Brian Moore's Rugby Podcast

Brian Moore is joined in the studio by Harlequins and England centre Rachael Burford to recap a thrilling second round of action in the 2022 Six Nations.England picked up their first win and and expected bonus point away to Italy. Marcus Smith was the star of the show, and head coach Eddie Jones says the sky is the limit for the young fly half. We assess his impact on the current England side and ask what his role could be once skipper Owen Farrell returns to the fold.France edged out Ireland in the pick of the weekend's games. The match was billed as one between the two tournament favourites and it did not disappoint. We are joined by the former Ireland back row Alan Quinlan to dissect the game and discuss why the Irish have plenty to be happy about despite defeat.And Scotland followed up their round one win with England with a defeat away to Wales, we speak with former Ospreys head coach about the win and if it was a turning point for the Welsh or a case of Scotland shooting themselves in the foot.Read more

The 2022 Six Nations is underway and the opening weekend has well and truly delivered! Joining Brian to recap the action is former England captain Chris Robshaw.They reflect on a tense game in Murrayfield which saw Scotland stage a late comeback to ensure they retained the Calcutta Cup for the first time since 1984. We break down the game in detail with the Telegraph's Charlie Morgan who analyses just how Gregor Townsend masterminded the win for his side.Elsewhere Ireland made light work of Wales in Dublin. Next up for them is a trip to Paris to take on France who themselves picked up a bonus point by beating Italy. Chris reckons the Irish will be too strong for tournament favourites, France in that one.Plus we discuss how England should line up against Italy. If Tuilagi is fit, should he play? And we get the lowdown on life in America for Chris since leaving Quins.Read more from Brian every Monday: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/b/bp-bt/brian-moore/ |Save 50% on a Telegraph Sport subscription:

We're edging closer to the big kick off for the 2022 Six Nations!Joining Brian for the final preview before the opening round of fixtures is the former England centre Tom May.Tom offers his insight into who should feature in England's backline after it was confirmed Owen Farrell will play no part in the upcoming campaign and with Joe Marchant struck down by Covid, Tom offers his thoughts on who the latest midfield combination should be.Elsewhere we hear from Leicester captain Ellis Genge, who talks at length about his maturation as a player, his approach to leadership and the loss of Owen Farrell, and how he expects the Six Nations campaign to pan out.Ireland come into the competition off the back of a very strong Autumn. We get the thoughts of Liam Toland of the Irish Times on what the expectations are for Andy Farrell and his side ahead of their curtain raiser with Wales in Dublin.Read more from Brian every Monday: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/b/bp-bt/brian-moore/ |Save 50% on a Telegraph S

We're one step closer to the start of the 2022 Six Nations and we know the initial squads that will be taking to the field over the next eight weeks.Joining Brian to discuss the latest ahead of the Six Nations and beyond is the former Scotland scrum half Rory Lawson.England opted to leave in form George Ford out of their initial squad but he looks to have found a way in due to an injury to skipper Owen Farrell. We are joined by the Telegraph's Ben Coles to discuss the latest from the England camp and ask if it would be a blessing in disguise for Farrell to miss this year's competition, to give the side a chance to learn how to cope without their most influential player.First up for England is a trip to Murrayfield. Rory tells us why Scotland are once again feeling confident ahead of the clash and that the squad is amongst the strongest Gregor Townsend has picked in charge.Elsewhere we run through some of the other major squad selections, recap the latest round of European Rugby and discuss the new terrestrial

Brian Moore is back ahead of what is set to be one of the most thrilling Six Nations in years!Eddie Jones is set to name his 36 man squad on Tuesday and Brian is joined in studio to discuss some of the big selection calls the England head coach will be forced to make ahead of this year's competition.The biggest talking point, as ever, is at outhalf. Marcus Smith has continued his scintillating form and George Ford is playing some of the best rugby of his career but skipper Owen Farrell is likely to take precedence over both despite being sidelined for over three months.Elsewhere, we discuss the options in the centre, back row and at prop, with 35-year-old Dan Cole tipped for a recall.Wales have had a good week, they learned their Covid-19 restrictions will be lifted in time for their 6 Nations campaign, meaning full crowds can return to Cardiff. Their women have just made history too by awarding 12 professional contracts for the first time in their history. We speak with former Wales international and current

Brian Moore is joined by former Springbok captain Bob Skinstad to reflect on the year in rugby.It was a year of two halves for England and Eddie Jones. After a disappointing fifth place finish in the Six Nations, the England head coach made wholesale changes for the Summer and Autumn series and went undefeated in both. The Telegraph's Ben Coles joins the show to review England's year and discuss where they are at ahead of the Six Nations in 2022.Elsewhere we assess the state of play for the rest of the Northern Hemisphere sides and in particular France who have arguably ended the year as the number one side in the world.We also look back on the British and Irish Lions Tour to South Africa and it's legacy after widespread criticism of how the tour was managed.Read more from Brian every Monday: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/b/bp-bt/brian-moore/ |Save 50% on a Telegraph Sport subscription: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/contact |See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Californi

European Rugby got underway at the weekend and joining Brian Moore in the studio to reflect on the opening round of games is former England 7's captain Rob Vickerman.The pair discuss an impressive win for Leicester, who toppled French league leaders Bordeaux away from home. George Ford in particular impressed for the Tigers and we discuss if the fly half has any opportunity of forcing his way back into Eddie Jones' thoughts for the Six Nations.Cardiff faced the daunting task of hosting reigning champions Toulouse at Arms Park. Things weren't made any easier by the fact they had 42 members of their squad isolating. Rowan Jenkins is one of eleven players to have made his debut against the defending champions and he joins the show to discuss the four days of preparation he undertook to have himself ready to play.Elsewhere Harlequins women laid down a marker on Sunday by beating previously undefeated Saracens in their own backyard, their skipper Rachael Burford joins the show to discuss the win and also the forma

England head coach Eddie Jones joins Brian Moore and the Telegraph's chief rugby correspondent Gavin Mairs to discuss the launch of his new book Leadership.Jones opens up on the 2019 Rugby World Cup campaign and explains why he is the man to blame for England's defeat to South Africa in Japan. He also takes us back to 2015 and the period when he took over and the task that awaited him upon his arrival.Elsewhere Jones admits that he can, at times, be to demanding of his coaching staff which has caused many bust ups over the years and he explains the important role that women are playing in the current England setup.We also hear his thoughts on the recent Autumn Nations Series and in particular fly half Marcus Smith who announced himself at test level with some assured performances against Australia and the Springboks.Extracts from Leadership: Lessons from my life in rugby by Eddie Jones with Donald McRae (Macmillan, £20.00) © Eddie Jones/Ensemble Rugby Limited 2021. Buy now for £16.99 at books.t

With the Autumn Nations Series now done and dusted we turn our attention back to the club game and in particular the Gallagher Premiership and the United Rugby Championship.Joining Brian in studio once again is the former England centre Tom May. They reflect on the shambles at Twickenham on over the weekend which saw the Barbarians game with Samoa called off on 90 minutes' notice! The pair discuss who and what is to blame for the incident and if this second blunder in two years is enough to kill off the idea of the Barbarians moving forward.Billy Vunipola was named MOTM on his return for Saracens but can he force his way back into the England setup? We discuss his performance and assess England's depth after the Autumn series.South Africa's United Rugby Championship sides face an uncertain few weeks after the country was placed on a red list by both the EU & UK after the emergence of the Omicron variant of Covid-19. We speak with former Springbok and broadcaster Robbi Kempson about what impact this latest

The 2021 Autumn Nations Series is done and dusted and it was a clean sweep for the Northern Hemisphere in the final round.Joining Brian in the studio to dissect the final set of results is the former England centre and World Cup winner Rachael Burford.They reflect on England's last gasp win over World Champions South Africa and pay tribute to head coach Eddie Jones for gaining revenge for the 2019 World Cup final defeat with such a different and fresher looking squad.The Telegraph's Charlie Morgan joins us to break down exactly where the game was won for England on Saturday and discusses where captain Owen Farrell could fit back into this current setup.Elsewhere France made a serious statement on Saturday night by thrashing the All Blacks in Paris, we speak with former French international Thomas Castaignède about the French and if they should now be considered favourites for the 2023 World Cup on home soil.Plus we get Rachael's verdict on England's women who made it 4/4 this Autumn with yet another thrashing

England named an experimental back line for their test against Australia and although they were able to secure the win, the performance felt a little undercooked at times.Joining Brian to reflect on the weekend's action is the former Springbok captain Bob Skinstad.They ponder England's win and in particular the role of Manu Tuilagi who was selected as a winger but rarely appeared there, and also Marcus Smith who was facing his toughest test in an England shirt yet.The Telegraph's Charlie Morgan is on hand to provide a tactical breakdown of England's back line and also to look ahead to England's clash with World Champions South Africa.Ireland put in their finest performance yet under Andy Farrell by defeating the All Blacks in Dublin, we get the thoughts of the Irish Times Liam Toland about the Irish victory and how exactly the team is evolving under Farrell.Plus we get Bob's take on the Springboks ahead of their clash with England this weekend and answer your questions too!Read more from Brian every Monday:&n

Round two of the Autumn Nations Series is in the books and England got their campaign off to a perfect start with a routine win over Tonga at Twickenham.Joining Brian to reflect on their performance is the former England, Newcastle and Toulon centre Tom May.The build up to England's game was dominated by who would wear the #10 shirt and in the end it was neither Owen Farrell or Marcus Smith! George Furbank started the game but Smith was the name on everyone's lips after the Harlequins star lit up Twickenham in his second half cameo.We discuss what role Smith will have once everyone is fit and firing and if Eddie Jones would be willing to drop captain Owen Farrell to accommodate him.We also round up the rest of the weekend's action as Scotland make it three wins from three over Australia, Wales have their chances of winning ruined by a pitch invader and Ireland put nine tries past Japan in Dublin.Plus we hear from England Women's coach Simon Middleton after his side thumped New Zealand for the second week in a

We're underway for the 2021 Autumn Nations Series and the opening round of fixtures produced no surprises, with a weakened Wales getting roundly beaten by New Zealand and Scotland making light work of Tonga.Joining Brian to reflect on the opening round of games and to discuss a busy weekend is the former London Irish and England winger Topsy Ojo.Round two will see the introduction of the rest of the Northern Hemisphere sides, including England who open their campaign against Tonga on Saturday. Ahead of the game, head coach Eddie Jones has had to deny allegations that he has fallen out with a number of his coaching staff during his six years in charge, we discuss what impact the story is likely to have on Jones, his coaching staff and playing squad.Freddie Steward is one of many candidates to replace injured Elliot Daly at full back this Autumn, we speak with the Leicester giant to discuss his scintillating club form and how he manages to balance the life of an international rugby player with a third year econ

International rugby is back and so is Full Contact!Over the course of the Autumn international series Brian will once again be joined by the biggest and best names in the game as the best of the Southern Hemisphere tours Europe to take on the best of the Northern Hemisphere.Looking ahead at the busy month alongside Brian is former England Sevens captain Rob Vickerman. The pair dissect Eddie Jones' divisive England squad and ask whether the injection of new faces will also lead to a more expansive and new playing style.New Zealand arrive in the Northern Hemisphere for the first time since 2018 and kick off their tour with a clash against Wales. We speak with former All Blacks hooker Sean Fitzpatrick about the state of the world's most famous side who are in transition following the departure of Steve Hansen.Elsewhere England's Women begin their preparation for next year's World Cup with a double header against New Zealand. We hear from former centre Rachael Burford about how Simon Middleton's side are shaping

The 2021 British and Irish Lions Tour is in the history books and it's congratulations to South Africa who came from behind to clinch the test series 2-1 with a narrow win in Saturday's deciding test.Joining Brian once again to dissect the test match and the series as a whole is the former Springbok captain Bob Skinstad.They discuss where Saturday's clash was won and lost including if the Lions left a number of points on the field after opting against penalty kicks in favour of lineout drives, the missed pass from Liam Williams and the impact of Finn Russell.Elsewhere Lions chairman Jason Leonard has left the door open for head coach Warren Gatland to return in 2025 for a fourth time. We hear from the Telegraph's chief Rugby Correspondent Gavin Mairs, who says the Lions should be looking to move on from Gatland and that a number of minor tweaks need to be made for the tour to Australia in four years time.We also discuss our players of the series from both sides, and we look ahead to the Springboks upcoming Ru

After two intense and physical test matches, it's all to play for between the British and Irish Lions and South Africa heading into the third and final clash this Saturday.Joining Brian in studio to dissect Saturday's test and to preview the decider is the former Springbok captain Bob Skinstad.Both Brian and Bob believe the momentum is now in the favour of the hosts after they completely dominated the Lions in the second half, and Brian calls on Warren Gatland to make some tactical changes because no side in the world can go toe to toe physically with the South Africans.The match officials once again had a busy afternoon. Two yellow cards were issued but we could have easily seen red, and Lions prop Kyle Sinckler has also been cited for an alleged bite. We discuss what impact Rassie Erasmus incredible mid week press conference had on the referee and if he should be sanctioned for his behaviour.Plus we discuss the comments of All Blacks head coach Ian Foster who says Saturdays test made him fall asleep and a p

It's 1-0 to the British and Irish Lions after the first of their three match test series with South Africa.Joining Brian in studio to discuss the fallout from the opening test is former Springbok captain Bob Skinstad. The pair look back on all the big moments from Saturdays clash in Cape Town, discussing where the game was won and lost.One of the main men on Saturday was the TMO Marius Jonker. The South African native was controversially selected to officiate the clash, with many believing he could be bias towards the home side. What transpired was very different because it was the Lions who were the beneficiary of a number of TMO decisions on the day. Former international referee Nigel Owens joins the show to discuss if the decisions were the right ones and if they were crucial in deciding the game.We also look ahead to the second test and look at whether Warren Gatland will change a winning tide and we discuss the peculiar Twitter activity of South Africa Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus.Watch 'Doddie Weir:

Ahead of the 2021 British and Irish Lions test series against South Africa, Brian Moore is sitting down with former players and coaches to discuss some of the memories which have made the Lions become the institution it is today.In our fourth and final instalment, Brian speaks to former England second row Simon Shaw who went on three Lions Tours, including two to South Africa, but had to wait until the age of 35 and his final two appearances in red to make a test match appearance.Shaw's appearance in the second test has gone down in Lions folklore as one of the finest ever seen in a test shirt, despite ultimately ending up on the losing side.Read more from Brian every Monday: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/b/bp-bt/brian-moore/ |Save 50% on a Telegraph Sport subscription: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/contact |See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more info

We've less than a week to go before the first test between the British and Irish Lions take on South Africa in the first of three test matches.Alongside Brian to discuss the major talking points from both sides is the former Springbok captain Bob Skinstad.Lions defence coach Steve Tandy says the majority of the test squad has been picked but Brian and Bob disagree on a few positions. We also get the expert take of former Lions coach Sir Ian McGeechan who joins the show to give us give us his XV for Saturday and talk through what it's like as a Lions coach in test match week.Elsewhere Bob gives us the lo down on the Springboks who suffered a shock loss to the Bulls over the weekend but he says it's not as big a worry as some are making it out to be. We also get the latest from South Africa after a difficult week for the country politically.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mo

It's been an eventful week for both the British and Irish Lions and their hosts the Springboks.Alongside Brian to unpack the ongoing Covid crisis in South Africa is the former Ireland and Lions winger Tommy Bowe.The Lions have scored 50+ points in their first three games on tour but next up is a much sterner test against South Africa 'A' which is essentially a Springbok test side in disguise after Rassie Erasmus picked a number of World Cup winners for the clash.Former Springbok Robbi Kempson joins us from South Africa to look ahead to the unofficial '4th test' and to provide an update on the Covid situation in the country.It's been a month to remember for Marcus Smith, the Quins star was called up to the Lions squad fresh off the back of winning the Gallagher Premiership and making his England debut. We chat to his club coach Nick Evans about his rise and where he will fit in Warren Gatland's squad.And Alun Wyn Jones could make a sensational comeback according to Gatland, we discuss whether he could feature