Rugby Union Weekly

Ashy critiques his son’s performance as one of the three Wise Men in his school’s nativity before we turn our attention to another weekend of Champions Cup action. It wasn’t without its issues again as a number of clubs heavily rotated their teams, but Northampton went fully loaded to Pretoria to face the Bulls and Tommy Freeman joins us to tell them all about their bonus-point win. Glasgow fell agonisingly short in Toulon and Toulouse ran riot in Exeter with Antoine Dupont getting one try closer to Ashy’s record. Away from the Champions Cup, Felix Jones has now officially left his role at the RFU. Can we expect him to pop up on the Lions coaching ticket next summer?

Chris and Ashy are back to preview round two of the Champions Cup and we find out what role Ashy's son is playing in his Christmas nativity. George Ford is on the pod ahead of Sale's big clash against Racing 92 on Friday. He also reflects on England's autumn and that drop goal against New Zealand. Could a dramatic schedule change reignite interest in the Champions Cup? And what are the big clashes to look forward to this weekend?

Ugo, Danny and Chris look back at the opening weekend of the Champions Cup. La Rochelle weathered the storm - quite literally - to beat Bath on the opening night, but did the first round manage to showcase the best of the competition? The pre-tournament favourites all won handsomely, but which British team has the best chance of going deep in the tournament? Henry Pollock continues to make waves, and at only 19 what is the best way to nurture him and the next generation of talent? We also hear all about Danny's experience of the Stade Dominique Duvauchelle and how many Christmas trees he has this year.

Sara takes the pod to Bristol to track down American rugby sensation Ilona Maher, who has just announced she will be playing in the PWR next year. Sara chats to her about her first impressions of British food - and the weather! Which Bristol team-mate has she already bonded with? And now she's converted from Sevens to 15s, where will she play? We also hear all about her amazing rise to become the most followed rugby player in the world, why she loves the sport and how she hopes to inspire the next generation of young girls to play rugby,

The Champions Cup is almost upon us, so Chris and Ashy take a look at the main runners and riders ahead of the opening weekend. Are the holders and six-time winners Toulouse the favourites? Or is it time for a new club to emerge to challenge for the prize? We hear from La Rochelle's Jack Nowell ahead of his trip to Bath with the French giants. He gives us a great insight into the brilliance of Ronan O'Gara and what life is like in France with his family having penned a new deal. What can we expect from the South African teams this year? And what about the Premiership clubs, can they reach the latter stage of the tournament like last season?

Ugo, Danny and Ashy are back on the sofa to discuss the return of the Premiership, but Ashy is surprised by what he saw over the weekend. Has the gap between the domestic and international game ever been greater? Newcastle won again and Exeter lost again. Gloucester and Bristol continue to thrill and both claimed impressive wins on the road. But it meant Joe Marler's farewell didn't go to plan. We look at Andy Farrell's to-do list as he starts work as the Lions head coach and ponder how Scotland players will be in his starting backline. Plus, there is some exciting news in the PWR as Bristol confirm the signing of American superstar Ilona Maher.

Chris, Gareth, and Tom convene for the last time this autumn. Gareth updates us on Wales' situation as the many reviews into various aspects of professional rugby continue. Is the RFU being unfairly scrutinised for revealing record bonuses for its executives as its financial affairs are made public? And with Ireland hosting Australia this weekend, Chris ponders whether the Wallabies have enough left in the tank to pull off a surprise win in Dublin.

The curtain has come down on the autumn for England, Scotland and Wales. Danny, Chris and Ashy assess where each team are at after testing themselves against the best from the southern hemisphere. How should England reflect on their autumn after only one win in four? And which players' stock has grown this November? Danny's upset the Scotland fans and shares some of the kind messages he's received after Gregor Townsend's side beat Australia in Edinburgh. The WRU have started their review into Wales' autumn, but could Warren Gatland still be in involved come their Six Nations opener in Paris? There's controversy at the World Rugby awards and with Ireland yet to complete their autumn schedule, we start looking at some of the issues awaiting Andy Farrell when he becomes Lions head coach.

Chris and Paul Grayson are at Twickenham to bring you reaction to England's dominant victory over Japan. It ended a run of five straight defeats for Steve Borthwick, but how happy is he with the team's progress this autumn? Jamie George is also on the pod and we get Eddie Jones' take on a tough day at the office for Japan and a less than ideal return to Twickenham for the former England head coach. We are also in Monaco for the World Rugby awards as Sara sits down with the men's and women's player of the year. South Africa forward Pieter-Steph du Toit claimed the men's award for a second time while Ellie Kildunne was crowned the best women's player after a stellar year with the Red Roses.

Chris, Tom, and Gareth are back for the penultimate pod of the autumn. They save the Wales chat for the end, as Gareth tries to make sense of the challenges facing the team. Chris questions whether England's coaching staff might be short on experience, while Tom argues that Scotland's clash with Australia is a must-win, believing it could define their entire year.

Is time running out for Warren Gatland? Wales have now lost 11 successive Test matches and conceded 50 points at home for the first time. Chris, Ugo and Ashy discuss what needs to change to get Welsh rugby back on track. Is the issue bigger than the head coach? England are also on a losing run. Are there still question marks around their identity under Steve Borthwick and is fitness one of the reasons behind their inability to close out games? Plus, the nominees for the World Rugby Awards are out and the Haka is back in the spotlight – quite literally!

Chris, Tom and Gareth return after a clean sweep of defeats for the home nations. They begin with the narrative in Wales as more pressure is being heaped on Warren Gatland. Gareth asks whether the WRU are considering his future. Despite their poor showing against the All Blacks, Tom isn’t concerned for Ireland. And Chris tries to explain what is going on behind the scenes at England.

Chris and Ashy bring you a special pod looking ahead to England's massive game against the World Champions South Africa at Twickenham. You'll hear from Ellis Genge on the challenge of facing the Boks up front and how they've been picking themselves up after the shock defeat to Australia. We also Jerry Flannery on how special it is to be working with the double World Cup winners. Follow the Autumn Nations Series on BBC Sounds: Friday 15th November: Ireland v Argentina - 20:10 Saturday 16th November: Scotland v Portugal - 15:10 | England v South Africa - 17:40 | France v New Zealand - 20:10 Sunday 17th November: Wales v Australia - 16:10

It was a weekend to forget for the Northern Hemisphere in the Autumn Nations Series. Ugo, Danny and Chris look back on a clean sweep for the Southern Hemisphere sides as the home nations all lost on home turf. To blitz, or not to blitz, that is the question facing England after they shipped 42 points against the Wallabies. Is it time for them to adopt another defensive system? What next for Wales after they suffered a record-equalling 10th Test in a row? Will the WRU give Warren Gatland the time to turn things around? Ireland lost their unbeaten home record as the All Blacks continue to impress under Scott Robertson. And South Africa got the better of Scotland once again, centre Andre Esterhuizen joins us from Edinburgh airport as they start their prep to face England. Plus, we talk 20-minute red cards.

Chris, Matt Dawson and Paul Grayson bring you reaction to a bonkers game at Twickenham as Max Jorgenson scored an 84th minute to inflict another defeat on England. Why aren't they able to hold onto a lead? England led by 12 points in the first half and then fought back to lead 37-35 with only two minutes to go, but couldn’t see it out. We hear from England captain Jamie George and head coach Steve Borthwick immediately after the full-time whistle on where it went wrong. Is it a coaching issue or a psychological one? “A megastar in the making,” that was verdict on Joseph Suaalii's Test debut as he picked up player of the match as the Wallabies won at Twickenham for the first time since 2015.

Chris, Tom and Gro are all finally together as the Autumn Nations Series starts in earnest. Gro seeks positives to cling on to as Wales prepare to face Fiji, and we discuss whether Ireland are justifiably favourites against New Zealand on Friday night. Scotland face the stiffest test in world rugby, while after losing to the All Blacks, England are under pressure to return to winning ways against Joe Schmidt’s Australia.

There's a new rugby autobiography hitting the shelves this week and it's already caused quite a stir. Ugo and Chris quiz Danny about his book and what he's got to say about Eddie Jones' England regime. We continue to pick the bones out of England's last-gasp defeat against the All Blacks and discuss the most effective way to nail a drop goal. But are England scoring enough points under Steve Borthwick? And how do they avoid getting sucked into an arm wrestle when they keep coming up short? Duhan van der Merwe and Darcy Graham are fighting it out to become Scotland's all-time try scorer, but can they stun the Boks this weekend? Joe Marler retires from international rugby, again, and a depleted New Zealand head to Dublin to face Ireland at the Aviva.

Chris, Ashy and Matt Dawson react to New Zealand’s dramatic win over England at Twickenham. They pick through the final stages and where the game got away from England. Was it the right decision to bring Marcus Smith and Ben Spencer off? We hear from Jamie George on the pod, who says England need to start closing out tight matches. All Blacks head coach Scott Roberson also gives us his take on another narrow win over England and we wax lyrical about the winning try from Mark Tele'a.

The Nations Pod is back! GRO, like Wales, sits out this episode as it falls outside of the international Test window, but Chris and Tom eventually look ahead to the start of the Autumn Nation Series after battling yet more technical issues. How much pressure are England under to beat the All Blacks this Saturday? Steve Borthwick has named his team early picking Ben Spencer at scrum-half and Henry Slade in midfield, despite him only playing 54 minutes this season. Sione Tuipulotu will lead Scotland against Fiji and Tom is full of praise for the new Scotland captain and is backing Gregor Townsend's side to take a big scalp this autumn.

To launch our coverage of the autumn nations series, Chris and Ashy head to Jersey to sit down with double World Cup winning South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus. We ask what makes him tick, how he stays motivated, and whether the Springboks can win a third World Cup. And given his emotional connection to South Africa, would he ever coach another international side? We are also joined by the great winger Cheslin Kolbe; what has been his favourite moment in a Springbok jersey, and what’s the driving force behind his brilliant career so far?