The Whiteboard Rugby Podcast

Matt Banahan joins the show to talk about his move to coaching with the Scottish women's team, plus his return to playing in the historic cross-code 745 game at Headingley. The game will be played in tribute to Rob Burrow and organised by Ed Slater and tickets can still be brought here - https://www.therhinos.co.uk/rob-burrow-cbe/the-745-game .

Sam Roberts is away this week, but his replacement is Rugby World Cup winner Rocky Clark. In this episode, Sam Larner and Clark talk about the upcoming Rugby World Cup and which teams will enjoy success in the UK.

Sam Roberts and Sam Larner return to preview the four home nations chances ahead of the Autumn Internationals. Plus, they discuss the storm in the teacup which is Hakagate!

Sam Larner and Sam Roberts are joined by their biggest guest to date; Israel Dagg. The All Blacks' legend tells them about his humble upbringing, his unplanned retirement, and the northern hemisphere club he almost signed for.

Sam Roberts is joined this week by Bath's Head of Analysis Dan Cooper to talk about what an analyst actually does and what clubs focus on behind closed doors. He is also joined by Sam Larner who hops the fence this week and sits in the guest chair to discuss the differences between in-club analysis and social media analysis.

One of the smartest rugby minds, Charlie Morgan of the Telegraph joins us to talk about his journey in journalism and what the future looks like. Plus, we talk about the perils of criticising players you might then end up in the vicinity of.

Osprey's CEO Lance Bradley joins the podcast to discuss the business of rugby. Is rugby actually financially healthy, why don't teams drop ticket prices, and what are the benefits of playing matches elsewhere? This episode covers all that and more to get behind the scenes on what it's like to run a rugby business.

In this Blindside edition, Sam Roberts and Sam Larner spoke with Christian Day, the General Secretary of the Rugby Players Association (RPA) about some of the reasons to be positive about rugby. Earlier in the month, the RPA co-signed the professional game partnership (PGP) to hopefully set rugby on a more solid footing. Christian talks about the impact of that as well as how else the RPA assists players.

Will Roberts is better known as the creator of the Young Rugby instagram page. He is an expert in all things youth rugby and in this edition of the Blindside he talks us through some of the challenges and opportunities young players have, plus, he gives us the low down on the future stars of the game!

What does the life of a journeyman rugby player hold? Charlie Beckett has recently retired from his playing career and started his new role as a coach at Loughborough Lightning. In this episode, Charlie lays clear the frankly astonishing mismanagement that goes on at some clubs and why players are right to be disloyal when it comes to jumping ship.

Do you ever get the feeling that French rugby just works? If so, then our guest, James Harrington, will be able to tell you why. This Blindside ep, we wanted to learn all things JIFF and get a headstart as the new ProD2 and Top14 seasons kick off. This is a must listen if you want to watch French rugby this season!

Like it or loathe it, a good social media game can make a massive difference when it comes to getting fans through the gate. One person who knows this better than most is Tom Tainton, COO of the Bristol Bears. Since 2018, the Bears have done things differently both on and off the pitch. Tom talks to Sam Roberts and Sam Larner about what they're doing, why they're doing it, and why it works!

With rugby in the US reaching levels far in advance of what we've ever seen before, we thought we needed someone to tell us what this all means for the game over there. Carly Mackinnon is tied to the fabric of rugby in the US both as a player and as someone who has worked in communications for both MLR side the Seattle Seawolves and, currently, Rugby Americas North. She tells us what playing in the US is like and also how American rugby can capitalise on its moment in the sun.