48 episodes
- The All Blacks kicked off their South Africa tour with a scrappy, ill-disciplined 38-21 win over the Stormers in Cape Town —\- surviving three yellow cards and needing four late tries to pull away from what should've been a comfortable night. Meanwhile, the Springboks ground out a nervy 17-10 win over Argentina in Buenos Aires, with the bench "bomb squad" bailing them out late as the Pumas threatened a serious upset.
On this episode, Sir John Kirwan and Victor Matfield break down where Dave Rennie's men went wrong in the Cape Town heat, why the discipline issues are a worry heading deeper into the tour, and how close Rassie Erasmus's Boks came to a shock loss in Argentina. Plenty to unpack from both matches.
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Subscribe so you never miss an episode! - Rugby's Greatest Rivalry is here - and Sir John Kirwan and Victor Matfield are making their calls.
Thirty years on from the Incomparables, the All Blacks are back in South Africa for a full tour. Eight matches, four Tests, and the most anticipated series between these two nations in a generation. It starts Friday in Cape Town.
But first - the story that's dominated the build-up. Thousands of South Africans turned out at DHL Stadium to welcome the All Blacks, a genuine sea of black in the heart of Cape Town. The Cape Crusaders are back, and the reaction online has been fierce. JK and Victor go there.
Thank you to RAM Couriers and Klipdrift for supporting the show! - Sir John Kirwan and Victor Matfield react to Dave Rennie's 44-man All Blacks squad for the Greatest Rivalry Tour of South Africa and Rassie Erasmus' 43-man Springbok group, as the two greatest rivals in world rugby prepare to collide in a four-Test series.
In this episode:
- The uncapped trio - Siale Lauaki, Josh Jacomb and Semisi Tupou Ta'eiloa - injecting young talent into the touring squad
- Rieko Ioane and Fabian Holland recalled
- Rassie's big guns return: Eben Etzebeth, Siya Kolisi, Handré Pollard and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu all back from injury
- The men who won't be there - Kwagga Smith and RG Snyman ruled out for the season
- The first full All Blacks tour of South Africa since 1996 - eight matches, four Tests, one unforgettable series
Rugby Rivals is proudly brought to you by Klipdrift - The All Blacks ran riot at Eden Park! Sir John Kirwan and Victor Matfield break down a massive weekend of Nations Championship rugby - starting with New Zealand's six-try demolition of Ireland that stretched the Eden Park unbeaten run to 53 matches. JK explains why Dave Rennie's side is starting to click, and what this performance tells us about where the All Blacks are heading.
Then it's over to Durban, where Victor's Springboks shut out Wales 43-0 - seven tries, three wins from three, and maximum log points from the home leg of their campaign. Is anyone stopping the Boks right now?
Plus, the boys look at the state of the Southern vs Northern Hemisphere ledger after three rounds = and with Rugby's Greatest Rivalry looming, the big question: who's really the best team in the world?
Proudly sponsored by Klipdrift.
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About Rugby Rivals - Sir John Kirwan & Victor Matfield
All Black Legend Sir John Kirwan and Springbok Legend Victor Matfield go head to head on all things rugby just as you'd expect an All Black Winger and a South African Forward to do battle.
Bringing in their friends and rivals from all over the Rugby world for a truly Global perspective.
Refereeing in the middle is NZ media legend Ric Salizzo .
And as all of them are well in the second half of their lives, Sir JK has some well meaning wellness advice to help them extend their lives and therefore the life of this podcast
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