Rucks, Mauls & Oval Balls
Welcome to Rucks Mauls & Oval Balls, the ultimate podcast for all things English rugby! Hosted by two former university teammates who shared the pitch and forged a lasting bond, this show takes you behind the scenes of the rugby world, blending insightful analysis with a shared passion for the sport. Each episode dives deep into the game, with a special focus on statistics, player performance, team dynamics, and match breakdowns. Whether you're a die-hard fan or new to the game, Rucks, Mauls & Oval Balls offers expert commentary, fun debates, and insider knowledge that you won’t find anywhere else. Tune in for the perfect mix of rugby banter, in-depth analysis, and a true love for the game!
Episodes
66 episodes
S2 Ep 35 - Global Calendars, Coaches Galore & Giant Collapses
Rumours of South African teams stepping away from European competition are getting louder, and the consequences could be huge. We get into why the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup have been such a logistical headache, why “player welfare” is bot...
S2 Ep 34 - A Prem Rugby Cat Amongst Prem Rugby Pigeons
The league table says one thing, but the rugby says something else: the Gallagher Premiership run-in is starting to feel like a scrap, not a procession. We start by pulling on the biggest off-pitch threads of the week, including talk of Welsh, ...
S2 Ep 33 - Is This The Start Of A Rugby Civil War?
Rugby doesn’t get to hide behind tradition any more and that’s the thread running through everything we talk about. We start with the Bristol Bears “marketing agency” comment and the reaction it sparked, because it cuts straight to the modern f...
S2 Ep 32 - Prem Rugby's Weekend For The Wingers
English rugby can put on a brilliant weekend and still feel stuck in place. We start with the good stuff: club rugby silverware, big days out, and the sense that participation is finally stabilising after Covid. Then the mood turns as the RFU g...
S2 Ep 31 - Prem Rugby Round 13 Unlucky For Some
Two finals in two weeks. One RFU vote that could change who gets a say in English rugby. And a Premiership weekend that lurches from a proper ding-dong at Sandy Park to scorelines that make you wince. We start with our own club world as the Wes...
S2 Ep 30 - Champions Cup Quarter Final Crunch Time
Knockout rugby doesn’t care about your feelings, and the Champions Cup quarter-finals prove it. We start with a quick dose of real-world grassroots rugby, from survival maths to sore heads, then jump straight into Premiership Rugby transfer cha...
S2 Ep 29 - Lawes Is Back & So Is The Champions Cup
Courtney Lawes is coming back to Premiership Rugby, and I’m equal parts delighted and furious. We unpack why a 37-year-old can still be a difference maker, why Sale landing him changes the feel of their recruitment overnight, and how quickly En...
S2 Ep 27 - The Pragmatic Prem: A New Prem Rugby Era?
No relegation, franchise-style planning, and a Premiership Rugby “reset” that could change English rugby for the next decade. We get straight into what the new structure really signals: less pretending, more long-term certainty, and a clearer p...
S2 Ep 26 - Six Nations Super Saturday Sojourn
Ninety-four points in Paris will do funny things to your mood as an England fan. One minute we’re watching England finally play with ambition, carry hard, and move the ball like a proper Test side. The next, we’re staring at another late swing,...
S2 Ep 25 - Forza Italia & Up The Scotland... Less Said About England The Better
A weekend of rugby made one truth impossible to ignore: courage and clarity beat caution every time. We open with Ireland steadying their identity against a ferocious Welsh defence, where McCloskey’s carrying and Gibson-Park’s tempo rekindled t...
S2 Ep 24 - England Exposed, Ireland Composed
A week that began with jokes about sore calves and team-name puns turned into one of our frankest breakdowns yet. We open with the biggest off-field story: reports that the RFU council is set to back a franchise model, pausing promotion and rel...
S2 Ep 23 - England In Reverse, France In A Different Universe
A round of Six Nations rugby that felt like a truth serum: Italy no longer “plucky,” England stuck in the wrong gear, and France blending steel with swagger. We open in Dublin, where Italy’s identity is no longer a theory but a threat. Their sc...
S2 Ep 22 - France Flex, Italy Ignite & England Efficient
A night in Marseille told a bigger story: France didn’t just beat Ireland, they showed how to turn slow phases into strike ball against an elite defence. We walk through the blueprint — tall, mobile back-row hybrids, ruthless ruck speed, and a ...
S2 Ep 21 - Six Nations One Podcast
A shock retirement, a tournament on edge, and three games that could rewrite the pecking order—this Six Nations kickoff special goes deep where the headlines meet the hard questions. We start by reflecting on Uini Atonio’s sudden exit and what ...
S2 Ep 20 - RFU Strategic Plans Enough To Bring In The Fans?
Two truths collided this week: English rugby is trying to grow up fast, and the Premiership is a brutal teacher. We open with a Barking away day and a soon-to-be dad’s “one last season?” question, then jump into England’s Six Nations squad with...
S2 Ep 19 - Transfers, Try-Fests & Turmoil
A weekend of rugby that actually moved the needle: transfers shifting the Premiership landscape, a coaching carousel with Razor-sized implications, and European performances that exposed who’s real and who’s bluffing. We open with the Newcastle...
S2 Ep 18 - Champions Cup Conundrum: Prem Power, South African No Shows & Fading French
A stormy European weekend delivered clarity and chaos in equal measure. Saracens dragged Toulouse into a classic slugfest and found a way, Bordeaux lit up Bordeaux with ruthless counter-punching against Northampton, and the Bulls shipped 61 at ...
S2 Ep 17 - Gloucester Gloom Grows Whilst Saints Style Shows
A sold-out Kingston Park, a year-long drought snapped, and a recruitment plan that actually makes sense—Newcastle’s resurgence sets the tone for a week where club identity matters more than hype. We unpack how the Red Bull-backed project is pri...
S2 Ep 16 - Rucks, Mauls & Oval Balls 2025 Rugby Wrap Up w/ Mark Williams (MWRUGBYCOACHING)
Joined by Mark Williams from MWRUGBYCOACHINGTwo hours of rugby without the fluff: we look back at 2025’s biggest swings and set our stall out for 2026. From the Lions’ series win to Elliot Daly breaking French hearts, from Bath’s irresis...
S2 Ep 15 - Wild Weekend Where Exeter Stun Saracens & Saints Slice Through Sale
A weekend that felt like a pressure test for the Premiership delivered on every front. Leicester bullied the basics and shredded Gloucester’s confidence, Exeter turned the StoneX into a second-half workshop, Saints ran riot against a leggy Sale...
S2 Ep 14 - Franchises For Prem & Fixing Faltering European Rugby?
A pint-soaked weekend in Cork quickly gives way to the biggest question in English rugby: is a sealed Premiership the only path to stability? We don’t dodge it. We weigh romance versus reality, outline how a franchise model can expand into York...
S2 Ep 13 - Champions Cup Mega Pod
European rugby didn’t whisper this weekend—it roared. We dive straight into a Champions Cup slate packed with statement wins, shock upsets, and a few uncomfortable truths about where the competition stands. From the moment Sale’s injuries met G...
S2 Ep 12 - Saints Stumbled, Harlequins Humbled, R360 Crumbled?
A week off and the rugby world refused to sit still. We kick things off with the headlines: R360’s two‑year delay and why the money never looked real, a quietly improving Premiership balance sheet that’s letting clubs hand out deals to 2029, Lo...
S2 Ep 11 - Bomb Squad, Pom Squad & Los Bombas
A 12–0 hole against the All Blacks usually means lights out. Not this time. We break down how England wrestled control back at Twickenham: Ford’s cold-blooded drop goals, a backline reshuffle that added real speed with Marcus Smith at 15, and a...