
James Haskell, Mike Tindall and Alex Payne return for season six of The Good, The Bad & The Rugby. Expect more great guests, insight, laughter and tears.
The northern hemisphere have turned it around in the latest leg of the summer internationals. Lots to discuss on the pod this week, as the Welsh and Irish teams cement themselves in the history books. Alex, Hask and Tinds are in the studio again, joined by George Gregan who reflects on his experience under Eddie Jones, playing for the Brumbies and how he nearly lost the Wallabies to a river of crocodiles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
George Kruis is with us to look back on his career - a journey that started on the wing and ended up in the engine room at Saracens, England and in Japan. So why now for retirement, when he can still perform at the very highest level and backheel conversions with the best of them? And after a bruising weekend in the southern hemisphere, we try to figure out the way back for the home nations who have a lot to do. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
International summer rugby fills the next few weekends, so the boys take a look ahead to what's in store. They start with England who take on a rejuvenated Wallabies. The Eddie Jones’ era was just getting underway the last time England toured Australia in 2016 and you may remember - he barely mentions it - but our very own Hask won man of the series. The boys turn back the clock and relive some of those stellar performances and also pick a 23-man World XV squad, made up of the four travelling home nations and the southern hemisphere giants. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Pass the paracetamol as Alex and Tinds are joined by a refreshed Freddie Burns and Richard Wigglesworth following their Premiership title win over Saracens and the celebrations since. Freddie talks us through his climactic drop goal, reveals how at one stage he was almost done with rugby and considers who should play him in the inevitable movie, while Richard explains why this victory was extra special, even compared to the many others he has won. The guys also give us a rundown of their team-mates and take us inside a weekend that's included (many) pints, double denim and Wiggy's hunt for chicken nuggets. Elsewhere, Tinds and Alex discuss England's loss to the Baa-Baas, the squad named for the tour of Australia and give their starting 15 for the first Test. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Saracens take on Leicester at Twickenham this weekend as the Premiership draws to a close. Alex and Tinds are joined by Ben Kayser and ex Saracens lock Al Hargreaves as they discuss what this game means for both teams. Tinds catches 15 minutes with Richard Cockerill to talk Baa-baas, a young England team and Tigers' bid for the trophy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
One of the all-time greats, Zinzan Brooke, is on the sofa this week with Alex and Tinds. We get the inside track on Tinds’ royal weekend at the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations, before diving into the man who’s seen it all in a career spanning the amateur and professional eras. He explains how summer touch helped shape the All Blacks stylish rugby in the 80s and talks about what it was like to win the World Cup before reporting back to work as a plumber. Jonah Lomu crops up in conversation (of course he does), so do 40-metre drop goals (of course they do) and then there’s that famous Zinzan mullet, a conversation starter if ever there was one. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jack Nowell joins the Hask, Tinds and Alex at the Plymouth Pavillions on their live tour. Cornish pride, England debuts, and when team building goes wrong are on the cards. As well as an update on Jack’s recovery, they also discuss the changes being made at Exeter Chiefs to make sure they’re back at their best next year and Eddie Jones’ plans for Jack this summer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Tinds, Hask and Alex are in Birmingham at The Alexandra Theatre, ahead of another night on stage. They’re joined by one of Hask's former coaches, Lee Blackett; now Head Coach at Wasps. They discuss his journey from the Championship to the Premiership and the fastest try the league's ever seen, as well as what it really takes to let players go and what he’s pushing for next season. Hask also takes a trip down memory lane & heads back to Northampton for a bonus interview with Dan Biggar, to chat all things Saints, Wales and what's left to achieve now he's a centurion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
What better way to spend a Sunday morning in Swansea than with Alun Wyn Jones. He joins Hask, Tinds and Alex to reflect on a stellar career and look ahead to what’s still to come. Is there much more he can achieve? One hundred and fifty caps to his name, an Ospreys, Wales and Lions legend. Just a World Cup then… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Legendary England hooker, Steve Thompson, joins Hask, Tinds and Alex on their live tour at The Liverpool Empire Theatre. The boys discuss Steve’s hugely inspirational battle with early onset-dementia and his close shave with suicide, his new book and his now rusty World Cup medal. Steve also gets into some of the wild times with Hask and Tinds back in their playing days, including one particular postgame celebration in Dublin involving a very famous golfer. It’s not too late to get tickets to see the boys live. Go to: https://goodbadrugby.com/livetour/ Warning – this podcast discusses suicide & suicidal feelings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The boys are finally off on their UK tour and already a little dusty from a few nights on the road. Hask has barely slept, Tinds is losing his voice, and Alex is attempting to hold it all together as usual. This episode comes from the stage of the empty Empire Theatre in Liverpool where the boys reflect on the best moments from the opening night in Sheffield with Dylan Hartley. He opened up about his time under Eddie Jones as England captain, as well as all the bans and indiscretions in between. Hask, Tinds and Alex also discuss the Red Roses Grand Slam, and Chris Ashton’s try scoring record. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
This week the GB&R team speak to Bath and England prop Beno Obano about his new documentary series Prep To Win, which takes the viewer behind the scenes at Harlequins. He reveals how it came about, why rugby must broaden its appeal and the moment he knew he had something pretty special on his hands. Elsewhere, we get the inside story on the big fight...No, not Fury-Whyte...Payne-Curzon! The lads also pay tribute to Emily Scarratt after her 100th England cap and wonder what could be named after Hask following his induction into the Wasps Hall of Fame. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Just like Jack Nowell, grassroots rugby clubs are off on tour & so are the GB&R boys… so what better excuse to relive the best tours of times gone by. Hask, Tinds and Alex compare their wild time in Japan in 2019 with the shambles of the tour dubbed ‘Tinds’ stag do’ by the media in 2011, and the chaos of the unprofessional tours before that. Handcuffs, poo and ferry diving are all on the agenda. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The gang are all here as Alex, Hask and Tinds are reunited for the first time in a few weeks. Also back with them is the Rhino Bambino himself, Leicester and England's Ellis Genge, fresh from his club's Champions Cup win at Clermont. They chat about that and Ellis gives his thoughts on England's Six Nations campaign and criticism of Eddie Jones. Also in this episode, the team pay tribute to Tom Smith, Ellis discusses meeting Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and why he's up for having football managers in rugby and he explains why he celebrates his team-mates' tries more than his own. Plus there's chat on the women's Six Nations, an unusual way of increasing your testosterone and which of the guys played the following in their school play: Knuckles, the Demon Headmaster, an Ugly Sister and a washer woman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Hask and Tinds are having a mid-season break, so Shane Horgan joins Alex in the studio for this intimate episode. They break down Ireland’s development under Andy Farrell and assess Ronan O’Gara’s ambitions at international level, possibly even (gasp) with England. In his absence, Hask also provides a bonus interview with legendary sprinter Michael Johnson about his award-winning audio docuseries, Defiance: A History of Protest in Sport. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Tinds takes the reins this week as Hask and Alex take a well earned holiday. Lucky for us, he’s brought in the big guns, in the form of Ben Kayser and the woman who heads up The Good, The Scaz & The Rugby, Elma Smit. Anti-Eddie Jones sentiment is still rife, so enter Alex Spinks, the Mirror’s Rugby Correspondent, for a spicy debate about Eddie's future at England and the media’s responsibility to hold him to account. And… the Women’s Six Nations is back with a bang - so, to whet your Six Nations appetite all over again, and look ahead to Le Crunch 2.0, and the World Cup beyond it, Red Roses returnee, Emily Scarratt joins the squad for a preview. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
It’s the morning after the night before in sunny Paris and the boys are joined by their favourite Frenchman, Ben Kayser, overlooking the Tuileries Garden. Super Saturday did not disappoint, with Josh Adams’ generosity, France’s utter dominance and Italy’s last gasp try to win their first Six Nations match in 12 years. But where does this leave each nation 18 months out from the World Cup? The boys take a look at the state of play and look ahead to their return trip to France next year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Alex, Hask and Tinds travel to Bannockburn RFC in Scotland to host a live show with Scottish legends, Lisa Martin & Tommy Seymour. In this bonus episode, the boys are on the road to celebrate the return of grassroots rugby, on Vodafone’s Lions Legacy Tour, at a rugby club where veterans and serving members of the armed forces are uniquely celebrated and welcomed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Only England stand in the way of France’s first Grand Slam in 12 years, so who better than Ben Kayser to join the boys in the studio to look ahead to the big Paris showdown on Super Saturday? That’s a rhetorical question, but there are so many questions ahead of this one: will France be rattled by their close encounter in Cardiff? Do England really have the game to go head-to-head with Les Bleus at the Stade de France? And if they lose, where does that leave them a year out from the World Cup? Keeping 15 players on the pitch will certainly help England on Saturday night… so, unsurprisingly the red card which defined their clash with Ireland is also up for debate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Ireland make their way to Twickenham this weekend for the penultimate round of the Six Nations. Rugby royalty, Sir Rory Best, joins Hask, Tinds & Alex to look ahead to the final couple of rounds, dissect Ireland’s performances so far & relive the glory years… James also sits down with the man staking his claim to England’s right wing, Max Malins, to hear about prep for the weekend & a certain darts championship in Bristol. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The boys head back to the studio this week to debrief on the drama of Round 3 of the Six Nations; they unpick uncontested scrumgate, French flair, Youngs’ 115 and Sinckler’s half-century. Be prepared for dad chat, with Baby Haskell on the way, and Alex enjoying his own impression of a certain ‘Bad Boys’ character far too much. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
This week Hask and Alex are joined by Ben Kayser and Ryan Jones for a live show at The Globe, Marylebone. Does The Six Nations need a shake up? Has Italy proven itself? Elma Smit, host of our sister show The Good, The Scaz & The Rugby, joins the boys to make the case for South Africa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Join the boys on the road this week through the streets of Rome! Recorded over three locations, Alex, Hask and Tinds get in amongst the fans and enjoy the incredible atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
After a brilliant first round of the Six Nations, the boys are back together to break down each of the three games, and discuss some of the stand out performers, notably Finn Russell and Mack Hansen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
With the Six Nations looming, Alex, Hask and Tinds discuss the things they love about the oldest international rugby tournament in the world. They cover each of the team's strengths and weaknesses, what it's like playing the away games, and why magic can happen at the Principality Stadium. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices