Advertise on podcast: Evening Standard Rugby Podcast with Lawrence Dallaglio

Lawrence and Steve are joined by Harlequins’ winger, Cadan Murley, as they discuss the results from Round 3 of the Six Nations.    Cadan chats about his recent experience with the England A team, his on-going conversations with Steve Borthwick, and what he thinks about the drinking culture at Twickenham Stadium. He also confirms which team mate he clean bowled in a game of cricket last week, and shares his hopes for the upcoming Big Summer Kick Off against Northampton Saints. For tickets visit https://www.eticketing.co.uk/harlequins   Plus Lawrence, Steve and the Evening Standard rugby correspondent, Nick Purewal, dissect England’s defeat at Murrayfield, debate what is and isn’t working for the team and what changes might or should happen ahead of their next game against Ireland.    The QBE Predictor is back in action, revealing the forecast for Round 4. Do you agree with the predicted scores?   In partnership with QBE Business Insurance and Voxpod Studios.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lawrence Dallaglio and Steve Cording are joined by former Scotland captain, John Barclay, as they look ahead to this weekend’s Six Nations games with a special focus on the Calcutta Cup fixture at Murrayfield on Saturday.    John offers his thoughts on Scotland’s campaign so far, how he believes they’ll handle England’s blitz defence and which players he’d select for their starting back row line up. He also shares his memories of Scotland’s famous win in 2018, including where he was when the pre-match ’scuffle in the tunnel’ broke out, and reveals which surprising guests ended up in the dressing room to celebrate the victory.   Lol and Steve also chat about the Premiership Cup semi-finals and what the future might hold for Ealing Trailfinders, plus they’re joined by the Evening Standard rugby correspondent, Nick Purewal, as they discuss the latest team news from the England camp and examine exactly what England need to do to win this weekend.    And the QBE Predictor is back in action - will everyone agree with the forecast?   In partnership with QBE Business Insurance and Voxpod Studios. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lawrence is joined by former Wales player, Shane Williams, who holds the record as top try scorer for his country, and Evening Standard rugby correspondent, Nick Purewal.  Lol, Shane and Nick analyse Round 2 of the Six Nations and discuss England’s progress, the pros and cons of the blitz defence, what’s making Ireland so unstoppable and whether or not there should be any fallow weeks in the Six Nations championship. Shane also recalls his time being coached by Warren Gatland and Shaun Edwards, shares which player performances from the Wales team have impressed him so far and predicts how he thinks Wales will fare over the next few games.  Plus, they share their views on which aspects of the game have become boring for spectators, whether the way TMOs are involved in decisions should change and Nick shares more information on the new mouthguards being worn by players that can alert the need for an HIA. And with a five out of six success rate so far, the QBE Predictor delivers its forecast for the winners of Round 3. In partnership with QBE Business Insurance and Voxpod Studios. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lawrence, Steve and special guest, Jiffy, deliver their analysis of the opening weekend of the Six Nations before looking ahead to Round 2. Jiffy shares his thoughts on key players for Wales as they head to Twickenham and recalls his own feelings about playing at England HQ. He also offers his insights into why Ireland are looking unbeatable and how Andy Farrell’s time playing rugby league has influenced their style of play.    The trio also pay tribute to the Welsh rugby legend, Barry John.    Plus, the QBE Predictor is back in action with one result forecast that surprises the team. And the Evening Standard rugby correspondent, Nick Purewal, joins Lawrence and Steve to discuss the ways England can bring more stability to their set up and how they see the team's chances at the weekend.    In partnership with QBE Business Insurance and Voxpod Studios Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lawrence and Steve are joined by former Leicester, England and British and Irish Lions player, Ben Kay, as they look ahead to the start of the Six Nations.    Ben and Lawrence select their choices for England’s starting XV against Italy and also chat about the strengths of each of the nations, before making their predictions for who will win the championship.    They also discuss the latest from the Premiership and which teams have the most to gain from the upcoming break in fixtures whilst the Six Nations is in action.    Plus, find out what the QBE Predictor is forecasting the weekend scores will be and whether Lawrence and Ben agree.    In partnership with QBE Business Insurance and Voxpod Studios Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lawrence Dallaglio and Steve Cording review the weekend’s rugby action from the Investec Champions Cup and look ahead to the return of the Premiership. And with the new Netflix series, Six Nations: Full Contact, about to launch the pair are joined by Evening Standard rugby correspondent, Nick Purewal, who offers his insight into how the players have reacted to being a part of the documentary and what the exposure might bring to the game. Nick also delivers the latest news on how Jamie George is feeling at being named England captain and what impact his appointment to the role will have on England in the upcoming Six Nations. Plus the team discuss Louis Rees-Zammit’s move to NFL, whether there could be a legal case to challenge the RFU’s ruling not to allow players abroad to be selected for England, and which Smith (Fin or Marcus) has the best skill set for an international fly half.  There’s also plenty of chat about Lawrence’s latest antics in Warsaw, his final Dallaglio Cycle Slam charity challenge and whether the proliferation of yellow and red cards in rugby is a cause for concern. In partnership with Voxpod Studios. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lawrence and Steve bring you all the latest rugby news from the Investec Champions Cup, discussing the highlights from the weekend’s games before looking ahead to the match-ups and possible outcomes from Round 4. Plus are the rumours around a move to France for Owen Farrell causing problems for the team’s on field performance? And will current champions, La Rochelle, be able to do enough to earn a place in the Round of 16? The guys are also joined by Evening Standard rugby correspondent, Nick Purewal, as they look at who might be named in Steve Borthwick’s England squad for the Six Nations, including putting forward their choice for captain.  And Lawrence gives his opinion on the appointment of Andy Farrell as Head Coach of the British & Irish Lions tour of 2025 and shares which country he’d like to see the Lions tours taking on in the future.  In partnership with Voxpod Studios.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the final episode this year, Lawrence and Steve get festive with a chat about Christmases past and present, reminiscing on family traditions, and their best ever presents as children.   Lol also tells us what he really thinks about South African clubs being part of the European Champions Cup, as the pair chat through the weekend’s European Champions Cup action.    Plus the Evening Standard’s Nick Purewal joins the chaps to talk about hybrid player contracts, changes in the Home Nations coaching staff and whether Henry Arundell was right to resign with Racing 92.    And Lawrence, Steve and Nick all select their rugby highlight from the year and share their hopes for 2024.   In partnership with Voxpod Studios. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Sarra away and Lawrence on his sick bed, Steve Cording hosts a one-to-one chat with Bath Rugby’s Assistant Coach, Lee Blackett.  Lee shares his thoughts on the opening round of the European Champions Cup including why he was frustrated by Bath’s performance despite their win over Ulster. He also chat about the current squad, revealing which special qualities he believes Finn Russell has brought to the squad, and discussing the future of the recently named RPA Under 23 Most Valuable Player of the month for November, Alfie Barbeary.  Plus he tells us about a recent phone call with Jack Willis, which didn’t give him the answer he’d hoped to hear, and explains how conversations between Steve Borthwick and Johan van Graan could help forge Bath’s success moving forward. He also sets out his views on the ‘hybrid’ contracts being discussed in the media for players such as Henry Arundell and Maro Itoje.  Lee also sets out why Steve might want to become a Bath fan, following the demise of London Irish, and gives us an insight into Bath Rugby’s Christmas party including his Secret Santa gift dilemma. In partnership with Voxpod Studios.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

T/W This episode includes themes of mental health, self-harm and suicide. For support on any of the topics discussed, you can follow the links below to organisations who can help.  At a time when high profile players and officials are taking a break from international duties to protect and prioritise their mental health, Lawrence, Sarra and Steve welcome Simon Trower onto the podcast to discuss some of the issues surrounding this topic. Simon is the founder of the charity Brave Mind and shares his own personal mental health journey and why he wanted to focus on the rugby community to open up conversations about mental wellbeing.  Lawrence reveals what helped him deal with his emotions as a player and how the tragic death of his sister, Francesca, in 1989 had a major effect on how he viewed the highs and lows of his career.  Simon tells the team about how Brave Mind is supporting players across all levels of rugby and what the most pressing mental health challenges are for people from grass roots, right up to international captains and how we can all do our bit to support each other.  Later in the episode, Lawrence, Sarra and Steve are joined by the Evening Standard rugby correspondent, Nick Purewal, as the discuss the struggles facing Newcastle and whether rugby’s governing bodies need a new plan to move the game forward.  Plus they pick the most mouth-watering fixtures as look ahead to the opening weekend of European Rugby and chat about what makes this competition so special.  In partnership with Voxpod Studios. If you or a friend or loved one need help and support with mental health, please contact one of these charities:  Brave Mind https://www.bravemind.co.uk/ Samaritans https://www.samaritans.org/ Mind https://www.mind.org.uk/ Shout https://giveusashout.org/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lawrence, Sarra and Steve are joined in the studio by life-long Harlequins’ fan and Michelin star chef, Michel Roux Jr.  Michel chats about his experiences at The Stoop, who he supports when it comes to ‘Le Crunch’ and what meal he thinks epitomises the game of rugby. He also reveals how running transformed his mental health and why it’s now time to close the doors on his world famous, family restaurant, Le Gavroche. Plus Lawrence and Michel go head-to-head in a food vs rugby quick fire quiz and hatch a plan for a new TV show.  The team are also joined by the Evening Standard’s rugby correspondent, Nick Purewal, as they look ahead to the weekend’s Premiership action and discuss what plans could be put in place to stem the flow of top tier England players heading abroad to play club rugby.  In partnership with Voxpod Studios. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lawrence sits down for a one-to-one chat with former England captain, Martin Johnson, as they mark the 20th anniversary of lifting the Webb Ellis Cup in Australia.    Taking the chance to reminisce, Lol and Johnno recall the why the game that made them most nervous was actually in the pool stages of the tournament, how they convinced Sir Clive Woodward to change the training programme mid-way through the campaign and what winning the World Cup has meant to them on a personal level.    And as former Head Coach of England, Johnno also shares his views on what the current team need to do to progress their achievements at the RWC2023, as the pair also examine whether their own historic win should have left a better legacy for the game.   Plus, there are stories about Lawrence and Johnno’s first time on tour as room mates, life in the England camp in 2003 and their most treasured memories from their rugby careers.      In partnership with Voxpod Studios.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.