The Offside Line Podcast

Welcome to the Offside Line State of the Nation pod!The aim of the series is to explore the unique cultures, challenges, and triumphs that have shaped the sport in over a dozen countries, from reigning world champions South Africa to the rising nations of Georgia and Portugal and the potentially dominant USA, and all points in between.Each episode dives deep into a different nation’s rugby scene, uncovering its rich history, standout players, and the grassroots efforts that bring communities together – all with the help of top local journalists and broadcasters.Whether you’re a die-hard fan or new to the game, you’ll discover fresh perspectives and insights into how rugby unites and transforms in ways you’d never expect and what the future holds for each nation. Join us and see how rugby connects us all – one country at a time.In this pilot episode, we talk to Francisco Isaac, a freelance rugby journalist from Portugal who has worked tirelessly to promote tier-two rugby in print and online. You can follow him on Twitter/ X handle @francisaac87, which we highly recommend. 

It’s a bumper episode! Sit back and relax while Barney and Burnsy take you through all the weekend’s action, from the Men and Women’s Premierships and an extended interview with Ayr’s Grant Anderson, to Scotland’s mighty effort against the back-to-back world champion Springboks, the England-Australia classic, the dud in Dublin and the Flying Fijians heaping more misery of Warren Gatland’s Wales. Enjoy!

This week Barney and Burnsy get into the meat of the first two Autumn Nations Tests that saw Scotland take on Fiji, while England faced New Zealand. They also look at the various permutations that Gregor Townsend might look to unleash against the Springboks on Sunday.There is also a special segment with Jamie Lindsay from Breadalbane Finance and the boys dive into domestic action in the Arnold Clark Women’s Premiership.

Barney and Burnsy catch up for a quick bonus pod to discuss Gregor Townsend’s selection for the Scotland-Fiji game at Murrayfield, which kicks off the 2024 Autumn Nations campaign and make some predictions for the weekend’s action. 

Barney and Burnsy go through all the weekend's action in the Men and Women's Premiership and the URC and are joined by special guest Scott Wright, the former Scotland 7s great and current coach of Melrose.

Barney and Burnsy delve into Gregor Townsend's 2024 Autumn Internationals squad - and we hear from the man himself.

This week Barney and Burnsy are joined by George Horne from Glasgow’s base in Stellenbosch to review the Warriors’ game against the Sharks, preview their match against the Stormers and chat about the 1872 Cup game at Hampden (tickets for which go on sale on Friday 25 October). They also do a deep-dive into Selkirk vs Heriot’s, discuss all things Men and Women’s Premiership, then rove the rugby landscape from the Premiership to the Top 14 and the URC (with special focus on Edinburgh’s victory over Cardiff), and discuss the new law variations being introduced for the Autumn Nations Series.

Join the guys as they dissect a cracking weekend of rugby in the URC, WXV2, the Men and Women’s Premierships and chat to Alan Lorimer for our first section on schools rugby - and examine whether Edinburgh's result against the Stormers is a turning point for the team or a dead cat bounce.