8/9 Rugby
The long-ish tradition of Great Rugby Chats continues on 8/9 Rugby with an incredible array of guests, and available on YouTube and wherever you pod every week.
Tune in every week as Brett McKay is joined by a revolving list of well-known guest co-hosts from all corners of the rugby world, combining to blend the perfect combination of passion, humour, nonsense, and genuine insight.
And now in written form on Substack, too! Get great insights from a host of names you know and rugby opinions you respect every week.
176
Games of the Week 30 - the Northern Spring Autu...
Brett McKay and Harry Jones switch Games of the Week back into international mode for the start of the November Internationals, where the guys set, manage, and temper expectations for the SANZAAR nations, as they work out best and worst case scenarios for South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and Argentina from their Northern or Spring Tours, or Autumn Nations Series, or whatever we’re calling this next month of Test rugby.
28 min
177
Ep.38 – Defeat of the Consultants with Tony Joh...
Brett McKay and Harry Jones are joined on The 8-9 Combo by legendary New Zealand Sky Sport broadcaster and author Tony Johnson to wrap up a thoroughly enjoyable season of NZ’s National Provincial Championship, including the Final decided in OT on Saturday in Wellington, while also looking back and forward at the start of the All Blacks northern tour in Japan and with four Tests to follow in Europe.
61 min
178
Games of the Week 29 – The Winner Takes it All
Brett McKay and Harry Jones return with another edition of Games of the Week, where the guys work through the best games from each of the best competitions around the rugby world this weekend, including the NPC Final in New Zealand, and the first of the November internationals a week early, with the All Blacks having a stopover in Japan. And Harry attempts to bring ABBA into the equation…
19 min
179
Ep.37 – Sua’ali’i will save rugby and all Law V...
Brett McKay and Harry Jones go it alone on The 8-9 Combo this week, delving into a couple of topics they’ve wanted to cover off in a bit of detail: the introduction of new and not-so-new Law Variations into the Autumn Nations Series this November, and the arrival and expected impact of high profile league convert and schoolboy rugby prodigy Joseph Sua’ali’i into Australian Rugby and the Wallabies.
63 min
180
Games of the Week 28 – #JerseyTalk
Brett McKay and Harry Jones return with another edition of Games of the Week, where the guys work through the best games from each of the best competitions around the rugby world this weekend, before launching into comprehensive and definitive rulings on the best and worst jerseys running around in the Premiership, the URC, and the Top 14 in season 2024/2025.
25 min
181
Ep.36 – Goal-kicking Mechanics with ‘Rocketfoot...
Brett McKay and Harry Jones get super technical on The 8-9 Combo this week, getting right into the sweet spot of goal-kicking with South African rugby and American football kicking coach and consultant, Wihan van der Riet, founder and professional coach with his Rocketfoot Academy.
69 min
182
Games of the Week 27 – Random Calls in Leicester
Brett McKay and Harry Jones return with another edition of Games of the Week, where the guys work through the best games from each of the best competitions around the rugby world this weekend.
21 min
183
Ep.35 – Couple of French Wingers with James Sli...
57 min
184
Games of the Week 26 – What Have We Learned fro...
Rugby podcasters Brett McKay and Harry Jones are back to take a look back at The Rugby Championship for 2024 and discuss once and for all what we have learned about the four SANZAAR national teams from this tournament, and what it might mean for the November internationals in the northern hemisphere.
32 min
185
Ep.34 – Fake Ceilings with Jared Wright
Rugby podcasters Brett McKay and Harry Jones are joined on The 8-9 Combo by Plante Rugby writer and connoisseur of stadium security dominant tackles, Jared Wright, for a full look back on South Africa’s thumping of Argentina to wrap up The Rugby Championship for 2024, and what has really made this Springbok team so dominant on their way to their first southern hemisphere title since 2019.
57 min
186
Test Match post-mortem 8 – Weird Welly-Wonka
Rugby podcasters Brett McKay and Harry Jones launch into another Test Match post-mortem before giving it any thought at all, with this week's fulltime focus on another weird and curious Bledisloe Cup contest in Wellington, where the All Blacks overcame some first half issues to put the Wallabies away 33-13.
27 min
187
Games of the Week 25 – Sick of Insolvency
Rugby podcasters Brett McKay and Harry Jones are back with the final Rugby Championship edition of their end-of-week offering, Games of the Week, coming after a weekend where the guys survived each other’s close companies, and have emerged out the other side to explore the final weekend of Test rugby in the southern hemisphere for 2024.
30 min
188
Ep.33 – Familiar Frustrations with Liam Napier
Rugby podcasters Brett McKay and Harry Jones are joined on The 8-9 Combo by New Zealand Herald Chief Sportswriter Liam Napier for a trans-Tasman deep-dive into the surprisingly tight first Bledisloe Test of the year in Sydney on the weekend just gone, and what is now likely to eventuate in the return bout in Wellington this weekend coming.
60 min
189
Test Match post-mortem 7 – Wanted: Good Startin...
Rugby podcasters Brett McKay and Harry Jones launch into another Test Match post-mortem before giving it any thought at all, with this week's fulltime focus on a surprisingly entertaining and tight contest between Australia and New Zealand in the first Bledisloe Cup Test of the year in Sydney.
27 min
190
Games of the Week 24 – Selection Speculation
Rugby podcasters Brett McKay and Harry Jones are back with another Rugby Championship edition of their end-of-week offering, Games of the Week – where this week Harry and Brett are both preparing to make the trip to Sydney for the first Bledisloe Cup Test between the Wallabies and All Blacks.
32 min
191
Ep.32 – Rassie the God with Sumo Stevenson
Rugby podcasters Brett McKay and Harry Jones are joined on The 8-9 Combo by TVNZ presenter, SENZ Breakfast radio star and still the pod’s favourite home baker Scotty ‘Sumo’ Steveson for a proper in-depth look back at all that ills New Zealand Rugby, Rugby Australia, and the game as it stands in both countries heading into the first Bledisloe Cup match of the year.
64 min
192
Ep.31 – How Good with Jamie Wall
Rugby podcasters Brett McKay and Harry Jones are joined on The 8-9 Combo by Radio New Zealand sportswriter, author, and new South African travel ambassador Jamie Wall fresh from his tour with the All Blacks for a complete debrief of his two weeks in the Republic.
62 min
193
Test Match post-mortem 6 – Back to Square One
Rugby podcasters Brett McKay and Harry Jones launch into another Test Match post-mortem before giving it too much thought, with this week's fulltime focus is on South Africa’s 18-12 win over New Zealand with Harry still there in Cape Town, and Argentina’s record 67-27 thumping of Australia in Santa Fe.
27 min
194
Games of the Week 23 – One-Man Bomb Squad
Rugby podcasters Brett McKay and Harry Jones are back with another Rugby Championship edition of their end-of-week offering, Games of the Week – where this week Harry has shifted south to Cape Town for the second leg of the Greatest Rugby Rivalry between the Springboks and All Blacks.
26 min
195
Ep.30 – Consistently Inconsistent with Marcelo ...
Rugby podcasters Brett McKay and Harry Jones are joined on The 8-9 Combo by former Argentinean centre turned commentator Marcelo Bosch, to recap the Wallabies late win over Los Pumas in horrible conditions in La Plata, which now sets up an enticing return contest in Santa Fe – in much nicer weather – this weekend coming.
61 min
196
Test Match post-mortem 5 – Boks Escape Razor’s ...
Rugby podcasters Brett McKay and Harry Jones love The Rugby Championship, and what better way to consume the international game than to launch into the Test Match post-mortem before giving it too much thought. This week's fulltime focus is on South Africa’s last-ditch 31-27 win overNew Zealand with Harry still there at Ellis Park in Johannesburg.
20 min
197
Games of the Week 22 – the 8-9 Draft
Rugby podcasters Brett McKay and Harry Jones are back with the next Rugby Championship edition of their end-of-week offering, Games of the Week – where this week Harry is in the carpark of Heathrow Airport in London en route to Johannesburg, to see South Africa v New Zealand at Ellis Park, while Brett is setting his alarm for that blockbuster match, plus Argentina v Australia from La Plata. Two very big games, but for four very different reasons.
23 min
198
Ep.29 – Calling All Locks with Geoff Parkes
Rugby podcasters Brett McKay and Harry Jones are joined on The 8-9 Combo by highly regarded Australian-based rugby writer and author Geoff Parkes, to consider the mouthwatering third round of The Rugby Championship this weekend coming. A belting weekend of Test rugby awaits, headlined by South Africa hosting New Zealand in Johannesburg, followed by Argentina hosting Australia in La Plata.
60 min
199
Ep.28 - Lab Experiments with Jim Tucker
Rugby podcasters Brett McKay and Harry Jones are joined on The 8-9 Combo by renowned Australian rugby writer and author, noted tourist and regular friend of the pod, the great Jim Tucker, to look back on the second round of The Rugby Championship and the lessons learned for the Wallabies, as they gear up for a now very important tour of Argentina.
60 min
200
Test Match post-mortem 4 – Contested then Uncon...
Rugby podcasters Brett McKay and Harry Jones love The Rugby Championship, and what better way to consume the international game than to launch into the Test Match post-mortem before giving it too much thought.
28 min