The Rugby Paper Podcast

Today I thoroughly enjoyed doing a deep dive on an outstanding new fly-half who made the first two URC matches in South Africa for Leinster that little bit more exiting! Born in Austria and following in his father’s footsteps, Caspar Gabriel joined the club during COVID, and after making his first cap last season, has now since started twice against the Lions and Sharks this term. In this video I go into his background, his motivations, the skills in him that caught my eye and where I think he sits in the Leinster fly-half pecking order! Always love seeing a new player make a good account of himself! Keep it up Casper 👍 🎙️ The TQL Rugby Podcast is available now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and more! 🏉 #rugby #rugbyunion #leinster #leinsterrugby #ireland #onetowatch #podcast 

This week I was overjoyed to reunite with a legend of Champ Rugby and phenomenal fly-half, Bruce Houston!   Bruce’s rugby CV boasts a wide range of experience from club level to international duty as he toured South Africa, Canada and America whilst playing for Zimbabwe.   I first spoke to Bruce in 2025 whilst he played with Champ side Cornish Pirates and we really hit it off.   Bruce’s enthusiasm and experience makes an interview feel more like a chat, and I expect the former Ulsterman’s return to the Champ to be more thrilling than ever!   Honing his skills with Ulster, Edinburgh, Ealing Trailfinders, Cornish Pirates and USBPA rugby, Bruce is certainly one to watch.   Having keenly followed his career with interest, I can’t wait to see what’s in store next for the 26-year-old!   And, for good measure, we have an impromptu and unexpected chat about golf!

Ugo Monye was speaking on behalf of LiveScore Bet - the home of NFL betting. Visit https://www.livescorebet.com/uk/ for the latest NFL odds and offers.   In this week’s episode of The Rugby Paper Roundup… The Premiership is back — and former England and British & Irish Lions winger Ugo Monye joins Assistant Editor Ben Jaycock to look ahead to the new domestic season and tackle some of the biggest questions facing English rugby. After a disappointing campaign for Harlequins, can Ugo’s former club bounce back and re-establish themselves among the Premiership contenders? Do they need to evolve their trademark attacking style to challenge for silverware? We also turn our attention to England’s increasingly competitive battle on the wings, including one of the most exciting young talents in the country. 🏉 Can Harlequins bounce back? We discuss: •⁠  ⁠What went wrong for Quins last season •⁠  ⁠Whether they can return to Premiership title contention •⁠  ⁠The importance of maintaining their attacking identity while finding different ways to win •⁠  ⁠Who Ugo expects to set the standard as the Premiership returns •⁠  ⁠The teams and players who could surprise us this season   🌹 England’s battle on the wing As a former international winger himself, Ugo gives his verdict on the growing number of players pushing for England honours. What does an elite Test winger need in the modern game? Who is closest to breaking into Steve Borthwick’s side? And with so much competition emerging, what combination should England ultimately be looking for? 🔥 Is Noah Caluori ready for Test rugby? One of English rugby’s brightest young talents is already generating huge excitement. We ask Ugo what makes Noah Caluori such a special prospect and whether he is ready to make the enormous leap into Test rugby. Is it a case of protecting a young player and allowing him to develop — or, if you’re good enough, are you old enough? 🌍 How do England bridge the gap? South Africa and New Zealand continue to set the benchmark at the top of the international game. So where are England currently falling short? We discuss whether the difference is talent, depth, cohesion or execution under pressure — and what needs to change for England to arrive at the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia capable of consistently challenging the world’s leading sides. Plus, Ugo gives us his predictions for the new Premiership campaign and the England players he expects to enhance their reputations this season. 🎧 Subscribe for more weekly rugby insight, analysis and debate from The Rugby Paper Roundup. You can subscribe to The Rugby Paper digitally or physically for more great content via this link: https://www.therugbypaper.co.uk/subscriptions OR by scanning the QR code in the top right corner. Follow us across social media for more rugby insight and analysis: X: https://x.com/TheRugbyPaper Facebook: / therugbypaper Instagram: / therugbypaper

TQL Rugby Podcast   This week I was delighted to be joined by one of my favourite rugby YouTubers, Riaan Louw!   Riaan is a serial Lions & Springbok supporter as well as a fair and fun observer of all teams and games. When it comes to South African rugby there are few people who can match his passion and knowledge.   Riaan’s love of the game speaks for itself. Dedicating six years to creating nearly 200 fun and informative YouTube videos; the Rugby Updates, Riaan is a regular guest over many podcasts and he works hard to share his devotion of rugby to all supporters worldwide!   I first came across the Rugby Updates when a video entitled “What is Rugby” popped up on my feed and I’ve been hooked ever since.   Riaan offers funny, fair and knowledgeable opinions on a wide array of games from club to international, women’s and men’s games alike!    We discuss what got Riaan into rugby, his beloved Lions and how they put the All Blacks to the test.   We also touched on how the Springboks maintain such dominance in the world of rugby as well as take a look at the upcoming URC season starting this Friday!   You can find Riaan on YouTube (@RiaanLouw), X (@Ringo26) and Instagram (ringo1926)!

In this episode of The Rugby Paper Round Up, TRP Assistant Editor,Ben Jaycock is joined by Rich from YouTube channel, RugbyAnalyst. We discuss Henry Pollock finally signing for Northampton under. Eddie Hearn and Matchroom now represent Pollock, is this a the future style for rugby player representation…or will it drag rugby down? We also discuss Northampton Saints’ and England’s prospects this season with Pollock involved. What is his best position and what the balance of the England backrow should be? 🎧 Subscribe for more weekly rugby insight, analysis and debate from The Rugby Paper Roundup. You can subscribe to The Rugby Paper digitally or physically for more great content via this link: https://www.therugbypaper.co.uk/subsc... OR by scanning the QR code in the top right corner. Follow us across social media for more rugby insight and analysis: X: https://x.com/TheRugbyPaper Facebook: / therugbypaper Instagram: / therugbypaper