Evening Standard Rugby Podcast with Lawrence Dallaglio

Lawrence and Steve are joined by Northampton player, Tom Pearson, who’s fresh from the celebrations of winning the Premiership title. Tom talks about his first year with the club, what it’s like living with his club mate and landlord, Fin Smith, the reaction from locals to bringing home the trophy and his views on red cards in big games. 

Plus Evening Standard rugby correspondent, Nick Purewal, is on hand to chat about the recently announced England squad and their upcoming Summer tour. And Lawrence, Nick and Steve reflect on the past season and select...

Fresh from announcing his training squad ahead of the Qatar Airways Cup clash against South Africa at Twickenham and subsequent tour of Australia, Wales Head Coach Warren Gatland joins Lawrence and Steve Cording to chat all things rugby. He shares some of his decision making when it comes to team selection, what he hopes his players will learn as they take on the Springboks and Wallabies, why he’s fearful that players are manipulating laws to win games and what makes coaching in the age of social media more challenging.

Plus Evening Standard rugby correspondent, Nick Pu...

This week Lawrence is joined in the studio by rugby legend, Martin Offiah, who shares his rugby journey, chatting about why he made the switch from union to league, what it was like being team mates with Andy Farrell, Shaun Edwards and Jason Robinson at Wigan, how he feels about being immortalised in bronze at Wembley Stadium and why he’s now a supporter of Bath Rugby. 

Plus Martin tells us what to expect from the Rugby League Betfred Challenge Cup Final on the 8th June, where he will be Chief Guest for the triple header of...

With the Top 4 of the Premiership now decided, Lawrence Dallaglio, Steve Cording and Evening Standard rugby correspondent, Nick Purewal, review the weekend’s performances and discuss the semi-final line up, assessing the key strengths of each team. 

Plus Former Leinster, Ireland and British and Irish Lion, Gordon D’Arcy, joins Lawrence and Steve to look ahead to this weekend’s Investec Champions Cup final between Leinster and Toulouse, sharing his opinion on key head to heads, what Leinster need to do to secure a win and recalling his own memories achieving European silverware. 

And Lawr...

Lawrence and Steve are joined in the studio by Harlequins CEO, Laurie Dalrymple, who lifts the lid on the business of running a Premiership club. They chat about the relationship between the RFU, PRL and the clubs, the opportunities to work cohesively to raise the profile of rugby, and why it’s a seminal time in terms of progression for the game.

Laurie also tells us why the fan experience is at the heart of everything they do at Harlequins, shares his views on players moving abroad and reveals how the club are supporting players in th...

Lawrence and Steve are joined in the studio by Lawrence’s World Cup winning team mate and former Leicester and Harlequins centre, Will Greenwood.

As well as giving his review of the Investec Champions Cup semi-finals, Will shares why he thinks the policy of only allowing players from English clubs to play for the national team is a good one, sparking a debate with Lawrence. He also offers his assessment of the Premiership Run In, tells us what he loves about coaching his local rugby club and reveals his thoughts on whether he may yet have a...

Lawrence returns from his Cycle Slam and, along with Steve Cording, chats to this week’s special guest, Tommy Freeman. 

Tommy shares his views on last weekend's Big Summer Kick Off game against Quins, his preferred position on the field, Northampton's hopes for the upcoming Investec Champions Cup semi final against Leinster and even shows off his card trick skills with the pod’s first ever magic performance! 

Marlie Packer also joins Lawrence and Steve to reflect on the Red Roses Grand Slam win against France, as she highlights the top England players from a...

As Lawrence completes the last stretch of his Cycle Slam, Steve Cording and Evening Standard rugby correspondent, Nick Purewal, are joined by England captain, Marlie Packer, who reflects on the team’s Women’s Six Nations campaign so far before looking ahead to the Grand Slam decider taking place this Saturday against France. 

In 'Grow the Game with QBE Business Insurance’, Marlie offers her opinion on how to encourage and grow grass roots participation in rugby for girls, and outlines ways the Red Roses can use their experiences off the field to further engage with fans. 

With Lawrence away on his Cycle Slam, Steve Cording and Evening Standard rugby correspondent, Nick Purewal, are joined by Harlequins’ tighthead prop, Will Collier, to chat about Quins' momentous victory in Bordeaux and how the team will be preparing for their Investec Champions Cup semi-final against Toulouse. Will also gives his opinion on whether the World Rugby laws around scrums should change, what he thinks of his fellow front row team mates and shares his thoughts on the upcoming Big Summer Kick Off at Twickenham. 

Plus, Red Roses captain, Marlie Packer returns with the latest news fro...

Lawrence and Steve are joined by former London Irish player, Henry Arundell, who tells us about his new life with Racing 92, what he’s learnt so far from French rugby and what it’s really like having Siya Kolisi as a team mate.

Plus Red Roses captain, Marlie Packer, joins from England's training ground as she delivers the latest news from camp ahead of this weekend’s Women’s Six Nations game against Scotland. And in our feature, 'Grow the Game with QBE Business Insurance’, Marlie talks about the importance of having female mentors supporting women in sport a...

Lawrence and Steve review the drama of the Easter weekend Premiership action including the 100 minute game at Kingston Park, the 7 min yellow card at The Stoop and another win for 'under the radar’ Bristol Bears, as Lawrence shares his predictions for the end of season Top 4. 

Plus Marlie Packer is back to give us the inside scoop on all things Red Roses, including Jamie George’s visit to camp and the single thing she believes would help elevate the women’s games even further in our new feature ‘Grow the Game in association with QBE Business Insurance...

Lawrence Dallaglio, Steve Cording and Evening Standard rugby correspondent, Nick Purewal, assess the return of the Premiership as the clubs face 'The Run-In’ to the end of the season. 

In light of comments from an incident at The Showdown between Saracens and Harlequins, Lawrence explains the relationship between broadcasters and TMOs, and reveals where he’d place Owen Farrell in the list of Saracens greatest ever players. Plus the guys discuss whether Zach Mercer's continued standout performance for Gloucester is enough for Steve Borthwick to come calling and look ahead to the next round of Premiership actio...

Lawrence and Steve welcome former Saracens and England lock, George Kruis, to the studio for a chat as they round up the end of the Six Nations and look ahead to the return of the Premiership, with special focus on The Showdown between Saracens and Harlequins.

George explains his role as line out consultant to the England team, why he feels the team’s future is so bright, and what drives the culture at his former club, Saracens. He also talks about his business fourfive.com and what he’s learned most in his transition from locke...

Lawrence and Steve are joined by former Leinster and Ireland centre Gordon D’Arcy, as they review Saturday’s Six Nations Round 4 contest at Twickenham. Gordon shares his insight into where England most disrupted Ireland’s game plan, which of the men in white had the biggest impact on the field and how the Ireland team will now be preparing against Scotland in a bid to retain the championship title. 

Steve shares the good and the bad of his match day experience at Twickenham, and asks Lawrence to explain his Instagram antics from the final whistle. 

Lawrence and Steve are joined by Ben Kay as they look ahead to Round 4 of the Six Nations, with a specific focus on Saturday's England v Ireland game at Twickenham.

Ben offers his assessment on the tournament to date, shares which players he considers have the ‘stardust’ that England need, and reveals his opinion on how England should be approaching the game. 

Plus Lawrence explains how it works when teams practice their attack and questions whether Steve Borthwick has been trying to change too many aspects of the gameplan at once.

The...

Lawrence and Steve are joined by Harlequins’ winger, Cadan Murley, as they discuss the results from Round 3 of the Six Nations. 

Cadan chats about his recent experience with the England A team, his on-going conversations with Steve Borthwick, and what he thinks about the drinking culture at Twickenham Stadium. He also confirms which team mate he clean bowled in a game of cricket last week, and shares his hopes for the upcoming Big Summer Kick Off against Northampton Saints. For tickets visit https://www.eticketing.co.uk/harlequins

Plus Lawrence, Steve and th...

Lawrence Dallaglio and Steve Cording are joined by former Scotland captain, John Barclay, as they look ahead to this weekend’s Six Nations games with a special focus on the Calcutta Cup fixture at Murrayfield on Saturday. 

John offers his thoughts on Scotland’s campaign so far, how he believes they’ll handle England’s blitz defence and which players he’d select for their starting back row line up. He also shares his memories of Scotland’s famous win in 2018, including where he was when the pre-match ’scuffle in the tunnel’ broke out, and reveals which surp...

Lawrence is joined by former Wales player, Shane Williams, who holds the record as top try scorer for his country, and Evening Standard rugby correspondent, Nick Purewal. 

Lol, Shane and Nick analyse Round 2 of the Six Nations and discuss England’s progress, the pros and cons of the blitz defence, what’s making Ireland so unstoppable and whether or not there should be any fallow weeks in the Six Nations championship.

Shane also recalls his time being coached by Warren Gatland and Shaun Edwards, shares which player performances from the Wales team have impre...

Lawrence, Steve and special guest, Jiffy, deliver their analysis of the opening weekend of the Six Nations before looking ahead to Round 2. Jiffy shares his thoughts on key players for Wales as they head to Twickenham and recalls his own feelings about playing at England HQ. He also offers his insights into why Ireland are looking unbeatable and how Andy Farrell’s time playing rugby league has influenced their style of play. 

The trio also pay tribute to the Welsh rugby legend, Barry John. 

Plus, the QBE Predictor is back in action...

Lawrence and Steve are joined by former Leicester, England and British and Irish Lions player, Ben Kay, as they look ahead to the start of the Six Nations. 

Ben and Lawrence select their choices for England’s starting XV against Italy and also chat about the strengths of each of the nations, before making their predictions for who will win the championship. 

They also discuss the latest from the Premiership and which teams have the most to gain from the upcoming break in fixtures whilst the Six Nations is in action. 

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Lawrence Dallaglio and Steve Cording review the weekend’s rugby action from the Investec Champions Cup and look ahead to the return of the Premiership.

And with the new Netflix series, Six Nations: Full Contact, about to launch the pair are joined by Evening Standard rugby correspondent, Nick Purewal, who offers his insight into how the players have reacted to being a part of the documentary and what the exposure might bring to the game. Nick also delivers the latest news on how Jamie George is feeling at being named England captain and what impact his ap...

Lawrence and Steve bring you all the latest rugby news from the Investec Champions Cup, discussing the highlights from the weekend’s games before looking ahead to the match-ups and possible outcomes from Round 4. Plus are the rumours around a move to France for Owen Farrell causing problems for the team’s on field performance? And will current champions, La Rochelle, be able to do enough to earn a place in the Round of 16?

The guys are also joined by Evening Standard rugby correspondent, Nick Purewal, as they look at who might be named in Steve Borth...

In the final episode this year, Lawrence and Steve get festive with a chat about Christmases past and present, reminiscing on family traditions, and their best ever presents as children.

Lol also tells us what he really thinks about South African clubs being part of the European Champions Cup, as the pair chat through the weekend’s European Champions Cup action. 

Plus the Evening Standard’s Nick Purewal joins the chaps to talk about hybrid player contracts, changes in the Home Nations coaching staff and whether Henry Arundell was right to resign...

With Sarra away and Lawrence on his sick bed, Steve Cording hosts a one-to-one chat with Bath Rugby’s Assistant Coach, Lee Blackett. 

Lee shares his thoughts on the opening round of the European Champions Cup including why he was frustrated by Bath’s performance despite their win over Ulster. He also chat about the current squad, revealing which special qualities he believes Finn Russell has brought to the squad, and discussing the future of the recently named RPA Under 23 Most Valuable Player of the month for November, Alfie Barbeary. 

Plus he tells us abo...

T/W This episode includes themes of mental health, self-harm and suicide. For support on any of the topics discussed, you can follow the links below to organisations who can help. 

At a time when high profile players and officials are taking a break from international duties to protect and prioritise their mental health, Lawrence, Sarra and Steve welcome Simon Trower onto the podcast to discuss some of the issues surrounding this topic. Simon is the founder of the charity Brave Mind and shares his own personal mental health journey and why he wanted to focus on t...

Lawrence, Sarra and Steve are joined in the studio by life-long Harlequins’ fan and Michelin star chef, Michel Roux Jr. 

Michel chats about his experiences at The Stoop, who he supports when it comes to ‘Le Crunch’ and what meal he thinks epitomises the game of rugby.

He also reveals how running transformed his mental health and why it’s now time to close the doors on his world famous, family restaurant, Le Gavroche.

Plus Lawrence and Michel go head-to-head in a food vs rugby quick fire quiz and hatch a plan for a new TV...

Lawrence sits down for a one-to-one chat with former England captain, Martin Johnson, as they mark the 20th anniversary of lifting the Webb Ellis Cup in Australia. 

Taking the chance to reminisce, Lol and Johnno recall the why the game that made them most nervous was actually in the pool stages of the tournament, how they convinced Sir Clive Woodward to change the training programme mid-way through the campaign and what winning the World Cup has meant to them on a personal level. 

And as former Head Coach of England, Johnno also...

Lawrence Dallaglio, Sarra Elgan and the Evening Standard’s Steve Cording are joined by Red Roses' captain, Marlie Packer, to chat about the exciting changes in women’s rugby. Marlie talks about the newly established Premiership Women’s Rugby and how it will help shape the domestic game, why the new TV broadcast deal will help inspire the next generation and what it is about the women’s game that she believes can be more entertaining than the men’s.

Marlie also shares what it was like to return to New Zealand for the inaugural WXV tournament...

Lawrence, Sarra and Steve are joined by Rugby World Cup final referee Wayne Barnes.

The recently retired official hits out at the abuse that he has received on social media since the final in Paris and urges the Government and rugby’s authorities to take action against the perpetrators.

In a wide-ranging interview, Barnes also looks back on his time as a referee, reliving the early years of his career, sharing his most embarrassing moment, and revealing where he keeps his whistles. He also tells us which players have been the most difficult to officiate an...

Lawrence, Sarra and Steve take one last look at the Rugby World Cup. They’re joined by former Springbok and World Cup winner, Bobby Skinstad, who shares his views on South Africa’s performance, Sam Cane’s red card and what another World Cup win means for the future of the game in his home nation.

He also reveals about what he really thought of Lawrence when they were opponents, reflects on his experiences of playing both with and against Rassie Erasmus and tells us what he thinks the Springboks’ Director of Rugby will do next.

The Ev...

Recorded in front of a live audience at Samsung King’s Cross, Lawrence Dallaglio, Sarra Elgan and Steve Cording are joined by former Wasps and England player, James Haskell.

They review England’s performance in the semi-final and Lawrence tells us if he still stands by his post-match comments about who really won South Africa that game.

James reveals which players he’d like to see stepping up into a new look England team, the part of the game he’d happily see scrapped and what his mum said to him that stopped h...

Lawrence Dallaglio, Sarra Elgan and Steve Cording are joined by Irish rugby legend, Brian O’Driscoll, as they reflect on the end of Ireland’s World Cup dreams and look ahead to the semi-finals in Paris.

Brian also shares what Johnny Sexton leaves as a legacy for Irish rugby, offers analysis on the Springboks strengths and reveals the rugby law he only discovered on Sunday!

The team also chat about charges downs, Rassie Erasmus’s curious social media habits and who should start as England’s fullback on Saturday.

Lawrenc...

Lawrence, Sarra and Steve are joined by England and Toulouse flanker, Jack Willis, who gives an update on his injury and an insight to England’s Rugby World Cup camp.

He also tells us how the team deal with negative comments about their performance, reveals the about the best and worst aspects of his new life France and shares his thoughts about England’s upcoming quarter final against Fiji.

Plus Lawrence, Sarra and Steve take a look at the weekend’s games as the World Cup reaches the knock out stages and discuss whether they believ...

Lawrence, Sarra and Steve are back in the studio with their special guest, TV presenter - and an iTunes number one artist! - Nick Knowles.

Nick tells us how and when his love of rugby started, shares why he’s concerned for the future of the game and what changes he thinks might attract more fans, and why he believes it’s his duty to call out refereeing inconsistencies on social media.

Plus discover which award-winning songwriter offered Nick an original song for his 2017 album, but later bid in a charity auction for him to neve...

In the first of two episodes this week, Lawrence and Steve welcome former Scotland international Kenny Logan, who joins them as he travels from Edinburgh to Paris in his Rugby World Cup Challenge in memory of Doddie Weir.

Kenny tells us what inspired him to want to fundraise in Doddie’s name and how the cycling and walking challenge is going so far.

He also offers his view on who should be in the starting line-up for Scotland’s crucial game against Ireland at the weekend, and we hear why he may just have to star...

In the latest episode of the podcast Lawrence is safely back from France and is joined in the studio by his old mate Jason Leonard and the Evening Standard’s Steve Cording. They discuss rooming together on England duty and how they went out on a flyer before actually checking in!  

Jason talks about the 1991 World Cup defeat and how tough it was for himself but also Brian Moore and others. In 1995 the emergence of Jonah Lomo was a wrecking ball for everyone’s chances, but by 2003 England were definitely the best team in the world.

Most...

Having headed to France for the Wales v Australia match, Lawrence finds himself unexpectedly waylaid on the continent. After tracking him down on French public transport, Steve Cording tackles the rumour that our former England captain has been seen wearing a Wales jersey. Is it true?

Assured that Lawrence is safely en route home, Steve is joined by the Evening Standard rugby correspondent, Nick Purewal, to take a look through the weekend’s games including big wins for all the home nations. Nick tells us who is the fastest England squad member, shares how Max Malins ca...

Lawrence, Sarra and Steve welcome Australia’s Head Coach, Eddie Jones, back onto the podcast. Eddie reflects on the Wallabies defeat to Fiji, what he’s thinking ahead of the crucial upcoming fixture against Wales, how he feels watching England in action and, now at his fifth Rugby World Cup, shares his opinion on how the game is changing.

He also reveals who he thinks will most likely be running out onto the pitch as finalists. 

Plus, the team look ahead to the next round of matches for the home nations, ponder...

Lawrence, Sarra and Steve are joined by Welsh rugby legend Jonathan Davies, aka Jiffy, to chat through the opening weekend of the Rugby World Cup. Jiffy shares his views on Dan Biggar’s on-field outburst, why Warren Gatland is in a win-win position and whether TMOs should be given anonymity.

The team also give their thoughts on the ‘very French’ opening ceremony, review England’s victory over the Pumas and debate some of the seeming inconsistencies in the decisions made by referees across the weekend.

Plus the Evening Standard rugby correspondent, Nick Purewal, delivers the latest n...

Lawrence Dallaglio, Sarra Elgan and Steve Cording are reunited as they preview the upcoming Rugby World Cup along with special guest, Mike Tindall.

Which nations are a dead cert to make it out of the group stages? And who might throw a spanner in the works? Lol, Mike, Steve and Sarra share their predictions and name the team they think will end up lifting the Webb Ellis Cup. 

Mike also talks about the divided loyalties for his rugby-loving family, reveals the spy-detecting antics of previous World Cup campaigns and tells us whe...