Rugby Union Weekly is presented by Ugo Monye, Chris Jones and Danny Care. Between the bickering and tangents they'll bring you special guests and cover the biggest stories in the game. Get in touch with the pod via 5 Live Sport on social media or email rugbyunionweekly@bbc.co.uk, and remember to leave us your ratings and reviews!
Have Exeter shown enough to convince us they can beat Northampton in Saturday’s Prem final? Ugo, Chris and Ashy look back at both semi-finals and assess whether the Chiefs have the game to upset the favourites. Or are Northampton simply operating on another level? Plus, with Steve Borthwick naming his 33-man squad to face a France XV on Friday, they debate whether Ollie Lawrence can count himself unlucky to miss out.
The pod has been given exclusive access to the four directors of rugby ahead of this weekend's play-offs. Chris heads to the Prem awards in central London to sit down with Phil Dowson, Johann van Graan, Rob Baxter and Geoff Parling to reflect on the Prem season so far and the quality of rugby. Has there been too many blowouts? And have the recent law changes made it a better or worse spectacle? We also look at the gruelling schedule for the game's top international players. Should Maro Itoje and...
Exeter are into the Prem play-offs and Ugo, Ashy and Danny are joined by Henry Slade to reflect on a memorable win over Saracens, and the Chiefs’ remarkable transformation. Slade also discusses his outstanding form after ending the regular season finishing as the league’s top points scorer. We also break down the final round of the Premiership season, including Bath securing a home semi-final thanks to Thomas du Toit’s try-scoring exploits. With Northampton hosting Leicester and Bath welcoming E...
Chris and Ashy head to the Saracens training base for a special pod about one of the most influential figures in English club rugby history. After 17 trophy-laden years at Sarries, Mark McCall is standing down as director of rugby at the end of the season. We speak to the man himself who explains why now is the time to move on, and what place he is leaving the club in. Two of Sarries’ senior players, Ben Earl and Nick Tompkins, share their memories of being coached by McCall, and explain what ma...
All eyes are on Sandy Park this weekend as Rob Baxter and Mark McCall go head-to-head for one last time. Danny, Ugo and Chris look back on Exeter’s impressive win at Leicester that sets up Saturday’s showdown with Saracens for the final play-off spot. Who will come out on top? Will anybody other than Northampton rotate this weekend? It’s now only one win in five for Bath, what is behind their recent slump? Newcastle produced one of the comebacks of the season to stun Sale for a first win since J...
We are podding from the San Mamés stadium in Bilbao after Bordeaux win a second successive Champions Cup crown. Chris and Paul Grayson chat to one of the key man behind Bordeaux’s success, their attack coach Noel McNamara. We also grab a word with Adam Coleman who vows to spend days partying in his match shirt. But where did it go wrong for Leinster? They’ve now lost five finals since their last triumph in 2018. Will there be big changes following this latest defeat? Billy Vunipola rolled back t...
Ashy and Chris are back with a bonus pod after Steve Borthwick spoke to the media for the first time since England's disappointing Six Nations campaign. Chris went inside the camp to see the England head coach who explained why he's selected Benhard Janse van Rensburg selection for the three-day training camp and what he expects the South African-born centre to bring. But what does his selection mean for Ollie Lawrence and Max Ojomoh after they were omitted from the squad? We find out how Borthw...
How do you sum up the life and legacy of Scott Hastings? Chris, Ashy and Danny are joined by his close friend and former teammate Andy Nicol to share memories of the great man, both on and off the pitch, following his death over the weekend. Plus, as Steve Borthwick names his latest England training squad, the guys debate the inclusion of former South Africa Under-20 centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg. The Bristol Bears player qualifies for England through the five-year residency rule despite hav...
Sara, Ugo and Katy Daley-McLean are podding pitch side immediately after the Red Roses won an eighth successive Six Nations title and fifth Grand Slam. Given the injuries, absentees and retirements - is this the best one yet? And does this latest triumph now make the Red Roses one of the greatest sports teams of all time? We chat to England centurion Marlie Packer who tells us she isn’t going to hang her boots up any time soon. We also pick our player of the tournament and look ahead to WXV Glob...
Will England claim an eighth successive Six Nations? Or will France finally beat the Red Roses and claim a first title since 2018? Ugo, Sara and former Ireland international Anna Caplice look ahead to the big showdown in Bordeaux. Could England's leaky defence cost them on Sunday? Are England demanding too much of their star centre Meg Jones? Ireland’s first standalone fixture at the Aviva is expected to attract 30,000 fans. Anna explains what a watershed moment this will be for Irish rugby. Wal...
It was a huge weekend in the race for the Prem play-offs as the top two both lost. Ashy, Danny and Chris dive into Leicester’s massive derby win over Northampton and discuss the electric atmosphere at Welford Road, the Tigers pack and if Henry Pollock needs to shake the pantomime villain image. Bath missed the change to go top after Exeter put them to the sword with an impressive second half display at Sandy Park. Are the Prem champions starting to run out of steam? Noah Caluori makes his pod de...
Former England international Katy Daley-McClean and ex-Black Fern Ruby Tui join Sara Orchard to review the Red Roses’ 61-33 thrashing of Italy in Parma. John Harrison’s reigning world champions made it 37 consecutive wins across all competitions with a dominant display in their fourth bonus-point victory of this year’s competition. That’s now 38 successive Six Nations wins, setting up what should be an epic grand finale in Bordeaux against France next weekend. The panel discuss the entertainment...
Should the women’s game be using smaller balls? The debate is back on the agenda after Zoe Harrison’s interview with Sara about the decision to use size 4.5 balls at this autumn's WXV Global Series. Kat Merchant and Philippa Tuttiett give their views on ball trial, and discuss whether it is a backwards step for the game. We also examine the state of the women’s game in Italy as they prepare to face the Red Roses after an impressive victory over Scotland. Ticket sales for Ireland’s big date at th...
We’re podding from the Stade Atlantique in Bordeaux after Bath’s hopes of winning a first Champions Cup since 1998 were dashed by the holders. Chris and Paul Grayson pick the bones out of an epic encounter and discuss where the semi-final got away from Bath. They also chat to Johaan van Grann who airs his frustration with the lack of consistency from the French TV directors. Bordeaux progress to the final in Bilbao and we grab a word with Ben Tameifuna and a special guest in the tunnel after the...
