Maul or Nothing

Holy hecker what a lot to unpack on an absolutely packed out show.We are delighted to be joined by All Black superstar Caleb Clarke to take us through beating Ireland in Dublin, how quickly Rieko threw the burn of the century on the Irish but what he actually thinks of Johnny Sexton.He also gives the All Black insight on how the haka leader gets picked and why it had to be Rieko Ioane.... also which did he enjoy more beating the English or the Irish....As if that's not enough we then have Wallaby wonderback Tom Wright on that phenonemal win for Australia over England....What did the Wallabies think when Jamie George is captured on big screen grinning as it looked as though England had won the match at the death... We find out about wonderkid Joseph "Sue" Suaalii...,. Apparently he'd never picked up a rugby ball before Saturday which made his performance all the more fascinating....Tom relives that last passage of play and how far theyve been pushing Sue and Angus Bell's buttons on tour...Also will with real Joe Schmidt please Stand up....So much to talk about and so little time to do it in.... the boys talk through Wales amateur hour, Fiji being awesome and a missed opportunity for Scotland but then again The Springboks don't really ever lose when it matters right.... As always thank you our wonderful fans for supporting us. We love you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sorry we've been away for a week but all will be explained in the pod.... The boys are back to break down the utterly fascinating clash between England and New Zealand as well as a far more one sided affair as Scotland and Fiji went head to head at Murrayfield.So, what do the fellas think of all the mud being thrown at George Ford? Is it warranted (it's not) what positives can this team take from another loss to the All Blacks. Is Steve Borthwick to blame for the defeat by trying not to lose rather than trying to win with his substitutions?What about New Zealand, is there a slipperier winger in world rugby right now than Mark Tele'a. How will the kiwis deal with taking on Ireland on Friday?Lots of hot takes on the early England celebrations (surprise surprise Ryan and Max disagree vehemently), whether the new trial laws are working and above all the hooha from the Haka controversy.Up in Scotland it was a much easier ride for the hosts, who thrashed an out of sorts Fiji team that had Ryan Willisonni as conflicted as you'll ever see him... especially as he was spotted in the official Fiji Autumn Internationals team photos (WTF?!!?)The new duel between the double DD's..... Duhan van der Merwe and Darcy Graham.... the record extenders and also an absolutely filthy piece of skill from our old pal Adam Hastings.But what next for Fiji, will the big guns returning manage to reunite our favourite second nation?and how about the Danny Care book spilling all the beans on the Eddie Jones era.... we'd heard a few anecdotes on the show but what do the boys think about all the revelations?Lots of fun to be had, we hope you enjoy it and as always, thanks for listening and watching we love you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From Euphoria last week to despair at the death for Max and his Bristol gang against the wily Saracens, they might be new look but their results are old school.We get the boys takes on the new 20 minute red card, as well as the scrum clock. Which side of the fence do the fall on?There's an emphatic Premiership roundup including Michael Cheika's hair dryer treatment, Fitz Harding and Max Llewellyn on flames while over in the URC, Ryan reckons it's a bit unfair how stacked the Sharks are. I mean shouldnt there be a cap on the number of World Cup winners in a squad?And who wins the Wolfcraig moment of the week in the ultimate wing showdown between Duhan van der Merwe and Gabriel Ibitoye?We also get a chance to natter about Rocky Elsom's arrest warrant and did you know Max was a butler in the buff at Katie Price aka Jordan's birthday party????Enjoy and as always, we love you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're delighted to be joined by our old pal Jack Nowell for an update on life in France and the Top 14.He tells us all about how Ronan O'Gara has taken Johnny Sexton's new autobiography and settling in at La Rochelle.We also hear his thoughts on Exeter's current woes, why Henry Slade no longer responds to his messages or calls and the real differences between the Prem and the Top 14.There's also an update on all his pals like Manu Tuilagi, the Simmonds brother and Jonny May who have headed to French pastures new...What about England's next generation of wingers? Nowellsy runs the rule over who he sees as the successors.....And what about the Lions and being eligible for France? Max meanwhile comes off the back of that momentous and dramatic turnaround to see of Jack's old team Exeter.... What a weekend for him while Ryan has been kind enough to join us from his family holiday in Portugal.... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's time to put Bristol's sensational centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg under the microscope after another starring performance in the derby win over Bath.There are calls in the media for his inclusion in the England squad the minute he's available but will he pick the Red Rose over his Springbok nation? Most importantly how does he keep his luscious mullet locks so luscious? Come and find out! We hear all about what Max is like at work, what the boys of Bristol got up to after the win and how South Africa compares to England.Ryan also gives us a big URC round up with the fastest ever try scored in the competitions history.We round up the rest of the Premiership matches, Michael Cheika's ban and plenty more. Come and join us! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week it’s all about the Boks… A sublime performance to lift the Rugby Championship for the first time since 2019 and just their second in 15 years….The boys debate Eben Etzebeth’s standing as one of the greatest locks of all time. There’s competition in there with Victor Matfield, Bakkies Botha, Sam Whitelock, Martin Johnson, Paul O’Connell or Alun Wyn Jones so who exactly is the goat?The fellas take in the last weekend of the Rugby Championship and evaluate how all the countries have fared….There’s also the tastiest of ties to talk through with Max as Bristol lose to Gloucester in the neutral match of the season so far. What on earth happened with that hattrick try for Christian Wade?As always the boys run through all the big talking points from the Prem and URC but we also hear how their weekend together in Glasgow went watching people beat the living daylights out of each other (MMA)Enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's a packed out show as Leicester's new signing Ben Volavola joins the boys to talk through the start of the Prem season and Fiji winning the PNC as well as reuniting with Michael Cheika, the ultimate man manager.The lads break down the shock of the season so far as Argentina stop the Springboks from winning the Rugby Championship with a game to spare and set up an almighty final round clash. Most importantly both teams flew back on a charter flight together..... how on earth was that?We hear from Max after his first match and first win of the season up at Newcastly. Maxie baby starting in a superpowered front row with Ellis Genge to bring the boys in black to their knees....Ryan is back on presenting and comms duty and teaming up with friend of the show Simon Zebo as the URC kicks off with some big results all over the place, we also round up the other Prem matches including the tasty clash between Bath and Northampton..... handbags all around.And as a special little bonus for everyone we catch up with former UFC fighter Stevie "Braveheart" Ray on dodgy UFC dealings, fighting with a tag on and how you lose 13kg's in 3 days..... Enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Maul or Nothing is back with a bigger, better and bolder season ahead.We catch up with the boys to find out how their summer was and particularly Max and Ryan's romantic trip around Scotland to go and play with the Worlds Strongest Men, The Staltman brothers.Its time to check in on Max's pre season and find out how the new faces are fitting in, while Ryan has some potentially very big news, that might not be big news but could maybe be absolutely huge news while also possibly being no news at all.The boys look ahead to what promises to be a heck of a year for the show and rugby as a whole with the URC and Prem kicking off while there are tasty autumn internationals to attend, sevens tournaments to party at and the Lions tour on the horizon.We get the predictions for both the URC and the Premiership while Max and Ryan run the rule over the ins and outs of players in both competitions.There's a cheeky Rugby Championship round up and the boys both agree South Africa are now Masters of the Universe..... but what about our dear Australia, can they recover in time for the British and Irish contingent heading down under or will the Wallabies be fed to the Lions?We also get some insight into the Steve Borthwick camp and what happened with Felix Jones.....sort ofWe're back and we're so happy you're joining us on another season of Maul or Nothing. Big love as always! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The boys sit down for an exclusive chat with the leader and captain of the Flying Fijians in Waisea Nayacalevu as well as Northampton’s Prem winning lock forward Temo MayanavanuaWe hear all about the World Cup heartbreak and the genuine belief they were good enough to reach the final. We get an unfiltered version of what happened in the England game and their thoughts on how Fiji officiated compared to Tier 1 Nations. Are the most exciting set of players in the world hindered by the respect they show the officials?We hear from Temo on Northampton’s march to the prem title and how he found France.In fact both players agree that the baguette might just be the greatest single French invention ever.Wais and Temo talk through their perfect 7s team and how good Selestino Ravutaumada really is with the Olympic world at this feet. And what about Waisea just swapping his contract with Manu Tuilagi?The boys put the Fijians under the microscope and hear what this new era holds for the Flying Fijians Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We finally have everyone back and ready to dissect a fascinating summer of international rugby. The Boks and Irish cancel each other out in an epic double header, but was it a fair result? Was there a block that allowed the last gasp drop goal from Frawley? What about our buddy Malcolm Marx and the dreaded Croc Roll….. and are you only as good as your last game (Max 😂)And what about England, will they ever get a better chance to beat the All Blacks in their own back yard? They keep getting so close to beating the best teams in the world but coming short. Is Project Borthwick to be commended or scrutinised?The All Blacks though are up and running in the Razor era, but how does Fiji’s evolution stack up?And Wales? Poor old Wales… They only waited until the 79th minute of their final match of the summer to pick up their first win of 2024…. But a win is a win (even against a second string Queensland Reds side) Most importantly what on earth did Max get up to in Senegal and how come Ryan came back less relaxed following his all inclusive luxury holiday than when he left…. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The MoN boys get the lowdown on everything to do with Fijian rugby from its very own guru Mick Byrne.We are delighted to sit down with the new Fiji coach as he prepares to take on the mighty All Blacks.Fresh from helping to grow the Fijian Drua he’s now ready to build on the Fijian World Cup success and take them to the next level.Mick The Kick has had one of the most varied and impressive careers the only person to coach against himself at international level as head coach of Japan when they took on the All Blacks, the team he was skills coach for at the time as well! 00:00 Intro02:50 Coaching Fiji07:09 The culture in Fiji and Drua13:50 Keeping talent in Fiji 19:27 What makes Fijians so good at rugby?23:09 Micks coaching style25:29 Drinking Cava29:04 Who is Mick excited about coaching32:38 Coaching in Scotland38:23 Two World Cup wins with the All Blacks42:43 Michael Leitch and Japan45:57 Who has Mick learned from the most50:24 How far can Fiji go? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bula Vinaka everyone! We’ve caught up with two rising stars of Fijian rugby as they prepare for their upcoming test against the All Blacks.We hear all about Peni’s antics when Ryan took him under his wing at Glasgow. The smile, the laugh, the stories…. These Matuwalus really are the most magnetic people in the world of rugby and we love them!Frank is hot property but wants to see Fijian Drua win Super Rugby before moving on…. Will it happen? Well the boys have utmost confidence in the upwardly mobile position Fiji rugby finds itself in.So what’s life been like post World Cup and with a new coaching set up?How healthy is the future of Fijian rugby and what did Peni do when he first saw the drinks available at a local Glasgow pub?And what about respect among the Fijian community…. We hear how Peni deals with playing against someone from the same area in Fiji as him (Virimi Vakatawa…) and we’re not sure his coaches will be happy 😂Ryan and Marc head out to the Lensbury Resort while Max is out doing Max things in Senegal 🇸🇳! MoN team up with the Absolute Rugby Gang (10% discount code here: https://absoluterugby.co.uk/discount/MON10) for a Flying Fijian Special! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re delighted to be joined this week by the Wallabies and Exeter and Barbarians Star Scott Sio.He takes the boys through a fun filled time with the Baba’s, how he’s played against Sam Whitelock his whole life and in a funny twist of fate lines up alongside him for Sam’s final match. We go through his Wallabies career and aspirations (Joe Schmidt give him a bell!!!) and that he’d love to put on the Aussie jersey once more. He also walks us through what’s been happening to rugby union in Australia and how to bring back some of its shine.The Eddie Jones project is also put under the microscope and how different life has been after a decade at the brumbies to switching locations to Devon.Speaking of the brumbies, remember when they beat the Lions in 2013…. Scott does! And he tells us all about that wonderful day Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s actually happened…. Can you believe it… Glasgow Warriors are URC champions. They beat the Bulls and the altitude to give Scottish rugby one of its most crowning moments.OBVIOUSLY Ryan was there as a one man hype machine, he’s in the stand with Steve Kitshoff, he’s among the fans, he’s in the winning dressing room, he’s on their bus and he’s absolutely broken on his way home. (You’ll never guess the British and Irish Lions star to his left on his flight home)We are blessed to have a very dusty Huw Jones, wearing his champions cap, take us through all the emotions of the match. The feeling going into it, how they reacted to going 13-0 down in an arena full to the brim with Bulls fans. He then takes us through the celebrations and how Klingon Wilson went full kit on them.There’s also a rather sobering flight home, before they’re back on it and the party goes again.The Maul or Nothing team take you into the heart of an enthralling final and celebrations to match. Enjoy!0:00 - Ryan's ultimate weekend of punditry & Celebrations!9:49 - Ryan's perfect punditry predictions12:50 - Max has been to a Work Colleague's wedding!15:18 - Japan vs England20:27 - South Africa vs Wales - the Baba's curtain-raiser 23:00 - Does all of South Africa have gout? 25:10 - Baba's vs Fiji 30:20 - Sam Whitelock tribute34:00 - Where's the easiest place to hide on a rugby field?36:17 - URC CHAMPION Huw 'Shuggy' Jones joins us!43:55 - Playing at altitude51:40 - Jake White's ref comments Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are really going up in the world…. It’s a very special episode of Maul or Nothing as we head to our favourite luxury hotel, the Mandarin Oriental, to welcome Baba’s boys Jonathan Joseph and Zach Mercer to our suite to sip the finest champagne in the world in the shape of Pol Roger. It was the tipple of Sir Winston Churchill don’t you know…. so we enjoy some lovely drops of that while discussing all things code.How has the France experience gone at Biarritz for JJ and how does it compare to Zach’s stunning time at Montpellier?What are Zach’s England aspirations as he continues to put in world class performances?How big has the Barbarians party actually been?Perhaps most importantly…. As friends and former teammates. .. How much can they take the piss out of Max Lahiff in an hour???All questions answered….It’s a cracker! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re delighted to be joined by arguably one of the most destructive, powerful and consistent centres (nailed on 🦁 for 🇦🇺 in our humble biased opinion) in world rugby in the shape of Sione Tuipulotu. He takes us into the heart of the battle of Thomond Park, the feeling he had about what was going to happen and why the boys didn’t actually really celebrate an epic victory over the defending champions, Munster.Sione also corroborates a lot of Ryan’s stories around getting in hot water with Munster fans (we love our Irish viewers, so please don’t listen to Ryan, he’s a weirdo with an Irish chip on his shoulder) Apparently there was a lot of chat flying around on and off the pitch which Nonz prefers! Reminds him of his under 15 days! In other news Sione’s brother, Mosese, is moving to Scotland and in his words “Scar” is coming for him 😂 as he’s joining the dark side (Edinburgh….) Max meanwhile is back from Ed Holmes’s stag do in Marbella where they collided with Gareth Anscombe, Ellis Jenkins and more of the Welsh boys who were also on a stag. Ryan survived Munster and is happy to talk about the Bulldozing Bulls beating a stacked Leinster side. Are they the unluckiest team on earth or is there more to it?Max and Ryan take us through that absolute powerhouse of a Bulls pack and just how dangerous they’ll be at home to Glasgow.We look ahead to the summer tests and some spectacularly tasty ties to tuck into…. Springboks vs Ireland anyone?!? Oh and most importantly we finally get round to answering some of your questions! Keep them coming in!0:00 - Intro - Ryan's meeting his fans in Ireland07:27 - Max in Marbella - 'When Stags collide'!09:52 - Sione Tuipulotu joins us from the airport33:52 - A (genuine!) tribute to our Simon Zebo35:41 - Bulls v Leinster - are Leinster the unluckiest team in rugby?46:37 - Looking ahead to the final and predictions50:29 - Fan Questions...finally answered01:02:48 - Looking ahead to the Summer Internationals01:07:07 - South Africa vs Ireland - the one that means the most! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s an absolute bumper show filled with an A List cast where we get both sides of the story from a truly engrossing Premiership Final.Bath’s back row bulldozer Ted Hill joins the boys to take them through what was a sensational performance from his team who came so close to taking the title. What were the messages directly after the red card? How has Beno taken the defeat and above all did they get to The Ship?Ted also talks all things England, what Finn Russell has brought to the club and his Premiership Team of the Season (which is very hard to argue against)Meanwhile the Saints are still on the smash and they’re in Benidorm (of all places) for Joel Matavesi’s stag…. Rory Hutchinson takes the lads into the heart of the action as the party seems to be ongoing…see how many of the Saints boys you can spot. Lots of questions to be asked…not many answers given... which Matavesi brother is in his budgie smugglers, why is Lewis Ludlam refusing to take off his top and who exactly is the best National 2 player?In other news Max is back from South Korea having appeared to eat food that is very much still alive and Ryan didn’t mention golf, which is a relief Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The boys are back into the league chats with Prem semi finals to discuss and a final round of the URC regular season to dissect. Ryan as usual was shameless in hitting up his old pal Finn Russell and his new pal Fin Smith for an exclusive chat, which will come, depending on who wins on Saturday at Twickenham. Read between the lines it was a straight no for this week although why Fin Smith was unavailable is rather amusing! The URC is into the business end with the last 8 decided. Toby Booth’s Ospreys squeezing into the mix much to the delight of the boys.It’s safe to say that Ryan has delivered his albatross predictions so Glasgow might be in trouble. In other news, could all the South African fans hammering Max for saying yes to Steve Kitshoff’s tops off challenge (that Kitsy instigated)….. keep going on the viral post...It’s funny! 😂 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How Toulouse celebrated their Champions Cup Win with Blair Kinghorn!From riding a zebra at Tottenham Hotspur stadium, to Champagne goggles with Antoine DuPont, the scenes on arrival at Toulouse airport and the non stop partying since, Smaug breaks down the greatest celebrations of his life. He joins the boys from the lilo in his pool at his house in Toulouse wearing just a European Cup winners medal while his neighbour Jack Willis watches from over the fence.We hear all about the celebrations, the partying, what the management had planned for them and whether there’s still some partying to be done.We also hear about the game….What was going through their minds when Leinster lined up a drop goal seconds before the end of the 80…. what makes Antoine DuPont so superhuman and what exactly goes on in Smaugs mind? Blair also takes us through the chats with Thomas Ramos around who would take the pressure kicks, and the not nearly discussed enough cover tackle on Dan Sheehan. He’s a hero, he’ll never have to buy a drink in Toulouse ever again…. Ladies and Gentlemen… Blair Kinghorn 👑 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s the big one, the pinnacle of club rugby, two of the most illustrious sides to have graced the competition, Toulouse and Leinster slugging it out for their shot at immortality. Perhaps just as importantly Ryan, Max and Marc took their shot at hospitality immortality as they snagged prime seats at the final. The boys mix it with the stars on a glorious day and even manage to bring you some of the pod! Let the lads take you to the heart of a pulsating final, they live it, they love it, they breathe it (they drink it)...and Max commentates it...in his own unique way! Max gets asked to take his top off by just about every single person, Ryan gets pied off by Wayne Barnes and Marc is rescued from inside a rubbish bin. Oh and did we tell you we love Smaug?0:00 - Intro3:21 - Max leads us through the end of the game, with his live reactions13:15 - Post-game reaction15:03 - a quick embrace with Smaug himself (Blair Kinghorn)15:32 - Back to studio for post-day...and night....analysis Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.