Podcast appearances and mentions of brett mckay

The British & Irish Lions have bid farewell to their 2025 Tour of Australia, heading back to the Home Nations with the trophy in their pockets and winning bonuses in their wallets. But with still so much to wrap up from the series Brett McKay & Harry Jones welcomed onto The 8/9 Combo Rugby Podcast Jonathan Drennan from the Sydney Morning Herald. All the key questions will be asked: which coach is least unhappy? What was the biggest selection gamble or mistake? Which players most epitomised the Wallabies and Lions? And importantly, with a squad named and about to head to South Africa to kickstart The Rugby Championship campaign, how must the Wallabies and Australian rugby build from the Lions Series? #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #British&IrishLions #Lions2025 #internationalrugby #Wallabies #TheRugbyChampionship, #Springboks, #AllBlacks, #LosPumas 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 Third Lions Test has been run and won, and the series is done now too, and Brett McKay and Harry Jones another Lions Test Post-Mortem for The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast, after the Wallabies finished the series on a high, beating the Lions 22-12 at Accor Stadium in Sydney. After the game was delayed for lightening, the recording suffered both weather and technology issues, and for which you have the 8/9 Combo's apologies. But what you will get is the only reaction podcast recorded on Fulltime at the Stadium, as Harry and Brett go through all the key moments – plus what the Wallabies can now take forward with them into The Rugby Championship in just two weeks' time. #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #WeekendPostMortem #InternationalRugby #LionsTour #Wallabies #AllBlacks #France #BritishIrishLions 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 British & Irish Lions have sealed the Test Series of their 2025 Tour of Australia, winning a Melbourne Cricket Ground thriller in the 80th minute, and all in front of a record crowd for a Lions Test. And with so much to go through it was timely that The Telegraph's Charlie Morgan joined Brett McKay & Harry Jones on The 8/9 Combo Rugby Podcast. And with so many moments to get into and analyse and dissect, Harry also decide this was the week to create the first Rugby Writer's Colloquium, in which he peeled out highlight's Charlie's great analysis this week, and Brett's column for RugbyPass, and read it back to them! But it provided the perfect way to get into so many more of the moments that seem to have been lost in all the debate about whether or not there was a penalty in the last ruck of the match. #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #British&IrishLions #Lions2025 #internationalrugby #Wallabies #U20sWorldChampionship 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 British and Irish Lions have overcome an 18-point deficit to beat the Wallabies 29-26 in Melbourne and win their three-match series with a game to spare. The visitors trailed 23-5 in the first half and won with a try to Hugo Keenan in the 80th minute. Australian rugby commentator Brett McKay joined Piney to discuss. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brett McKay and Harry Jones jump into the Second Lions Test Post-Mortem for The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast, in which the British & Irish Lions wrapped up the series with a 29-26 win over the Wallabies at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Australia produced perhaps their best 70+ minutes of rugby every from this playing group, which makes the heartbreaking three-point loss, and with it the series gone, all the more hard to take. The Lions should perhaps feel like they've got away with one, pushed for way longer than any game on tour, and forced into mistakes not seen from them so far. And yet again, Brett & Harry find themselves podding after a Wallabies loss. Do a podcast, they said. It'll be fun, they said. #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #WeekendPostMortem #InternationalRugby #LionsTour #Wallabies #AllBlacks #France #BritishIrishLions 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 2025 British & Irish Lions Tour is to follow the 2001 and 2013 scripts, the Wallabies simply must win in Melbourne this weekend to send the series to a decider. The great Jim Tucker joined Brett McKay & Harry Jones on The 8/9 Combo Rugby Podcast to contemplate everything the Second Test needs this weekend. The Gods of rugby timings blessed this week's episode with both the Wallabies and Lions team lists mid-recordings, allowing the guys to got through the changes on both sides of the contest and determine what either side needs to do in order to win at the MCG on Saturday night. And for the Wallabies, it's not now a matter of ‘if', but ‘how'. Because they just have to. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Brett McKay and Harry Jones rip into the First Lions Test Post-Mortem for The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast, in which the British & Irish Lions have beaten the Wallabies 27-19 in front of more than 52,000 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. The Lions will be annoyed to have been ascendant all game, yet only winning by eight, while the Australian can take plenty of positives out of the First Test, knowing there's some key big bodies to come back into the side. Get Harry's take on the game from afar, while Brett bring the incredible stadium noise into your ears so soon after full time. Plus, some quick thoughts on New Zealand's clean sweep series win over France that was far closer than the history books will show. #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #WeekendPostMortem #InternationalRugby #LionsTour #Wallabies #AllBlacks #France #BritishIrishLions 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

We're just days away from the Wallabies v British & Irish Lions Test Match, but why haven't the protagonists on each side emerged yet? Lee Calvert from the Blood & Mud podcast joined Brett McKay & Harry Jones on The 8/9 Combo Rugby Podcast to ponder what the series has so far missed. Tidbits about the teams are starting to filter out. The Coach may not pick the Son. Storylines of heartbreak and triumph are emerging, and Exclusives will be claimed. Some will even be actually exclusive. But there is still a treading-water feel about this build-up. Maybe that changes when the teams are announced on Thursday. Games of the Week: • New Zealand v France, Hamilton SAT • Australia v British & Irish Lions, Brisbane • South Africa v Georgia, Mbombela (Nelspruit) • Argentina v Uruguay, Salta • U20s World Championship finals, Italy #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #British&IrishLions #Lions2025 #internationalrugby #Wallabies #AllBlacks #Springboks #LosPumas #U20sWorldChampionship 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

Big scores and statement wins were all the rage, as Brett McKay and Harry Jones pull apart another big weekend of July Internationals on the Weekend Post-Mortem for The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast. The AUNZ XV offered throwback jerseys but not much else to the British & Irish Lions in Adelaide, the All Blacks delivered the obsessive, emphatic result over France the pundits so desperately wanted a week earlier to prove their point, the Springboks were at the innovative best in dispatching Italy, and England completed the two-game sweep of Argentina. Plus, Wales have won a Test Match! #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #WeekendPostMortem #InternationalRugby #LionsTour #Wallabies #AllBlacks #Springboks #Argentina #England #Italy #France #Wales #BritishIrishLions 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 ACT Brumbies gave the British & Irish Lions their sternest test on tour, but how many questions have they answered for Joe Schmidt? Irish Sportswriter, Producer and Playwright Pat McCarry joined Brett McKay & Harry Jones on The 8/9 Combo Rugby Podcast this week for the pulse check on the Lions, little more than a week from the First Test in Brisbane. Which Lions enhanced their chances in the 36-24 win? How close was that Lions side to the First Test team? And role will the AUNZ Invitational XV game in Adelaide this weekend play, almost certainly pitting the Lions' non-Test players up against an intriguing collection of Australian and New Zealand players – the first time a combined trans-Tasman team has played since 1989. Games of the Week – it's all International from here! • New Zealand v France, Wellington • AUNZ Invitational XV v British & Irish Lions, Adelaide • South Africa v Italy, Gqberha • Argentina v England, San Juan #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #British&IrishLions #Lions2025 #internationalrugby #Wallabies #AllBlacks #Springboks #LosPumas 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

‘Twas a weekend of just scraping through, as Brett McKay and Harry Jones pull apart the first full weekend of July Internationals on the Weekend Post-Mortem for The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast. The Wallabies needed 79 minutes to beat Fiji, the Lions saved their worst performance on Tour for a Waratahs Harry and most other writers has written off, a French 3rd XV described as ‘disrespectful' pushed the All Blacks way further than the narrative suggested, and even South Africa were left to lament a mostly “frustrating” performance in beating Italy. Plus, hear direct from the Waratahs on how Harry fired them up to face the Lions in Sydney. He definitely hit a nerve! #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #WeekendPostMortem #InternationalRugby #LionsTour #Wallabies #AllBlacks #Springboks #Argentina #England #Italy #France #Fiji #BritishIrishLions 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 British & Irish Lions on tour present the ultimate test of talent v cohesion. Gain Line Analytics know an awful lot about cohesion and how teams benefit from it, and co-founder and former Wallabies prop Ben Darwin joined Brett McKay & Harry Jones on The 8/9 Combo Rugby Podcast this week to get into the nuts and bolts of it. So how do the Lions build the cohesion they need? And which positions can be most affected by a lack of cohesion? And what is the best way for the Wallabies to overcome the very abundant levels of experience overflowing from whatever XV the Lions name for the Tests? It's a great chat, we hope you get lots out of it. Games of the Week – it's all International from here! • New Zealand v France, Dunedin • South Africa v Italy, Pretoria • Argentina v England, La Plata • Australia v Fiji, Newcastle #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #British&IrishLions #Lions2025 #internationalrugby #Wallabies #AllBlacks #Springboks #LosPumas 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

“There is one thing, Emma, which a man can always do, if he chooses, and that is his duty." —Mr. KnightleyWe believe Jane Austen is for everyone, but it's no secret that her modern fanbase is predominantly female. But why is that, and what might men be missing? Brett McKay joins us in this episode to share how he first discovered Austen's work and why more men should read her books. Along the way, we touch on Austen's Aristotelian ideas of virtue, the qualities that make a good man, the importance of choosing the right spouse, and how reading her works can help everyone become the best version of themselves.Brett McKay is the founder of The Art of Manliness, a website and podcast dedicated to helping men “grow up well, reach their potential, and become better friends, mentors, husbands, fathers, and citizens.” Since 2008 he has interviewed hundreds of authors and scholars on a wide range of subjects, from philosophy to weight-lifting, dinner-party planning to hostage negotiation. In 2023, he interviewed Austen scholar John Mullan in an episode entitled “Jane Austen for Dudes.” For a transcript and show notes, visit https://jasna.org/austen/podcast/ep25/.*********Visit our website: www.jasna.orgFollow us on Instagram and FacebookSubscribe to the podcast on our YouTube channelEmail: podcast@jasna.org

The British & Irish Lions Tour of Australia in 2025 in finally underway, as Brett McKay and Harry Jones rip into the first Lions Tour edition of the Weekend Post-Mortem for The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast. The Western Force asked plenty of questions of the Lions for as long as they could in Perth, before the tourists' class and experience rose to the top, sealing the 54-7 eight tries to one win to open their Australian tour with a win. Plenty of really good performers amongst then: Dan Sheehan, Joe McCarthy, ‘bellend-issimo' Henry Pollock, Tomos Williams, and the unflappable Finn Russell. Darcy Swain from the Force did his chances of a Wallabies recall no harm, too. Plus, the French Top 14 and US Major League Rugby Champions have been crowned as well, and the Springboks raised the bat against the travelling Barbarians in Cape Town. #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #UnitedRugbyChampionship #Premiership #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MajorLeagueRugby #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) Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Acclaimed crime and rugby author and notable weekly columnist Geoff Parkes joined Brett McKay & Harry Jones on The 8/9 Combo Rugby Podcast (briefly) to wrap up the Super Rugby Pacific Grand Final, where the Crusaders proved way too strong for the Chiefs in Christchurch. And Geoff was supposed to join the 8/9 as we slip firmly into Lions Tour mode, too, only for a network outage in New Zealand to rule him out of what still was an interesting discussion, as Brett & Harry turn their attention to the 2025 Briish & Irish Lions Tour of Australia, which begins this weekend in Perth. Plus, it's the long awaited Top 14 Finale in France, and it's the Championship Final in Major League Rugby in the States. Games of the Week: Top 14 Finale: Toulouse v Bordeaux; Stade de France, Paris MLR Final: New England v Houston, Rhode Island International Rugby! • Japan XV v Maori All Blacks, Tokyo • Western Force v British & Irish Lions, Perth • South Africa v Barbarians, Cape Town #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #URC #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

Already large trophy cabinets in Christchurch are now overflowing and the 2025 Lions Tour is officially underway! Brett McKay and Harry Jones rip into another Grand Final edition of the Weekend Post-Mortem for The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast. The British & Irish Lions got off to a rocky start with a 28-24 loss to an Argentinean team thrown together in the same timeframe, the Crusaders have won yet another bloody Super Rugby Pacific title with a performance more dominant than the scoreboard showed, and the longest season in France has finally delivered the Finale we all had pencilled in from the start Plus, the Major League Rugby Conference Champions have been crowned 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

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

In this episode, Seth reviews an article by Brett McKay and discusses the importance of community for your marriage, giving one powerful trick to solidify frequent community interaction. To access the sources for this episode, visit: https://www.artofmanliness.com/people/relationships/social-initiators-and-non-initiators/To become a subscriber of this podcast, visit:⁠https://anchor.fm/seth-hensley/subscribe⁠

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

In this episode, Seth reviews an article by Brett McKay and discusses the importance of community for your marriage, giving one powerful trick to solidify frequent community interaction. To access the sources for this episode, visit: https://www.artofmanliness.com/people/relationships/social-initiators-and-non-initiators/To become a subscriber of this podcast, visit:⁠https://anchor.fm/seth-hensley/subscribe⁠

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

In this episode, Seth discusses why you should treat “divorce” like profanity in your future marriage. To access the sources for this episode, visit:https://www.artofmanliness.com/people/family/take-the-d-word-off-the-table/To become a subscriber of this podcast, visit:⁠https://anchor.fm/seth-hensley/subscribe⁠

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

In this episode, Seth discusses why you should treat “divorce” like profanity in your future marriage. To access the sources for this episode, visit:https://www.artofmanliness.com/people/family/take-the-d-word-off-the-table/To become a subscriber of this podcast, visit:⁠https://anchor.fm/seth-hensley/subscribe⁠

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

In this episode, Seth reviews an article by Brett McKay and discusses what you need to know about your partner before getting having the DTR, crossing permanent lines, and getting emotionally hitched. To access the sources for this episode, visit:https://www.artofmanliness.com/people/relationships/avoid-falling-in-love-with-the-wrong-person/To become a subscriber of this podcast, visit:⁠https://anchor.fm/seth-hensley/subscribe⁠

In this episode, Seth reviews an article by Brett McKay and discusses what you need to know about your partner before getting having the DTR, crossing permanent lines, and getting emotionally hitched. To access the sources for this episode, visit:https://www.artofmanliness.com/people/relationships/avoid-falling-in-love-with-the-wrong-person/To become a subscriber of this podcast, visit:⁠https://anchor.fm/seth-hensley/subscribe⁠

In this episode, Seth reviews an article by Brett McKay and discusses what you need to know about your partner before getting having the DTR, crossing permanent lines, and getting emotionally hitched. To access the sources for this episode, visit:https://www.artofmanliness.com/people/relationships/avoid-falling-in-love-with-the-wrong-person/To become a subscriber of this podcast, visit:⁠https://anchor.fm/seth-hensley/subscribe⁠

Welcome back to Pizza Quest!In this episode, we welcome Brett McKay, the founder of the immensely popular website/newsletter/podcast, The Art of Manliness. For the past fifteen+ years Brett, along with his wife Kate, have been on their own quest to explore every aspect of what it means to be a man -- really, a human -- at this particular time in history. Their site has clearly struck a chord, as they have over a million followers (including listeners to their Art of Manliness (AOM) Podcast),where they cover everything from the practical (like "How to Shave Like Your Dad" and "How to Properly Tie your Tie"), to the metaphysical and philosophical (Aristotle is a huge influence on their work and journey, as are many other well-known historical thought leaders), and they have posted over 1,000 episodes (1059 as of this week's show on "The Science of Slowing Down Time"). Brett was kind enough to invite me onto his podcast and even kinder to reciprocate by coming onto Pizza Quest. There is a lot of kindred spiritedness here, as I think you will see and enjoy during this thoughtful conversation.Note: Brett also shares some tips on how he and Kate grew their following into a full-time livelihood; tips that will prove useful to any of you who are trying to grow your own media platforms and brands -- this is priceless advice!

Earlier this fall, BT got to check off a bucket list item—appearing as a guest on The Art of Manliness podcast, one of the first, and most successful, podcasts aimed at a male audience. With over a 1,000 episodes under his belt, host Brett McKay has carved out a space that encourages, challenges, and helps men rise. In conversation with Brian, the pairs discuss what makes a man, the long haul of establishing friendships, and what it looks like to be a protector in the 21st century.