Rugby Scoop

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Four mates in a professional rugby environment talking about: rugby analysis & stats, rugby predictions, rugby previews and post match reviews. Members part of the podcast are pro coaches, former pro players, rugby analysts and enthusiasts from around the world sharing insights and hot takes.  

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Episodes

🎙️ Rugby Scoop – This Week’s Episode

📰 News Round-Up

  •  🇪🇸 Spain bids for 2035 Rugby World Cup
    The Spanish Rugby Federation has officially launched its bid—huge moment for Tier 2 growth and European expansion. 
  •  🤕 JD Schickerling ruled out for 6 months
    Serious knee injury vs Connacht—big blow to depth and physicality. 
  •  🏆 England national rugby union team 62–24 Wales national rugby union team
    England seal the Triple Crown and extend their ridiculous winning run…
    👉 The question: who actually stops them right now?
  •  💰 Rugby Australia posts $70M+ surplus
    Massive turnaround driven by the British & Irish Lions Tour revenue. 
  •  🎌 Bernard Foley to retire
    End of an era—one of the Wallabies’ most composed playmakers calls time after Japan. 
  •  🌍 U20 Rugby Championship kicks off
    Opening fixtures: 
    •  🇳🇿 New Zealand vs 🇦🇺 Australia 
    •  🇿🇦 South Africa vs 🇦🇷 Argentina 

🔥 Main Topics & Talking Points

🦈 URC Drama – Sharks Decision at 79:30





7

  •  Score: 26–33
  •  Time: 79:30
  •  Sharks take the 2 points… but was that the right call? 

💬 Debate:

  •  Kick = guaranteed points but game over 
  •  Restart = chaos, pressure, chance to draw or win

👉 This is a classic risk vs reward moment—do elite teams back themselves more?

🔴 Munster’s Resurgence – Real or Flash?





8

Back-to-back 40+ point performances 👀

  •  Are Munster Rugby peaking at the right time? 
  •  Or are we overhyping a late-season surge? 

👉 Suddenly looking like a serious playoff threat again.

🌊 Stormers Statement Win





6

  • Stormers bounce back 
  •  Beat a strong Glasgow Warriors side convincingly 

💬 Are Stormers building toward another title push?

🤔 Dobson’s Willemse Call

  • Damian Willemse on the wing? 
  • John Dobson explanation raises eyebrows 

👉 Tactical flexibility or overthinking it?

👶 Marcus “Miller” Debut

  •  First cap buzz—early signs of a player to watch
     👉 Worth keeping an eye on development trajectory 

🔵 Bulls Edge a Tight One





5

  • Bulls sneak past Scarlets
  • Johan Goosen Pollock (Pollock) slots 18 points

💬 Question:
 👉 Do Bulls have enough to go beyond the quarter-finals?

🔵 Leinster Slip Up

  • Leinster Rugby losing last night 👀
     👉 Blip… or cracks showing before knockout rugby? 

🌏 Super Round – Christchurch





7

  •  Big event energy 
  •  Does Super Round actually add value, or just scheduling chaos? 

🏆 Investec Champions Cup Semi-Finals

  • Leinster Rugby vs RC Toulon (Ireland) 
  • Union Bordeaux Bègles vs Bath Rugby

👉 Bath coming off a loss to Northampton Saints… momentum swing?

🎯 Closing Hook for the Episode

  •  Can anyone stop England right now? 
  •  Are Munster and Stormers peaking at the perfect time? 
  •  And did the Sharks bottle that final decision… or play it smart?


  • Holly Davidson First woman to referee a TOP 14 match
  • Hurricanes confirms that Riley Higgins will join Edinburgh following the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific and NPC seasons
  • The Fijian Drua record their second ever away victory in their history
  • Moana Pasifik
  • Eddie Jones believes “35 is the new 30” now - seeing that Brodie Retallick could make his way back into the Allblacks this season
  • Moodie picked up a hamstring niggle during the first half of Friday night’s 47-7 win against the Dragons
  • SA Rugby president Mark Alexander says the current demands on leading Springboks are “not sustainable”. What does this mean? Boks play less URC games?
  • Heyneke Meyer - SWD Eagles coach is waiting for feedback from SA Rugby, who meet on 14 May, on whether prospective shareholder UXi Sport has received the necessary approval. This could be huge for the club
  • Jake White Wins Selborne College showdown with Headmaster
  • Le Roux Malan is poised to join Welsh outfit Cardiff later this year, bringing an end to his short stint in Durban.
  • Scarra Ntubeni’s contribution to rugby.
  • Grey College losing 3 in a row


Topics:


  • URC - Stormers & Sharks losing at home :
  • Sharks have now lost any hope of playing in the QF
  • Credit to Ospreys On good win - Dan Edward’s
  • Zikhethelo Siyaya 18 years old, chucked in the deep by JP Pietersen.
  • 14 carries, 91 metres made, 10 defenders beaten - on Debut
  • Stormers losing at home for the first time this season
  • Stormers seemed fine when they attacked using their forwards but it was when they forced plays that made it difficult for them, trying to go wide too early
  • Warrick Gelant costly errors on D
  • Lions thump Warriors - Lions are now 4th on the log 
  • Muster Ruthless against Benetton - all their Irish stars are back. The comp is back to full complement now where stars are concerned
  • Bulls too strong for the Dragons and next week they play Scarlets. Bulls sitting in 8th spot and need the win next week
  • Investec Championship - what are our thoughts on last weeks match between UBB vs Toulouse
  • Super Rugby:
  • Drua win in Australia against Brumbies INCREDIBLE
  • Hurricanes vs Chiefs - brutal encounter
  • Crusaders in the MuD! Led by 19 - 0 at the start. To end up losing the game like that is worrying.



  • Coach Johan Ackermann has reportedly asked Bulls CEO Edgar Rathbone to convince seasoned South African playmaker Curwin Bosch to make the move to Loftus Versfeld. (Ackers Done with Pollard already? )
  • Despite France beating England 48-46 in a thriller in Paris to retain the Six Nations title, Ireland remain the highest-ranked side from the northern hemisphere, behind the No 1-ranked Springboks and No 2-ranked All Blacks
  • Rassie celebrates 8 years with Springboks this year, would you have thought the Boks would be in this position in World Tugby when he got appointed?
  • Wales ended a three-year wait for a win in the Six Nations with a convincing victory over Italy in Cardiff on Saturday.

Topics:


  • URC - Stormers beating the Bulls
  • Strikers are back to number 2
  • Sharks back to usual ways, they’ve lost back to back against the Lions 
  • Six Nations


This Sunday we look at news making headlines: Faf de Klerk linked to the Cheetahs, Dylan Mart linked to Bulls. 

We also cover Shape Of The Game - The Media uproar about rumours that New Zealand and Australia want to get rid of scrums. 

URC - Permoances around South African Teams

Super Rugby - Brumbies in fine form 

Allblacks Coach: Rennie or Joseph - we share our views on this.

Finish off with Six Nations Preview 

 Racing 92 & Hacjivah Dayimani part ways

Racing 92 and Hacjivah Dayimani have mutually agreed to end their collaboration. The decision is reportedly for personal reasons, allowing the South African loose forward to return home and be closer to family. 


 Blues coaching succession talk

Reports suggest Ian Foster and Tony Brown (often linked through All Blacks structures) are being discussed as potential candidates for the Blues head coach role when Vern Cotter departs at the end of the season. 

Fabian Holland injury blow

Highlanders and All Blacks lock Fabian Holland is set to miss the Super Rugby Pacific season and the July Test window through injury — a major loss for both franchise and national depth in the second row.

Was this a warning sign for Ireland?

Italy pushed Ireland far harder than many expected. It took Ireland 17 minutes to score their first try, which is notable given how dominant and fast-starting they’ve been in recent seasons.

Talking points:

  • Italy’s defensive structure and breakdown work slowed Ireland significantly.
  • Ireland looked less intense and less sharp early on.
  • Are we seeing a slight drop in tempo compared to the Ireland of 2022–2023?


Italy robbed?

Debate around key decisions late in the game — Italy arguably deserved more from the contest. The bigger takeaway though: this Italian side is no longer a bonus-point opponent.


How good are Italy now?

  • Better game management.
  • Improved physicality.
  • Confidence to stay in systems for 80 minutes.

Did we hype England too early?

After early optimism, England looked blunt against a Scotland side that simply outmuscled them up front.


Key discussion points:

  • Scotland’s forwards dominated collisions and gainline.
  • England struggled to adapt once Plan A stalled.
  • Is England’s attack still too predictable?


Gregor Townsend’s milestone

Townsend’s 100th Test as Scotland coach, and remarkably he has now beaten England six times in ten meetings. That consistency in this fixture says a lot about Scotland’s preparation and clarity of approach.


Game plan too rigid?

  • Heavy reliance on one-off runners.
  • Lack of variation once Scotland slowed the breakdown.
  • Limited attacking width until late in the game.


Finn Russell — prime time

Game control, kicking variation, and decision-making at its best. When Russell plays flat and challenges the line, Scotland look like a genuine Tier 1 threat.


Henry Arundell red card — correct call?

Big debate point. Technically correct under current framework, but again raises the question about intent vs outcome in red card decisions.


Super Rugby Round 1

Moana Pasifika

Picking up right where they left off — confidence, physicality, and attacking ambition. They’re becoming one of the competition’s most entertaining sides.


Fijian Drua

Could be a tougher season ahead after losing key personnel. Depth and consistency away from home remain concerns.


Chiefs vs Blues

Tight, high-quality contest — finals intensity already. The Chiefs’ structure vs the Blues’ physical edge makes this one of the best matchups in Super Rugby right now.


Highlanders vs Crusaders

Crusaders beginning to find rhythm again, while the Highlanders will feel the absence of Fabian Holland in the pack.





  • New signing  Gianni Lombard joins the Hollywoodbets Sharks on a 3 year deal starting next season!
  • World Rugby released the World Cup schedule. Wallabies v Allblacks will not be the opening match in 2027 RWC - thoughts?
  • Mathieu Reynal has hit out at Southern Hemisphere, saying they want more tries and passing instead of Mauls & Scrums (summary) thoughts?
  • Wallace Sititi, Codie Taylor and Patrick Tuipulotu responded to the talk around Ardie Savea's role in Scott Robertson's axing - calling it totally unfair to solely blame Ardie
  • ITV will show adverts during play in its Six Nations coverage - we know this is done in US sports, that’s how they make money.


This week, we are happy to cover international rugby: Six Nations kicked off this past weekend and we brokedown the games by covering highlights and low momnts that took place in the three fixtures. 

- Ireland brush off England in shaky start 

- Wales need to mature very quickly 

- England still wonky on defense 

- Scotlandś Six Nations to lose? 

Welcome back everyone to the Rugby Scoop 2025 season, we are happy to hit the road running this year. Our topics for this episode: 

  • Sharks Not Good Enough 
  • Plumtree Missed opportunity to play Siya Kolisi at 8
  • Mannie Libbok In Hot Form 
  • South African Coaches 5 years behind their Investec Chmapionship counterparts
  • Phepsi Buthelezi Needs To Try 7s Circuit 
  • Mack Hansen Banned? 

Congratulations on the Springboks winning the Rugby Championship 2024"

  • On todays show, we cover the detail from the Springboks match against Argentina, we also look at certain positions which have quality talent coming through in South Africa.
  • Rating Scott Robertson's era so far as All black coach
  • Wallabies looking better each week

We pick our strongest Rugby Championship 15 

We are back after a week's break of international duty from our panelists. This week we look at overall performances from Allblacks, Springboks, Ireland and Joe Schmidts Wallabies. 

  • Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu the talk of the town currently 
  • Rassie selection headache 
  • Have the Allblacks lost aura? 
  • Are Wallabies strong or did they have an easy Inbound Tour Series? 

This week we take a look at finals rugby that took place on the weekend. We also breakdown on who stood out on their Springboks debut. Japan & England test match

  • Super Rugby Final - Vern Cotter Tactics 
  • Wales need experience 
  • Springboks test out combinations | Sacha | Mapimpi 
  • Blue Bulls crumbling at Altitude: What went wrong on Saturday? 
  • Jade Craig shares his Allblacks Squad prediction 

This week we chat with Vuyisile Mbula, a South African based in The Netherlands, following their win in the Dutch National Rugby Competition - Ereklasse. 

  • We also look at the Sharks winning the EPCR last Friday.
  • Leinster always a bridesmaid never the bride 
  • Who will cover 15 for the Springboks, now that Willemse is out
  • Rugby DNA Series: France & Italy 

In todays conversation, start off by looking at Russia political situation. Scoop takes us on a short journey on Rotterdam Rugby Club. 

  • Dosbon and the Stormers in a spot of bother 
  • Munster grind it out at Loftus 
  • Rob Penny and the Crusaders: End of a Dynasty? 
  • Blues under Vern Cotter 
  • Sacha Mngomezulu to leap frog Manie Libbok

We are finally back again after two weeks of hiatus, Vuyo has been involved in some rugby competitions in Russia, Scoop has been away on rugby duties in Portugal. In this weeks episode, we catch up new making headlines in the past week: 

  • Hurricanes flix their muscle on the Chiefs 
  • Jacques Nienaber influence at Leinster 
  • White noise from the Bulls 
  • Reaction from South African teams participating in Europe 
  • Do the Bulls have a realistic chance of winning URC? 
  • Super Rugby YouTube viewership better than all other rugby comps.

In this episode we discuss news making headlines in the past week: 

  • South African teams make a statement in URC with 4 from 4 wins 
  • Drua love story continues in Super Rugby Pacific as the pip the Tahs 
  • Do New Zealand teams know you can also win games by scoring 3 points? 
  • Wandisile Simelani needs more game time at Stormers 
  • Sharks Springboks, its time to stand up and be counted 
  • We vote for Six Nations player of the tournament 
  • Shithousery Moment of the week 

In this week's episode we tackle the rollercoaster weekend of rugby upsets: 

  • Do coaches need to change their approach each week for each game? 
  • Italy finally get the win they've been looking for 
  • Borthwick outclasses Andy Farrell 
  • Drua continue thier winning form against Crusaders 
  • Les Kiss the right man for the Reds? 
  • Hurricanes looking good after 3 rounds 
  • Who should captain the Springboks if Siya is injured? 

In this week's episode we kick off the conversation with Super Rugby - Super Round hosted in Melbourne. Poor attendance, but the rugby product was great. 

We also take a deep dive on how the Bulls  dominated Stormers

  • Lions keep the Sharks scoreless in the second half
  • URC table 
  • Waratahs upset Crusaders 
  • Rugby Eligibility Laws 
  • Is Warren Gatland good for Wales Rugby or not? 

On todays episode, we look at: 

  • Scotland versus France - how did Scotland lose a 6 point lead with 20 min to play? 
  • England win 2 back-to-back | Wales youngsters gaining valuable experience 
  • We look at the Referee Documentary - Whistleblowers 
  • Why French star players never travel outside of France? If they are serious about winning a World Cup, shouldn't they tour?
  • How will SA Rugby plan to use the money if the deal is successful

Enjoy! Share! : )  

On todays episode we cover: 

  • Warburton and Jim talking about Welsh/English collaboration (bye bye URC)
  • Anglo-Welsh League
  • We breakdown the Six Nations Squads announced in the past week, who is likely to win this years comp, who has the best squad? 
  • Joe Schmidt set to be next Wallabies coach. (David Nucifora also linked to the Wallabies as Director of rugby - what a combination)
  • Stormers emphatic performance in Paris 
  • Blue Bulls vs Bordeaux 
  • Sharks fly half dilemma 



  • Round Up - thoughts on European Rugby Championship - talking points: SA teams in Europe, how did they perform
  • Hacjivah - Is there space for him in the Springbok squad
  • Passing of JPR Williams #MHSRIP
  • Vuyo - Takes us through the requirement's for 15s players transitioning into 7s domain Du Pont & Michael Hooper = Olympic preparations
  • Clive Woodward removed from ITV
  • Thoughts on NZ - Japan #CBR ? (Cross Border Rugby)
  • Razor held his first All Blacks camp, what do we make of this? 
  • Lions coach - Andy Farrell (And what would the coaching staff look like - or who would you like to see as support staff) 


Our first episode of 2024: 

  • All things URC: how Welsh sides are doing - with Huw + stats | Zammit could be jetting off to Japan
  • How is the reception of Jacques Nienaber at Leinster?
  • SA teams - Vuyo & Jade (Jake White vs Dobson | Simelane saga | what’s wrong with the Sharks? - sharks hit rock bottom against Lions | should the Boks at Sharks also be Accountable?
  • What is the direction of URC? How do you guys feel about SA teams part of URC? (We’ve seen comments from Sam Warburton & Lawrence Dallaglio)

English Premiership thoughts? The standard | Owen Farrell potential move to Racing92 | Farrell also took a sabbatical from International footy, what does this mean for England going forward? Would this be a good time for England to scrap their overseas eligibility rule/law?


French Top 14 thoughts? Stuart Lancaster did a wonderful job at Leinster, now he’s improved Racing92 within a few months.



Published 2023-10-29

Rugby World Cup Final!

68 min
Open

In this episode we look at how South African Springboks went #back2back and won their fourth rugby world cup championship. We also look at what happens next in Springbok camp post Jacques Nienaber? Who will be next Springboks captain after Kolisi? Were the Allblacks emotionally immature for this final?  

In this episode we cover the Rugby World Cup week 4, Ian Foster takes a swipe at Ireland & Springboks "boring" rugby, Pollard being brought in to save the Springboks kicking woes. 

  • Should Galthie rush Dupont back to playing? 
  • Wallabies should take a holiday break in their bye week
  • Has France faced any adversity in this World Cup cycle? 

lastly we share our view on the World Cup after 4 weeks of footy. 

Bledisloe Cup:
- Talking points: Wallabies looking decent in the first quarter of the first half and 3rd quarter of the game. Are we seeing general improvements to their game?
- Carter Gordon: thoughts on his game?
- Allblacks, what stood out for you?
- Are they getting the right combos on the bench now?
- Are there any players you would like to see get some game time before RWC squads are named in the next few weeks? Oz & NZ

South Africa vs Argentina
WHAT WENT WRONG | WHAT WENT RIGHT | WHERE TO FROM HERE FOR THE SPRINGBOKS?

* Is it time to panic or nah?

Published 2023-07-23

The Scoop - Latest Rugby News

66 min
Open

This week, we take a look: 

  • Johnny Sexton Ban 
  • We dissect England's Training Squad 
  • Do Allblacks show any signs of missing SA teams in Super Rugby?
  • Discuss the Mapimpi vs Arendse debate 
  • Bledisloe Cup: Wallabies vs Allblacks 
  • Lions Tour Dates Announcements: Who will coach this team?