The Telegraph Rugby Podcast

Ben, Charlie and Charles reflect on another disappointing afternoon for England at Twickenham as their winless run stretched to five following a defeat to South Africa.Was this latest defeat a result of bad tactics, or was it down to individual errors for the Springboks tries? They also address the fitness concerns after Steve Borthwick mentioned his side were not in the right condition when they arrived into camp a month ago.Elsewhere things are much worse for Wales, they were thrashed by Australia in Cardiff, a result that extends their winless run to 11. Warren Gatland says he will consider his future following the result, so we take a look at who could realistically replace him.Plus we get into the huge news surrounding a potential breakaway league for the games biggest stars and if any deal can be brokered.

In this episode from the Telegraph Women's Sport Podcast, we're delving into the topic of body image. Hosted by Dame Laura Kenny, we bring together three women to share their stories and insights. Ellie Boatman, a Great Britain rugby sevens player, opens up about her journey through body image struggles and overcoming an eating disorder to develop a healthier relationship with her body and food. She emphasises the influence of social media on body perceptions and the importance of education around its dangers. Amy Truesdale, an Paralympic taekwondo champion, speaks about her confidence in competing in a male-dominated sport despite her disability. She highlights the necessity of focusing on performance over aesthetics, celebrating individual differences, and rejecting societal pressures. Kate Dale, campaign director of "This Girl Can" at Sport England, brings her expertise in promoting women's participation in sports, discussing the need for positive reinforcement and conscious behaviour around diet culture and appearance. She champions the importance of understanding female physiology in training to shift focus from appearance to performance. If you have been affected by an eating disorder, contact the NHS or Beat for help.

Ben, Charlie and Charles reflect on the second weekend of Autumn internationals which saw England stunned by a resurgent Australia at TwickenhamSteve Borthwick has now lost his six test matches in 2024 and up next is the visit of World Champions South AfricaAhead of that game, we discuss if England are lacking in leaders, we also take a closer look at the defensive system and ask why it has struggled so much since the departure of Felix Jones.Elsewhere it was a disappointing weekend all round for the home nations, with Scotland, Ireland and Wales all suffering defeat as well, Ben was in Murrayfield and tells us the Scots have plenty to be happy about despite defeat to the Springboks.Plus we tackle all your questions as usual, including the possibility of French based players featuring for England and early Lions shouts too.

Ben, Charlie and Charles reflect on England's two point defeat to New Zealand at Twickenham, where Steve Borthwick's side played well in spells but ultimately came up short again for the fourth time in five test matches.Have England just been the victims of bad luck to be on the end of such narrow defeats or is there a deeper issue within the squad that is preventing them from seeing out games?One team who has no problems in seeing out games is South Africa, ahead of their clash with Scotland this weekend, we hear from Eben Etzebeth and Ox Nché about how the World Champions always manage to be on the right side of narrow wins.Plus we discuss a huge clash in Dublin on Friday night as Ireland take on the All Blacks and discuss the retirement of England prop Joe Marler.

The Telegraph Rugby Podcast is back ahead of this year's Autumn Internationals!Ben, Charlie and Charles get stuck into England's upcoming campaign which kicks off on Saturday with a clash against the All Blacks at TwickenhamWe hear from England's new senior assistant coach Richard Wigglesworth on what his new role entails, he also explains why he will always value what he see's with his own eyes over any underlying data provided to him.The guys also attempt to nail down their selection picks in the back row and at half back, and we discuss the recently awarded Elite Player Contracts and if the right people received them.

Ben, Charlie and Charles reflect on the final round of the 2024 Six Nations as Ireland retain their title in Dublin and Wales finish bottom, picking up their first wooden spoon in 21 years.England finished their campaign with a thrilling match in Lyon, losing out to France by just two points. Despite the defeat, there are plenty of reasons for England fans to be optimistic. We discuss how new life was sparked into their attack and how it could develop even further this summer away in New Zealand.We also talk about the future of Wales boss Warren Gatland, who admitted that his attempt to resign was rejected by the WRU and also ask if Italy finally arrived as legitimate Six Nations challengers after their history-making campaign.

Ben, Charlie and Charles reflect on the penultimate round of Six Nations action which saw seismic shocks at Twickenham and in Rome.England defied the odds to produce their best performance since the 2019 World Cup to defeat Ireland and end the visitors hopes of becoming the first Six Nations side to win back-to-back Grand Slams.Elsewhere, Italy produced a shock of their own by coming from behind to beat Scotland 31-29. Harlequins' Louis Lynagh had a debut to remember and he tells us what it was like to pull on the Italy shirt for the first time.And, as Wales lose their fourth game on the spin, we speak to their former winger Louis Rees-Zammit who tells us all about his preparations to make it in the NFL after leaving rugby.

Ben, Charlie and Charles look ahead to the penultimate round of the Six Nations and in particular England's showdown with Ireland at Twickenham.Former England captain Will Carling joins us to offer us his thoughts on England, arguing a 'data straitjacket' is holding them back while revealing he had to argue with Eddie Jones to get current captain Jamie George into the leadership group back when he was a team mentor.The big selection question mark this week surrounds fly-half with Marcus Smith back in contention. Should he be fast-tracked into the starting line-up, or is George Ford or Fin Smith the better option? The guys make cases for each of the three starting on Saturday. Plus, we ask if Wales can turn their good performances into a win against struggling France this weekend, and whether Italy can replicate their heroics from round three when they host Scotland in Rome. 

Ben, Charlie and Charles reflect on Scotland's win over England in the Calcutta Cup, their fourth in a row, and where the defeat leaves Steve Borthwick's side heading into the final two rounds of the Six Nations.We ask if it is time for the England coach to roll the dice with some of the emerging talent, like Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, and if it is time to say goodbye to some of the squad's elder statesmen. Whether changes are needed to England's coaching ticket moving forward to accelerate Borthwick's rebuild is also discussed.Elsewhere, we hear from Italy defence coach Marius Goosen who tells us that Paolo Garbisi's last-gasp penalty against France should have been retaken after the fly-half was forced to rush the potential match-winning kick.Ben gives us his verdict from the Aviva as Ireland's unbeaten start continued against Wales.