Episode 190: Rooting Against Your Own Side? Really? | Lekker Rugby Pod

Episode 190: Rooting Against Your Own Side? Really? | Lekker Rugby Pod

Who thought up this strange competition? Did anybody even think it through?Harry Jones sits down with rugby content creator Riaan Louw to pull apart the Nations Championship, rugby's newest and strangest, competition. Not just the idea, but the logic underneath it, a finals ladder that quietly turns southern hemisphere fans into short-term allies of the north. Which is not what they wanted!In this episode:- Why the Nations Championship's finals seeding forces fans to root against their own hemisphere rivals- What's actually working, and what isn't, in the tournament's branding, stats, and graphics- Why Ireland avoided travelling to Japan and what problems that could cause going forward- Riaan's wider verdict on rugby's branding problem, from Ellis Park to Loftus VersfeldIf you enjoy the show, the best thing you can do is LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and hit the BELL so you never miss an episode.

Episode 189: The Kicking Spectrum: Rassie's Springboks vs Rennie's All Blacks

Is there actually a right way to win test rugby, or is the game splitting into two irreconcilable philosophies?The Lekker Rugby Pod is back, and this one goes deep. MW and Harry break down the spectrum that's quietly reshaping test rugby, with South Africa anchoring one extreme and New Zealand the other, and every other top nation picking a side to copy.In this episode:- The kicking spectrum explained, and why South Africa's attacking kick numbers are unlike anything else in the game- Why real momentum, the kind sports science actually measures, might be disappearing from rugby- A detailed breakdown of the pillar and post system, and exactly how Scotland's line broke through it- Big moments over the slow grind: why scraps are winning more matches than scrums nowHarry and MW also get into Rassie Erasmus's thinking on legacy and succession, the shape of the back line in transition rugby, and whether Paul de Villiers's size is a limiting factor or an asset at test level.

Episode 188: Four URC finals. Four losses. What being on the Bulls' bench showed Harry Jones | Lekker Rugby Pod

The Bulls have now lost four URC finals in five seasons. Harry Jones was embedded on their bench at Croke Park when the latest chance slipped away.What he witnessed from three meters away tells a story the scoreboard does not. A stunned bench. A Leinster coaching staff burning calories delivering information in real time. Eight Springbok calibre players sitting in silence with no shared framework for what was unfolding in front of them. And in the aftermath, the image Jones cannot shake: Cameron Hanekom, alone under the posts, staring at all of it.This is not a post-match reaction. It is a first-hand account of what a final looks like from the inside, and what it might mean for the Bulls until they solve it.

Episode 187: Why Rassie Is Fast-Tracking a New Generation of Springboks | Jon Cardinelli

A year out from Australia 2027, Rassie Erasmus is fast-tracking players most coaches would wait on. Riley Norton at 21. Paul de Villiers stacking man-of-the-match awards at the Stormers. A bomb squad being rebuilt from scratch. The Nations Championship squad is not a holding pattern. It is a blueprint.Jon Cardinelli, one of SA rugby's sharpest analysts, joins Harry Jones on The Lekker Rugby Pod to decode what this next wave of Springboks tells us about 2027.In this episode:Why Riley Norton and Paul de Villiers are being fast-tracked ahead of the All Blacks seriesThe evolution of the bomb squad and why the second hooker might not be a hookerThe prop selections that break every convention about age and experienceElrigh Louw's omission and the silence Rassie left around itRecorded before Rassie's Nations Championship press conference. Some of what Jon and Harry decoded here, Rassie confirmed later. The Elrigh question, he didn't touch.If you enjoy the show, the best thing you can do is LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and hit the BELL so you never miss an episode.On this episode of The Lekker Rugby Pod, MW Welman and Harry Jones are joined by rugby journalist Jon Cardinelli.

Episode 186: URC Final LIVE Preview with Harry Jones | Lekker Rugby Pod

Can the Bulls pull off the upset of the year in Dublin on Friday?With the URC Final days away, MW Welman and Harry Jones go live to break down the Leinster and Bulls team announcements and make the case for why this final might not be the foregone conclusion many expect. The Bulls' front row is the story, and Leinster know it.In this episode:Why the Bulls' pack could be Leinster's worst nightmare in DublinAndrew Porter's withdrawal and what it signals ahead of the finalThe team announcements broken down and what they revealHarry Jones heads behind the scenes with the Bulls on match day Friday