The Ruck Rugby Podcast

The British & Irish Lions are heading to Brisbane to prepare for the first test match against the Wallabies.They defeated a combined Australia and New Zealand XV 48-0 in Adelaide but lost Luke Cowan-Dickie to injury and will be without Garry Ringrose for the first match of the test series. Jamie George has been called up as cover at hooker.Alfie, Will and Alex look back on the match and also discuss who Andy Farrell could select in his matchday 23 for that game in a weeks time.

The British & Irish Lions defeated the ACT Brumbies 36-24 in Canberra. Another win for Andy Farrell's side but was it another performance which adds more questions for this Lions side?Will Kelleher and Alex Lowe are alongside Alfie Reynolds in an empty GIO Stadium to reflect on the match. They ask how much the Lions are holding back ahead of the test series against Australia? Is fatigue and the busy travel schedule catching up with the side? And, could Blair Kinghorn be ruled out of the tour?

Andy Farrell has named his side to take on the ACT Brumbies on Wednesday and it is the strongest of the tour so far. So, Alex Lowe and Will Kelleher are alongside Alfie Reynolds to ask whether this is the side who will start the first match of the test series against Australia? They chat about which players are fighting to keep their spots in the team and what it tells us about how the Lions are approaching the series. They also reflect on Australia's unconvincing victory over Fiji and whether the incessant TMO interventions are becoming a major problem.

The British & Irish Lions defeated the NSW Waratahs 21-10 in Sydney for their third straight victory on Australian soil. But, are problems emerging for head coach Andy Farrell?Alfie Reynolds, Will Kelleher and Alex Lowe reflect on the performance and question whether the players are executing the gameplan in the way the coaches want. They also discuss who is dropping out of test match contention and what the Lions need to do on Wednesday against the Brumbies.

Owen Farrell has been called up to the 2025 British & Irish Lions squad!Following the biggest news of the tour so far, Alex Lowe, Stephen Jones and Will Kelleher chat through the reasons for and against Andy bringing Owen onto the tour. Is he too out of form? Or does his vast experience outweigh the risks in his selection?

Alfie, Will and Alex are at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane to review the Lions beating Queensland Reds 52-12 to win back to back games on Aussie soil. They chat about Elliot Daly picking up an arm injury which could rule him out of the tour and where that leaves Andy Farrell and his full-back options. They heap praise on Jac Morgan who put in a strong performance in the back row and Alex questions whether the Lions could be playing an ambitious attacking style in these tour games to try and fool the Wallabies.

Alfie, Will and Alex react to the news that Tomos Williams' Lions tour is over! The Wales scrum-half suffered a hamstring injury on Saturday so Scotland's Ben White has been called up in his place.They also discuss all the other big talking points from Andy Farrell's squad to play the Queensland Reds on Wednesday, including the half-back partnership of Jamison Gibson-Park and Finn Russell, the return of Maro Itoje and the back-row balance.Plus, they speak to Queensland Reds assistant coach, John Fisher. He previously worked at London Irish so chats about the incredible talent they had at the club when it went under, how they can tactically exploit the Lions in a few days and what a great occasion taking on the best of the northern hemisphere will be.

The British & Irish Lions are up and running Down Under. They defeated the Western Force 54-7 in Perth and Alfie Reynolds, Alex Lowe, Stephen Jones and Will Kelleher are here to review all of the action. They've decamped to the hotel lobby to look back on the action including the Lions being unable to catch a restart, why Ben White needs to be called up as injury cover immediately and whether we are heading for a tour where the midweek side is actually closer to the test team.

From The Ruck, the rugby podcast from the Times & Sunday Times we present: The Red Lions.A special three-part podcast series covering 75 years of the British & Irish Lions through the voices of the players involved and the pages of The Times and Sunday Times.The Lions have been rugby’s great adventurers since 1888. But it was not until the 1950 tour of New Zealand that they adopted their famous red jersey.Through this series we will build a golden thread that links that band of intrepid adventurers - the last to go on tour by boat - with this year’s ultra professional squad of Lions who will take on Australia.Episode three begins with the Lions struggling for success in the professional era and unable to emulate the triumph of '97 before finishing with the strangest Lions tour of all, during covid times in South Africa. In between Ian McGeechan and Warren Gatland steer the famous red jersey to glory in defeat, victory and a draw.