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Maul or Nothing
Zach Mercer + Jonathan Joseph. It’s The Ultimate Barbarians Party!
We are really going up in the world…. It’s a very special episode of Maul or Nothing as we head to our favourite luxury hotel, the Mandarin Oriental, to welcome Baba’s boys Jonathan Joseph and Zach Mercer to our suite to sip the finest champagne in the world in the shape of Pol Roger. It was the tipple of Sir Winston Churchill don’t you know…. so we enjoy some lovely drops of that while discussing all things code.
How has the France experience gone at Biarritz for JJ and how does it compare to Zach’s stunning time at Montpellier?
What are Zach’s England aspirations as he continues to put in world class performances?
How big has the Barbarians party actually been?
Perhaps most importantly…. As friends and former teammates. .. How much can they take the piss out of Max Lahiff in an hour???
All questions answered….
It’s a cracker!
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7. Ferrari turns into Ford + Duhan vs Darcy - England vs All Blacks + Scotland vs Fiji
49:57||Season 2, Ep. 7Sorry we've been away for a week but all will be explained in the pod.... The boys are back to break down the utterly fascinating clash between England and New Zealand as well as a far more one sided affair as Scotland and Fiji went head to head at Murrayfield.So, what do the fellas think of all the mud being thrown at George Ford? Is it warranted (it's not) what positives can this team take from another loss to the All Blacks. Is Steve Borthwick to blame for the defeat by trying not to lose rather than trying to win with his substitutions?What about New Zealand, is there a slipperier winger in world rugby right now than Mark Tele'a. How will the kiwis deal with taking on Ireland on Friday?Lots of hot takes on the early England celebrations (surprise surprise Ryan and Max disagree vehemently), whether the new trial laws are working and above all the hooha from the Haka controversy.Up in Scotland it was a much easier ride for the hosts, who thrashed an out of sorts Fiji team that had Ryan Willisonni as conflicted as you'll ever see him... especially as he was spotted in the official Fiji Autumn Internationals team photos (WTF?!!?)The new duel between the double DD's..... Duhan van der Merwe and Darcy Graham.... the record extenders and also an absolutely filthy piece of skill from our old pal Adam Hastings.But what next for Fiji, will the big guns returning manage to reunite our favourite second nation?and how about the Danny Care book spilling all the beans on the Eddie Jones era.... we'd heard a few anecdotes on the show but what do the boys think about all the revelations?Lots of fun to be had, we hope you enjoy it and as always, thanks for listening and watching we love you!6. New rugby rules same old Saracens + Sharks the new Leinster
48:47||Season 2, Ep. 6From Euphoria last week to despair at the death for Max and his Bristol gang against the wily Saracens, they might be new look but their results are old school.We get the boys takes on the new 20 minute red card, as well as the scrum clock. Which side of the fence do the fall on?There's an emphatic Premiership roundup including Michael Cheika's hair dryer treatment, Fitz Harding and Max Llewellyn on flames while over in the URC, Ryan reckons it's a bit unfair how stacked the Sharks are. I mean shouldnt there be a cap on the number of World Cup winners in a squad?And who wins the Wolfcraig moment of the week in the ultimate wing showdown between Duhan van der Merwe and Gabriel Ibitoye?We also get a chance to natter about Rocky Elsom's arrest warrant and did you know Max was a butler in the buff at Katie Price aka Jordan's birthday party????Enjoy and as always, we love you!5. Jack Nowell Livin' La Vida La Rochelle, Exeter's problems, The Lions & playing for France (lol)
01:08:24||Season 2, Ep. 5We're delighted to be joined by our old pal Jack Nowell for an update on life in France and the Top 14.He tells us all about how Ronan O'Gara has taken Johnny Sexton's new autobiography and settling in at La Rochelle.We also hear his thoughts on Exeter's current woes, why Henry Slade no longer responds to his messages or calls and the real differences between the Prem and the Top 14.There's also an update on all his pals like Manu Tuilagi, the Simmonds brother and Jonny May who have headed to French pastures new...What about England's next generation of wingers? Nowellsy runs the rule over who he sees as the successors.....And what about the Lions and being eligible for France? Max meanwhile comes off the back of that momentous and dramatic turnaround to see of Jack's old team Exeter.... What a weekend for him while Ryan has been kind enough to join us from his family holiday in Portugal....4. England's new South African midfield maestro? Benhard Janse van Rensburg
59:28||Season 2, Ep. 4It's time to put Bristol's sensational centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg under the microscope after another starring performance in the derby win over Bath.There are calls in the media for his inclusion in the England squad the minute he's available but will he pick the Red Rose over his Springbok nation? Most importantly how does he keep his luscious mullet locks so luscious? Come and find out! We hear all about what Max is like at work, what the boys of Bristol got up to after the win and how South Africa compares to England.Ryan also gives us a big URC round up with the fastest ever try scored in the competitions history.We round up the rest of the Premiership matches, Michael Cheika's ban and plenty more. Come and join us!3. Springboks Reign Supreme + Etzebeth The Goat
58:39||Season 2, Ep. 3This week it’s all about the Boks… A sublime performance to lift the Rugby Championship for the first time since 2019 and just their second in 15 years….The boys debate Eben Etzebeth’s standing as one of the greatest locks of all time. There’s competition in there with Victor Matfield, Bakkies Botha, Sam Whitelock, Martin Johnson, Paul O’Connell or Alun Wyn Jones so who exactly is the goat?The fellas take in the last weekend of the Rugby Championship and evaluate how all the countries have fared….There’s also the tastiest of ties to talk through with Max as Bristol lose to Gloucester in the neutral match of the season so far. What on earth happened with that hattrick try for Christian Wade?As always the boys run through all the big talking points from the Prem and URC but we also hear how their weekend together in Glasgow went watching people beat the living daylights out of each other (MMA)Enjoy!2. Pumas Slay the Springboks + Ben Volavola & Stevie "Braveheart" Ray
01:00:53||Season 2, Ep. 2It's a packed out show as Leicester's new signing Ben Volavola joins the boys to talk through the start of the Prem season and Fiji winning the PNC as well as reuniting with Michael Cheika, the ultimate man manager.The lads break down the shock of the season so far as Argentina stop the Springboks from winning the Rugby Championship with a game to spare and set up an almighty final round clash. Most importantly both teams flew back on a charter flight together..... how on earth was that?We hear from Max after his first match and first win of the season up at Newcastly. Maxie baby starting in a superpowered front row with Ellis Genge to bring the boys in black to their knees....Ryan is back on presenting and comms duty and teaming up with friend of the show Simon Zebo as the URC kicks off with some big results all over the place, we also round up the other Prem matches including the tasty clash between Bath and Northampton..... handbags all around.And as a special little bonus for everyone we catch up with former UFC fighter Stevie "Braveheart" Ray on dodgy UFC dealings, fighting with a tag on and how you lose 13kg's in 3 days..... Enjoy!1. The Boys Are Back - Season 2
01:01:41||Season 2, Ep. 1Maul or Nothing is back with a bigger, better and bolder season ahead.We catch up with the boys to find out how their summer was and particularly Max and Ryan's romantic trip around Scotland to go and play with the Worlds Strongest Men, The Staltman brothers.Its time to check in on Max's pre season and find out how the new faces are fitting in, while Ryan has some potentially very big news, that might not be big news but could maybe be absolutely huge news while also possibly being no news at all.The boys look ahead to what promises to be a heck of a year for the show and rugby as a whole with the URC and Prem kicking off while there are tasty autumn internationals to attend, sevens tournaments to party at and the Lions tour on the horizon.We get the predictions for both the URC and the Premiership while Max and Ryan run the rule over the ins and outs of players in both competitions.There's a cheeky Rugby Championship round up and the boys both agree South Africa are now Masters of the Universe..... but what about our dear Australia, can they recover in time for the British and Irish contingent heading down under or will the Wallabies be fed to the Lions?We also get some insight into the Steve Borthwick camp and what happened with Felix Jones.....sort ofWe're back and we're so happy you're joining us on another season of Maul or Nothing. Big love as always!56. Fijians New Era and Olympic Dreams with Waisea Nayacalevu and Temo Mayanavanua_
36:28||Ep. 56The boys sit down for an exclusive chat with the leader and captain of the Flying Fijians in Waisea Nayacalevu as well as Northampton’s Prem winning lock forward Temo MayanavanuaWe hear all about the World Cup heartbreak and the genuine belief they were good enough to reach the final. We get an unfiltered version of what happened in the England game and their thoughts on how Fiji officiated compared to Tier 1 Nations. Are the most exciting set of players in the world hindered by the respect they show the officials?We hear from Temo on Northampton’s march to the prem title and how he found France.In fact both players agree that the baguette might just be the greatest single French invention ever.Wais and Temo talk through their perfect 7s team and how good Selestino Ravutaumada really is with the Olympic world at this feet. And what about Waisea just swapping his contract with Manu Tuilagi?The boys put the Fijians under the microscope and hear what this new era holds for the Flying Fijians55. The Big Summer Test Round Up
54:52||Ep. 55We finally have everyone back and ready to dissect a fascinating summer of international rugby. The Boks and Irish cancel each other out in an epic double header, but was it a fair result? Was there a block that allowed the last gasp drop goal from Frawley? What about our buddy Malcolm Marx and the dreaded Croc Roll….. and are you only as good as your last game (Max 😂)And what about England, will they ever get a better chance to beat the All Blacks in their own back yard? They keep getting so close to beating the best teams in the world but coming short. Is Project Borthwick to be commended or scrutinised?The All Blacks though are up and running in the Razor era, but how does Fiji’s evolution stack up?And Wales? Poor old Wales… They only waited until the 79th minute of their final match of the summer to pick up their first win of 2024…. But a win is a win (even against a second string Queensland Reds side) Most importantly what on earth did Max get up to in Senegal and how come Ryan came back less relaxed following his all inclusive luxury holiday than when he left….