The Rugby Paper Podcast

This week on the Rugby Paper Podcast, host Ollie Little is joined by columnists Brendan Gallagher, Nick Cain and Chris Hewett to discuss the format changes announced for next season's European Cup before having another crack at putting together an England XV for the 2023 World Cup, six months on from the last attempt!

London Irish have officially become the third club to be suspended from the Gallagher Premiership this season. The Exiles demise subsequently means that the English top flight now consists of just 10 teams. Joining host Ollie Little, columnist Brendan Gallagher and digital editor Nick Powell to discuss how he is processing it is none other than London Irish record try-scorer Topsy Ojo.

In April earlier this year Bath and Clermont legend Nick Abendanon called time on a stellar 17-year career. Nick joins host Ollie Little as well as columnists Nick Cain, Brendan Gallagher and Chris Hewett to reflect on his career and also discuss the vast differences between the French and English domestic games. The Rugby Paper was devastated to learn of the passing of its founder, David Emery, at the weekend. The episode ends with the columnists paying tribute to David as both a phenomenal professional and person.

A memorable Gallagher Premiership season (for many of the wrong reasons) is done and dusted as Saracens have reclaimed their throne following a turbulent two years. The season will be remembered for very different reasons however, as fears grow that London Irish will become the third club in seven months to drop out of the Premiership. Ollie Little is joined by Brendan Gallagher, Nick Cain and Nick Powell to discuss all.

It was a great weekend in Europe for French rugby with a resounding Challenge Cup win for Toulon and a one-point victory for La Rochelle in an all-time classic Champions Cup final. This week, the guys preview the Gallagher Premiership final between Saracens and Sale at Twickenham on Saturday. Joining host Ollie Little and columnists Chris Hewett, Nick Cain and Brendan Gallagher is Saracens and England centre Alex Lozowski.

World Rugby has announced its refereeing roster for the 2023 World Cup, and it was no surprise to see the highest-capped test referee of all time Wayne Barnes included. Wayne joins host Ollie Little and columnists Nick Cain, Brendan Gallagher and Chris Hewett to look ahead to his fifth World Cup as well as discussing the effects of social media on referees and his French language skills!

In a wonderfully chaotic episode of the Rugby Paper Podcast, host Ollie Little and columnists Nick Cain, Brendan Gallagher and Chris Hewett are joined by former England and Sale Sharks winger Mark Cueto. An episode initially planning to preview the Premiership semi-finals goes way off piste, discussing Sale and England controversy, Chris Ashton and much much more!

In a blockbuster weekend of rugby, the Red Roses claimed the Grand Slam in a record-breaking decider at HQ, and La Rochelle and Leinster set up a repeat of last year's Champions Cup showdown with respective semi-final wins. Following another emphatic Leinster display, host Ollie Little and columnists Nick Cain, Brendan Gallagher and Chris Hewett are joined by former Ireland and Ulster star Stephen Ferris to reflect on the knockout stage action and discuss the Irish provincial system.

This weekend's Women's Six Nations decider is set to set a new record for attendance at a standalone women's rugby fixture. The Red Roses and France will go toe to toe in a winner-takes-all grand stand finale in front of more than 50,000. Joining host Ollie Little and columnists Chris Hewett, Brendan Gallagher and Nick Cain to preview the tournament's climax is prop forward Maud Muir. The guys also look ahead to what promises to be a thrilling weekend of European rugby!

Of all positional debates in English rugby at the moment, the one at fly-half is one of the most unanswered and without doubt the most problematic. Captain Owen Farrell underperformed in the Six Nations - with particular concerns about his goal-kicking - yet heir to the throne Marcus Smith failed to take the limited opportunities he got. Joining host Ollie Little and columnists Brendan Gallagher and Chris Hewett to weigh in on the debate is former England fly-half Olly Barkley.

This week's special guest has been on a journey that has been nothing short of remarkable. Billed as a future England captain by many, Wasps and England flanker Tom Rees's rugby career was tragically cut short by a ruptured ACL. Forced to retire at just 27 years old, he began his qualification in medicine, and is now a doctor for the NHS. Join host Ollie Little and the full house of columnists as Tom opens up to them about everything that he has been through. The guys also review a fantastic weekend of Champions Cup action!

Champions Cup and Women's Six Nations action made for a fantastic weekend of rugby to say the least. To reflect on the Red Roses' opening two wins and preview the rest of the tournament, host Ollie Little, columnists Nick Cain and Chris Hewett and Digital Editor Nick Powell are joined by one of the faces of women's rugby, Maggie Alphonsi. The guys also look back at a vintage weekend of European rugby, and preview the all-important quarter-finals.

Plans for a World Rugby tournament that will culminate every two years in a grand final between the top side in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere look to be solidifying. Host Ollie Little is joined by columnists Brendan Gallagher, Nick Cain and Chris Hewett to how the tournament could shape up, and impact the divide between top tier and second tier international rugby. The guys also preview the Round of 16 of the Champions Cup.

Congratulations to Ireland, who secured a deserved Grand Slam against England at on St Patrick's day weekend - we can only imagine how the party must have been! This week, the Rugby Paper Podcast reviews Saturday's fixtures and the tournament as a whole. To do so, the guys have the ideal special guest - Ollie Little and the full house of columnists in Nick Cain, Brendan Gallagher and Chris Hewett are joined by a member of the Irish rugby hall of fame, Willie John McBride.

England's Six Nations trajectory took a downhill turn on Saturday following a record home defeat at the hands of the French. Less than six months out from the World Cup and Steve Borthwick's side have hit a new rock bottom, with many ruling them out as genuine contenders later this year. Joining host Ollie Little and columnists Nick Cain and Brendan Gallagher to discuss England's turmoil is former England and Scotland head coach Andy Robinson.

Three difficult fixtures to call this weekend as England and Scotland bear home advantage in their challenges against France and Ireland, whilst Italy go into a Six Nations fixture as favourites for the first time in years. Will England go with Smith or Farrell? Will Ireland remain on course for the Grand Slam? Will Welsh woes be put on hold? Host Ollie Little and columnists Nick Cain, Brendan Gallagher and Chris Hewett are joined by former England and British and Irish Lion Fran Cotton to discuss all.

During the third round of the 2023 Six Nations, a minute's silence was held before each game to commemorate the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Rugby Paper had the privilege this week of interviewing James Waterhouse, a former professional rugby player (Plymouth, Rotherham and Esher) who is now working as the Ukraine correspondent for the BBC. In a truly unique and extraordinary episode, James calls host Ollie Little, and columnists Nick Cain and Brendan Gallagher from Kyiv.

The build-up to Wales vs England remains marred by uncertainty amidst strike threats by Welsh players as contract issues, financial crisis and allegations of a toxic environment pervade Welsh rugby. This been brewing for some time, masked by the success of an over-performing Welsh national side. However many, including today's guest Jonathan Davies, feel that this is the moment for a complete overhaul. 'Jiffy' joins host Ollie Little and the full house columnists to preview the third round of the Six Nations and weigh in on the Welsh rugby crisis.

The second week of the 2023 Six Nations certainly lived up to the first! Ireland conquered France in the battle of the titans in Dublin in what was billed as an instant Six Nations classic, Scotland continued their ascendency in overpowering a woeful Wales, and it was gritty, not pretty but England prevailed over Italy to get Steve Borthwick's tally up and running. Joining Ollie Little, Brendan Gallagher and Chris Hewett this week, just back from Twickenham, is recently-retired Italian centre Tommaso Castello.

WHAT a start to the tournament! A thriller in Rome, an Irish statement in Cardiff and the headline act of one of the great Calcutta Cup matches in recent memory. Host Ollie Little and columnists Nick Cain, Brendan Gallagher and Chris Hewett are joined by a jubilant Scott Hastings to review the action from opening weekend, and look ahead to an equally blockbuster week two.

As the guys bring up episode 50, fair to say they do it in the right way! The gang is back together again on the Rugby Paper Podcast, with Ollie Little and the full house of columnists in Nick Cain, Brendan Gallagher and Chris Hewett joined by England and British and Irish Lion legend Jerry Guscott to preview an incredibly highly-anticipated Six Nations tournament. Will Steve Borthwick's new era start in the right way against Scotland? Will Warren Gatland bring back Wales's glory days? Will Chris Hewett get a single prediction right? So much to answer over the next few weeks, and it all starts here!

In this week's instalment of The Rugby Paper Podcast, host Ollie Little and columnist Brendan Gallagher are joined by recently-elected General Secretary of the Rugby Players Association and former Premiership lock Christian Day as well as head of the RPA Gain Line Luke Cheyne. The guys discuss the RPA's multi-dimensional work within player welfare, financial instability and also address the recent law change concerning waist-high tackling in amateur rugby.

Eddie Jones is back in green and gold! The Jones saga takes yet another turn as he replaces Dave Rennie at Australia's helm. Host Ollie Little is joined by Nick Cain and Brendan Gallagher to discuss the former England boss's reappointment as well as Steve Borthwick's Six Nations squad. The guys are joined mid-way through the episode by Sale Sharks scrum-half Gus Warr, who reviews the weekend's loss against Toulouse and looks ahead to the all-important clash against Ulster.

Happy new year! The Rugby Paper Podcast is back for its second season, and at the turn of World Cup year, selection questions surround the new age of English rugby. Host Ollie Little returns with columnists Brendan Gallagher and Nick Cain as the guys are joined by former England captain and World Cup winner Lewis Moody to have a stab at their England XV for the Six Nations opener against Scotland. Lewis also discusses his truly incredible charity work through his own Lewis Moody Foundation and recent involvement in the Stalls for All campaign.

The Rugby Paper Podcast rounds off 2022 with another special episode! Host Ollie Little is rejoined by panellists Nick Cain, Brendan Gallagher and Chris Hewett to review Steve Borthwick's appointment as new England head coach. Don't miss the final section of the episode as our experts pitch their awards for 2022 - including game of the year, player of the year and more - with Ollie picking the winner for each. Wishing everyone at The Rugby Paper a happy holiday season, and see you in 2023!

Following last week's 'Sackings Special', this week's edition of The Rugby Paper Podcast arrives a few days later than anticipated. Ollie Little is rejoined by Assistant Editor Ben Jaycock and Digital Editor Nick Powell, and the guys welcome Bath and England centre and former Worcester Warrior Ollie Lawrence. As you can imagine, plenty to discuss!

In a momentous week for home nations rugby, we bring you a special episode of The Rugby Paper Podcast. Host Ollie Little has rapidly assembled the troops in columnists Nick Cain, Brendan Gallagher and Chris Hewett to react to the dismissals of Eddie Jones and Wayne Pivac, and question whether at this stage, you'd rather be English or Welsh.

As we approach the halfway point of a more than turbulent Gallagher Premiership season, Bristol Bears are yet to find their groove. Possessing one of the most talented squads in the league, they surely can't be too far away from being real challengers again, a view echoed by recently-signed fullback Rich Lane, who joins host Ollie Little and Assistant and Digital Editors Ben Jaycock and Nick Powell. The guys also hold a fascinating discussion on Rich's learnings on his journey from Premiership to Championship and back to Premiership.

Not a great weekend to be an English or Welsh rugby fan...as Eddie Jones and Wayne Pivac's positions at the helm are reviewed, host Ollie Little and columnists Brendan Gallagher and Nick Cain are joined by former England lock and current Red Roses forwards coach Louis Deacon to have their say. Louis also looks back at the Red Roses journey at the World Cup 2022 in New Zealand, and the guys pay tribute to Scotland legend of the game Doddie Weir, who passed away last weekend six years after being diagnosed with MND.

Last weekend continued the theme of the Autumn by providing more twists and turns on and off the field. England's stunning comeback against New Zealand wasn't the only shock, with Georgia securing a famous win against Wales. Italy were in the fight against South Africa at half time, and although the world champions ran away with it in the second half the Italians can look back on a historic and successful 2022. Joining host Ollie Little and columnists Nick Cain and Brendan Gallagher to discuss all things Azzurri is one of their most capped players of all time, Carlo Checchinato.

The events of 2017 repeated themselves on Saturday as the Red Roses came up short, with the Black Ferns retaining their crown in a pulsating Saturday morning encounter. It was a blockbuster weekend in the men's game too as the Autumn Series continues to live up to its hype. Joining host Ollie Little and columnists Chris Hewett and Brendan Gallagher for this week, it's former England captain and flanker Chris Robshaw!

Semi-final Saturday of the Women's Rugby World Cup was a blockbuster occasion as the Red Roses and Black Ferns came out victorious after their titanic tussles against Canada and France. Saturday's final - at a sold out Eden Park - promises to be equally thrilling as the two teams of the tournament go head to head. Joining host Ollie Little to look ahead to the final, get to know one of the breakthrough stars of the tournament for England, Sadia Kabeya.

Following a comfortable win in torrential conditions against Australia, the Red Roses are just two wins away from being crowned world champions for the third time! To preview their semi-final fixture against Canada, Rocky Clark rejoins host Ollie Little as they welcome England lock and World Player of the Year in 2021, Zoe Aldcroft.

With rugby in a tough spot at present, a cracking autumn series will no doubt remind us of the beauty of our sport. Some tasty North vs South clashes await, not least for the Springboks, who will face Ireland, France, Italy and England over the course of their tour. Joining host Ollie Little, as well as columnists Chris Hewett and Brendan Gallagher to weigh up their chances is former South Africa lock Flip Van Der Merwe.

Safe to say that 70 minutes was not long enough for this episode - a full house of columnists (Nick Cain, Brendan Gallagher and Chris Hewett) join host Ollie Little with plenty to address following the demise of London Wasps as the financial crisis in the Gallagher Premiership deepens. The guys are joined by one of the all time greats, in former New Zealand captain Sean Fitzpatrick. Sean also gives his take on the All Blacks as they prepare for their autumn series!

Pushed back a year due to the pandemic, the Women's Rugby World Cup 2021 is finally underway. The Red Roses put away a strong Fiji side on Saturday to kick off their campaign, and maintain their credentials as hot favourites for the title going into 'Le Crunch'. Joining host Ollie Little to look back at Saturday's match and preview the tournament is England's most capped player of all time, Rocky Clark, and quadruple try-scorer against Fiji, Claudia MacDonald.

Amidst Gallagher Premiership crisis, Sale Sharks have enjoyed a perfect start to their campaign. They picked up their third consecutive league win against Exeter at the weekend, underscoring their play-off credentials. The man who secured that victory was Gallagher Premiership debutant Joe Carpenter, who joins host Ollie Little and Digital Editor Nick Powell to discuss the Sharks' prospects this season as well as his future England ambitions.

Some very sad and alarming news this week as Worcester Warriors went into administration amidst a financial crisis in the Gallagher Premiership. Here to discuss the outlook of the situation, host Ollie Little is joined by a full house of regular columnists Nick Cain, Brendan Gallagher and Chris Hewett. The guys welcome former Saracens Director of Rugby, Melbourne Storm owner and Harlequins and Western Force CEO Mark Evans, who has just been announced as the new CEO of the Fijian Drua franchise. With this being by far the fieriest episode of The Rugby Paper Podcast to date, all there is to say is: strap in!

This week's edition of The Rugby Paper Podcast turns its attention back to the Gallagher Premiership. Two rounds in and despite two defeats, there have been promising signs for Bath. To look ahead to Bath's season, as well as discuss injury resilience and Scotland rugby, joining host Ollie Little and Digital Editor for The Rugby Paper Nick Powell is Bath and Scotland centre Cameron Redpath. We apologise for occasional audio interference in this episode.

Ahead of the United Rugby Championship resuming this weekend, host Ollie Little and columnists Nick Cain and Chris Hewett are joined by Ospreys Head Coach Toby Booth. The guys discuss the prospects of the Welsh regions and the challenges provided by the addition of the South African provinces, as well as comparing Erling Haaland to Matt Banahan!

Another full house for your 30th edition of The Rugby Paper Podcast! Ahead of the final mini series of games in The Rugby Championship and as a debt crisis hits Worcester and other English clubs leading up to the Gallagher Premiership season, host Ollie Little is joined by columnists Nick Cain, Brendan Gallagher and Chris Hewett. The guys welcome an Australian rugby Hall of Famer in the form of Michael Lynagh.

The Rugby Paper Podcast ventures into the world of rugby's kicking game this week, as well as looking ahead to Bath's season. Joining host Ollie Little and columnists Nick Cain and Chris Hewett is former England full-back and kicking coach, and recently appointed Bath kicking coach Jon Callard.

Columnists Brendan Gallagher and Chris Hewitt rejoin Ollie Little once again for a fascinating look at coaching in the modern game. The guys welcome former England coach Brian Ashton. Widely known as one of the most visionary coaches in the game of rugby, Brian presents some of his more recent non-traditional coaching philosophies.

One man who has well and truly lived the highs and lows of sport is Christian Wade. After years of terrorising defences in the Gallagher Premiership, Christian jetted to America to chance his arm in the NFL. Now, he is weighing up his next move, and joins Ollie Little, Brendan Gallagher and Chris Hewett for what made for an unmissable episode!

For the first time ever on The Rugby Paper Podcast, a full house! Host Oliver Little is joined by columnists Nick Cain, Brendan Gallagher and Chris Hewett to discuss the The Rugby Championship. One week into the tournament and New Zealand struggles continue, while Australia fought back to beat a resilient Argentina despite the notable absence of their stalwart captain, Michael Hooper. Joining the guys to discuss is none other than former Wallaby captain James Horwill!

The focus of The Rugby Paper Podcast journeys across the pond for your next edition. Joining host Ollie Little and columnists Brendan Gallagher and Chris Hewett is Head of Europe and the United Kingdom for the NFL and former World Rugby CEO Brett Gosper, who discusses comparisons he has been able to make through his own transition between the two sports, as well as the groundbreaking potential of the Rugby World Cups in the USA in 2031 and 2033. The guys also briefly preview the upcoming Rugby Championship!

Episode 24 of The Rugby Paper Podcast welcomes former Ireland fly-half Mick Quinn, basking in the success of his team's historic summer in New Zealand. Together with host Ollie Little and columnists Brendan Gallagher and Chris Hewett, Mick lays out Irish prospects for the World Cup next year. Mick also takes the liberty to lay into English life prospects in general.

Points of discussion are in abundance in your next edition of The Rugby Paper Podcast after a fitting finale to the summer series. Host Ollie Little is rejoined by Brendan Gallagher and Chris Hewett as they welcome special guest, former England full-back, professional cricketer and rugby journalist Alastair Hignell. As well as discussing Ireland's phenomenal achievement in New Zealand and the perennial problem of England selection, Alastair provides fascinating insight into his charity work for The Sporting Memories Foundation, an organisation that uses the power of sports reminiscing and discussion to tackle dementia, depression and loneliness among the elderly.

Two weekends of summer tours have proved a microcosm of the very fine north/south divide at present. Australia vs England, New Zealand vs Ireland, South Africa vs Wales and Argentina vs Scotland are all locked at a win apiece. The Rugby Paper Podcast looks ahead to a weekend guaranteed of drama and unpredictability. To do so, Ollie Little is joined by columnists Brendan Gallagher and Chris Hewett, as well as former Bath and England prop Gareth Chilcott.

Saturday's Gallagher Premiership Final was a wonderful occasion - not least if you are a Leicester Tigers fan! The Rugby Paper Podcast looks back at the final and the Gallagher Premiership season as a whole, as well as reviewing the England squad for their tour of Australia which was announced following a dismal showing against the Barbarians. Joining host Ollie Little to do this are regular columnists for The Rugby Paper Brendan Gallagher and Chris Hewett, as well as former England prop Jeff Probyn.