8/9 Rugby

The great NZ commentator Tony Johnson joins Brett McKay on the AUS Rugby scene this week, for a timely perspective from over the ditch on Super Rugby Pacific and the view on the Australian teams in 2026.

With a short round this Easter long weekend – which definitely does feel like a missed opportunity – there’s a couple of really interesting Round 8 games of importance for a few teams and for a few reasons. But clearly, there’s also been a great joy in the rugby we’ve seen played, and that will follow on the run to the finals now that we’re over the hump.

#rugbypodcast #89Rugby #SuperRugbyPacific

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Social media: search for ‘8/9 Rugby’ on Twitter, Bluesky, LinkedIn, and on Instagram, too

And please do check out and subscribe to 8/9 Rugby on Substack: https://89rugby.substack.com/

Find Brett on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport

Music: "Up Above" by Letter Box (via YouTube Creator Studio)

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Riaan Louw, friend of the pod and star of the Rugby Update on YouTube is back with Brett McKay on 8/9 Rugby this week, because it’s time to get excited about the Champions Cup again.

With the Round of 16 this weekend, and the Quarter Finals to follow next weekend, the Champions Cup has finally reached the point where many a rugby pundit and fan believe it should just start. 16 Teams, straight knockout, bing-bang-bosh, done in half the time.

But we have what we have, and thus Riaan and Brett work through the four pools to recall who did what back in January and last year, arriving at the eight knockout games on this weekend.

#rugby #rugbypodcast #89Rugby

Find us on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get your podcasts

Social media: search for ‘8/9 Rugby’ on Twitter, Bluesky, LinkedIn, and we’re doing more on Instagram, too

And please do check out and subscribe to 8/9 Rugby on Substack: https://89rugby.substack.com/

Find Brett on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport

Music: "Up Above" by Letter Box (via YouTube Creator Studio)

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Rugby writer, analyst and YouTuber John Ferguson joins Brett McKay on the AUS Rugby scene this week, to have a good think about what we’ve seen in Super Rugby Pacific over the first six weeks of the competition.

And with a look ahead at what’s coming for a few teams as well. The Hurricanes face all the other current top six teams over the next six week, for example. The Chiefs and Waratahs have harder looking draws coming up, too. The Fijian Drua suddenly look very vulnerable. Even before the halfway point of the year, the run to the finals looks like it will be intriguing.

#rugbypodcast #89Rugby #SuperRugbyPacific

Find John’s YouTube channel, Off the Ruck at https://www.youtube.com/@OfftheRuck

Find us on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get your podcasts

Social media: search for ‘8/9 Rugby’ on Twitter, Bluesky, LinkedIn, and on Instagram, too

And please do check out and subscribe to 8/9 Rugby on Substack: https://89rugby.substack.com/

Find Brett on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport

Music: "Up Above" by Letter Box (via YouTube Creator Studio)

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Super Rugby Pacific CEO Jack Mesley joins Brett McKay on the AUS Rugby scene, for a look under the hood of the premiere southern hemisphere competition and examine the broader state of the game.

What’s made Super Rugby great this season has been the closeness, the unpredictability, the fact that top teams have all lost to teams below then on the table. But there’s always more than can be done, there’s nice-to-haves and even must-haves. There’s also priorities and limited investment opportunities.

In a wide-ranging chat that covers off everything from Law Variations to fan engagement, from broadcast look & feel to backing the best match officials in the world, this is a chat in which you’ll learn something.

#rugbypodcast #89Rugby #SuperRugbyPacific

Find us on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get your podcasts

Social media: search for ‘8/9 Rugby’ on Twitter, Bluesky, LinkedIn, and we’re doing more on Instagram, too

And please do check out and subscribe to 8/9 Rugby on Substack: https://89rugby.substack.com/

Find Brett on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport

Music: "Up Above" by Letter Box (via YouTube Creator Studio)

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Rugby YouTube star and wonderful content creator Huw Griffin is back with Brett McKay on 8/9 Rugby this week, to wrap up what has been universally decreed as the best Six Nations tournament ever.

Ultimately, France claimed a successive title by beating England in the final game, but oh the drama to get there! And the subplots from this year’s tournament are endless: England’s worst ever Six Nations, Scotland’s close-but-maybe-still-so-far challenge, the rise of Italy, the life still in old Irish legs, and event the gradual but definite progress of Wales.

It’s been a superb tournament, and Huw is the perfect person to wrap it all up.

#rugby #rugbypodcast #89Rugby #internationalrugby #SixNations #Ireland #France #England #Scotland #Italy #Wales

Find Huw on the HG Rugby on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HuwGriffinRugby

Find us on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get your podcasts

Social media: search for ‘8/9 Rugby’ on Twitter, Bluesky, LinkedIn, and we’re doing more on Instagram, too

And please do check out and subscribe to 8/9 Rugby on Substack: https://89rugby.substack.com/

Find Brett on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport

Music: "Up Above" by Letter Box (via YouTube Creator Studio)

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