The Lekker Rugby Pod!

How many of this Springbok squad will still be standing come the next World Cup?Jon Cardinelli joins MW and Harry to unpack the age profile question hanging over Rassie Erasmus's squad, the piece that's had rugby fans arguing all week. Half of the group that lifted the trophy last time round will be over 35 by the next tournament. So where does the balance sit between keeping the winners in the fold and getting the next generation ready in time?In this episode:- Why Cobus Reinach and Deon Fourie keep defying the usual ageing curve- The positions where depth is thin and the ones where it isn't- Cameron Hanekom, Ethan Hooker and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu's cases to be trusted sooner- What Rassie's alignment camps really tell you about who's still in the picture

Not every ending gets a camera in the room. This one had Harry Jones.Harry was standing in the bowels of Baltimore's stadium when Dave Rennie turned to Rassie Erasmus and conceded the series, then got a few private minutes with Rassie himself afterwards. He brings that moment back first-hand, along with the scenes across the diaspora in Baltimore, Rassie's own account of how close the fourth test actually stayed, and a hard look at a double standard nobody in rugby seems willing to name.In this episode:- Harry's eyewitness account of the Rennie-Rassie handshake backstage in Baltimore- The diaspora atmosphere across the city, from the tailgates to the press box- Rassie Erasmus, one-on-one, on how close the fourth test actually stayed- Neil Barnes' repeated complaints about officiating, and what has happened to other coaches for less

Three Tests into Rugby's Greatest Rivalry, and the neutral voice in the room isn't feeling very neutral anymore.Gráinne Seoige is back, and by now she's not claiming any distance from this rivalry. What she brings instead is a perspective that's genuinely her own, close enough to feel it, far enough outside to see it differently from either side. She joins MW Welman and Harry Jones to look back on a series that's had the whole rugby world talking, a scrum row that turned into the most talked-about moment of the tour, and a casual throw that had two nations arguing about sportsmanship.In this episode:- Why the Dan Human scrum row became the moment nobody saw coming- Ox Nché's own explanation for the catch that had everyone talking- Cobus Reinach, Cam Roigard, and the throw that split opinion- What three Tests have actually proven, with Baltimore now on the horizon

Does the fourth Test in Baltimore actually count, or has this series already been decided?Harry Jones and Arrie Hougaard join MW Welman for a rapid-fire yes-or-no gauntlet on Test Three of Rugby's Greatest Rivalry Tour, before the conversation opens up into everything the numbers alone can't explain.Cam Roigard's Oscar-worthy tumble gets picked apart frame by frame, alongside Malcolm Marx's total control of the set piece and the gesture that had everyone talking.In this episode:- Harry and Arrie face a yes-or-no gauntlet on the biggest calls from Test Three- Cam Roigard's dive, the hip-toss behind it, and whether the referee got the call right- Malcolm Marx's dominance and the case for him being the best player in the world right now- Manie Libbok's form and whether he's the Springboks' first-choice ten heading into BaltimoreIf you enjoy the show, the best thing you can do is LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and hit the BELL so you never miss an episode.On this episode of The Lekker Rugby Pod, MW Welman is joined by Harry Jones and Arrie Hougaard.

What does it actually take to move the needle in the greatest rivalry in world rugby?Legendary Kiwi commentator Tony Johnson joins Harry Jones and MW Welman on the Lekker Rugby Pod to break down Test Three of the Greatest Rivalry series, with the Springboks and All Blacks locked at one apiece heading into the decider at FNB Stadium.In this episode:• Tony explains why he believes the needle has swung since the second Test• Dave Rennie's changes for the decider, and what they reveal about his thinking• The players from both sides quietly building their reputations on this tour• Why Tony rates this as one of the greatest rivalries in all of sport, not just rugby

Is the Springbok defence actually cracking late in matches, or are the All Blacks just playing that cleverly?Harry Jones and MW Welman are joined by the technical, patient and uncompromising André Pretorius, the World Cup winning Springbok flyhalf now coaching in Japan, for a complete breakdown of both sides of the ball. They dig into where the Springbok defensive system holds up, where it breaks down, and how patient and clever the All Blacks have been in picking it apart, phase after phase.In this episode:- Why the Springbok defence fades in the closing stages of both Tests- How the All Blacks use an extra set of hands to isolate Jesse Kriel- Why Cam Roigaard is one of the hardest scrumhalves in world rugby to read- What André wants to see change before the series decider

What would it take for the All Blacks to finally become the complete package?Martin Devlin joins MW and Harry from Cape Town, days after South Africa levelled the series in a brutal second test, and just before the decider in Johannesburg. Devlin is honest about where this All Blacks side actually stands, what went wrong in that first half, and what still separates a talented team from a complete one.In this episode:- Devlin's honest breakdown of the Cape Town loss and where the All Blacks got caught cold- Why he believes defending a lead is the mark of a champion team, and what that says about the Boks- The two things Devlin says the All Blacks must marry to become the complete package- What the age and freshness of both squads could mean heading into the World CupThis series has lived up to every bit of its billing, and neither side is done making its case for who's really number one in the world.If you enjoy the show, the best thing you can do is LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and hit the BELL so you never miss an episode.

Did Dave Rennie's press conference lobbying just rewrite how World Rugby referees the scrum?Harry Jones and MW Welman spend this episode inside the scrum, walking through Law 19.10 line by line, explaining what a "brake foot" actually is, and laying out why they think referee Angus Gardner's approach in Test 2 shifted after Rennie went public with his "walk around" theory following the first Test loss. It's a technical, personal and occasionally profane breakdown of the argument now shaping the whole series.They also get into the viral low-flying plane scare over Cape Town, Bill Beaumont's old "shape of the game" comments, and where South Africa's front row dominance is actually coming from.In this episode:• Breaking down Law 19.10 and what a "brake foot" really means• Why MW thinks Test 2's refereeing changed after Rennie's comments• The viral Cape Town plane flyby everyone's talking about• Cobus Reinach's backline comms and the Boks' opening triesOn this episode of The Lekker Rugby Pod, MW Welman and Harry Jones break down the scrum battle defining the Springboks-All Blacks series.If you enjoy the show, the best thing you can do is LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and hit the BELL so you never miss an episode.

What does it take to make Rassie Erasmus call a "very interesting podcaster"? Martin Devlin found out this week in a Johannesburg press conference, and he joins MW and Harry fresh off his first trip to South Africa.Devlin was on the ground for the win at Ellis Park, an address to a packed Inanda Club, and a climb up Table Mountain that has the crew joking he's jinxed the series. He explains why he isn't buying that the All Blacks are safe after one win, breaks down both coaches' selection calls for Cape Town, and revisits the sliding doors moments, a reversed scrum, a yellow card that wasn't, that swung the first Test.In this episode:- Devlin's press conference moment with Rassie Erasmus- Selection changes for both the All Blacks and Springboks in Cape Town- The scrum drama and sliding doors moments that decided the first Test- Devlin's first days in South Africa, from Ellis Park to the Cape safari

Why did the Springboks lose to the All Blacks despite spending more time in the red zone?Harry Jones did the homework MW didn't want to do. He rewatched the whole test and logged every single attack set, not entries, not territory, the actual moments where the Boks had clean ball to work with. What he found explains the scoreline better than any possession stat does. In this episode:- Why red zone entries are the wrong number to judge a team's performance by- Every attack set from the test broken down individually, system error or player error- The scrum gamble on the five meter line that could have ended the match either way- What the All Blacks had in the tight moments that the Boks didn'tHarry and MW go through it minute by minute, name the errors, and work out what's actually fixable before the next test.

Mark Morgan from Two Cents Rugby joins Harry Jones and MW Welman for a first test post-mortem that gets uncomfortable fast. The Springboks won the scrum, the possession count and the territory battle, then lost five tries to one. Mark explains what Dave Rennie changed under the radar, and why it caught even the All Blacks supporters off guard.There's plenty to get through: the CPR numbers that halved from the warm-up games, an under-the-weather Ethan de Groot stuck in the front row, and the captaincy question nobody in South Africa wants to ask out loud.In this episode:- The Rennie Effect: how the All Blacks' gameplan shifted between the warm-ups and kickoff- Why the Boks' dominant stats never showed up on the scoreboard- The scrum penalty that swung the momentum, and the case for taking the three- Whether Pieter-Steph du Toit is the right captain with Siya Kolisi unavailable

How do you actually beat a defence built to protect its own weaknesses? André Pretorius joins Harry Jones on the Lekker Rugby Pod to break down exactly what it would take for the All Blacks to crack the Springbok defensive system at Ellis Park, and why he believes anything less than four tries won't be enough.André, a World Cup-winning Springbok fly-half now coaching in Japan, walks through Dave Rennie's tempo experiment, the numbers behind it, and where the real cracks in the Bok box defence might actually be.In this episode:- How the Boks defend the edge - Dave Rennie's carry-pass-ruck numbers and whether that tempo is sustainable- How to hide (and find) a targeted defender like Wilco Louw- Why André thinks the All Blacks need at least four tries to win

How do Springbok fans really feel about the All Blacks?Harry Jones and Riaan Louw sit down for a full accounting of how South Africans actually see the All Blacks: the black jersey, the 2015 All Blacks team many still call the greatest in history, the scrum, the tours, and the fans on both sides. Two mates giving the South African view of their oldest rival, with the confidence of a team that's used to winning.Real respect, real swagger. These are two teams used to winning, and neither one plays like an underdog.In this episode:- The uniform they cannot stop admiring and attacking- Why the 2015 All Blacks changed the way rugby is played- The scrum debate, the red card rules, and whether these tours happen too often- What they think New Zealand actually loves and hates about the SpringboksAll Blacks fans, settle in. You'll enjoy this as much as we did.If you enjoy the show, the best thing you can do is LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and hit the BELL so you never miss an episode.On this episode of The Lekker Rugby Pod, Harry Jones and Riaan Louw work through what they love and hate about the All Blacks.

Martin Devlin says the All Blacks win this series. MW and Harry don't agree. Who's right?Episode 201 is a two-part debate. First, Martin Devlin of DSPN joins Harry and MW to make his full case for why the All Blacks can win this series, the Rennie effect, the return of Rieko Ioane, and why he trusts Ruben Love at Ellis Park. Then MW and Harry take over alone to make the opposite case, working through the numbers that Devlin's optimism has to survive.In this episode:- Martin Devlin explains the Rennie effect and why this All Blacks side finally looks settled- Why Ruben Love and the bench call could decide the first test- Harry breaks down the CPR and contestable-kick numbers behind the Springboks' case- The revenge narrative both sides are chasing after WellingtonOn this episode of The Lekker Rugby Pod, MW Welman and Harry Jones sit down with Martin Devlin ahead of the first test between the Springboks and All Blacks at Ellis Park.

What happens when three Megafoon shows drop their usual format and pick one Springbok team together?In this special crossover episode, MW Welman is joined by Harry Jones, Jan de Koning and Arrie Hougaard to build their mythical Test 1 23 to face the All Blacks, working from the bench forward the same way Rassie does.In this episode:- The bench call that shapes everything: 5-3, 6-2, or the Andre Esterhuizen hybrid- Pollard vs Sasha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, the one debate the panel could not agree on- Why the Springbok locks have MW more worried than any other position group- Is Ox Nché fit for Test One, and who starts the front row if he is notThree shows, four voices, one Springbok 23. Nobody agrees on everything, but by the end, the team is picked and the reasoning is on the table.

Are the All Blacks judging themselves against a competition that doesn't reflect the real gap to the rest of the world?MW Welman and Harry Jones sit down with New Zealand rugby broadcaster Martin Devlin for a wide-ranging chat on the Greatest Rivalry Tour so far, and one question cuts deeper than the rest: is Super Rugby giving New Zealand players an inflated sense of where they actually stand?Devlin doesn't dodge it. The conversation moves through the All Blacks' tactical ceiling, the scrum battle brewing before the Test series, and a tiebreaker proposal that has him fuming.In this episode:- Whether Super Rugby is a fair yardstick for Test rugby readiness- Can the All Blacks win playing any way other than razzle-dazzle- The scrum interpretation gap catching New Zealand off guard- Devlin's verdict on a possible series tiebreaker

The two coaches went into the opening weekend of the Greatest Rivalry Tour with completely different problems, and neither one let you see what he was actually thinking.Harry Jones and MW Welman discuss both games from the first weekend of the Tour: the Stormers taking a youthful, undermanned side within touching distance of the All Blacks in Cape Town, and a rotated Springbok team grinding out a 17-10 win in Buenos Aires against an Argentina side that came in white hot. Two very different tests. Two coaches who gave almost nothing away.

Is Dave Rennie's high-carry game plan just an excuse to bash into the Springboks more? That's Harry Jones' theory on the Lekker Rugby Pod: the All Blacks' CPR numbers under Rennie are off the charts versus his own history, and it's not really about running rugby. It's a delivery system for punishment, with a score to settle after last year's record loss in Wellington. In this episode: Why Rennie's CPR spike looks like a vehicle for violence, not a style What that record Wellington defeat still means for this All Blacks squad Home ground advantage, tested honestly from both sides of the rivalry Why captain Ardie Savea staying home in New Zealand has split opinion Harry and MW discuss the revenge angle with Martin, the depth gap between the two squads, and whether the All Blacks can actually back it up this time. You can read Martin's article referred in this episode at https://www.rova.nz/articles/martin-devlin-the-springboks-are-favourites-and-theyve-earned-it?fbclid=IwdGRzaATfD4BjbGNrBN8PenBkb2YFZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEe17Pk4sD7PfkRkiP37NKiZXrgjAxypeiuBXQAgeHtxaUkh1K4gPiu_EyQAfc_aem_PIib9J5E__yBKSbE_cfCUQ&sfnsn=scwspwa If you enjoy the show, the best thing you can do is LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and hit the BELL so you never miss an episode. On this episode of The Lekker Rugby Pod, MW Welman and Harry Jones sit down with rugby journalist Martin Devlin to preview the Greatest Rivalry Tour between the Springboks and the All Blacks.

If South Africa isn't going to out-carry the All Blacks, what exactly is the plan?Harry Jones and MW Welman turn from New Zealand's carrying numbers straight to the Springboks' answer: a deliberate, aggressive, relentless kicking framework built by Tony Brown around contestable ball. We explain why last year's kicking meltdown against Australia wasn't actually Tony Brown's system, and what the real version looks like when it's executed properly.We also unveil the name we are giving this Springbok kicking system, with a cheeky nod to a very different kind of takeaway, and walk through the law change nobody talks about that's quietly reshaped the modern kicking game in South Africa's favour.In this episode:- Tony Brown's philosophy on turning every kick into a genuine weapon- Why the Boks' kicking collapse against Australia gets misunderstood- The law change that's rewarded South Africa more than anyone else- The name Harry and MW are giving South Africa's kicking system

Is Dave Rennie about to gamble the All Blacks' entire identity on one number?Harry Jones built a blunt, simple, unavoidable stat called CPR: carries, passes and rucks combined, to track how hard a team commits to running rugby. Under Rennie, New Zealand's CPR has shot past anything the All Blacks have recorded, and it isn't a fluke or a cherry-picked result.We answer our harshest critics on the methodology, and ask the harder question: what four brutal tests against the world's most physical pack actually costs a team built to carry, pass and ruck at this rate.In this episode:- Why New Zealand's CPR under Dave Rennie has never been higher- Harry and MW answer their critics' methodology line by line- What four tests against the Springboks costs a high-carry side- Why Rennie may be betting his contract on this gamble