With one year to go until Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia, David Pembroke sits down with Steve Hansen and Ewen McKenzie to talk hype, tickets, fan energy, and what teams should actually be doing 12 months out. The chat gets practical fast: hotels, training bases, travel, preparation windows, and why there’s no single World Cup formula. Then it’s onto the Bledisloe Cup with both squads named, key ins and outs, and the depth questions that still hang over certain positions. The crew also tackles the Paisami ban and what it says about post-match judiciary versus in-game disruption, before widening the lens to refereeing transparency, law complexity, and World Rugby communication. Eddie Jones gets a mention for how tours get used to fill every spare minute, and there’s plenty on what good selection really looks like beyond a weekend highlight reel.
Also in this episode:
● Rugby World Cup 2027 ticket numbers and overseas demand
● Steve Hansen on one-year-out squad planning and mindset
● Ewen McKenzie on World Cup logistics, venues, and travel
● Bledisloe Cup squads: Frizell in, Love out, Taylor captaincy
● Paisami ban debate and the role of the judiciary
● Refereeing transparency, law complexity, and World Rugby comms
PLUS: What it takes to build a stronger top 20 and why Nations Cup-style competitions matter.
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