DSPN - Devlin Sports Podcast Network

We welcome Irish rugby royalty Bernard Jackman to the show for a proper deep dive into the state of the game. From Rieko Ioane’s positional shift at Leinster to why Super Rugby is falling off the radar in the North, we cover it all. Bernard gives us the inside word on Andy Farrell’s impact and what the All Blacks can expect when Ireland heads south. Image Credit:

Highlanders Timoci Tavatavanawai during the Highlanders v Waratahs, Super Rugby Pacific match, Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin, New Zealand. Saturday, 9 May 2026, (Photo by Michael Thomas / action press)

Jeff McGregor from Web Wonks joins Martin to dissect a controversial weekend of Super Rugby officiating. We’re talking Marcus Playle’s "shocking" night in Brisbane, the Reds’ post-match fury, and why Angus Gardner is setting the standard for referees. Image Credit:

Chiefs George Dyer in action during the Reds v Chiefs, Super Rugby Pacific match, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Australia. Friday, 8 May 2026, (Photo by Pat Hoelscher / action press)

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The All Blacks management group opened the doors at NZR HQ, and we were there to see what the Dave Rennie era actually looks like. From the shock return of Sir Graham Henry as a selector to the "conundrum" of Richie Mo’unga’s eligibility, there is plenty to unpack. Martin and Jamie break down the injury concerns, the midfield puzzle, and why Brodie Retallick won't be heading to South Africa.

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Leicester Fainga'anuku’s move to flanker has gone from a "roll of the dice" to a genuine tactical revolution. We break down the Crusaders' dominant defensive win over the Blues and discuss why Leicester's hybrid skills make him the ultimate All Black weapon. Plus, we audit the refereeing controversies from Brisbane to Dunedin and look at the Under-20s' gritty draw in South Africa.

Image Credit: Highlanders Caleb Tangitau scores during the Highlanders v Waratahs, Super Rugby Pacific match, Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin, New Zealand. Saturday, 9 May 2026, (Photo by Michael Thomas / action press) Crusaders Le...

We dive back into the mailbag to tackle the biggest calls in Kiwi sport. Martin and Jamie break down the Ruben Love hype, the "boring" winning culture of Auckland rugby, and why everyone needs to calm down about the All Blacks. Plus, we look at the logistics of Super Round and whether Steve Hansen should start narrating bedtime stories for anxious fans.

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Jamie Wall joins the starting lineup full-time as we tackle a massive Round 13 in Super Rugby. We’re looking at the fallout of Cam Roigard’s "significant" injury and whether the Hurricanes have the depth to stay top. Plus, the horses are returning to Christchurch for a sell-out clash against the Blues. We ask if home euphoria is enough to save the Crusaders' season or if the Blues will shut down the party.

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Crusaders and All Blacks great Daryl Gibson joins us to celebrate the opening of Christchurch’s new roofed stadium. We dive deep into the state of Super Rugby, why Daryl finds himself watching the Top 14 for excitement, and his bold plan for a "relaxation" of the overseas selection rules. Plus, we talk All Black identity—can the team move away from "copying other nations" and return to the innovative, unstructured rugby that made them famous?

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Rugby legend and dual All Black/England international Jamie Salmon joins Martin to break down the widening gap between the two hemispheres. We dig into why the Top 14 is becoming the world’s powerhouse, the "Erasmus model" for player selection, and whether Super Rugby still prepares Kiwis for the brutality of Test matches. Plus, a look ahead to the ultimate litmus test: the All Blacks' upcoming tour of South Africa.

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Martin Devlin and "Jeff the Ref" tackle a weekend of absolute chaos on the grass. We break down the shockers from the Hurricanes and Crusaders clash, from forward passes that weren't called to officials who seemingly forgot the 2026 lineout laws. Plus, Jeff opens up about the dangerous trap of "balancing the ledger" and why coward hits on try-scorers need to go.

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The trickle has become a river. Martin Devlin, John Day, and Mark Watson dive into the massive talent drain hitting New Zealand rugby, with 11 big names already signed away. We ask the hard questions: Has the All Black jersey lost its value? Should we start selecting from overseas? Plus, we tackle the "negative narrative" claims from NZ Rugby and why Super Rugby is struggling to keep us awake.

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We’re breaking down a massive Round 12 where the Crusaders might have every right to feel aggrieved over a shocker of a forward pass. Tony Johnson joins us to look at the Hurricanes’ grit, the Blues' second-half surges, and why the Brumbies’ defense has completely fallen off a cliff. We ask the big question: in a competition where anyone can beat anyone, who actually has what it takes for the playoffs?

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Let’s be honest, we all saw it coming — or in the case of that Crusaders try, we all saw the forward pass that the TMO somehow missed. Martin breaks down six key takeaways from Super Rugby Round 12, from the Hurricanes sitting in the box seat to the "round robin of pain" ahead for the top Kiwi sides. We look at why the Waratahs are underdelivering again and if Auckland really has a shot at hosting the Super Round.

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It’s an emotional final mailbag as we bid farewell to Lachlan Waugh before he heads off to Sky. We dive into the massive success of the Christchurch Super Round, debate whether Ardie Savea can captain the All Blacks from the bench, and tackle the "naff" state of halftime entertainment. Plus, we explore the retro jersey trend and why Athletic Park’s urinals are a smell you never forget.

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Sir Steve Hansen is back with Martin, and as always, there is no soft serve here. From Christchurch’s new stadium buzz to the All Blacks’ future, this is a proper state-of-the-game chat.

We get into Super Rugby standards, New Zealand’s player pathways, the lure of the All Blacks jersey, offshore eligibility, Dave Rennie’s coaching group, and why Hansen still believes this country has the talent to get back to the top.

And yes, South Africa come up. Hansen’s view? They are brilliant, they are number one, but they are absolutely beatable. Which is h...

After 15 years of waiting, planning, debating and building, Christchurch finally has its new stadium, and Marty is right in the thick of it.

Martin Devlin talks with Chris Paterson and former Wallaby Al Baxter from Populous, the architecture firm behind Te Kaha, about what it takes to design a stadium that feels big, close, loud and properly special. They discuss the emotional weight of the project, Christchurch’s post-earthquake journey, and why this venue is about far more than rugby.

From the engineering challenge of a roof in a he...

Ever watched a game and thought, “how on earth is that the rule?” Yeah, same. That’s where Jeff the Ref comes in.

This week, Jeff McGregor joins us to break down some of the biggest refereeing moments from Super Rugby, including head contact calls, obstruction, a spider cam intervention, and one of the strangest tries you’ll see all season.

We get into the grey areas around shoulder-first tackles, why some calls feel inconsistent, and how much referees can realistically process in real time. Plus, there’s a proper deep dive into grounding the ball, and...

Christchurch finally got its big rugby weekend, and fair play, it looked and felt like the sort of thing Super Rugby has been begging for. But should Super Round stay there, move around the country, or is Watto right to be the bloke grumbling about chips and long-term crowds?

This week on DSPN’s Rugby Roundtable, Martin is joined by Mark Watson and John Day to dig into the Super Round glow, the Crusaders’ shaky-but-dangerous resurgence, and whether the Blues are actually title contenders or just professionally stressful.

The boys also debate Leicester Fainga’anuku as a l...

Now we get into the rugby. After the buzz of Christchurch, Tony Johnson sticks around to break down a massive Super Rugby round and what it means for the run home.

All five New Zealand teams got the job done, but the bigger story sits in the table. The Chiefs and Hurricanes are setting the pace, the Blues are right there, and the Crusaders are quietly climbing into a spot no one will want to deal with come finals time. Tony unpacks why they’re still dangerous, even without hitting top gear.

There’s also a lo...

Super Rugby's Super Round absolutely delivered! After a cracking weekend in Christchurch, we’re back from Te Kaha Stadium with Tony Johnson to unpack why this one hit differently.

From the packed stands and city buzz to fans in colours from every corner of Super Rugby Pacific, there was a proper festival feel around the whole weekend. Tony and Martin talk through the timing, the new stadium, the walk to the ground, and why locking Christchurch in for the next couple of years might be the smartest move rugby can make.

At Super Rugby’s Super Round, Dan Carter joins Martin Devlin on the DSPN for a wide-ranging chat. He reflects on the city’s earthquake recovery, Crusaders history, and the buzz around the new stadium, while highlighting his work with UNICEF delivering clean water to Pacific communities. Carter also weighs in on the All Blacks’ No.10 depth, the challenge of locking down the jersey, and why New Zealand’s Rugby future remains full of potential.

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This one starts in the Mailbag and ends with a proper farewell.

We get stuck into your feedback on Super Rugby, from whether the comp is actually sustainable to draft systems, salary caps, provincial pride, and why league keeps pinching hearts and minds.

There’s plenty on the Chiefs vs Hurricanes thriller too, including the Cam Roigard substitution, Ruben Love at 10, golden point, and whether a draw is actually the smarter option.

We also get into Silver Lake, dodgy tackle calls, the state of rugby administration, and why some media still seem determined to...

We caught up with Crusaders legend and ex All Blacks captain Todd Blackadder to talk about the brand new stadium in Christchurch - it is a massive moment for the city. We also get his honest take on the current state of Super Rugby, the Crusaders' season so far, and what he thinks about players moving between international competitions.

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Riley Higgins is off, Ardie Savea’s next move is suddenly a proper talking point, and we’re still no closer to a clean answer on the All Blacks No. 10 jersey.

This week on the DSPN’s Rugby Roundtable, we get into what Higgins leaving actually says about New Zealand Rugby, whether players should be free to move right across Super Rugby, and why Damian McKenzie might have pushed himself back to the front of the first-five queue. We also dig into whether the Chiefs and Hurricanes are giving us proper test-level footy, and whether the Crusaders are co...

Some of rugby’s toughest calls went under the microscope this week, and we got Jeff the Ref in to break it all down properly.

We go through a stack of big moments from across Super Rugby, including the Zarn Sullivan tackle that had everyone split on red versus yellow, head-on-head collisions, forward pass debates, and whether the TMO is getting involved in the right situations.

There’s also a really interesting chat around quick tap penalties near the line and why defending them might be close to impossible.

As always, Jeff brings the...

Who should wear six, seven and eight for the All Blacks? We got Murray Mexted back on to do what he does best - get right into the guts of loose forward play and explain what actually matters when selectors start circling names.

We dig into Chiefs vs Hurricanes, the back row battle inside that game, and why Mex still believes the All Blacks trio will come from those two sides. He breaks down the different roles of six, seven and eight, explains why size still matters, and gives his thoughts on players like Jacobson, Kirifi, Lakai...

That was one of those Super Rugby weekends where the table shifted, the pressure cranked up, and nobody got to hide.

We get into the Chiefs’ statement win over the Hurricanes in Hamilton, why Damian McKenzie’s influence mattered so much late, and what golden point does to the blood pressure. Then it’s on to the Drua pulling off one of the biggest away wins the comp’s seen, the Crusaders looking vulnerable again, and the Blues doing enough before nearly leaving the back door open.

We also finish on the Black Ferns, with Whitney...

The Super Rugby Vibe Rankings are back and, honestly, it is absolute carnage. This week on DSPN, we try to make sense of a Super Rugby comp where the Chiefs have muscled their way to the top, the Hurricanes picked the wrong time to get loose, and half the ladder feels like it could beat the other half on any given day.

We get into why the Chiefs now deserve the flowers after closing out a huge win over the Canes, why Wellington’s game management let them down late, and why the Blues are still sitting ri...

This round had everything. A golden-point gut punch in Hamilton, the Drua pulling off a proper stunner in Canberra, and the Crusaders coughing up a 19-nil lead. Just a normal weekend in Super Rugby, obviously.

On this episode, Martin and Jamie rip through all the big Round 10 talking points, starting with whether the Hurricanes blew their shot against the Chiefs and what Damien McKenzie’s control said about the first five battle. We get into the Drua’s away win, the Crusaders’ latest wobble, whether the Blues showed title-winning signs, and where the All Blacks...

Ruben Love at 10? We’re done dancing around it. This week’s DSPN Mailbag gets stuck into the big one, with plenty of you making the case to just hand him the jersey and find out if he’s the real deal.

We also rip through overseas eligibility, whether New Zealand should loosen the rules with a few caveats attached, and if Super Rugby is actually enough to prepare players for test footy.

On top of that, there’s a proper yarn about Springbok-style bench splits, why the rolling maul still does everyone’s head in, and wh...

Super Rugby is back in the spotlight, and not always for the right reasons. We get stuck into what happens next for the competition after Moana Pasifika’s demise, whether the current model is actually working, and why there are still big questions around crowds, structure, and long-term sustainability.

From there, we shift into All Blacks selection and the big calls coming up. Ruben Love is putting his hand up, but is it too soon, or exactly the right time? And then there’s the loose forward debate, where suddenly we’ve got plenty of names, but no cle...

Moana Pasifika is all but done, and we’re still trying to work out what that really means. We get Jamie Wall in to unpack the sadness around the club’s collapse, the funding model that was always under pressure, and the bigger picture for Pacific rugby.

We also get into what a 10-team Super Rugby comp looks like from here, why coaches keep heading offshore, and whether New Zealand rugby is just caught in the same cycle again. Then we finish on this weekend’s big matchups, including the Hurricanes and Chiefs, Patrick Tuipulotu’s return for the...

What actually needs to change if the All Blacks want to stay at the top? That’s the big question in this one, and we get stuck into it with two men who know the game inside out, Sir Graham Henry and former NZ Rugby chair Brent Impey.

In a very special extended chat, we talk Super Rugby, offshore eligibility, player depth, club rugby, the financial squeeze on the game, and why Sir Graham believes New Zealand cannot keep doing the same thing and expect to stay the best in the world. Brent counters with the economic re...

Not every big hit is a good hit, and not every whistle needs to blow. This week on the DSPN, we get Jeff the Ref back in to work through some of the trickiest calls from the Super Rugby weekend.

We get into tip tackles, head clashes, yellow cards that maybe should not have been, and a few moments where the refs probably left everyone scratching their heads. Jeff also owns a correction from last week, explains why player safety has to stay front and centre, and gives us the referee’s view on penalty counts, back ch...

The vibe rankings are back and things are starting to feel very real.

On the DSPN, Marty and Lachie break down where every Super Rugby team actually sits right now, and more importantly, who’s already out of the race. The Hurricanes are clear at the top, the Chiefs and Blues are chasing, and the big question becomes whether anyone can genuinely disrupt what’s starting to look like a locked-in top six.

We get into the struggles of the bottom teams, why the Highlanders and Force might have missed their moment, and how the Brum...

The Hurricanes are humming, the Chiefs are waiting, and suddenly every big Super Rugby matchup feels like an All Blacks trial.

On the DSPN, Marty is joined by Ant Strachan to break down just how good the Hurricanes really are after putting away the Blues, why Cam Roigard is right at the top of his game, and what Ruben Love is doing to force his way into the test conversation. We also get into the value of combinations, the pressure building around the 10 jersey, and where Damian McKenzie fits into it all.

Then we zoom...

The Hurricanes are flying and Martin can barely hide it.

On the DSPN today, Marty and Tony Johnson get stuck into a wild round nine of Super Rugby Pacific, starting with the Canes’ statement win over the Blues. We get into what made them so sharp, why their kicking game keeps putting teams under the pump, and whether Ruben Love is turning every big game into another selection headache for the All Blacks.

There is plenty more on the menu too. The Chiefs did what they had to against Moa...

Marty and Young Producer Lachlan dive into a massive Mailbag session this week, questioning if the All Blacks are looking backwards by sticking with Rieko Ioane and Beauden Barrett. They tackle the bizarre excuses for the Super Rugby Pacific Easter schedule, debate who should lead the team under Dave Rennie, and preview the massive Hurricanes vs Blues clash.

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Murray Mexted is back with us on DSPN and this one covers a lot of ground. From Ian Foster’s book to the inner workings of NZ Rugby, there’s plenty to unpack and not all of it is comfortable listening.

We get into the pressure Foster faced behind the scenes, the decision to name a new coach before a World Cup, and why Mexted believes the All Blacks setup wasn’t properly supported. There’s also a strong take on how coaches develop over time, why experience matters, and what Dave Rennie brings to the role.

Th...

Halfway through Super Rugby Pacific, we’ve done what rugby fans love doing most: picked a team and invited the arguments. Jamie Wall joins us to name a pure form XV after eight rounds. Not an All Blacks side, not a projected test squad, just the players who’ve been the best in their positions so far.

That means big calls, a few uncomfortable omissions, and plenty of names right on the edge. We get into a front row that practically picks itself, a locking debate that’s suddenly full of depth, a loose forward mix with real b...

The DSPN crew is back to tear into the absolute mess that was the Super Rugby Easter schedule. Martin, Mark, and John don't hold back on the "lame" excuses from the board and why the fans deserve better. Plus, we look at Shannon Frizell’s return, the looming battle for the All Blacks midfield, and why referees need to stop trying to coach the players during the game.

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