DSPN - RUGBY

Martin, Mark, and John rip into the newly named All Blacks squad for the Northern Tour. Mark questions the ongoing faith in older campaigners like Anton Lienert-Brown and Beauden Barrett, while John defends the value of proven test experience. We look at the loose forward mix, dissect Jamie Hannah getting the nod over Sam Darry, and ask if this squad can genuinely sweep all four tests in Europe.

IMAGE CREDIT:

All Black Ardie Savea looks dejected following defeat during the England v All Blacks match, Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, England, Saturday, 15 November 2025. (Photo by Jed Leicester / action press)

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Tony Johnson joins Martin on DSPN to dissect the freshly named 36-man All Blacks squad for the Northern Tour. We break down the big selection surprises, look at who missed out, and talk through Leicester Fainga'anuku's return as a hybrid loose forward.

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We break down the All Blacks squad naming and the massive 20-player injury toll facing the team ahead of the Northern tour end of the Nations Championship. From bracketed front-rowers to last-man-standing depth.

IMAGE CREDIT:

All Blacks wing Leroy Carter is tackled during the All Blacks v Australia, Bledisloe Cup, international test match, Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand, 10 October 2026. (Photo by Blake Armstrong / Alphapix)

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Tim from Eggchasers Rugby joins Martin Devlin in the studio to break down the reality of international rugby following the South African tour. We talk Rassie Erasmus, Springbok depth, and where the All Blacks sit on the road to the World Cup.

IMAGE CREDIT:

All Blacks Scott Barrett during the All Blacks v Australia, Bledisloe Cup, international test match, ACCOR Stadium, Sydney, Australia, 17 October 2026. (Photo by James Gourley / Alphapix)

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World Cup winning coach Sir Graham Henry joins Martin Devlin on DSPN to postmortem the All Blacks' Bledisloe Cup series sweep over the Wallabies. Uncle Ted breaks down how training intensity has shifted since South Africa, evaluates backline play, and explains why defense will decide the next World Cup.

0:00 Intro & HBO Max
0:44 Graham Henry joins the show
1:57 South African tour learnings
4:50 The modern game has more moving parts
7:04 South Africa — role models for the nation
8:19 Fitness levels — "you've gotta be bloody fit"
11:14 Defense — "our defense has to be bulletproof"
14:34 Rassie's rotation & All Blacks depth
16:37 Compulsory rotation through injuries
21:18 Beauden Barrett & Father Time
24:44 Tamati Williams — gone through hell
28:34 The kicking game — "it's a difficult art"
31:20 Don't forget about the All Blacks
33:32 The biggest challenge is rugby league
37:54 Grassroots & club rugby
42:05 Loose forward depth
49:20 Selection philosophy — pick the best player
52:06 How Graham became an All Blacks selector
54:24 The state of the game — "this is boring"
56:35 Player safety & yellow cards
58:08 Warriors supporter

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