The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast
Harry Jones, the grizzly old no.8, and Brett McKay, the unremarkable schoolboy no.9, unite for the short-side set-piece combination you didn't realise you needed in a rugby podcast.
A couple of hosts who came together on a whim in 2022 have become arguably the best - and maybe the only - South African-American-Australian rugby podcast combination in the rugby world, blending the perfect combination of passion, humour, nonsense, and genuine insight. Tune in every week to find out where on earth Harry is podding from, and how on earth Brett keeps it all flowing as they enjoy great rugby chats with an incredible array of guests.
1
Weekend Post-Mortem: Obsessive selfishness on d...
Big scores and statement wins were all the rage, as Brett McKay and Harry Jones pull apart another big weekend of July Internationals on the Weekend Post-Mortem for The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast.
31 min
2
Ep.71 – Brumbies give the Lions a headache with...
The ACT Brumbies gave the British & Irish Lions their sternest test on tour, but how many questions have they answered for Joe Schmidt? Irish Sportswriter, Producer and Playwright Pat McCarry joined Brett McKay & Harry Jones on The 8/9 Combo Rugby Podcast this week for the pulse check on the Lions, little more than a week from the First Test in Brisbane.
61 min
3
Weekend Post-Mortem: Wallabies survive Fiji + D...
‘Twas a weekend of just scraping through, as Brett McKay and Harry Jones pull apart the first full weekend of July Internationals on the Weekend Post-Mortem for The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast.
41 min
4
Ep.70 – When you're gassed, you can't think wit...
The British & Irish Lions on tour present the ultimate test of talent v cohesion. Gain Line Analytics know an awful lot about cohesion and how teams benefit from it, and co-founder and former Wallabies prop Ben Darwin joined Brett McKay & Harry Jones on The 8/9 Combo Rugby Podcast this week to get into the nuts and bolts of it.
67 min
5
Weekend Post-Mortem: Lions survive willing cont...
The British & Irish Lions Tour of Australia in 2025 in finally underway, as Brett McKay and Harry Jones rip into the first Lions Tour edition of the Weekend Post-Mortem for The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast.
41 min
6
Ep.69 – Super Rugby wrap-up… then Lions LIONS! ...
Acclaimed crime and rugby author and notable weekly columnist Geoff Parkes joined Brett McKay & Harry Jones on The 8/9 Combo Rugby Podcast (briefly) to wrap up the Super Rugby Pacific Grand Final, where the Crusaders proved way too strong for the Chiefs in Christchurch.
66 min
7
Weekend Post-Mortem: Those dastardly Crusaders ...
Already large trophy cabinets in Christchurch are now overflowing and the 2025 Lions Tour is officially underway! Brett McKay and Harry Jones rip into another Grand Final edition of the Weekend Post-Mortem for The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast.
33 min
8
Ep.68 – Chiefs v the ominous Weight of History ...
Legendary New Zealand commentator Tony Johnson joins Brett McKay & Harry Jones on The 8/9 Combo Rugby Podcast to contemplate the clash of styles, the different journeys, and the mouthwatering contest that awaits the Super Rugby Pacific Grand Final, where the Crusaders host the Chiefs in Christchurch.
60 min
9
Weekend Post-Mortem: Bath + Leinster reign supr...
The first domestic silverware of the year was handed out in London and Dublin, and Brett McKay and Harry Jones rip into it all for the first Grand Final edition of the Weekend Post-Mortem for The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast.
37 min
10
Ep.67 – Bulls, Bath & Beyond with Riaan Louw
It’s the pointiest weekend of all in the URC and the Premiership this weekend, and rugby Youtube star Riaan Louw joined Brett McKay & Harry Jones on The 8/9 Combo Rugby Podcast to ponder style over substance, power over precision.
63 min
11
Weekend Post-Mortem: Chiefs get the finals form...
Finals Series are set and finals formats are up for debate, as Brett McKay and Harry Jones rip into another Weekend Post-Mortem for The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast.
37 min
12
Ep.66 – Super Rugby fantasies fulfilled with Se...
Super Rugby Pacific talked a big game this season, promising better, faster rugby and better contests on the field, and even more ambitiously, they promised better social media presence and a significantly better fan engagement. Stan Sport‘s Sean Maloney joined Brett McKay & Harry Jones on The 8/9 Combo Rugby Podcast to concede that yes, they might just have ticked all the boxes.
66 min
13
Weekend Post-Mortem: Sneaky winks, shocking kno...
Finals series are taking shape around the rugby world, as Brett McKay and Harry Jones rip into another Weekend Post-Mortem for The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast, and in which they explore the power of song as a coping tool for loss.
32 min
14
Ep.65 – You cannot tame zebras with Huw Griffin
Rugby YouTube star Huw Griffin makes a rapid return back to The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast with Brett McKay & Harry Jones, as the fallout from the Champions Cup Final celebrations continue
70 min
15
Weekend Post Mortem: Bordeaux can taste the dou...
The first silverware of the professional rugby year has been handed out, as Brett McKay and Harry Jones come together for a Champions Cup Final edition of the Weekend Post-Mortem for The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast, recorded as the Cup was being lifted in Cardiff.
32 min
16
Ep.64 – Duran Duran vs. the Villains with Lee C...
Lee Calvert from the outstanding Blood & Mud rugby podcast joined Brett McKay & Harry Jones on The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast to try and make sense of a Champions Cup Final that not too many saw coming, to contemplate where, if anywhere, Northampton and Bordeaux will find their point of difference, and just where 1980s mega group Duran Duran fits into this complicated picture.
58 min
17
Weekend Post-Mortem: Brumbies take Super Rugby ...
The pointy end of the rugby seasons are only getting pointier, and finals football is very close as Brett McKay and Harry Jones hand down another Weekend Post-Mortem for The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast.
36 min
18
Ep.63 – The secrets to Crusaders success with C...
Crusaders CEO Colin Mansbridge joins Brett McKay & Harry Jones on The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast for an in-depth chat about what make the Crusaders so great, both as a team and an organisation. And we have to say, the explanation might surprise you!
71 min
19
Weekend Post-Mortem: Chiefs, Leinster, Bath all...
Harry Jones is out of hospital and triumphantly joins Brett McKay for a welcome return to the Weekend Post-Mortem for The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast.
29 min
20
Ep.62 - Lions Squad dissection with Charlie Morgan
The Telegraph’s Charlie Morgan joins Brett McKay but not Harry Jones to go through all the ins and outs of the Lions Squad announcement, in this bonus edition of The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast.
38 min
21
Ep.61 – The Champions Cup is saved with Huw Gri...
The Lions Squad Announcements is almost here, the Champions Cup is saved (hoo-RAH!), and rugby YouTube star Huw Griffin joins Brett McKay & Harry Jones on The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast to celebrate the best of British and forget about everything we hated before the semi-final stage.
63 min
22
Weekend Post-Mortem: The Saints go marching in
A stunned crowd in Dublin and a jubilant one in Bordeaux were the order of the day, as Brett McKay & Harry Jones rip into a Champions Cup Semi-Final edition of the Weekend Post-Mortem for The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast.
39 min
23
Ep.60 – Who is the most average team in pro rugby?
Brett McKay & Harry Jones tackle a very simple question on The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast this week: which team, out of all the teams in all the professional competitions around the rugby world, is bang on average?
56 min
24
Weekend Post-Mortem: Where did those results co...
Upended tipping and fantasy comps and surprise results were the name of the game, as Brett McKay & Harry Jones rip into the Weekend Post-Mortem for The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast.
35 min
25
Ep.59 – Crusaders are the Blues, Blues are the ...
If the Crusaders are well and truly back in 2025 (and they are), then what on earth happened to them last season? Brett McKay & Harry Jones welcome Jamie Wall onto The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast this week, to contemplate that and many questions in and around New Zealand rugby.
68 min