Rugby Direct

This week on Rugby Direct, Elliott and Liam are in London - as the All Blacks count down to their final World Cup warm-up match against the Springboks. We debate that match, the likely selections as well as what is being gained from the warm-up fixtures. We talk the Owen Farrell saga, as well as the latest Eddie Jones and Rugby Australia hijinks as well as the ongoing question of the NPC.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith and Liam Napier are in Hawke's Bay - reflecting on the Rugby World Cup squad announcement the night before as we debate the inclusions, the exclusions and the balance of the squad named by Ian Foster and his selectors to head to France. We also look back at the second Bledisloe Cup test against the Wallabies in Dunedin, with the All Blacks mounting a major fightback to remain unbeaten in season 2023. Elliott and Liam also touch on the NPC getting underway, the return of Warrenball (should we be worried) and much to Liam's annoyance, Elliott finds a reason to mention Canterbury schoolboy rugby.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith and Liam Napier are in Christchurch after returning from Melbourne where the All Blacks decimated the Wallabies 38-7 to retain the Bledisloe Cup and Rugby Championship. The boys review that game and how the All Blacks were forced to win differently than the last two performances, as well as look at Scott Barrett's performance and how the changes might fall for the Dunedin test on Saturday. We then take a look at the Rugby World Cup squad announcement on August 7th and how this weekend might affect that, as well as which positions and players are the most likely to be still debated by the selectors.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Rugby Direct, Elliott and Liam look ahead to the first Bledisloe Cup meeting of the year on Saturday and debate the selection conundrums facing the All Blacks selectors as well as gauging the possibilities of an Australian boil-over in Melbourne. We also tackle the Farah Palmer Cup, the Rugby Championship's other match this weekend and whether rugby has managed to get the TMO sorted or not.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith and Liam Napier review the All Blacks' big win over South Africa in what was somewhat of a statement performance from them ahead of the Rugby World Cup. We discuss whether the blindside flanker debate is over in the wake of Shannon Frizell's form and how the second half performance might have told more of a story than the first. We also review the Black Ferns' Pacific Four win, Johnny Sexton's three match ban and ponder what Eddie Jones meant when he said "Look out" to the All Blacks.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith and Liam Napier review the first All Blacks' test of season 2023, the big win over Argentina in Mendoza, while we also touch on the controversial pitch invader saga post match and offer some thoughts around that. We ask what's gone wrong with the under-20 programme, take a look at the Black Ferns' win over Canada and look ahead to the next assignment for the All Blacks - the Springboks on Saturday.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Rugby Direct, we're in wine country in Mendoza counting down to the first test of Rugby World Cup year for the All Blacks - an assignment against Argentina. Elliott and Liam debate the likely starting side for the ABs and how the bench might look for the test as well. Before we get to that though, we need to discuss the new Blues coaching appointment and world rugby's new competition, which is not being run by World Rugby.We also cast our eyes over the Black Ferns and the New Zealand under-20s as well.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith and Liam Napier wrap the Super Rugby final as the Crusaders ascended to Seventh Heaven with their seventh title in as many years. We talk the major moments and controversies of the final, as well as how the narrative of the match has unfolded since fulltime. Elliott and Liam also crown the prestigious second annual Rugby Direct Medal winner for Super Rugby.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Rugby Direct, Elliott and Liam beam in from Te Awamutu to discuss the 36-man All Blacks squad named by head coach Ian Foster, who also drops by the podcast to offer his reasoning on some of the key selections, along with forwards coach Jason Ryan. We discuss the Super Rugby semi-final match-up that has left us with a blockbuster grand final this week and we discuss the Hamish McLennan edition of the podcast which created a bit of controversy and our takeaways from how it's played out.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this special edition of Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith and Liam Napier are joined by Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan for a feature-length interview covering plenty of issues around the game on both sides of the Tasman. We talk about McLennan's idea for a Super Rugby draft, whether he's willing for Super Rugby to be run by an independent commission and if there's a real chance of the Rugby Championship moving. We also ask McLennan to assess his relationship with NZ Rugby powerbrokers, Eddie Jones and future Super Rugby expansion.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith and Liam Napier review the Super Rugby quarter-finals and debate whether Ardie Savea scored that try and whether the referee made the right call. We also zero in on the Chiefs' close-run game against the Reds and the Blues and Crusaders comfortable wins. It's nearly time for the first All Blacks selection of the year as well and we pick the spots where the selectors will likely be spending their final days discussing ahead of the announcement on Sunday.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Rugby Direct, it's a bumper episode as we look at the Super Rugby regular season, a new rugby Knight and a couple of new coaches for the local franchises. The Crusaders have appointed Rob Penney as head coach and the 'Canes Clark Laidlaw, Elliott Smith and Liam Napier discuss the appointments and how they might fit with each franchise from 2024. Sir Wayne Smith has been knighted for services to rugby and he speaks with the podcast about the honour and we're joined by Sky Sport commentator and All Blacks great Jeff Wilson to discuss the Super Rugby playoffs and his prospective All Blacks squad with just a couple of weeks until it's announced.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Rugby Direct, Elliott and Liam recap a busy week of rugby news with Will Jordan re-signing with NZR top of the list, before offering their thoughts on Wayne Smith's new performance coach role and the Ruby Tui-Weetbix card saga. Super Rugby comes to the pointy end of the regular season with 11 teams to go into eight playoff spots after this weekend, we review the penultimate round of the competition and figure out who will be in the quarter-finals and where.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Rugby Direct, Elliott and Liam discuss the breaking news out of Moana Pasifika that coach Aaron Mauger has resigned as head coach and won't be back in 2024. We contemplate the different options to take on the job and where it leaves the franchise. In addition, we cast our eyes over the European domestic final, debate the resting of players and whether anything can be done about it as well as the technological innovations about to sweep rugby by storm.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's Rugby Direct, we review the Chiefs fall to their first defeat of the Super Rugby season while the Crusaders have the better of the Blues in a highly-anticipated local derby... we discuss the implications for the playoffs. We also pick apart New Zealand Rugby's memorandum of understanding with Japan and whether Roger Tuivasa-Sheck should stay or go if he's on the outer at the Blues.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith and Liam Napier discuss the Fijian Drua's win over the Hurricanes and Moana Pasifika's close loss to the Blues and what these sides need to do to take the next step as they continue to build. We contemplate the All Blacks back three situation as crunch time for selection nears with a couple of Chiefs players continuing to put their hands up and ask whether the draft idea put up by Rugby Australia is really what Super Rugby needs.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith and Liam Napier react to NZR re-signing Damian McKenzie and Ruby Tui for a couple more years each. They also assess the Chiefs v Crusaders match and other games from the latest round of Super Rugby, before contemplating the debate around All Blacks players being selected from offshore after it cropped up again in recent days. We also ponder what would possess the Hurricanes to get rid of their iconic song/chant from their match-day experience.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Rugby Direct, Scott Robertson has announced his All Blacks coaching team for when he takes over after the World Cup. So what do Elliott and Liam make of it? We also debate round nine of Super Rugby, whether Anzac Day is appropriately marked in Super Rugby and evaluate Roger Tuivasa-Sheck's decision to head back to league after this year.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith (Newstalk ZB's Blues/All Blacks commentator) is joined by Nick Bewley (Crusaders commentator) standing in for Liam Napier. We discuss the Chiefs v Hurricanes top of the table match-up in the sun in Wellington, assess Moana Pasifika's first 'real' home game in Apia and assess Rieko Ioane's re-signing with NZR until 2027. Elliott and Nick also cast an eye at the Black Ferns assistant announcement and ask whether the lack of females in the staff was a legitimate discussion or storm-in-a-teacup.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Rugby Direct, Elliott and Liam discuss the latter's exclusive around the probable make up of Scott Robertson's coaching team for the All Blacks next year and beyond. We also review round seven of Super Rugby, look ahead to round eight and try and figure out why rugby executives can't seem to see what the rest of us do around scheduling of games on long weekends. In addition, two players are big movers on the MVP rankings.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Elliott Smith and Liam Napier run the rule over the Chiefs beating the Blues and continuing their unbeaten start to season 2023. We also check in on the Kiwi sides and give a big round of applause to the New Zealand Sevens sides for their victories in Hong Kong. Elliott and Liam also ponder Moana Pasifika and ask where their next win is coming from and if we really need a Wallabies squad to be named in April.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Rugby Direct, Elliott and Liam review the Super Rugby Aupiki decider which saw a shock win for Matatu. We also examine the latest in the race for the All Blacks assistants jobs and review a round five of Super Rugby Pacific in which it felt like half the competition's players - okay maybe an exaggeration - were being rested. Elliott and Liam also cast an eye on Rugby Australia's big spending over the weekend.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On a special edition of the Rugby Direct podcast, Elliott Smith and Liam Napier discuss the appointment of Scott Robertson as the new All Blacks head coach. We analyse what it means for Robertson himself, take a look at his prospective team and how it might play out this year now for both the current and future All Blacks coaching staffs. We also hear from Robertson as well as NZR chief executive Mark Robinson in interviews from on the ground.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith and Liam Napier discuss the Crusaders' bouncing back with a win over the Blues at Eden Park, while the Highlanders are also in the winners' circle for the first time this year. Ireland wrap up the grand slam and Six Nations in dominant fashion overall, so what will it take to stop them in France. And we assess the latest twists and turns of the All Blacks coaching race and dish out some MVP points.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith and Liam Napier analyse the state of the All Blacks coaching race after Joe Schmidt's withdrawal and whether it's just going to remain a two-horse race while also pondering if the early season wobbles of the Crusaders will have any impact. Elliott and Liam assess the Six Nations with a round left, wonder whether there's a better format for Super Rugby Aupiki and hand one player all the points in the Rugby Direct medal race.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith (Newstalk ZB's lead rugby commentator) and Liam Napier (Chief sports writer - NZ Herald) debate the key issues from Super Round in Melbourne. The guys discuss Ardie Savea's throat-slitting gesture, the Highlanders copping a second straight heavy defeat and the Blues losing to the Brumbies in a fascinating match. We also look at Aupiki - can anyone stop the Chiefs Manawa? - and the All Blacks coaching appointment takes another twist as more certainty emerges.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elliott and Liam are back to review the opening round of Super Rugby, as the Crusaders crumbled against the Chiefs, the Blues powered past the Highlanders and the Hurricanes swept past the Reds. We also review round one of Super Rugby Aupiki, the latest Six Nations games and debate the All Blacks coaching saga, which has taken another (!) turn in recent days.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elliot Smith & Liam Napier kick off 2023 by looking ahead at the busy year of rugby.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elliott Smith (Newstalk ZB's lead rugby commentator) and Liam Napier (chief Sports writer at the New Zealand Herald) were poised to head off into summer but before the boys don the speedos, fire up the BBQ and grab a pool noodle they've been summoned for one last podcast to review what was a mammoth year for rugby in New Zealand. In this bumper podcast, they get stuck into the highs and lows of Super Rugby, the All Blacks, the Black Ferns while remembering some of their favourite media conference moments. Elliott and Liam dish up some awards, as well as ponder a few existential questions about rugby and where it is going ahead of 2023. Amidst all of that, the guys take a look at the coaching sagas up north and the domino effect they might have on New Zealand. Rugby Direct returns in 2023.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's episode of Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith and Liam Napier dissect the All Black's drawn test against England. Was it their best performance of the year or did it sum up season 2022 for the men in black? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's episode of Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith and Liam Napier have moved from Edinburgh to London ahead of the final All Blacks test of the year, but before they discuss the All Blacks' win over Scotland, they convene to discuss the Black Ferns' almighty World Cup win and what it might mean for women's rugby in New Zealand and assess the interesting nominee's list for World Rugby's Awards.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's episode of Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith and Liam Napier review the All Blacks' victory over Wales, the Black Ferns' road to World Cup glory continues and big bad Brodie Retallick sits down for a chat. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's podcast, Elliott Smith and Liam Napier review the All Blacks' scratchy win over Japan in Tokyo and the Black Ferns thumping of Wales in their Rugby World Cup quarter-final and look ahead to both NZ sides' respective next games. Popular Wales rugby broadcaster Lauren Jenkins joins the pod to give her assessment on what to expect from the hosts this week. And, Elliott and Liam debate where to from here for Dane Coles after another injury.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith (Newstalk ZB's All Blacks commentator) and Liam Napier (NZ Herald chief sports writer) review the Black Fern's latest win at the Women's Rugby World Cup ahead of their quarter-final match against Wales. Elliott is in Tokyo with the All Blacks ahead of their opening match of the end-of-year tour against Japan. All that and more on the latest edition of Rugby Direct thanks to Employment Hero.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith (Newstalk ZB's All Blacks commentator) and Liam Napier (NZ Herald chief sports writer) return from activating the sabbatical clauses in their respective contracts and assess the Black Ferns' Rugby World Cup campaign through the first two games and also cast an eye to England and France's progress. Canterbury and Wellington have booked spots in the Bunnings NPC final, with the men from the capital looking in fine form as they try and go down to beat the red and black machine. We also look at Ardie Savea's 2024 stint playing in Japan, as well as cast a look over the All Blacks XV.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's Rugby Direct, Kate Wells (Newstalk ZB sport journalist) is joined by former Black Ferns captain and New Zealand Rugby board member Dr Farah Palmer to analyse the opening of the women's Rugby World Cup which kicked off in Auckland last weekend. They discuss the Black Ferns' spine chilling haka, the sold out Eden Park crowd and who can win the tournament. We delve into how this tournament compares to Dr Palmer's experience, playing three Rugby World Cup's herself.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith (Newstalk ZB's All Blacks commentator) and Liam Napier (NZ Herald chief sports writer) look ahead to the Rugby World Cup 2021 (being played in 2022) kicking off this weekend at Eden Park and ask whether the Black Ferns are a realistic chance of winning it at this point in their rebuild against the likes of England and France. We chat Jordie Barrett's re-signing with NZR and the Hurricanes through to 2025 and the fortunes of the NPC sides as we approach the business end of the side.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith (Newstalk ZB's All Blacks commentator) and Liam Napier (NZ Herald chief sports writer) reflect on the All Blacks' 40-14 win over Australia that captured the Rugby Championship for another year. We ask whether Jordie Barrett is now the ABs man at 12, who the top 3 All Blacks are to this point in 2022 and give our marks for the year to date. We also ponder what was learned from the Black Ferns' romp against Japan, as we close in on the Rugby World Cup.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's edition of Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith (Newstalk ZB's lead rugby commentator) and Liam Napier (chief sports writer - NZ Herald) review the All Blacks and Wallabies' Bledisloe Cup test at Marvel Stadium and the shock decision of referee Mathieu Raynal at the end. We discuss the make up of the side for Eden Park and whether the Wallabies can take some positives from the fact they probably should have won. We also talk Ranfurly Shield being on the move to Wellington and the Black Ferns' test against Japan this weekend.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's edition of Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith (Newstalk ZB's lead rugby commentator) and Liam Napier (chief sports writer - NZ Herald) are in Melbourne ahead of the All Blacks and Wallabies' Bledisloe Cup test at Marvel Stadium on Thursday (which you can hear live on NewstalkZB and Gold Sport). We debate the likely team to be announced by Ian Foster for the match, the challenges the Wallabies might pose the All Blacks and whether the All Blacks can snap their win/loss pattern of recent times. The guys also debate the other big issues in the Rugby world, including whether player names should be on the back of jerseys.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith (Newstalk ZB's All Blacks commentator) and Liam Napier (NZ Herald chief sports writer) discuss the All Blacks' big win over Argentina in Hamilton and debate whether everything has been cured now. We pay tribute to the in-form Samisoni Taukei'aho, debate whether Richie Mo'unga now has a mortgage on the All Blacks 10 jersey and colours are nailed to the mast ahead of the Farah Palmer Cup final.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith (Newstalk ZB's All Blacks commentator) and Liam Napier (NZ Herald chief sports writer) reflect on yet another weekend of drama out of the All Blacks as Argentina stun them at Orange Theory Stadium in Christchurch. Elliott and Liam discuss how Los Pumas managed it, but also how the All Blacks blew any number of opportunities to at very least draw the match. Discussion also turns to the makeup of the side for this weekend and whether all-out change is the answer. In addition, the guys look at a repelled Ranfurly Shield challenge and discuss whether Hawke's Bay might hold it all year and also assess a shaky Black Ferns effort in Adelaide.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith (Newstalk ZB's All Blacks commentator) and Liam Napier (NZ Herald chief sports writer) discuss the All Blacks' mood since they returned to camp this week in Christchurch after the tumultuous past couple of weeks with questions over their head coach. We ponder any selection changes the All Blacks might make for the test against Argentina and ponder what the future is for props Nepo Laulala and Ofa Tuungfasi in the All Blacks environment. Elliott and Liam also run the rule over the Black Ferns big win over Australia in Christchurch and discuss the unpredictable nature of the Bunnings NPC.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's - special edition - of Rugby Direct Elliott Smith (Newstalk ZB's lead rugby commentator) and Liam Napier (NZ Herald's chief sports writer) react to the news that Ian Foster has retained his job as All Blacks coach to the end of 2023.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's podcast Elliott Smith (Newstalk ZB's lead rugby commentator) and Liam Napier (NZ Herald's chief sports writer) discuss the All Blacks loss to South Africa, but more importantly the bigger picture of five tests lost in six matches and whether there is anything that can be done to arrest this slide. Liam's on the ground in South Africa to give us a sense of the local reaction to the performances from both sides and we assess where the All Blacks problems' start, as well as analyse whether it truly was the "best performance" by the All Blacks this year. We take a look at the much-discussed future of Ian Foster in his job, while we also tackle (metaphorically only) the issue of high ball tackles and if the time has come to ban jumping for the ball in rugby.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's podcast Elliott Smith (Newstalk ZB's lead rugby commentator) and Liam Napier (NZ Herald's chief sports writer) go international - with Liam in South Africa ahead of the first Rugby Championship test against the Springboks. We assess what changes the All Blacks might make to their 23 for the test against the 'Boks as they try to arrest a slide that has them with four losses in their last five and ask where the All Blacks have to improve if they are to be any chance of a result. We run the rule over the Springboks side named for the match and whether there are any weaknesses there the All Blacks might look to exploit. Elliott and Liam also address the Sevens teams taking away bronze from the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, with Australia returning to the top in women.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's edition of Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith (Newstalk ZB's lead rugby commentator) and Liam Napier (Chief Sports writer at the NZ Herald) assess another week of drama related to the All Blacks that has culminated in two assistant coaches being dumped and Crusaders forwards coach Jason Ryan being rushed in to assist the front eight. The guys also run the rule over Ian Foster's media conference on Friday and whether that quelled a few issues, as well as assessing the Rugby Championship squad named and discuss whether more widespread changes than the ones made were warranted. Elliott and Liam also offer some quick thoughts on the chances of the two Sevens sides at the Commonwealth Games and the prospect of a Club World Cup has returned again - what chance it actually happens?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's edition of Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith (Newstalk ZB's lead rugby commentator) and Liam Napier (Chief Sports writer at the NZ Herald) analyse the All Blacks series defeat to Ireland and where that leaves the coaching staff and the team going forward.We take a deep dive into how Ireland dismantled the All Blacks in the capital and played one of the great first halves in New Zealand.Elliott and Liam also clear the air over how the media conference debacle played out and how that slip-up launched a thousand conspiracy theories.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's podcast Elliott Smith (Newstalk ZB's lead rugby commentator) and Liam Napier (NZ Herald's chief sports writer) discuss Ireland's first ever win over the All Blacks on New Zealand soil and examine how they were able to win in such convincing fashion and set up a series decider this weekend in the capital.Elliott and Liam debate the chaotic substitution rules over Ardie Savea and Dalton Papalii as well as look at the Angus Ta'avao situation and ask what World Rugby is exactly trying to achieve in how they classify incidents like that.The elephant in the room is also discussed - what is the future for the All Blacks coaching staff and how do they fix the issues immediately for Saturday night's decider?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the latest edition of Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith (Newstalk ZB's All Blacks commentator) and Liam Napier (NZ Herald chief sports writer) discuss the All Blacks 42-19 win over Ireland to go 1-nil up in the series heading to Dunedin this week.We breakdown the ways the All Blacks were able to attack, offering Ireland something unexpected with their play with ball in hand that they didn't see last November and also showing some committed goalline defence.They also ponder what it will take for Ireland to level the series this week, how that might be achieved and whether the All Blacks will look to blood any further new players 'under the roof'.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.