The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast

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. The Chiefs will be determined to kick the perennial ‘bridesmaid' tag in their third straight decider, while the Crusaders will not want to be the team that undoes their incredible 31-game unbeaten streak in finals matches played in the Garden City. Plus, it's also the Demi-Finales of the Top 14 in France, and it's the Conference Finals weekend in Major League Rugby in the States. Games of the Week: Super Rugby Pacific Final: Crusaders v Chiefs, Christchurch Top 14 Demi-Finales: • Toulouse v Bayonne, Toulouse • Bordeaux v Toulon, Bordeaux MLR Conference Finals • EAST: New England v Chicago, Quincy MA • WEST: Utah v Houston, Salt Lake City #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #URC #Premiership #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MajorLeagueRugby #TonyJohnson Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. Bath and Leinster took the spoils in the Premiership and URC deciders respectively, the former overcoming a valiant Leicester and the latter doing enough to stay ahead of and withhold the Bulls. There were Semi Finals of contrast in the Top 14, and it was very similar in Super Rugby Pacific, just much angrier and fightier. And what on earth does any of this have to do with the 2000 film High Fidelity, starring John Cusack? It's a great question… Plus, the conference semi-finalists are underway in Major League Rugby in the States. #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #UnitedRugbyChampionship #Premiership #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MajorLeagueRugby Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. Leinster host the Bulls in Dublin in the URC Grand Final, while all English rugby eyes turn to a sold out Twickenham, when Bath and Leicester face off in the Premiership Final. Is Dublin still in love with Leinster? Will the Bulls' private charter plane be their secret source? And who will the neutrals follow in the Prem decider? Plus, two properly mouth-watering semi-finals await in Super Rugby Pacific, it's Phase Finale weekend in the Top 14, and it's conference semi-final weekend in Major League Rugby in the States. Games of the Week: United Rugby Championship Grand Final: Leinster v Bulls, Dublin Premiership Final: Bath v Leicester, Twickenham Super Rugby Pacific Semi Finals: • Crusaders v Blues, Christchurch • Chiefs v ACT Brumbies, Hamilton Top 14 Barrages: • Bayonne v Clermont, Bayonne • Toulon v Castres, Toulon MLR Conference Semi-Finals #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #URC #Premiership #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MajorLeagueRugby #RiaanLouw #RugbyUpdate Find the Rugby Update here: https://www.youtube.com/@RiaanLouw Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. While the URC Semi Finals went pretty much as expected, a major boilover has shaken up Super Rugby Pacific, with the most unlikeliest of scenarios exposing the one slight flaw with the new six-team finals format. The Premiership is set for a proper Twickenham blockbuster that could be the making of Michael Cheika, and it was a final round of truly French surprises in the Top 14. Plus, the conference semi-finalists are all but set for Major League Rugby in the States. #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #UnitedRugbyChampionship #Premiership #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MajorLeagueRugby Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. The regular season of ups and downs has delivered the finals series combatants we probably picked in pre-season, but didn't think we'd get for most of it, leaving three ripping Qualifying Finals this weekend coming. Also, a Player of the Year and Team of the Year have been crowned, so more boxes ticked. Plus, it's Semi Final weekend in the URC and the Premiership in England, and the final rounds of the Top 14 in France, and Major League Rugby in the States. Games of the Week: Super Rugby Pacific Qualifying Finals: • Crusaders v Queensland Reds, Christchurch • Chiefs v Blues, Hamilton • ACT Brumbies v Hurricanes, Canberra United Rugby Championship Semi Finals: • Leinster v Glasgow, Dublin • Bulls v Sharks, Pretoria Premiership Semi Finals: • Bath v Bristol at the Rec • Leicester v Sale at Welford Road Top 14 Round 26: Montpellier v Clermont, Montpellier MLR Round17: San Diego v Old Glory DC, San Diego #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #URC #Premiership #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MajorLeagueRugby #SeanMaloney #StanSport Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. The URC Quarter Finals saw a fine line between plausible cramp and genuine shithousery, Super Rugby Pacific set its top six with a couple of genuine danger teams lurking, the Premiership semi-finalists include two teams that maybe only friends and family were talking about at the start of the year, and Richie Mo'unga proved he is worth every cent as he claimed another League One title in Japan. Plus, the penultimate rounds of the Top 14 in France and Major League Rugby in the US, where some tasty matchups are falling into place. #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #URC #UnitedRugbyChampionship #Premiership #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MLR Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. Zebra-related injuries are not something a team typically plans for, but may feature in reviews of Bordeaux's European campaign. From there, the URC moves into knockout mode, with Quarter Finals to be played in Scotland, South Africa, and Ireland this weekend, and with upsets possible in one, maybe two games at a stretch. Super Rugby Pacific and the Premiership line up for their final rounds of the season, and with most games having some degree of bearing on playoff berths. Plus, it's the penultimate round of Top 14 in France and MLR in the States, and Grand Final weekend in Japan. Games of the Week: United Rugby Championship Quarter Finals: • Glasgow v Stormers, the Scotstoun • Bulls v Edinburgh, Loftus Versfeld • Leinster v Scarlets, Dublin • Sharks v Munster, Durban SRP Round 16: ACT Brumbies v Crusaders, Canberra Top 14 Round 25: Vannes v Pau, Vannes Japan Rugby League One Grand Final: Toshiba Brave Lupus v Kubota Spears, Tokyo MLR Round16: Old Glory DC v RFC Los Angeles, Maryland #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #ChampionsCup #SuperRugbyPacific #URC #Premiership #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MajorLeagueRugby #HuwGriffin #HGRugby Check out Huw's YouTube channel, it's great! https://www.youtube.com/@huwgriffinrugby Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. An enviable celebration is underway in the French wine regions, after Bordeaux's super impressive 28-20 win over Northampton in the Final in Cardiff, a triumph for taking opportunities, game management, and supreme confidence in your methods. UBB were just a bit too clinical for the precocious Saints in the end, and will absolutely be eyeing off the Top 14-Champions Cup double in 2025 Plus: Premiership frontrunners Bath are eyeing off a double as well, after dominating Lyon to take out the Challenge Cup, plus there are cricket scores and sheer bloody-mindedness to overcome in Super Rugby Pacific, it's semi-final weekend in Japan, and an early Western Conference upset in Major League Rugby. #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #ChampionsCupFinal #SuperRugbyPacific #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MLR Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. Plus, Lee shares some thoughts on the latest developments in Welsh Rugby, where having maintained four professional sides equally as part of a long-term strategy launched in 2024, the WRU announced an intention to implement a new two-tier funding system amid reports it intends to cut a team from its professional tier, reports which the Union has neither confirmed nor denied. Welsh rugby Hunger Games? Games of the Week: Champions Cup Final: Northampton v Bordeaux, Cardiff SRP Round 15: Queensland Reds v Hurricanes, Brisbane Japan Rugby League One Semi Finals: Toshiba Brave Lupus v Kobelco Kobe Steelers, Tokyo Panasonic Wild Knights v Kubota Spears, Tokyo MLR Rd.15: NOLA Gold v Utah Warriors, Salt Lake City #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #URC #Premiership #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MajorLeagueRugby #ChampionsCupFinal #Northampton #Bordeaux #LeeCalvert #BloodandMudpodcast Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. And the Weekend Post-Mortems are going to start hotting up now – Super Rugby Pacific has a new competition leader and maybe a changing of the guard in Auckland, the URC finals are locked in after some final round movement saw some teams win through and others lose out, and Bath have extended their lead in the Premiership even further after a dominant win. Plus: the semi-finalists have been decided in League One in Japan, there's still a few rounds of Top 14 left in France, and the conferences are tightening up again in Major League Rugby in the US. #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #UnitedRugbyChampionship #URC #Premiership #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MLR Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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! Fourteen Super Rugby titles in 29 season puts them in pretty rarified air, in terms of professional rugby, and it's extraordinary to think that Colin is just the third Crusaders CEO in all that time. And he goes into great depth outlining how that success really just comes from alignment across the board, from players and coaches to the front office, from Chair and Board to CEO and then onto Head Coach and Captain. But also, how the history of the place doesn't just define the Crusaders, it guides them every day. This truly is a Great Rugby Chat, we hope you enjoy it and take something out of it. Games of the Week: SRP Round 14: Brumbies v Reds, Canberra URC Round 18: Munster v Benetton, Limerick Premiership Round 17: Bath v Leicester, the Rec Top 14 Round 24: La Rochelle v Montpellier, La Rochelle Japan Rugby League One Qualifying Finals: Shizuoka Blue Revs v Kobelco Kobe Steelers, Osaka SAT Kubota Spears v Suntory Sungoliath, Osaka SUN MLR Rd.14: Houston SabreCats v Utah Warriors, Houston #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #URC #Premiership #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MajorLeagueRugby #Crusaders Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. All the Leagues are on their downhill runs to playoffs and have common themes. Teams are well set and standout favourites – hello Leinster, Bath, and the Chiefs; Teams are making a charge – the Bulls, ACT Brumbies, Crusaders, and Leicester, and teams are really picking the worst time for form slumps – Glasgow, the NSW Waratahs, and Gloucester. Plus: the regular season is done in League One in Japan, there's still a few rounds of Top 14 left in France, and there's another new conference leader in Major League Rugby in the States. #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #UnitedRugbyChampionship #URC #Premiership #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MLR Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. With the British & Irish Lions arriving in Australia in less than two months for their 2025 Tour, the guys ponder the key questions from the announcement event at the O2 in London: Who were we most surprised to see? Who were we most pleased to see? Who will dominate the headlines and debate (because someone will)? And who was most unlucky? (Harry, as it turns out, who was still in the process of leaving hospital as we recorded. He'll be back for the Weekend Post Mortem!) #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #LionsTour Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. As all rugby podcasts are at the moment, we're contractually obliged to mention potential Lions Tour bolters amongst other educated guesswork for the make-up of Andy Farrell's squad, and we hold up out end of the deal with a bolter from the leftest of left fields. Also, we rejoice in what will be a cracking Champions Cup Final between Northampton and Bordeaux in Cardiff in a few weeks, plus contemplate some tricky runs home in the URC and Super Rugby Pacific. Games of the Week: • SRP Round 13: Crusaders v Chiefs, Christchurch • URC Round 17: Bulls v Cardiff, Pretoria • Premiership Round 16: Leicester v Sale, Welford Road • Top 14 Round 23: Toulon v Toulouse, Toulon • Japan Rugby League One Rd.18: Urayasu D-Rocks v Mitsubishi Dynaboars; the Chichibu, Tokyo • MLR Rd.13: New England Free Jacks v Chicago Hounds, Quincy MA #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #URC #Premiership #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MajorLeagueRugby #HuwGriffin #HGRugby Check out Huw's YouTube channel, it's great! https://www.youtube.com/@huwgriffinrugby Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. Northampton and Bordeaux will face off in the European Final in Cardiff on May 24, after winning their respective Semi-Finals over Leinster and Toulouse in two brilliant games of knockout rugby. In Super Rugby Pacific, the Hurricanes have shaken up the table after knocking off the Chiefs and the ACT Brumbies humbled arch-rivals, the NSW Waratahs, both of them with dominant second halves. Plus: the finalists are set in League One in Japan and there's a new conference leader in Major League Rugby in the States. #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #ChampionsCup #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MLR Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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? And how do you measure which team is properly average? For one thing, it's not ‘average' as is in terrible, it's literally ‘average'. The very bog standard team in each comp, and then the most bog standard of all of them. It could be for and against, it could be tries scored v tries conceded, it could be jersey design, their home ground, the city, their fans… whatever it takes to define the most average team in pro rugby. Plus, Rugby Australia has finally announced their Joe Schmidt succession plan for the Wallabies. But can they have their coaching cake with Les Kiss and eat it? Games of the Week: Champions Cup semi-finals: Leinster v Northampton, Dublin Bordeaux v Toulouse, Bordeaux SRP Round 12: Hurricanes v Chiefs, Wellington Japan Rugby League One Rd.17: Kubota Spears v Saitama Wild Knights, Tokyo MLR Rd.12: New England Free Jacks v Houston SabreCats, Quincy MA #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #URC #Premiership #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MajorLeagueRugby #ChampionsCup #average Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. The Hurricanes beat the Brumbies in Canberra for the first time in years, Scarlets showed Leinster that reputations can often count for nothing, Northampton rediscovered their European form in a Premiership game, and winless for months, La Rochelle have suddenly won two on the trot! Plus: everything that caught our eye from League One in Japan and Major League Rugby in the States. #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #URC #Premiership #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MLR Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. Last year's Champions, the Blues, seem to have adapted the position of the 2024 Crusaders however, and this weekend's crucial clash in Brisbane against the Queensland Reds feels very ‘must win' for them, an indication of just how far they've fallen in 2025. The guys try to work the difference from one year to the next for the Blues, look a bit closer at the real health of New Zealand Rugby, and ponder the regular question whether this really in the best season of Super Rugby, ever. Games of the Week: • SRP Round 10: Queensland Reds v Blues, Brisbane • URC Round 16: Glasgow v Bulls, the Scotstoun • Premiership Round 15: Sale v Saracens, Salford • Top 14 Round 22: Clermont v Lyon, Clermont • Japan Rugby League One Rd.16: Shizuoka Blue Revs v Canon Eagles, Shizuoka • MLR Rd.11: Utah Warriors v Chicago Hounds, Salt Lake City #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #URC #Premiership #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MajorLeagueRugby #JamieWall Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Harry Jones dials in from Limerick in Ireland, with many Munster tales to tell as he joins Brett McKay on the latest Weekend Post-Mortem for The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast. Munster's annoying loss to the Bulls and the rise of Benetton in the URC top the discussion, as does the statement from the Chiefs and the Super Point chaos and mayhem in Perth in Super Rugby Pacific, and Sale's return to the Premiership top four. Plus: everything that caught our eye from the Top 14 in France and Major League Rugby in the States League One in Japan returns next weekend. #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #URC #Premiership #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MLR Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rugby YouTube star Riaan Louw joined Brett McKay & Harry Jones on The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast to ponder a very simple concept: what would you pinch from any other League in the rugby world to make your own league that much better? Whether it's the URC's graphic, the Top 14 budgets, Super Rugby's impatient referees, or League One running Japanese and English language websites and social media, there are plenty of things to envy from other comps around the world. And there are things to avoid too. English accounting, for one obvious example. Plus: the URC, the Premiership, and the Top 14 are all back this weekend, along with Super Rugby Pacific, League One in Japan and Major League Rugby, and for the first time in podcast history, Harry Jones knocks off early. Games of the Week: • SRP Round 9: Fijian Drua v NSW Waratahs, Lautoka • URC Round 15: Munster v Bulls, Limerick • Premiership Round 14: Bristol v Leicester, Ashton Gate • Top 14 Round 21: Lyon v Montpellier, Lyon • MLR Rd.10: San Diego Legion v Utah Warriors, San Diego #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #URC #Premiership #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MajorLeagueRugby #RiaanLouw #RugbyUpdate Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Telegraph's Charlie Morgan joined Brett McKay & Harry Jones for a properly comprehensive review of the Champions Cup Quarter Finals – and Leinster's surging domination - on the latest Weekend Post-Mortem for The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast. The Irish powerhouse are still yet to concede a point in the knockout stage, while Northampton, Bordeaux, and Toulouse will join them in the Semi-Finals in May. In Super Rugby Pacific, a couple of statement wins from the NSW Waratahs and ACT Brumbies stood out, plus the Blues finally look like reigning champions again. Plus: Some surprise results and boilovers in Japan Rugby League One and Major League Rugby in the States, too. #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #ChampionsCup #SuperRugbyPacific #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MLR Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's the halfway point of Super Rugby Pacific, and that seems the ideal time to start drawing conclusions about the competing teams, as leading columnist turned author Geoff Parkes joined Brett McKay & Harry Jones on The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast. But in Australian rugby, it's much more than just how each of the four teams are going. Headlined by incumbent Wallabies flyhalf and ACT Brumbies star no.10 Noah Lolesio electing to head Japan rather than deal with the ups and downs of yet another Wallabies coach, Geoff and the guys get into the crippling impact still not knowing Joe Schmidt's successor is having on Australian players. Plus: it's Champions Cup Quarter Final weekend, and there's some intriguing contests across Super Rugby Pacific, League One in Japan and Major League Rugby. Games of the Week: Champions Cup Quarter Finals Leinster v Glasgow, Dublin Bordeaux v Munster, Bordeaux Northampton v Castres, Northampton Toulon v Toulouse, Toulon SRP Round 9: Blues v Moana Pasifika, Auckland Queensland Reds v ACT Brumbies, Brisbane League One Week 17: Kubota Spears v Suntory Sungoliath, Osaka MLR Rd.9: New England Free Jacks v San Diego Legion, Quincy MA #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #ChampionsCup #SuperRugbyPacific #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MajorLeagueRugby #theWrap #GeoffParkes Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Champions Cup Round of 16 blowouts and thrashings that only underline the need for a format re-jig, plus more Super Rugby Pacific intrigue and Moana Pasifika history stand out for Brett McKay & Harry Jones on the latest Weekend Post-Mortem for The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast. The start of the Champions Cup knockout stage saw 114-point games, sixty point thumpings, and average aggregate scores of 72 points a game, but also, some quite exciting rugby. And Moana Pasifika's 45-28 win over the Waratahs marked the first time in their history they've recorded consecutive wins, a well-deserved piece of history. Plus: everything that caught our eye from the Japan Rugby League One and Major League Rugby in the States #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #ChampionsCup #SuperRugbyPacific #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MLR Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Player welfare, and what that entails in the incredibly broad landscape that is now professional rugby, was the key topic when former Hurricanes and All Blacks great turned players advocate Conrad Smith joined Brett McKay & Harry Jones on The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast this week. Now the Head of Rugby Operations for International Rugby Players, the global players association, Conrad goes into great detail about the sheer volume and breadth of discussions with World Rugby, national Unions, professional competitions, and individual player associations, as they educate players to help them during and after their rugby careers. Plus: the knockout stage of the Champions Cup is here, and there's top of the log blockbusters in Super Rugby Pacific and Major League Rugby. Games of the Week: • Champions Cup Round of 16: Glasgow v Leicester, the Scotstoun • SRP Rd.8: Chiefs v Reds, Hamilton • League One Week 16: Kobelco Kobe Steelers v Toshiba Brave Lupus, Kobe SUN • MLR Rd.8: San Diego Legion v Chicago Hounds, San Diego #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #ChampionsCup #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MajorLeagueRugby #playerwelfare #ConradSmith #InternationalRugbyPlayers Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Legendary Sky Sport NZ commentator Tony Johnson joined Brett McKay & Harry Jones on The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast this week, as they try to get to the bottom of just why 2025 has been the best start to a Super Rugby season in living memory. And it's not an easy question with one simple answer. It's not just that all the Australian team are competitive. It's not just that anyone can beat anyone on any give weekend. It's not just that the demise of the Melbourne Rebels has boosted depth in other squads. It might be the do with it being a Lions Tour year, and the extra jeopardy that brings. It might be weather-related, and the fact that it's been a nice summer on both sides of the Tasman. It's quite likely all of the above.   Whatever the reason or reasons, it has been a wonderful start to the Super Rugby Pacific season.   Games of the Week: SRP Rd.7: Hurricanes v Waratahs, Wellington URC Rd.14: Ulster v Stormers, Belfast Premiership Rd.13: Bath v Harlequins, the Rec Top 14 Rd.20: Clermont v La Rochelle, Clermont League One Week 15: Canon Eagles v Toyota Verblitz, Tokyo MLR Rd.6: Houston SaberCats v San Diego Legion, Houston   #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #UnitedRugbyChampionship #Premiership #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MajorLeagueRugby   Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866   Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social   Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones   Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio)   Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Bulls toppling the traveling Leinster at Loftus and the NSW Waratahs notching their first win over the ACT Brumbies in 14 starts were the headlines for Brett McKay & Harry Jones to launch into another Weekend Post-Mortem for The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast. Plenty of surprises too! Quins won their first London Derby in a good while, Panasonic lost a second straight game for the first time ever in League One guise in Japan, and the Stormers scored a try against Scarlets that just has to be seen to be believed. Plus: everything that caught our eye from the Super Rugby Pacific, the URC, the Premiership, Top 14 in France, Japan Rugby League One, and Major League Rugby in the States #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #URC #PremiershipRugby #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MLR Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Brett McKay & Harry Jones were thrilled to welcome NSW Waratahs flyhalf Tane Edmed onto the show for this week's episode of The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast, in which Tane conducted a proper Goal-Kicking 101 for the guys that right into the details about his process and ball placement, and even detail like ball set-up and tee height. If you're a goal-kicking nerd, this is definitely the chat for you. Tanes also shared his experience playing NPC rugby for North Harbour in New Zealand in the back half of 2024, and how that refreshed his game and his approach to the game, his experience inside the Wallabies squad for the Autumn Nations Series/Spring Tour to the UK, and some genuine insight into how Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt operates and what he expects of his no.10s. Plus, Brett & Harry's thoughts on Super Rugby Pacific, the URC, the Premiership, Top 14 , Japan Rugby League One, and Major League Rugby. Games of the Week: • SRP Rd.6: Waratahs v Brumbies, Sydney • URC Rd.13: Glasgow v Munster, the Scotstoun FRI • Premiership Rd.12: Saracens v Harlequins, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium SAT • Top 14 Rd.19: Bordeaux v Toulouse, SUN • League One Week 14: Toshiba Brave Lupus v Saitama Wild Knights, Tokyo SAT • MLR Rd.5: San Diego Legion v Miami Sharks, San Diego SAT #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #UnitedRugbyChampionship #Premiership #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MajorLeagueRugby Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

France have been crowned Six Nations Champions for 2025, headlining the final Test Match edition of the Weekend Post-Mortem for The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast until the July Internationals. Brett McKay & Harry Jones take a look at all the Round 5 results, in which England continued their resurgence toppling Wales, and Ireland were left to ponder the what-ifs as they did enough to beat Italy. Plus, there were some emphatic statement wins in Super Rugby Pacific (the Blues aren't done yet), and a massive boilover in League One in Japan! PLUS: An EXCLUSIVE update on the Rocky Elsom case in France from Harry, who is now part of expert team handling Elsom's appeal through the French legal system. #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #WeekendPostMortem #SixNations #Ireland #France # Scotland #Wales #England #Italy #SuperRugbyPacific #UnitedRugbyChampionship #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MajorLeagueRugby Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

France blew the 2025 Six Nations tournament apart when they thumped Ireland last weekend in Dublin, and the fallout is still fresh in the mind of former Ireland international turned renowned pundit Bernard Jackman, who joined Brett McKay & Harry Jones for this week's episode of The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast. The 15-point margin largely flattered Ireland, with Bernard glowing in his praise for the French team, honest in his own underestimations of Les Bleus, and clear still very disappointed about where Ireland now find themselves. It's a wonderful chat that gets to the bottom of so much. There's some interesting discussion around Wales being the most likely source of upset in this weekend's final round, too. Plus, Brett & Harry's thoughts on Super Rugby Pacific, Japan Rugby League One, and Major League Rugby. Games of the Week: • Six Nations: Italy v Ireland, Rome Wales v England, Cardiff France v Scotland, Paris • SRP Rd.5: Reds v Waratahs, Brisbane • JRL1 Week 13: Kobelco Kobe Steelers v Mie Honda Heat, Kobe • MLR Rd.5: Chicago Hounds v Old Glory DC, Chicago #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SixNations #Ireland #France # Scotland #Wales #England #Italy #SuperRugbyPacific #UnitedRugbyChampionship #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MajorLeagueRugby Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

An upsetting weekend of rugby was headlined by France triumphantly turning the Six Nations on its head, as Riaan Louw joined Brett McKay & Harry Jones on this week's Weekend Post-Mortem for The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast. Ireland were thumped at home and now have to answer serious questions; the Brumbies, Fijian Drua and Moana Pasifika brought the upsets to Super Rugby Pacific, and one URC Shield has been handed out already? #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SixNations #SuperRugbyPacific #URC #MLR Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The biggest rugby match of 2025 will almost certainly decide this year's Six Nations tournament, when Ireland host France in Dublin this weekend. The Telegraph's Charlie Morgan joined Brett McKay & Harry Jones for this week's episode of The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast, where all the weeds were got into for this blockbuster clash. France have gone down the 7-1 bench split route again, but in doing so have named a bench that almost literally weighs a tonne. Ireland have the benefit of playing a massive game at home, but also have the heartstrings angle covered, with legend stalwarts Peter O'Mahony, Cian Healy, and Conor Murray all announcing their intent to retire from International Rugby after the Six Nations. We think there's maybe only a kick between them. Plus, some quick thoughts Scotland-Wales, and England-Italy, including Steve ‘Slash' Borthwick going back to the future with a few selections Games of the Week: • 6Ns: Ireland v France, Dublin • SRP Rd.4: Waratahs v Force, Sydney • URC remnant Rd.1: Sharks v Lions, Durban • MLR Rd.4: Miami v Chicago, Fort Lauderdale #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SixNations #Ireland #France # Scotland #Wales #England #Italy #SuperRugbyPacific #UnitedRugbyChampionship #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MajorLeagueRugby Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Another high-scoring round of Super Rugby Pacific is set to a backdrop of Gene Hackman films, as Brett McKay & Harry Jones launch into another Weekend Post-Mortem for The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast. And there were URC shocks! Edinburgh winning in Limerick, the Stormers silencing the wet Bulls at Loftus, and Ospreys breaking a nine-year duck in Glasgow. Tables are tightening up across the board! Plus: what caught our eye from the Top 14 in France, Japan Rugby League One, and Major League Rugby in the States #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #URC #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MLR Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes to feed a hungry crowd at a major stadium? Managing Director of Twickenham Experience, Nils Braude, let Brett McKay & Harry Jones behind the curtain in this week's episode of The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast. Covering everything from your typical stadium fare to partnering with street food vendors, right up to Michelin star hospitality catering in Twickenham's famed East Stand, and all the sheer numbers that go with it: hundreds of thousands of pints of beer on a matchday, venison not by the kilo but by the herd, and chips by the tonne. You may never look at stadium food the same after this. Games of the Week: • SRP Rd.3: Chiefs v Brumbies, Hamilton • URC Rd.12: Bulls v Stormers, Pretoria • Top 14 Rd.18: Montpellier v Castres • JRLO Wk.11: Urayasu D-Rocks v Toyota Verblitz, Fukushima • MLR Rd.3: Houston SabreCats v Seattle Seawolves, Houston #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #UnitedRugbyChampionship #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MajorLeagueRugby Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lighter, whiter shades of playing kit reigned supreme in Week 3 of the Six Nations, and it's another weekend of high scores in Super Rugby Pacific, as Brett McKay & Harry Jones launch into another Weekend Post-Mortem for The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast. Did Ireland take Wales easy in Cardiff? Were Wales actually very, very good under new coach Matt Sherratt? Has Fabien Galthié made life very difficult for himself at the selection table? And did England really cop criticism for the way they won back the Calcutta Cup after five years? Plus: what caught our eye from Super Rugby Pacific, the URC, the Top 14 in France, Japan Rugby League One, and Major League Rugby in the States   #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SixNations #SuperRugbyPacific #URC #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MLR   Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866   Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social   Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones   Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sandwich tales, a great Australia start to Super Rugby Pacific, and the return of the Six Nations has Stan Sport commentator Sean Maloney excited, joining Brett McKay & Harry Jones in this week's milestone episode of The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast. In the 8-9 Combo's 50th guest episode and 100th overall, the guys compare Harry's sandwich in a pub in Limerick with Seanny's extraordinary SuperBowl smoked meat fare, and make everyone hungry, before celebrating the Australian teams start to 2025 to appropriate levels, contemplate Round 3 of the Six Nations and ponder which coach is under pressure now, should a few results go astray, and got through the latest scientific measure that is The Harry Index. Games of the Week: • Six Nations Rd.3: England v Scotland, Twickenham SAT • SRP Rd.2: Chiefs v Crusaders, Hamilton FRI • URC Rd.9 leftover: Bulls v Lions, Pretoria SAT • Top 14 Rd.17: Toulouse v Bayonne SAT • JRLO Wk.9: Kubota Spears v Shizuoka Blue Revs, Tokyo SAT • MLR Rd.1: Chicago Hounds v Utah Warriors, Chicago SAT #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SixNations #SuperRugbyPacific #UnitedRugbyChampionship #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MajorLeagueRugby Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Last minute wins and a Grand Final get-square headlined the first weekend of Super Rugby Pacific, while successive Zebre upsets is the talk of the URC, as Brett McKay & Harry Jones launch into another Weekend Post-Mortem for The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast. The ACT Brumbies took a team laden with debutants to Fiji and did what no Australian team had done before, Munster was most comfortable at home for Harry's very poetic Irish long weekend, and the Sharks overcame being down to 12 at one point to take a BP win over the Bulls away from Loftus Plus: what caught our eye from the Top 14 in France, Japan Rugby League One, and the opening round of Mahor League Rugby in the States #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #URC #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MLR Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Curious selections for the opening weekend of Super Rugby Pacific, the French Six Nations fallout, and it's a second attempt at life post-Warren Gatland in Wales, as Geoff Parkes joined Brett McKay & Harry Jones in this week's episode of The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast. An already accomplished rugby columnist, Geoff Parkes provides some wonderful perceptions into Super Rugby for 2025, as well as delving into his writing processes that delivered two books over the Australian summer: 'A Year in the Life and Death of the Melbourne Rebels', the fantastic behind-the-scenes look at the 2024 demise of the Rebels, and his debut crime novel 'When the Deep Dark Bush Swallows You Whole', set in rural New Zealand. It's a fascinating insight into the writer's mind, and how major writing works come together. Games of the Week: • SRP Rd.1: Waratahs v Highlanders, Sydney FRI • URC Rd.11: Munster v Scarlets, Limerick SAT • Top 14 Rd.16: Clermont v Toulouse SUN • JRLO Wk.9: Black Rams Ricoh v Urayasu D-Rocks, Tokyo SAT • MLR Rd.1: Houston v Chicago, Houston SAT NOTE & APOLOGIES: Brett suffered a connectivity glitch early on in the epsode, and Harry had to board a plane at the end. But we got there! Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Undefeated and ominous-looking Ireland now lead the Six Nations Championship after two rounds in 2025, but England's late win over France will remain a talking about for a while yet, as Brett McKay & Harry Jones launch into another Weekend Post-Mortem for The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast. Scotland showed some but not enough grit before going down to Ireland at Murrayfield, England's 80th minute winner to beat France by 1 will keep Twickenham Man happy for weeks, and Italy were just way too good for a Wales who still might not have hit rock bottom. Also: a make-up weekend in the United Rugby Championship, plus Japan Rugby League One Rd.8. #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SixNations Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Last week was all about the Seven Deadly Sins within the Six Nations, and for the bumper second round of matches it's Crime & Punishment. Brett McKay & Harry Jones take a look at three individually intriguing games for the latest episode of The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast. It is, of course, a round with three really interesting matchups, and three games that could go either way. But punishment looms in all three contests, too. Are Wales at rock-bottom with another loss? Can Italy cope with favouritism? Can France cope with favouritism? What would England have to do next with another loss? How does a traditional Celtic rivalry play out? A great weekend of rugby awaits us. And are the Wallabies in for more punishment, with the news Joe Schmidt won't continue as Head Coach after The Rugby Championship later in the year? Who comes in next? Great question… Games of the Week: Six Nations Rd.2, a South African make-up game in the URC, and the Grand Final replay in Japan all stick out like sore thumbs #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SixNations Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Six Nations Championship has begun for 2025, with France and Ireland laying down statement wins in Round 1, providing Brett McKay & Harry Jones with the perfect platform to kick off the new Weekend Post-Mortem for The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast. France were completely dominant in their 43-0 win over hapless Wales in Paris on Friday night, with Scotland's 31-19 win over Italy in Edinburgh, and Ireland's patient 27-22 win over England in Dublin completed the opening weekend with bonus points for all three winners. Also: Japan's Rugby League One Rd.7 action gets a mention. #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SixNations Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There are many deadly sins on the rugby field, but just which of the Seven Deadly Sins broadly apply to the Six Nations teams was pondered by The Telegraph's Charlie Morgan, who joined Brett McKay & Harry Jones for the latest episode of second season of The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast. Harry, of course, has committed most of those deadly sins on the rugby field, but he was intrigued with the idea of applying the Seven Deadly Sins to each of England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, and Italy and where they currently sit as we enter the 2025 Six Nations Championship. You just will not have ever heard a tournament preview done like this before. #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SixNations Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Growing the game globally while at the same time making it sustainable are the big challenges for the new Chair of World Rugby, Brett Robinson, who joined Brett McKay & Harry Jones for the first weekly episode of second season of The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast. Following on from his predecessor, Sir Bill Beaumont – who was the first guest at the very start of the 8-9 Combo, back one year ago – Brett Robinson outlines his vision for the game over the next four years, why the tweaks to the Laws of Rugby are crucial to keep the game moving as a product, and why the proposed Nations Championship to start in 2026 is so important for the future of the game across the rugby world. #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast is back for a massive year of rugby in 2025, and Brett McKay & Harry Jones are here with all the details of what to expect this year. The short summary: more Great Rugby Chats every week! They'll cover it all: the Six Nations, a revamped Super Rugby Pacific, the United Rugby Championship, the Premiership in England, the Top 14 in France, the European Champions Cup, Japan Rugby League One, Major League Rugby in the States, and then – the British & Irish Lions Tour of Australia! Plus, The Rugby Championship + Bledisloe Cup, and all the Internationals in July and November. Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Brett McKay and Harry Jones delved into The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast archives one last time for the summer, to pull together some of the best bits from some of their favourite guests from more than forty weekly guest episodes in 2024. Guest highlights include Matt To'omua, Riaan Louw, Sean Maloney, Tony Johnson, Kevin Foote, Andrew Kellaway, Gareth Whittaker, Brett Cronan, Jamie Wall, James Slipper, and Charlie Morgan.   See you soon for Season 2 in 2025!   Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social   Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones   Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena YouTube Creator Music: https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCVmjUF49lBFvJruLm0fS2lA/creator_music/track/yDcrlRny5kA   Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Brett McKay and Harry Jones delve into The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast archives to share and celebrate their favourite Cheers & Jeers from the start of more than forty weekly guest episodes in 2024. Featuring non-speaking guest appearances by Charlie Morgan, Sam Larner, Riaan Louw, Laurie Fisher, Cam Sheppard, Harry Wilson, Sean Maloney, Jamie Wall, rugby mascots, and all our wonderful guests in 2024. See you back in 2025! Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo Now on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Brett: https://twitter.com/BMcSport Harry: https://twitter.com/HaribaldiJones You can find Brett and Harry individually on BlueSky, too! Music from Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/track/oakvale-of-albion/extreme Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Brett McKay and Harry Jones come together on The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast for one last time, to wrap up the 2024 rugby year in one big go – by asking simply, ‘How do we sum up 2024 for…?' each of the top eight international teams: South Africa, Ireland, New Zealand, France, Argentina, Scotland, England, Australia. But to do that, somehow, the summary is set in the Wild West! Find out who the outlier church is, who the questionable brothel, who is the gunslinger with the hired goons, and who is the villain that every western plot needs. Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo Now on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Brett: https://twitter.com/BMcSport Harry: https://twitter.com/HaribaldiJones You can find Brett and Harry individually on BlueSky, too! Make sure you FOLLOW US on Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Find Brett and Harry's written work on RugbyPass and The Roar: Brett: https://www.rugbypass.com/plus/contributor/brett-mckay/ Harry: https://www.theroar.com.au/author/haribaldi/ Music from Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/track/oakvale-of-albion/extreme Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney + Amelia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Brett McKay and Harry Jones jump into the final Test Match post-mortem of the year with no more thought than usual, with this week's fulltime focus on Ireland's patience and Australia's frustrations in the 22-19 result at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, to wrap up the Northern Spring Autumn Series Tours for 2024. A wonderful, gripping contest came from some seriously scrappy rugby – and curious officiating – and that only exaggerates Ireland's relief, while simultaneously driving the Wallabies frustrations at one that really did get away. Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo Now on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Brett: https://twitter.com/BMcSport Harry: https://twitter.com/HaribaldiJones You can find Brett and Harry individually on BlueSky, too! Make sure you FOLLOW US on Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Find Brett and Harry's written work on RugbyPass and The Roar: Brett: https://www.rugbypass.com/plus/contributor/brett-mckay/ Harry: https://www.theroar.com.au/author/haribaldi/ Music from Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/track/oakvale-of-albion/extreme Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Brett McKay and Harry Jones lay out the final Games of the Week for 2024, incorporating the final match of the Northern Spring Autumn Series Tours between Ireland and Australian in Dublin, and which will put Joe Schmidt and his gameplan up against his former assistant Andy Farrell and the same gameplan in what will be a fascinating contest. The United Rugby Championship and the English Premiership are both back this week too. Does Schmidt and the Wallabies have one last performance up their sleeve for 2024, and what would an upset win over Ireland mean for Australian rugby heading into 2025, and the arrival of the British & Irish Lions? What would a third loss for Lions nations do for their confidence? And how hard will it be to get back into club and franchise rugby after a big month of Internationals? This week's Games of the Week: • Ireland v Australia in Dublin URC Rd.7: Munster v Lions in Limerick Premiership Rd.7: Harlequins v Bristol at the Stoop Top 14 Rd.11: Racing 92 v Toulouse in Paris Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo Now on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Brett: https://twitter.com/BMcSport Harry: https://twitter.com/HaribaldiJones You can find Brett and Harry individually on BlueSky, too! Make sure you SUBSCRIBE on Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Find Brett and Harry's written work on RugbyPass and The Roar: Brett: https://www.rugbypass.com/plus/contributor/brett-mckay/ Harry: https://www.theroar.com.au/author/haribaldi/ Music from Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/track/oakvale-of-albion/extreme Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Brett McKay and Harry Jones are joined on The 8-9 Combo by Irish sportswriter and playwright Patrick McCarry to look back over the final full weekend of the Northern Spring Autumn Series Tour, and then to cast an eye forward to the final international fixture for 2024 this weekend coming, when Ireland host Australia at the Aviva in Dublin this Saturday. The Irish haven't had the smoothest of time through this Autumn Nations, and have had to make adjustments to the new Law Variations in play, but this weekend, there is also a much revered character to deal with: the return of Joe Schmidt, with his rebuilding Wallabies in tow. Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo Now on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Brett: https://twitter.com/BMcSport Harry: https://twitter.com/HaribaldiJones You can find Brett and Harry individually on BlueSky, too! Make sure you FOLLOW US on Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Find Brett and Harry's written work on RugbyPass and The Roar: Brett: https://www.rugbypass.com/plus/contributor/brett-mckay/ Harry: https://www.theroar.com.au/author/haribaldi/ Music from Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/track/oakvale-of-albion/extreme Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney + Amelia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Brett McKay and Harry Jones jump into another Test Match post-mortem without much thought at all, with this week's fulltime focus on Scotland's gritty 27-13 win over Australia at a chilly Murrayfield in Edinburgh, the wrap up the final full weekend of Northern Spring Autumn Series Tours. In a game that would have been a statement win for either side, it was the Scots who maintained their shape, their discipline, and their excellent defence to see off the Wallabies, and with it, another shot at a historic Grand Slam.   Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo Now on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social   Brett: https://twitter.com/BMcSport Harry: https://twitter.com/HaribaldiJones You can find Brett and Harry individually on BlueSky, too!   Make sure you FOLLOW US on Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm   Find Brett and Harry's written work on RugbyPass and The Roar: Brett: https://www.rugbypass.com/plus/contributor/brett-mckay/ Harry: https://www.theroar.com.au/author/haribaldi/   Music from Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/track/oakvale-of-albion/extreme Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Brett McKay and Harry Jones lay out the Games of the Week for the final full weekend of the Northern Spring Autumn Series Tours, the last chance for the Home Nations to save something from the November Tests, and for the southern hemisphere nations to reinforce their claims of global rugby domination. Can Argentina spring one last upset? Can Ireland make one last statement? How much patience is left in Wales? Will New Zealand appease fans at home with a fourth Spring Tour win? Will Scotland blink first, or Australia? And will the full support of the board continue for Steve Borthwick? This week's Games of the Week: • France v Argentina in Paris • Wales v South Africa in Cardiff • Italy v New Zealand in Turin • Scotland v Australia in Edinburgh Plus, the Top 14 is back: we like the sound of Toulon v Bayonne on Saturday Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo Now on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Brett: https://twitter.com/BMcSport Harry: https://twitter.com/HaribaldiJones You can find Brett and Harry individually on BlueSky, too! Make sure you SUBSCRIBE on Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Find Brett and Harry's written work on RugbyPass and The Roar: Brett: https://www.rugbypass.com/plus/contributor/brett-mckay/ Harry: https://www.theroar.com.au/author/haribaldi/ Music from Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/track/oakvale-of-albion/extreme Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices