The Ruck

The third match in Rugby's Greatest Rivalry produced another brilliant test!South Africa leads the series 2-1 after beating New Zealand 29-24. Attention now turns to the USA as the fourth test takes place in Baltimore.But, does that matter? Were the three games in South Africa the ones the nations cared about most? And, how far ahead of the rest are the Springboks and All Blacks?Alfie, Charlie and Elgan react to the 3rd test and discuss whether other nations have a chance of beating South Africa.They also look ahead to the start of the WXV, react to Steve Borthwick's latest training squad and ask, 'What is the point of the Prem Cup?'***From captaining the England rugby team to tackling life's toughest challenges — including his recent MND diagnosis — Lewis Moody has always been a man of action.Don't miss Lewis in London on November 5th, where he'll be sitting down with Times rugby correspondent Alex Lowe to discuss his new book, Fronting Up. Expect an honest and deeply inspiring conversation exploring the mistakes, triumphs, and life lessons that forged a great man's mettle.For tickets, head to thetimes.com/events Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The first test between South Africa and New Zealand produced a famous win for the All Blacks. Can South Africa respond?Was this the best thing for the four match series? Why has Rassie Erasmus named his team for the second test already despite injury concerns? And, how important was Saturday's victory for New Zealand under Dave Rennie?Alfie and Charlie are in studio to analyse the key moments which led to the All Blacks' victory and ask how big an impact will this have on the back-to-back world champions? Alex dials in from South Africa to react to Rassie's team for the second test and explains why Handre Pollard has been selected over Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.***From captaining the England rugby team to tackling life's toughest challenges — including his recent MND diagnosis — Lewis Moody has always been a man of action.Don't miss Lewis in London on November 5th, where he'll be sitting down with Times rugby correspondent Alex Lowe to discuss his new book, Fronting Up. Expect an honest and deeply inspiring conversation exploring the mistakes, triumphs, and life lessons that forged a great man's mettle.For tickets, head to thetimes.com/events. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode 6 of our special series on the fierce rivalry between rugby’s superpowers, the sport is hurtling into the professional era.South Africa are world champions after 1995 but New Zealand are on the verge of one of their greatest moments. We hear from John Hart, who led the All Blacks on their 1996 tour of South Africa, as well as former players Sean Fitzpatrick, Ian Jones and Josh Kronfeld. Was theirs the greatest New Zealand side of all time? Plus, former Springbok Joel Stransky describes the team’s struggle to replicate the dizzying heights of ‘95. This podcast was produced and edited by Alfie Reynolds, with help from Hope Federico, Rob Wallace, Jamie Wall and David Whisson. Read more: Rugby’s Greatest Rivals: Springboks v All Blacks Clips: DSPN Rugby (John Hart interview)Photo: Getty Images Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode 4 of our special series on the fierce rivalry between rugby’s superpowers, we focus on the most controversial rugby tour in history: the 1986 New Zealand Cavaliers.Despite the global boycott, a group of rebel Kiwi players agree to tour South Africa. Former Springbok Schalk Burger Sr describes how he found out about the deal before any of his teammates - and why it opened a door to the players being paid. The chair of New Zealand Rugby and former World Cup-winning All Black captain David Kirk also explains his decision not to tour, and the fierce reaction amongst the NZ public when the tour went ahead.This podcast was produced and edited by Alfie Reynolds, with help from Hope Federico, Robert Wallace, Jamie Wall and David Whisson. Read more: Rugby’s Greatest Rivals: Springboks v All Blacks Photo: Getty Images Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode 2 of our special series on the fierce rivalry between rugby’s superpowers, the former Springbok Morne du Plessis talks about the sheer, violent ferocity of test matches between South Africa and New Zealand. For decades, these matches continue to be played among the shadows of race tensions in both countries. The introduction of apartheid adds pressure, boiling over in a boycott of the 1976 Montreal Olympics.This podcast was produced and edited by Alfie Reynolds, with help from Hope Federico, Robert Wallace, Jamie Wall and David Whisson. Read more: Rugby’s Greatest Rivals: Springboks v All Blacks Photo: Getty Images Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Northampton Saints are the champions of England!They beat Exeter Chiefs 26-17 in the final to be crowned champions for the second time in three years.Alfie Reynolds, Alex Lowe and Charlie Morgan look back on the match and ask what does it mean for Northampton? Does this cement them as the latest dynasty in English rugby?Will Exeter be able to bounce back from this defeat? And, why is it that the Prem final always delivers such a great occasion? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Northampton will face Exeter in the Prem final!Charlie Morgan and Will Kelleher join Alfie Reynolds to look back on the semi-final weekend which produced two excellent matches as Northampton beat rivals Leicester and Exeter produced a comeback to win away against Bath.Despite all their success under Rob Baxter, was this one of Exeter's great days? They became only the 7th team in Prem history to win away from home in a semi-final.Have they played their final already? Or can they produce another remarkable result?Northampton will look to cement themselves as the dominant side in England when they make the trip to Twickenham next weekend. How impressive is it for them to be back in the final again?Plus, could Maro Itoje really miss England's matches this summer?***Allianz Future Fund | Allianz Insurance Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.