RugbyBits

Libbok shines, Munster surprises and will Leinster win a trophy

Rampant Leinster and La Rochelle, Raymond Rhule and URC Quarterfinals preview

Shaun and Thala review the weekend's European Champions Cup semi-finals and Leinster and La Rochelle's dominating wins.
Starting with Leinster v Toulouse, we discuss the similarities of Leinster's approach to Ireland's for their victory over France in the Six Nations, Ugo Mola's bizarre call to shift Dupont to the midfield and Rodrigue Neti's yellow card (and Josh van der Flier's dive). Jack Conan, Dan Sheehan and Jamison Gibson-Park are singled out for praise for their roles in the victories.
Moving to La Rochelle's 7-try victory over Exeter, we discuss whether Raymond Rhule is the most underrated South African player right now, his connection with Antoine Hastoy and the star performances from Gregory Alldritt and Ulupano Seuteni. We look forward to an epic rematch of last year's Champions Cup final.
We also preview the URC quarterfinals coming up. We ask whether the Bulls can break their losing streak against the Stormers if a near-full strength Bulls team cannot beat a 2nd string Western Province team in the Currie Cup. We ask what chances the Sharks have against Leinster without Eben Etzebeth and Siya Kolisi (very little) and we predict some extra time shenanigans in the Glasgow v Munster game.
Shaun provides us with an update in our Coach Fight bracket, with Johan Ackerman and John Mitchell getting surprising wins.

URC Quarterfinals Set, Champions Cup semi-finals and Sharks gonna Shark

Jared, Shaun and Thala come together to break down the final week of the URC regular season as the quarterfinalist are confirmed.
Starting in Stellenbosch, Stormers beat a game Benetton side 38-22. We discuss the impressive seasons Dan du Plessis and Marvin Orie are having, the madness of Evan Roos' yellow card and a brilliant try created by prop Thomas Gallo and scored by Alessandro Izekor.
Moving to the Lions 50-35 victory over Zebre, we reflect on some of the Lions best performers this season, including Sanele Nohamba, Marius Louw and Franke Horn. We also bid farewell to Lions legend, Jaco Kriel, in his last match for the union.
The Bulls and the Sharks both confirm their spots in the URC quarterfinals in contrasting fashion. The Bulls give the Leinster C team their largest ever defeat of 62-7. We discuss whether their run of wins against easy opposition is sustainable for their URC quarterfinal against the Stormers, the return of Marcell Coetzee and which of Johan Goosen or Chris Smith should start.
On the other hand, the Sharks went full Sharks by drawing 22-22 to Munster after leading 22-3, meaning that their Champions Cup qualification hopes hang by a thread. We discuss if the Sharks can win the competition from 8th and the unfortunate news of Siya Kolisi's knee injury.
We look forward to the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup semi-finals this weekend. We discuss whether Leinster can handle Toulouse's size, if La Rochelle can stop the Exeter Last Dance. Jared predicts doom for Dublin, while Shaun and Thala foresee a repeat of last year's Champions Cup final.
Our First Phase looked at the video of Pote Human giving a PK (not a penalty kick!) at a Major League Rugby game and we discussed which coaches would win in a fight.

Jacques Nienaber to Leinster and Bulls and Sharks fighting to qualify for the Champions Cup

The band is almost back together as this Thala is joined by Jared and Kooks
We start with the breaking news of Jacques Nienaber stepping down as the Springbok coach. We talk about what legacy he will have left behind, who is next in line and what could happen with Rassie Erasmus. 
We move to the URC results of last week and we breakdown each South African side’s performances. We wonder if the Sharks will ever find consistency and whether they or the Bulls will join the Stormers in the Champions Cup next season. We try figure out how the Lions lost to the Leinster academy side and Kooks new job and a stadium judge. 
Our First phase question this week paid tribute to Chris Ashton’s celebration after he scored his 100th try and we wanted to know what is the best ever try celebration.

Would you give up your international flight seat to Frans Malherbe?

Kooks and Thala wrap up the weekend's European Rugby Champions Cup and Challenge Cup quarterfinals, which saw losses to the 3 remaining South African teams.
We start with the Sharks 54-20 loss at Toulouse. While Curwin Bosch, Skhumbuzo Notshe and Grant Williams had impressive performances, the Sharks defensive issues were evident. Kooks gives his take about the French TV producer situation, Emmanuel Meafou and the magic of Dupont, Ntamack and Ramos.
We then move to the Stormers looking flat in the 42-17 loss at Exeter. We discuss if the Stormers miss Deon Fourie, Exeter's Last Dance and what can be done to fix South Africa's traveling issues. We then wrap up the Champions Cup looking at Garry Ringrose leading Leinster thrashing Leicester and Levani Botia turning into Fijian David Pocock in La Rochelle outclassing Saracens.
We move to look at Lions losing to Glasgow 31-21 on the back of impressive Huwipulotu performances and Kyle Steyn jumping at the front of the lineout. We then look at what chances Scarlets, Toulon  and Benetton have in the Challenge Cup semifinals.
We then look at URC Rounds 17 and 18 to discuss what the South African teams need to do to qualify for the URC quarterfinals and Leinster's Rhys Ruddock All Stars featuring Teddy Pendergrass.
Our First Phase question was looking at rugby's coach killers. Our rugby shoutouts include looking at the impressive Chiefs in Super Rugby Pacific and the underdog Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup.

Stormers, Lions and Sharks cooking, the Bulls, not so much

We are joined by Dylan Jack as Jared, Thala and Shaun navigate through the Champions Cup round of 16 games as well as an in depth look into the Lions win over French giants, Raicng 92 ;)
 
We dive into the Champions Cup results and ask the Dirt Trackers about how to determine a winner in a drawn game after Exeter Chiefs overcome 14 man Montpellier. Some of the First Phase answers were entertaining and include, a dance off, a punch up and a boat race.
 
Our shout out's this week go to the WomenBoks, Brok Harris and a few other top performers.
 
Enjoy

Andrea Scialpi, Struggling Sharks and European rugby preview

Shaun and Thala look back at a struggling weekend for the South African sides in Round 16 for the United Rugby Championships.
We start with the Stormers draw to the Rhys Ruddock All Stars at Leinster, discussing how the Stormers battled with the Leinster kicking game and Leinster's ridiculous depth. We then move to the Sharks and the Bulls losses to Scarlets and Ulster respectively, their precarious position at the edge of missing the URC playoffs and Champions Cup qualification. We then look at the real hero of Round 16, Andrea Scialpi and his camerawork in the Lions comeback win over Benneton. We talk the importance of Franke Horn.
We finally make some predictions for the Last 16 round of fixtures in the European Champions Cup and Challenge Cup, which include surprise wins for Munster in Durban, Ulster sneaking past Leinster and Benneton making a Challenge Cup finals run.

Six Nations 2023 review + Team of the Tournament

Shaun and Thala review the final weekend of the Six Nations, celebrating Ireland's Grand Slam victory. We review each team's campaign, rating them out of 10, discussing who their best player is and what each team needs to work on for the Rugby World Cup.
How do Shaun and Thala feel about Italy? Which of Scotland's #SaffasAbroad was their best player? Should we be more optimistic about England or Wales? And which of France or Ireland's players should be Player of the Tournament.
We also select a Team of the Tournament, discuss Freddie Steward's red card and what Scotland will do with their flyhalves going forward.

Six Nations Super Saturday Preview with the Full Squad (almost)

The full team joins for this bonus podcast as we look ahead to Super Saturday and who will lift the 2023 Six Nations Trophy (Ireland, the answer Ireland)

Should the Boks be scared of Ireland and France with Riaan Louw

Kooks and Thala are joined by our favorite rugby YouTuber, Riaan Louw to break down Round 4 of the Six Nations.
Kooks and Thala start by reacting to France's record win over England in Twickenham. Kooks remarks that France are unbeatable at that form and we discuss what they do so well and impressive performances from Antoine Dupont, Charles Ollivon and Thomas Ramos. We also scratch our heads trying to work out how to fix England, who should play v Ireland and if Jack van Poorvliet has kicked the ball out of the ruck yet.
Riaan joins us as we discuss the Scotland v Ireland game. We try to figure out if Ireland has 25 hour days to practice Josh van der Flier's lineout throwing and how they're the best problem solvers in rugby. Kooks is again let down by Scotland, in spite of the magic of Huwipulotu.
We then discuss whether France and Ireland should cause Bok fans sleepless nights. Does Ireland have aspects of their game that can cause the Boks issues? Are France the perfect mix of the Springboks and the All Blacks? And what about Scotland too?
We also discuss the state of Riaan's favorite team, the Lions. Whether the days of hot dogs on tour are over, Franke Horn being a key player, their chances at qualifying for the URC top 8 and why Scott Robertson has put Riaan in therapy.
Out First Phase looks at which consultant should an international team get in preparation for the Rugby World Cup.
Follow Riaan Louw @Ringo26 on Twitter and on his YouTube page