RugbyBits

Springboks v Ireland Game 2 Preview

Kooks and Judge Rugby take a look at the #RSAvIRE squads ahead of their final test.
We discuss tactics, the pressure points and who we are most worried about.
The Springboks have the upper hand but IrishRugby won't roll over

Test Season Is Here: Springbok v Ireland Review

Thala, Kooks and Shaun recap the weekends action as England make the All Blacks sweat, Tom Wright does it all himself and Jesse Kriel beats Ireland with Kolisi and du Toit as wingers

Battle of the Cranberries

Kooks and Thala preview the July test window, focusing especially on the epic clash between South Africa and Ireland.
We react to the Springboks selection and what the omission of Evan Roos and the selection of Kwagga Smith and Marco van Staden tells us. We discuss what opportunity some Bok rookies like Gerhard Steenkamp and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu have. We debate whether the Boks will play this like a World Cup knockout game or like how they played against Wales in Twickenham. We also look into the war of words (at least from the South African side) and why this series might be the battle for the custody of the Zombies song.
We look at the other July internationals and discuss why England might have a great chance to cause an upset against the All Blacks, who needs a win more between Australia and Wales, what can be expected between Argentina and France and the opportunity to see Italy, Samoa, Georgia, Fiji and Scotland play too. We talk a bit of Junior World Cup and shout out since retiring legends in Michael Hooper and Portia Woodman-Wickliffe.

Ireland preview with Murray Kinsella

Kooks and Thala talk to Irish journalist for the 42 Murray Kinsella to look at the Ireland side touring South Africa for the test series.
We discuss what the opponents are in each country and why there is a lot of back and forth on social media between the two sides.
We talk about the possibility of Jamie Osborne starting at fullback and what he possibly brings, why this is a massive test for Craig Casey, what the inclusion of Kwagga Smith means for the Boks and why Luke Pearce will have his work cut out in reffing the rucks and scrums.
Listen to why South Africans love to hate Joe McCarthy, Murray’s interaction with an enthusiastic Uber driver and Ireland’s time with the School of Hard Knocks.

Glasgow Win, Edwill Shines and Toxic Boks Debates

Glasgow win the URC, Edwill shines at Twickenham and make Bok squad debates toxic again
Kooks, Shaun and Thala look back on a weekend of rugby which included Glasgow’s epic URC final victory in Pretoria over the Bulls.
Shaun and Kooks share what happened in their weekend together watching the final at Loftus (which left Shaun worse for wear). We then break down the URC Final, how Glasgow stuck to their plan after falling 13-0 down, their impressive defence and whether the Bulls attack or Bulls defence was more disappointing. Kooks shares his thoughts about whether the stadium music ruined the atmosphere, Shaun shares on him being snubbed by Kyle Steyn.
We then review the Springboks victory in their first test of the year in Twickenham. We talk about the encouraging signs from the Bok attack and the great performances from Edwill van der Merwe, Aphelele Fassi and Evan Roos. 
We then react to the Springbok squad announced for the July test series. We discuss the biggest snubs, the inclusion of Jan-Hendrik Wessels and why we need more toxicity in debating squad selections.
We then do a catch up on the rugby over the weekend around the world, including the Blues winning their first Super Rugby title since 2003 (and whether it’s a bigger achievement than winning the World Cup), Scott Robertson’s first All Blacks squad, Warren Gatland v Sam Parry, England looking great again and Toulouse and Bordeaux qualifying for the Top 14 Final

URC Final and Springboks v Wales preview

Kooks, Shaun and Thala preview the United Rugby Championship Final between Bulls and Glasgow.
The lads look at what to expect from the two teams, Thala breaks down his theory about what Franco Smith is cooking, we react to the return of Kurt-Lee Arendse and discuss our most important head to head match ups.
Then we turn our attention to the Springboks v Wales game. We look at why this might be a big game for Jordan Hendrikse and Aphelele Fassi, we debate the flyhalf pecking order and look at what in the world is happening with Wales.
We finish off by rounding up with the Super Rugby Final, the Top 14 semifinals and the other international games happening this weekend. Find out why Kooks says you must NOT watch the Barbarians v Fiji game, why there are too many tribute hakas and Shaun trying to choose between Joe Marchant and Ben Jason Dixon

Hanekom's dominant performance, epic URC, Top 14 and Super Rugby knockouts

Kooks, Shaun and Thala break down an exciting weekend of club knockout rugby, focusing on the Bulls beating Leinster at Loftus in the URC semifinal.
Kooks shares what the atmosphere at Loftus was like at the game and how it was similar to the big knockout Super Rugby games of the past. We rave about Cam Hanekom's superb performance against an all international loose trio and how Johan Goosen and Willie le Roux controlled the game tactically. We discuss how Jake White and the Bulls learned from last season by recruiting players like Devon Williams and Sergeal Petersen to add depth. We finally investigate what Leinster can do to get over the hump.
We review the surprising Glasgow victory at Munster, discussing how dangerous the likes of Sione Tuipulotu and Rory Darge are, Munster playing too much rugby in their own half for little profit and how Tom Jordan plays like a flank. We briefly discuss the threats Glasgow could bring to the Bulls in the URC Final and have a rant about people ranting about the final being in South Africa and not being accessible for European supporters.
We then do a roundup of other knockout rugby this weekend, including the Blues and Chiefs winning their Super Rugby Pacific semifinals and setting up the Sotutu v Sititi clash in the final. In the Top 14, La Rochelle and Bordeaux survive and we discuss the Racing 92's comments on Siya Kolisi. Finally Monpellier beat Grenoble in the Top 14 relegation/promotion playoff.

The Ultimate Brother's XV

Kooks and Shaun try and filter through the huge amounts of brother's that have played test rugby and try and fit them into a test XV

Pollard to Leinster, Springbok chat and URC Semi Final's

Jared and Kooks share their thoughts on the rugby this past week. Shaun tries to steer the ship as the team navigate through the URC and Premiership.
 
We review the weekends action with a look at the URC Semi Final's. What happened to the Stormers and how many of the Leinster players will be getting their very first Republic of South Africa stamp in their passport.
 
We talk the Springboks, why Leinster need Handre Pollard and much much more

RugbyBits chats to Neethling Fouché

Kooks and Thala are joined by Stormers prop Neethling Fouche as the Stormers prepare for their quarterfinal clash against the Glasgow Warriors.
Neethling reflects on the last few seasons for the Stormers and how they turned things around in 2021 to win it all. He also talks about dealing with heightened expectations after winning the URC in 2021, the ups and downs of this season and why South African teams find winning in Europe tricky.
Neethling also shares how scrumming with Steven Kitshoff and Frans Malherbe grew his game, why he plays rugby with a smile on his face, how he dealt with injuries earlier in his career and his reaction to being called up for the Springbok alignment camp this year.
Listen out for golden nuggets Fouche shares about how he met Kooks the first time, the snore wars he has with his roommate Brok Harris and playing for that legendary 2011 Grey College First Team with Jan Serfontein.