DSPN - Devlin Sports Podcast Network

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 handy, because staying grumpy about not being number one feels like a very Kiwi place to start.

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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 heavy seismic zone to the dream of creating a “factory of memories", this is a look inside a building designed for sport, concerts, community and a fair bit of noise.
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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 why something that looks wrong can still be technically right.

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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 loose forward option, whether Fehi Fineanganofo should be picked before heading overseas, Ruben Love’s All Blacks case at 10, and why Sunday rugby feels like the most obvious idea rugby keeps treating like advanced physics.

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