Elite Rugby Banter

Ant and Andy are confronted this week with a delicious menu of rugby content, from the braais and barbies in Perthfontein to the intriguing starters served up in the opening week of the URC. Did Rassie underestimate the Aussies by selecting a B team? Or is this counterintuitively a show of deep respect and a long-term World Cup play? And will Ma’a and JP inspire a Sharks renaissance or will the plucky underdog Lions be the pick of the litter this year? What of the Bulls and Stormers starting out on the road? Find out here on Elite Rugby Banter.

Music by @monstroid, 80s TV Show.

Rugby's Greatest Rivalry is finally over, and the Springboks have completed an historic inaugural series win over the All Blacks.

Phil, Ant and Dick look back on the final test and the series as a whole, as South Africa once again found a way to close out a game that felt much closer on the scoreboard than it did on the field. The Springbok bench made another huge impact, the backline survived yet another round of injuries, and the panel discusses the impressive performances of players including Hanekom, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Morne van den Berg and Pieter-Steph du Toit.

The boys then take a broader look at the series and ask just how big the gulf between the two teams really was. Despite New Zealand remaining competitive until the final stages of almost every test, South Africa controlled most of the important areas of the game — while the All Blacks' struggles at scrum, lineout and aerial ball remained throughout the tour. The panel also questions the increasingly defensive reaction from the New Zealand coaching staff, particularly their tendency to blame refereeing and other external factors rather than looking at their own performance.

And then it's awards season. The boys pick their moment, try, tackle, flop, find and player of the series, with plenty of love for Jasper Wiese, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Malcolm Marx and Morne van den Berg — alongside a few less flattering awards for New Zealand, Angus Gardner and the tournament's rather questionable promotion.

Plus the return of Richie Mo'unga, whether the All Blacks' hype got a little ahead of reality, the unfortunate state of the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry social media operation, and why three wins from four still somehow wasn't quite as comfortable as it should have been.

Music by @monstroid, 80s TV Show.

The Greatest Rivalry left South African shores after a rollicking few weeks of crowds, controversy, and cracking rugby. Is Roigard just a new Perenara? Did the All Blacks find set piece loopholes to cope with Bok dominance? And will they cope in the US with the impending forced and unforced changes? A full house deliberates on that and much more.

Music by @monstroid, 80s TV Show.

A low-flying plane was the least of Springbok fans worries (literally, it wasn’t a big deal, calm down) as the Boks managed to close out a needlessly nervy second Test to keep the rivalry tour alive. Malcolm Marx was adjusting his brake foot like an anxious Airlink backseat pilot, while the Boks’ kick-chase was the real air show on the day. What changed between the two Tests, and how do the boys see that playing out in Test 3? You’ll have to listen to find out.

Music by @monstroid, 80s TV Show.

Denial. Anger. Bargaining. Depression. Acceptance. You’ll get it all on this week’s pod as Ant, Phil and Andy dissect the opening loss to the All Blacks. Each questionable call by refs and coaches is brought under the microscope as we process this shock result and try to look forward to the Cape of Good Hope (and possibly storms, in more ways than one). Is Pollard better employed from the bench? Can Marx go 80 again? Is PSDT ready to lead from the front and not from behind? Get your fix here at Elite Rugby Banter.

Music by @monstroid, 80s TV Show.