HG Rugby

Fiji have sewn up a third consecutive Pacific Nations Cup win with victory over Japan in the grand final. Are they now too good for the PNC? Fijian rugby is in the best place it ever has been and they have firmly made the step from T2 nation to T1. Welcome back to the HG Rugby Podcast. The Pacific Nations Cup might not be the competition that gets the most press coverage, certainly not compared to the Six Nations or the Rugby Championship, but this year, in 2025, it was perhaps one of the most consequential championships in the world, as it decided not only who gets the glory of being the Pacific Champions, but also who gets an automatic World Cup spot in Australia. This year, Fiji took home their third consecutive crown, and once again, A.D. Jones of Japan came up short. To deep dive all of it, I'm welcoming back one of my favourite guests to the HG Rugby podcast, journalist Steve Noble. Follow me on twitter: https://x.com/HuwGriffinRugby Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61580910041103 Follow Steve on Twitter: https://x.com/RugbyAsia247 #Fiji #Samoa #Tonga #USA #Canada #Japan #Chile #womensrugby #worldcup #pacificnationscup #fijirugby #rugbyunion Chapters 0:00 Fiji Review 10:43 Japan Review 22:30 Tonga Review 29:32 Canada Review 34:30 USA Review 43:30 Samoa Review 53:15 Women's World Cup Debate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to the TOP 14 Digest! This weekly podcast captures all of the news and results in the world of rugby’s biggest club competition: the French Top 14 - Huw and Maz bring English language coverage of all of the biggest talking points in France: games, gossip, controversies and climaxes. From Paris to Perpignan, we’ve got it covered! What’s new with Toulouse? What did Dupont do this week? Is there trouble in Toulon? Has Ronan O’Gara gotten banned at La Rochelle again? Have UBB got what it takes? What did Jacky Lorenzetti at Racing 92 just say? Why are Stade Francais in the news this week? If you like the sound of that please consider giving the channel a subscribe and sharing a link with a mate. Those of you listening on audio formats can help out by giving us a 5 star review - that tells the money people we are liked! #top14 #france #rugby #toulouse #bordeaux #larochelle #stadefrancais #podcast #news #drama #highlights Follow Maz on twitter: https://x.com/mazmcm Follow Huw on twitter: https://x.com/HuwGriffinRugby Follow the podcast on twitter: https://x.com/RugbyVous Chapters: Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Newcastle Falcons, the worst rugby team in England, have been taken over by soft drinks manufacturer RedBull. Overnight, this has turned club rugby in Europe on its head. For the last few years, Newcastle have languished at the bottom of the English Premiership table. They have lost countless games by huge margins and lost their best players to their rivals. They could not be further from the team that won the league with Jonny Wilkinson back in the 90s. As a business, they struggled badly being so isolated up in the North East of England. Last season their owners put them up for sale as their premiership rivals agreed a deal to loan them money just to keep them afloat. It looked hopeless, but then RedBull came in. RedBull are used to competing in sports such as football and Formula 1. They are accustomed with spending vast sums of money to achieve success. However, in rugby, the cost of domination will be far, far lower. With their new owners on board, Newcastle RedBulls are set to climb rugby's hierarchy... fast. In this video I deep dive the stats that expose how Newcastle fell to the bottom of pro rugby and I'll be revealing just how impactful their new era is set to be... for everyone. #Newcastle #rugby #redbull #takeover #premiership #england #money #f1 #football #highlights #worst #history Follow me on twitter: https://x.com/HuwGriffinRugby Chapters 0:00 Wor Club 1:00 Wor Stats 2:31 Wor Money 5:32 Wor Contenders 7:26 Wor Reason 7:59 Wor Takeover 10:02 Wor Future Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to the TOP14 Digest! This weekly podcast captures all of the news and results in the world of rugby’s biggest club competition: the French Top 14 - Huw and Maz bring English language coverage of all of the biggest talking points in France: games, gossip, controversies and climaxes. From Paris to Perpignan, we’ve got it covered! What’s new with Toulouse? What did Dupont do this week? Is there trouble in Toulon? Has Ronan O’Gara gotten banned at La Rochelle again? Have UBB got what it takes? What did Jacky Lorenzetti at Racing 92 just say? Why are Stade Francais in the news this week? If you like the sound of that please consider giving the channel a subscribe and sharing a link with a mate. Those of you listening on audio formats can help out by giving us a 5 star review - that tells the money people we are liked! #top14 #france #rugby #toulouse #bordeaux #larochelle #stadefrancais #podcast #news #drama #highlights Follow Maz on twitter: https://x.com/mazmcm Follow Huw on twitter: https://x.com/HuwGriffinRugby Follow the podcast on twitter: https://x.com/RugbyVous Chapters: 0:00 Top 14 R1 Results 4:45 UBB vs La Rochelle Review 9:00 Lyon vs Racing 92 Review 12:40 Maz Teaches French 16:40 Pau Owner Hammers Toulouse 20:55 Stade Francais Kit Launch 23:35 Perpignan vs Bayonne Review 26:25 Women's World Cup 31:50 Top 14 R2 Predictions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We all love to talk about rugby in Canada; whether it be the struggles of the men's team or the incredible success of the women's team, everyone has an opinion. But how many of us outside Canada really have any knowledge of what the sport is doing in this great nation? Whilst the women are in the midst of a challenge for the world title in England and the men have just beaten the USA in their battle to qualify for the world cup in Australia, this felt like the perfect time to sit down and truly deep dive what's going on in North America. This week I was joined by Canadian rugby journalist Karen Gasbarino to deep dive the current state of rugby in the country and understand what they are doing to move past the dark times and create themselves a bright future. #canada #rugby #womensrugby #worldcup #usa #journalism #interview #insights #analysis #grassroots #northamerica #podcast #honest #mlr Listen to the audio version of this podcast! 🎧 Spotify 💚 Apple 💜 Follow Karen on twitter: https://x.com/gasbarnut12 Follow me on twitter: https://x.com/HuwGriffinRugby Chapters 0:00 Intro-ing My Guest 5:15 Canada Defeat USA 7:00 Kingsley Jones Toxicity 10:10 Beating USA Satisfaction 11:25 Canada's Rugby Struggles 15:45 How Big Is 7s? 18:50 Vancouver Highlanders 22:25 Life After The Scandals 26:30 Women's Rugby First? 31:15 Sophie De Goede GOAT 34:00 What People Get WRONG 41:00 World Cup Contenders? 46:25 Ilona Maher Effect 49:25 Canadian Classics Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to the TOP14 Digest! This weekly podcast captures all of the news and results in the world of rugby’s biggest club competition: the French TOP14 - Huw and Maz bring English language coverage of all of the biggest talking points: games, gossip, controversies and climaxes. If you like the sound of that please consider giving the channel a subscribe and sharing a link with a mate. Those of you listening on audio formats can help out by giving us a 5 star review - that tells the money people we are liked! #top14 #france #rugby #toulouse #bordeaux #larochelle #stadefrancais #podcast #news #drama #highlights Follow Maz on twitter: https://x.com/mazmcm Follow Huw on twitter: https://x.com/HuwGriffinRugby Follow the podcast on twitter: https://x.com/RugbyVous Chapters: 0:00 Intro 2:10 Toulouse 3:20 UBB 7:00 Bayonne 10:10 Montpellier 11:40 Pau 14:05 Lyon 15:30 Montauban 17:50 Clermont 20:10 Castres 21:30 Stade Français 25:50 Perpignan 28:20 Toulon 31:00 Racing 34:50 La Rochelle 37:10 Women's World Cup 40:40 R1 Predictions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I was delighted to be joined by Springbok Women head coach Swys de Bruin! Having worked at academy, Franchise & Men's international level as well as being an analyst for SuperSports, there perhaps no one in South Africa more qualified as a rugby educator as Swys. In this podcast I was lucky enough to be able to pick his brains for nearly an hour, covering a wide variety of rugby topics. Swys is of course deep in his preparations with the Springbok women for the Rugby World Cup in England later in 2025. I ask him all about how he has adjusted to coaching in women's rugby and how the women's game is progressing in South Africa. He talked passionately about the diversity in South African rugby and how important it is to draw on the strength that gives the country. He then gave me a fascinating insight into his approach to coaching and how he views himself as a rugby teacher. He tells me how he communicates with his players and how he gets them playing rugby to his vision for the game. He also gave me some brilliant analysis on where rugby is headed and the trends he is seeing across the game. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The British and Irish Lions are currently on their tour of Australia and have won the first test in Brisbane. The Lions is all about history and tradition, meaning each evokes the memories of tours gone by. In this case of this tour, the tales being told most often relate to the last time the Lions visited Australian shores, when they made history with their only victorious test series this century. Whilst a Lions tour is about coming together, so often the memories are about an individual. In the case of 2013, the individual of note was Wales fullback Leigh Halfpenny. His record breaking performance won him player of the series back in 2013... but was it even more than that? Was Halfpenny's performance against Australia in 2013 the greatest we have ever seen from a Lion? In this video I will tell the story of Halfpenny's 2013. I'll break down what made him such an exceptional player and how he propelled himself to the Lions XV in Australia, setting records all along the way. If you enjoy it, please consider subscribing to the channel and sharing a link with a friend! Cheers! Follow me on Twitter: https://x.com/HuwGriffinRugby Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello! on the agenda for this special, Champions only show today: MLR English Prem URC WER Super Rugby Super Rugby Aupiki Super W PWR Japan League One TOP14 Super Rugby Americas Rugby Europe Super Cup Elite 1 If you enjoy the show please give it a 5 star rating and share a link with a mate! Cheers! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Argentina's win over the British & Irish Lions was just one more achievement in a 12 month period where they also defeated the All Blacks, the Springboks and the Wallabies for the first time ever. But this wasn't just a milestone for Argentinian rugby, but for South American Rugby as a whole. The Los Pumas side that beat the Lions contained players from Super Rugby Americas - the young league encompassing teams from Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay and Chile. Along with Argentina, those nations are now starting to emerge as challengers on the rugby circuit. In this podcast I speak to Joe Santamaria from the Rugby Paper and ESPN. He's on the ground in Buenos Aires and gives me the inside scoop on Argentina's acceleration on both the international and domestic front. He tells me all about Super Rugby Americas and how it is super charging the World Cup ambitions of Uruguay, Chile & Brazil. Last but not least, he educates me on the most exciting development of all: the advancement of the Brazilian national women's rugby team. The HG rugby podcast is all about telling the stories you don't get to hear anywhere else. By interviewing people from across the globe I hope to enhance people's enjoyment of rugby by informing of the hidden achievements of those outside the mainstream. If you like the sound of that, please subscribe to the channel and share a link with a mate - it really helps out! #argentina #chile #brazil #paraguay #uruguay #rugby #podcast #interview #journalism #worldcup #lospumas #superugbyamericas #secret #southamerica #highlights #results #womensrugby Follow me on twitter: https://x.com/HuwGriffinRugby Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Everything you need to know about the ACT Brumbies! Welcome to a new series of videos previewing the 2025 British & Irish Lions Tour to Australia focusing on the pre-test series games against the Super Rugby Pacific franchises. These videos aim to introduce you to each side, tell you a little bit about their history, point out their best players, identify their strengths and pinpoint their weaknesses. If you like the sound of that, please feel free to drop the video a like and hit subscribe! This episode is for game 4: the ACT Brumbies. We'll deep dive the Canberra based outfit and what makes them the best club team in Australia and how the Lions should approach playing them, as well as the players to look out for! #lions #brumbies #lionstour #rugby #preview #australia #canberra #wallabies #england #ireland #scotland #wales #stats #analysis #british Follow me on twitter: https://x.com/HuwGriffinRugby Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Everything you need to know about the NSW Waratahs! Welcome to a new series of videos previewing the 2025 British & Irish Lions Tour to Australia focusing on the pre-test series games against the Super Rugby Pacific franchises. These videos aim to introduce you to each side, tell you a little bit about their history, point out their best players, identify their strengths and pinpoint their weaknesses. If you like the sound of that, please feel free to drop the video a like and hit subscribe! This episode is for game 2: the NSW Waratahs. We'll deep dive the Sydney based outfit and explain why they are actually worse than they looked in Super Rugby this season and how the Lions should approach playing them, as well as the players to look out for! Follow me on twitter: https://x.com/HuwGriffinRugby Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bonjour! on the agenda for our final episode of the season: build up the perfect final star players why Toulouse deserved it season awards! thank you for listening to the show all season! if you enjoy it please consider giving it a 5 star review and sharing a link with a mate. Merci! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Everything you need to know about the Queensland Reds! Welcome to a new series of videos previewing the 2025 British & Irish Lions Tour to Australia focusing on the pre-test series games against the Super Rugby Pacific franchises. These videos aim to introduce you to each side, tell you a little bit about their history, point out their best players, identify their strengths and pinpoint their weaknesses. If you like the sound of that, please feel free to drop the video a like and hit subscribe! This episode is for game 1: the Queensland Reds. We'll deep dive the Brisbane based outfit and explain how they reached the play-offs in Super Rugby this season and how the Lions should approach playing them, as well as the players to look out for! Follow me on twitter: https://x.com/HuwGriffinRugby Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Everything you need to know about the Western Force! Welcome to a new series of videos previewing the 2025 British & Irish Lions Tour to Australia focusing on the pre-test series games against the Super Rugby Pacific franchises. These videos aim to introduce you to each side, tell you a little bit about their history, point out their best players, identify their strengths and pinpoint their weaknesses. If you like the sound of that, please feel free to drop the video a like and hit subscribe! This episode is for game 1: the Western Force. We'll deep dive the Perth based outfit and explain why they finished bottom of all the Australian teams in Super Rugby this season and how the Lions should approach playing them, as well as the players to look out for! #lions #westernforce #lionstour #rugby #preview #australia #perth #wallabies #england #ireland #scotland #wales #stats #analysis #british Follow me on twitter: https://x.com/HuwGriffinRugby Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bonjour! on the agenda today: Toulouse vs Bayonne Review UBB vs Toulon Review Jaminet redemption shut down? England vs France ridiculousness shock hat-trick hero Previewing the grand final If you enjoy the show please give it a 5 star rating and share a link with a mate! merci! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bonjour! on the agenda today: barrage review access match review fan trouble explained Espoirs title lifted France A previewed semi final predictions if you enjoy the show please give it a 5 star rating and share a link with a mate, merci! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bonjour! On the agenda today: reacting to the results Stade Francais collapse AGAIN Bordeaux Women do the triple triple fannies fresh twist in NZ tour saga predicting R26 if you enjoy the show please give it a 5 star rating! merci! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Morning everyone, something different from me - a transfer special! this is something I'm thinking of introducing as a regular feature for next season, so if you could let me know your thoughts I'd really appreciate it! Cheers! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bonjour! on the agenda today: UBB are champions Lyon disappoint Castres vs Clermont review Elite 1 final preview R25 preview if you enjoy the show please give it a 5 star rating and share a link with a mate! merci! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Union Bordeaux-Begles have won the Champions Cup for the first time ever by beating Northampton Saints 28-20 in the final at Cardiff Principality Stadium. It's the first ever major trophy for the French team known as UBB as they backed up their star studded lineup and huge fanbase. But go back 20 years, some might be surprised to learn, this giant rugby club did not even exist. In this podcast I am joined by my good friend and UBB fan madame Maz Mac as she talks through her emotions watching this thrilling game. We then break down the tactics of each team and where the game was won and lost. We also name our two star players: Scrum half/captain Maxime Lucu and Fly Half Matthieu Jalibert - the most disrespected player in all of rugby. Maz then talks us through the history of UBB and what makes the club so special. With 32,000 fans attending every home game in the TOP14 and a European title under their belt, are they now the biggest rugby club in the world? And most importantly.. can they finally overthrow the might of Toulouse? #championscup #france #england #rugby #ubb #bordeaux #northampton #saints #top14 #premiershiprugby #rugbyanalysis #podcast Follow me on twitter: https://x.com/HuwGriffinRugby Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bonjour! On the agenda today: how Racing beat Toulouse Biarritz drama episode one million the hottest stepper in the west? Toulon fanny tries galore Champions Cup final preview if you enjoy the show please consider giving it a 5 star rating and sharing a link with a friend! merci! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Good Morning! Happy Friday: On the agenda today: Ireland 7s shut down Redbull buying Newcastle? Hollie Davidson lands huge gig TRC U20s Checkin Listeners' moments of week URC & SR Predictions! If you enjoy the show, please consider giving it a 5 star review and sharing a link with a friend! cheers! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bonjour! on the agenda today: vannes heartbreak racing still rubbish toulouse are terrifying bayonne deny drama Parisian pain continues if you enjoy the show, please give it a 5 star review and share a link with a mate, merci! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Japanese rugby has been one of the success stories in any sport over the last decade. The Japan Rugby League One has become a destination league for the sport's top starts with a higher concentration of Rugby World Cup winners playing in the Japanese league than in URC Super Rugby or any other league around the world... but is that good? In this podcast I am joined by Ben Haycock ⁨@TheRugbyPaperPodcast⁩ & Steve Nobel of asiarugby247.com to debate the health of Japanese rugby and whether having the influx of Springboks and All Blacks - who undoubtedly love playing there - has been a good thing for the country's rugby fortunes. We also touch on the structures within Japanese rugby and explain why Eddie Jones is under growing pressure to deliver before examining news reports that Japan is considering controversial new rules to limit the number of foreign players coming to the country. #Japan #rugby #springboks #allblacks #podcast #worldcup #money #rugby #podcast #debate #news #southafrica #newzealand Follow me on Twitter: https://x.com/HuwGriffinRugby Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices