The Offside Line Podcast: The First for Scottish Rugby

Welcome to part two of this week’s pod. Barney sits down with Scotland A coach Pete Horne to discuss Saturday’s game with Chile, while Burnsy has an exclusive interview with Wallaby legend George Gregan ahead of Scotland’s match against Australia on Sunday. The boys also discuss the Scottish Men’s Premiership matches this weekend and make their predictions for each game of the Autumn Nations Series. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Barney and Burnsy have such a mega rant about various off-field matters (the rumours surrounding a new pro rugby league, the SRU’s most recent accounts, the appointment of Brett Robinson as the new chair of World Rugby) as well as reviewing the Women’s Premiership and all the action from the Autumn Nations Series, that we had to split the pod in two. We hope you enjoy part I.Thursday’s part episode will include an exclusive interview with Wallaby legend George Gregan as part of our preview for Scotland v Australia, and we’ll also hear from Pete Horne ahead of Scotland A’s match with Chile. Tune in then! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Offside Line State of the Nation pod!The aim of the series is to explore the unique cultures, challenges, and triumphs that have shaped the sport in over a dozen countries, from reigning world champions South Africa to the rising nations of Georgia and Portugal and the potentially dominant USA, and all points in between.Each episode dives deep into a different nation’s rugby scene, uncovering its rich history, standout players, and the grassroots efforts that bring communities together – all with the help of top local journalists and broadcasters.Whether you’re a die-hard fan or new to the game, you’ll discover fresh perspectives and insights into how rugby unites and transforms in ways you’d never expect and what the future holds for each nation. Join us and see how rugby connects us all – one country at a time.In this pilot episode, we talk to Francisco Isaac, a freelance rugby journalist from Portugal who has worked tirelessly to promote tier-two rugby in print and online. You can follow him on Twitter/ X handle @francisaac87, which we highly recommend.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s a bumper episode! Sit back and relax while Barney and Burnsy take you through all the weekend’s action, from the Men and Women’s Premierships and an extended interview with Ayr’s Grant Anderson, to Scotland’s mighty effort against the back-to-back world champion Springboks, the England-Australia classic, the dud in Dublin and the Flying Fijians heaping more misery of Warren Gatland’s Wales. Enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Barney and Burnsy get into the meat of the first two Autumn Nations Tests that saw Scotland take on Fiji, while England faced New Zealand. They also look at the various permutations that Gregor Townsend might look to unleash against the Springboks on Sunday.There is also a special segment with Jamie Lindsay from Breadalbane Finance and the boys dive into domestic action in the Arnold Clark Women’s Premiership. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Barney and Burnsy catch up for a quick bonus pod to discuss Gregor Townsend’s selection for the Scotland-Fiji game at Murrayfield, which kicks off the 2024 Autumn Nations campaign and make some predictions for the weekend’s action.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Barney and Burnsy go through all the weekend's action in the Men and Women's Premiership and the URC and are joined by special guest Scott Wright, the former Scotland 7s great and current coach of Melrose. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Barney and Burnsy delve into Gregor Townsend's 2024 Autumn Internationals squad - and we hear from the man himself. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Barney and Burnsy are joined by George Horne from Glasgow’s base in Stellenbosch to review the Warriors’ game against the Sharks, preview their match against the Stormers and chat about the 1872 Cup game at Hampden (tickets for which go on sale on Friday 25 October). They also do a deep-dive into Selkirk vs Heriot’s, discuss all things Men and Women’s Premiership, then rove the rugby landscape from the Premiership to the Top 14 and the URC (with special focus on Edinburgh’s victory over Cardiff), and discuss the new law variations being introduced for the Autumn Nations Series. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join the guys as they dissect a cracking weekend of rugby in the URC, WXV2, the Men and Women’s Premierships and chat to Alan Lorimer for our first section on schools rugby - and examine whether Edinburgh's result against the Stormers is a turning point for the team or a dead cat bounce. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week the boys delve into Glasgow’s announcement that they are going to hold their leg of the 1872 Cup at Hampden Park, the Glasgow triumph on the field in Cardiff, Scotland Women rolling on in South Africa with their victory over Japan and look at some cracking matches in the men and women’s Premierships. Oh, and they also conduct a thorough post-mortum of Edinburgh’s dire effort on the High Veldt against the Lions. With special guest slots from Al Kellock and Brenden Nel.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The boys have a chat about all things domestic Scottish rugby, Scotland Women at WXV2, the Rugby Championship and Scots abroad before getting into the meat of the episode - an in-depth interview with Dan Biggar and Ross Harries about their new collaboration The Biggar Picture: My Life in Rugby.This fascinating and often touching read lifts the lid on Dan's life and career. It is available from Amazon, Waterstones and WHSmith as well as from independent bookshops on https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/my-story-dan-biggar/7579261?ean=9781035028054 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Barney and Burnsy chat about John Jeffrey’s acrimonious withdrawal from the campaign to become the head of World Rugby alongside special guest Mark Palmer from The Times; we hear from Gregor Townsend at the launch of a new charity, GREAT, and his fundraising trip to Japan for 40tude; we chat domestic rugby, looking at the opening round of the URC and another thrilling weekend in the Rugby Championship.Gregor’s trip to Japan aims to raise money to establish the Tom Smith Screening Fund, which will subsidise free screening for colon cancer for women and men aged 35-50 – named after the Scottish rugby legend who tragically died from colon (bowel) cancer in 2022. Gregor and his wife Claire and Tom’s widow Zoe will be part of a team taking on the Tom Smith Ginza Ridge Challenge, attempting to summit ‘4 peaks in 4 days for 40tude’ on the Ginza Ridge in the Northern Japanese Alps.If you would like to donate to this important cause and/or to GREAT, there are links below:http://www.justgiving.com/page/gregor-townsend-1724406162792www.greatrugby.scot Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Barney has to hold his hands up for throwing Musselburgh head coach Derek O’Riordan under the bus before their game against Ayr at the weekend. Stuart Bathgate makes a return to the pod to discuss Scotland Women’s tremendous win over Fiji and Edinburgh’s pre-season victory over Gloucester. And the boys have a deep dive into the mooted creation of either a British and Irish league or a revamped Anglo-Welsh league. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s an emergency pod! Barney and Burnsy cancel all their plans to bring you news of Scottish Rugby’s breaking announcement that Alex Williamson is going to be new Chief Executive, finally plugging the hole left by Mark Dodson’s departure.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Barney and Burnsy chat about Scotland Women’s thumping victory over Wales, another epic between South Africa and New Zealand, the Argentine rope-a-dope pulled against Australia, the latest goings on at Edinburgh and Glasgow and a round-up of the weekend’s action in the Arnold Clark Men and Women’s Premierships. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Barney and Burnsy are joined by Stuart Bathgate as they dive into the latest action in the Arnold Clark Men and Women’s Premierships, discuss the Rugby Championship, Scotland Women versus Wales, Glasgow’s bomb squad getting a doing by Zebre and reveal a potential comeback story that would make a movie if it came to fruition . . . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this special Big Interview bonus pod, we head to Murrayfield for a chat with Matt Scott. The Scotland centre has recently re-joined Edinburgh for his third stint at the club after four seasons at Leicester Tigers, where he was a key part of the Steve Borthwick revolution that took the most storied club in England from the doldrums to Premiership champions. We talk about his club career at Currie, his rise into professional rugby, his time with Edinburgh, Gloucester, Leicester and Scotland and his life beyond the grass. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode David and Pete discuss the SRU’s appointment of David Nucifora, look at Leon MacDonald’s departure from the All Blacks, have a chat with the Daily Telegraph’s Chief Rugby Correspondent, Gavin Mairs, about Felix Jones’s departure from England, review the first round of the Arnold Clark Women’s Premiership and look ahead to the first weekend of fixtures in the Arnold Clark Men’s Premiership. We hope you enjoy!Please like and subscribe, leave a review and tell your friends, family and clubmates about us. If you have any questions or comments, please email us at [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Offside Line Podcast with David Barnes, editor of the Offside Line, and author Peter Burns. This episode is a little introduction to your hosts, sets out our plans for the show and previews the opening weekend of the Arnold Clark Women’s Premiership season with special guests Rachel Law from Watsonians and Izzy Desoindre from Cartha Queen’s Park. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.