Elite Rugby Banter

Ant, Phil and Andy mark the Nations Championship midterms as they recap the first three rounds. France and South Africa have emerged as clear favourites, but there are some interesting performance arcs and player selection discussions to unpack. Are France in France a bigger threat to Boks ascendancy than three home games against NZ? Is Japan managing to break their reliance on foreign players? Is Scotland really the third best team in the world as Rassie reckons? And what of the flailing Fijians and irate Italians? Find out on this week’s pod.

Music by @monstroid, 80s TV Show.

While referees and commentators stumble over the interpretation of the laws and player roles, our panel of three gives more daylight on the latest rugby than Paul de Villiers in a Bok turnover. From the Baby Boks to the B-team, it was an action packed weekend of international rugby. This was a bumper episode - make sure to use the full shot clock to get it all in.

We unpack South Africa's victory over Scotland and Rassie's post-match suggestion that the Scots could now be the third-best side in the world. Is there really a changing of the guard happening at the top of international rugby? Or are people suffering from remarkably short memories after the Springboks comfortably dispatched both France and New Zealand the last time they met?

Elsewhere, Ireland's trip to "Japan" sparks one of the biggest off-field talking points of the tournament. Why were Japan forced to give up a home fixture? Should teams be allowed to dictate where they play? And after yet another compromise in the competition's opening year, the panel jokingly arrives at one obvious solution: kick Ireland out of rugby.

Australia once again show flashes before fading against a stacked French side, prompting discussion around Joe Schmidt's tenure, whether Dave Rennie deserved more time, and just how frightening France's depth has become. With Jalibert, Ntamack, Dupont and a seemingly endless conveyor belt of talent, are Les Bleus now the only nation capable of matching the Springboks for squad depth? And why does Ant love the Wallabies so much?

Plus the All Blacks' "pump and dump" approach to player selection, foreign-born internationals popping up in unexpected places, and why having too many good players isn't always the worst problem to have.

Music by @monstroid, 80s TV Show.

The opening weekend of the Nations Championship is in the books, and one thing became abundantly clear: when the Springboks hit top gear, nobody else is quite operating at the same level.

Phil and Ant unpack South Africa's convincing victory over England, from the blistering opening quarter to another dominant second-half display. Damian Willemse reminded everyone why he's one of the world's premier fullbacks, Jasper Wiese continued to make life miserable for opposition forwards, and the Springbok bench once again proved why it's the envy of international rugby. There's also discussion around Paul de Villiers' impressive opportunity, Kurt-Lee Arendse's growing collection of yellow cards, and whether the Boks have finally found the perfect balance between experimenting and winning.

Elsewhere, Australia push Ireland all the way but come up just short, raising as many positives as questions. Is the Wallabies' rebuilding job further along than the results suggest? And are Ireland still searching for the side that dominated world rugby just a few seasons ago?

The boys also look at Dave Rennie's All Blacks after an entertaining victory over France. Has New Zealand already started to rediscover its identity? Just how influential is Cam Roigard becoming? And does Will Jordan's remarkable try-scoring record tell the full story of just how good he really is?

Plus, England's puzzling selections, why development cycles matter more than many fans realise, and whether the gap between South Africa and the chasing pack is currently bigger than the scoreboards suggest.

Music by @monstroid, 80s TV Show.

The Nations Championship is finally here, and with a brand-new tournament comes one very important question: what actually counts as success?

Ant and Phil kick things off by looking at South Africa's campaign. Is three wins the minimum expectation for the Springboks? Which combinations still need answers before the business end of the season? And with Rassie continuing to build depth across the squad, just how much experimentation is too much when silverware is on the line?

The boys then work their way around the rest of the tournament, setting realistic expectations for every side. England's lofty ambitions come under scrutiny, France head to New Zealand with a genuine chance of causing problems, there's plenty of sympathy for Fiji, who once again won't get the opportunity to play their home fixtures on home soil, and can the Wallabies take a big scalp from Ireland or France.

Attention then turns across the Tasman, where Dave Rennie has some fascinating selection calls to make for his All Blacks side. Should the Hurricanes provide the backbone of the team? Is Ruben Love ready for the biggest stage? And after one particularly spicy internet take, the panel spends far longer than expected debating whether Will Jordan might just be the most overrated All Black of the modern era.

Plus predictions for the opening weekend, discussion around the changing balance of power in world rugby, and why this year's Nations Championship could tell us a lot about where every major nation really stands.

Music by @monstroid, 80s TV Show.

The Springboks have played, SA A have capped everyone with a pulse, and apparently the All Blacks just aren't scary anymore.

Phil, Ant and Adam unpack the SA A victory over Zimbabwe, the rise of the latest batch of under-20 stars, and why Rassie's second-team experiments might be one of the smartest things he has has done. There are flowers for the youngsters, sympathy for the injured, and widespread agreement that getting yourself sent off for tackling someone in mid-air is generally a bad idea.

The boys also dive into the Barbarians match, where the rugby was entertaining but the ticket prices and the poor attendance were significantly less so. Is South African rugby charging too much? Does a full stadium matter more than maximum revenue? And how many times can people complain about the Play Cup before it becomes a tradition?

Elsewhere, the Bulls once again discover that URC finals are not particularly fun, Quan Horn survives his flyhalf experiment, the Hurricanes put the Chiefs through an industrial shredder, and the panel asks the question nobody would have dared ask ten years ago: exactly how many All Blacks would make the Springbok starting line up?

Apparently not as many as you might think.

Music by @monstroid, 80s TV Show.