test stretch is shaping as the hardest assignment the All Blacks have faced since 1996, what the squad is missing at the moment, and why the rugby gods may need to put in overtime across Super Rugby.
From there, Glass Half Full hits cricket, the Ashes, England’s bizarre decision-making, a frustrating Phoenix derby, Premier League chaos, Lando vs Oscar in F1, and Hayden Paddon’s WRC return.
Plus, a chat on the All Blacks review date that has us asking… why on earth is this taking until January?
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This week on DSPN, we dive into the rivalry that shapes modern rugby, and there’s no better guide than Harry Jones. He joins us to unpack Rassie Erasmus re-signing through to 2031, what that means for South African rugby, and why Springbok fans are so welded to the man who rebuilt their entire identity.
We also get Harry’s brutally honest read on where the All Blacks sit under Razor right now. Are we too cautious? Is the Springbok machine simply further ahead? And how much will next year’s four-test South Africa tour tell us about the road to 2027?
From the politics of hosting future Rugby World Cups, to Tony Brown’s growing influence, to the return of the scrum as rugby’s great equaliser, this is a wide-ranging, clever, and very real chat about where the sport is heading.
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This week’s DSPN mailbag is stacked, and honestly, the game keeps giving us material. We kick off with the Eben Etzebeth eye-gouge saga and the eyebrow-raising drop from an 18-week ban to 12. We’ve all watched the footage. No excuses, no mitigating fairy dust, just a dirty act that should’ve stayed at the top end of the scale.
From there, we dive into the R360 delay and whether “strategic timing” is just a polite way of saying the whole thing’s run out of juice or players. Either way, 2028 suddenly feels very far away.
And yes, the World Cup draw has everyone heated again. Six pools, 24 teams, and somehow the top two sides still collide in the quarterfinals. Throw in the All Blacks conversation around Razor, Richie Mo’unga’s return, and where Beauden Barrett fits, plus your cuts, keeps, and question marks, and it’s a wonderfully chaotic inbox.
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We got Matt Williams back on DSPN because the rugby world has been flipped on its head again, and we needed someone unfiltered to walk us through it. This World Cup draw has landed the All Blacks and South Africa on a quarterfinal collision course, and Matt doesn’t hold back on why that simply shouldn’t be happening.
We dig into why World Rugby keeps repeating the same administrative headaches, how the top two teams could end up cancelling each other out early, and what this means for the entire tournament. Then we shift to on-field reality. Right now, South Africa look miles ahead of everyone else, and Matt explains in detail why their mix of power, skill, and insane depth is setting the standard.
We finish with the tough questions around the All Blacks. Are we improving? What needs fixing? And what kind of pressure is Scott Robertson really under heading into a brutal 2025? It’s a frank, fascinating chat about where the game is heading.
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The World Cup draw has landed and, honestly, World Rugby has cooked it again. The All Blacks are likely to face the Springboks in the 2027 quarter-finals, and everyone’s asking the same question. How does a sport end up with its top two seeds crashing into each other that early? We dig into the mess, the maths, and the madness.
Martin breaks down the draw logic that somehow rewards the loser of the opening New Zealand-Australia match with the easier path. We also look at the gulf between the top sides and the teams ranked nine to 12, and why that pushes the whole format out of shape.
We also spoke with Razor and Scott Barrett at a press conference this morning, talking through the implications, the strategy, and how you prepare when you’re already pencilled in to meet the world champions in the knockout stages. Plenty to chew on.
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1We’ve got Tony Johnson back from the Northern Tour and straight into the fire, because there is so much to unpack.
The World Cup 2027 draw is out, and yep… the All Blacks have copped the toughest path. Tony walks us through how the seedings landed us here, why New Zealand and South Africa are staring at a quarterfinal collision, and whether World Rugby has painted itself into a corner by locking draws in years out.
We get into the (likely) Australia opener, the logistics versus logic debate, and the ripple effects for teams like England, Ireland, Fiji and France.
Then we shift to the All Blacks themselves. Tony breaks down the coaching structure questions swirling around Scott Robertson and Scott Hansen, what’s real, what needs clarifying, and how much of this conversation exists purely because the team didn’t close out England.
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Martin Devlin, John Day, and Mark 'Watto' Watson run a full All Blacks selection review based completely on this season’s performances. No predictions, no World Cup chatter - just a hard look at who should be on the plane to South Africa next year.
We break down every group: props, hookers, locks, loose forwards, halves, midfielders, and outside backs. Expect strong takes on Luke Jacobson, Samipeni Finau, Quinn Tupaea, Will Jordan, Caleb Clarke, and of course… the Barrett family. Mark comes in swinging. John refuses to budge. Marty keeps the peace (barely).
If you’re an All Blacks tragic or love selection drama, this is your episode.
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Naas Botha knows Springbok rugby better than almost anyone, and today he gives us a brutally honest look at how South Africa have become the top team in the world in 2025. We rewind the season, the early stumbles, and the moment the Boks clicked into a different gear.
Naas talks through what’s changed in attitude, selection and belief, why that second half in Wellington was the real turning point, and how Rassie Erasmus' decision-making has unlocked a level of depth South Africa have never had. He also explains the impact of Tony Brown and why the Boks are now scoring tries they simply didn’t score in past years.
We dive into the luxury problem at first-five, with Sacha, Handré and Manie all bringing something different.
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R360 was meant to breathe new life into rugby. Instead, it’s been shoved all the way back to 2028, and no one seems convinced it’ll ever actually launch. So, on the DSPN we brought in two of the best: Christy Doran from The Roar and long-time rugby journalist Chris Jones, to help us figure out what on earth happens next.
Christy talks through what the delay really means, why key investors walked, and why signing players six to 12 months before a World Cup makes the whole concept almost impossible. He also explains the chaos now facing league converts who quit their NRL deals expecting this thing to exist.
Then, Chris Jones joins us with 40 years of perspective, calling R360 everything from a pantomime season to rugby’s latest attempt to copy the IPL without understanding rugby’s actual market.
No players, no coaches, no broadcast deal, and a billion-euro budget? You can guess his verdict.
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We’re wrapping the season with one of the sharpest minds in New Zealand rugby media. Jamie Wall jumps in with us to take a clear, honest look at where the All Blacks really sit right now, and why Scott Robertson’s second year has created more questions than answers.
Jamie talks us through the coaching setup, what Razor actually does day to day, and whether the assistants should be feeling a bit nervous as NZ Rugby begins its end-of-season review. We also dig into the set piece struggles, the attack going missing at key moments, and why the South African tour next year could define the entire coaching group.
Plus, Jamie gives us some great context on Wales, the Springboks’ ridiculous depth, and why one shining performance at Eden Park might still matter.
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Greg Martin is back talking Wallabies, and how Aussie has managed to sink to their worst calendar year on record. It’s a rough watch for fans, and even Marto admits the players coming home are “embarrassed” about what 2025 has turned into.
We revisit that false dawn in Johannesburg, the Lions series they could have won, and how everything since has unravelled. Marto talks openly about constant selection changes, the lack of a genuine five-eighth, and the impact of losing Will Skelton.
He also gives us a window into Joe Schmidt’s final months, why Les Kiss wasn’t involved on tour, and how messy the transition has become behind the scenes.
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Tony Johnson joins us for a full, honest debrief on the All Blacks season, and we get straight into what worked, what didn’t, and what absolutely has to change. Martin fronts with his C+ assessment of the year, pointing to those three costly losses and the frustrating habit of following big wins with flat performances.
Tony digs into the big-picture issues - leadership on the field, the domino effect of mistakes, and why the England loss felt so deflating even after a strong start. There’s plenty of positivity too, from the emergence of real depth at lock and prop.
We look at the next two years, the coaching questions that still linger, what the attack is actually trying to be, and the brutal schedule ahead.
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We start with Martin’s five positives from the All Blacks season: the crucial Eden Park win over South Africa, the undeniable world-class status of Cam Roigard and Ardie Savea, the loyal “rah-rah” fans, next year’s stacked schedule, and the blessing that the World Cup isn’t until 2027 .
Then, Marty and young producer Lachlan rip through What Has More Chance Of Happening? Will the All Blacks win their four-test South Africa series? Could Razor realistically lose his job if results crumble? Are England any chance of winning the Ashes if they refuse to change their approach? All that and much more!
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We’re closing the book on the All Blacks season, and there’s only one man we trust to call it exactly how he sees it - Murray Mexted. Mex joins us in the studio and doesn’t waste a second getting straight into it.
We talk through everything from rotation and the modern mindset, to where the loose forwards sit, why the scrum has slipped, and why letting a player walk off after 43 minutes still winds him up. Murray takes us inside his view of the tight five, the lineout issues that keep showing up, and why he thinks we haven’t improved since France.
Razor’s role, the assistants, the structure around the team, the aura of the jersey - nothing’s off-limits as Murray hands out his end-of-year grade and tells us what has to sharpen up before next season.
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This week on DSPN we dive headfirst into one of the spiciest Mailbags we’ve ever had. You sent us a mountain of comments about the All Blacks season, and we took the lot on. Are we improving? Are we repeating old mistakes? Are the coaches getting it right? And why on earth did Razor admit Scott Hanson is effectively running the show?
We talk leadership, selection standards, and whether the All Blacks have slipped into “just okay” territory. We also get into the big ones: conceding tries, the scrum going soft at the wrong moments, and whether fans are justified in demanding more. Plus a bit of England cricket chat, Team New Zealand comparison, and the eternal struggle between stats and the eyeball test.
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We’ve brought the whole crew in for this one. Marty, John Day and Mark 'Watto' Watson sit down for a full Rugby Roundtable and things get honest fast. Grades are handed out for the All Blacks’ 2025 season, and they’re not pretty. From record losses to South Africa, to the stumble in Argentina, to leaking four tries against one of the weakest Welsh sides in years, the pattern is hard to ignore.
We dig into Razor’s “we’ve turned a corner” claim and ask the obvious question: where exactly is the corner? The boys break down player depth, the 9-10, 12-13 combinations, and why the coaching group looks like it’s in real trouble.
And yes, there’s still hope. The talent is there. The passion is there. But the bad days keep coming, and the All Blacks don’t get judged on 10-3 records. They get judged on the losses that matter.
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We’re calling it how we see it - the All Blacks get a C+ this season, the same grade as last year. And no, that’s not pessimism. It’s realism. In this episode, Marty Devlin breaks down exactly why the performances haven’t genuinely improved, even if the win-loss numbers look tidy on paper. From the highs of Eden Park to the darkest day in Wellington, we go through what really matters for this team.
We look at those losses after big wins, why consistency is still missing, and what the results actually tell us about selections, coaching, and where this side is heading. There’s plenty of belief in the ceiling of this squad, but the floor keeps dropping out.
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On the DSPN, we go straight to South Africa to get the view from the top of the mountain. Martin is joined by the great Andy Capostagno, who’s watched the Springboks rise from gritty winners to a frighteningly complete rugby side with depth most countries can only dream of.
Andy explains how Rassie Erasmus has rebuilt this team from the ground up, why generational talent Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is changing the way the Boks play, and how they’ve reached a point where world-class players like Handré Pollard don’t even start the big games.
We also dig into Ireland’s chaotic test, the scrum pressure the Boks applied, and why their squad could lose half a dozen stars and still win comfortably.
There’s plenty in here too for All Blacks fans: where the true gap sits, how long this Springbok window might last, and much more.
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What a weekend. We’re still buzzing after a stacked run of Autumn Internationals that felt like a mini Rugby World Cup.
Martin sits down with Tony Johnson to unpack the lot, from England’s gritty win over Argentina to South Africa’s relentless demolition job on Ireland.
Up north, the stadium atmospheres have been electric, and Tony gives us a first-hand look at what it’s been like following the All Blacks across Wales, Scotland, and England. We dig into the Springboks’ terrifying scrum, England’s growing confidence, Australia’s slide, and where the All Blacks sit after wrapping the tour with a 50-point statement in Cardiff.
And yes, Ruben Love, Will Jordan, and that back-three balance definitely get a mention.
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This week on DSPN's Marty's Mailbag, we rip into the fallout from that rough All Blacks loss to England, and honestly, there’s plenty to unpack. Between the panic under pressure, the broken basics, and a coaching setup still finding its feet, we’re all feeling the frustration.
But like we keep saying on the show, criticism doesn’t mean we don’t love the team. It means we want them to be better!
We dig through your messages and comments, from midfield combinations to conditioning worries, to why we’re struggling against the likes of South Africa and England. Marty and Lachie get into the importance of experience in the coaching box, whether that early Razor Sky Sport documentary was a misstep, and why fans are so desperate to see actual solutions.
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