The Ruck

The opening weekend of the Gallagher Prem saw Gloucester, Bristol, Bath and Saracens all win away from home.Alfie, Charlie and Elgan ask which result was the biggest statement and look back on all of the action.Should Sale be worried after they lost at home to Bristol? How did Saracens manage an away win at Leicester despite having a 20-minute red card? And, is Henry Pollock worth £400,000 a year? Plus, by beating South Africa did Australia show that they'll be a force at their home World Cup in 2027? And, should the Black Ferns have settled for a draw against the Red Roses?

Gloucester begin their Gallagher Prem campaign away to Exeter Chiefs this weekend!For a city with such a strong rugby history they have never won the Premiership and have only reached the play-offs once in the last fifteen years.So will their fortunes change this season?Alfie and Will are at Kingsholm to chat with Dewi Lake and Jac Morgan. The Welsh internationals joined the club this summer from the Ospreys. They chat about dealing with the chaos in Welsh rugby in recent years, why they moved to the Prem and the new initiation at Gloucester now that the infamous 'milk challenge' has been replaced with something else.

As we continue to build-up to the start of the new Gallagher Prem season, Alfie and Will are in the North-West.They've made the trip to Sale Sharks to chat with new signings Alex Lozowski and Courtney Lawes.Lawes returns to English rugby following two years playing for Brive in Pro D2. Will he return to the England squad in time for the 2027 World Cup? And why has he made the move to Sale?Lozowski joins after ten years with Saracens. He explains why it's a homecoming of sorts and what the club can achieve this season.

It's the start of a new Gallagher Prem season!Alfie and Will are at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, to look ahead to another campaign.They're joined by Newcastle Red Bulls head coach Dan McFarland, Harlequins and England prop Fin Baxter and the Northampton Saints and England fly-half Fin Smith.Will Newcastle - now into a second season under Red Bull ownership - have a more successful campaign? Can Harlequins bounce back from last year's disappointment? And, will Northampton do a better job of defending their title than the last time they were defending champions?Plus, will Sale's blockbuster recruitment drag them back up the table? What will Saracens look like under Brendan Venter? And - the all-important question - who will win the league this year?

Rugby's Greatest Rivalry concluded with the Springboks winning the fourth test in Baltimore to secure a 3-1 series victory.Alfie, Alex, Charlie and Elgan look back on the epic contest and discuss the best approach for beating the Boks.With the match taking place in the USA they ask why rugby is taking matches Stateside? Was the occasion a success? And, could a 6 Nations match really happen in the US? It follows the news last week that World Rugby is keen for a fixture to take place across the Atlantic.Plus, why have England given Steve Borthwick a contract extension? And the Red Roses were back in action and, as always, back winning.***From captaining the England rugby team to tackling life's toughest challenges — including his recent MND diagnosis — Lewis Moody has always been a man of action.Don't miss Lewis in London on November 5th, where he'll be sitting down with Times rugby correspondent Alex Lowe to discuss his new book, Fronting Up. Expect an honest and deeply inspiring conversation exploring the mistakes, triumphs, and life lessons that forged a great man's mettle.For tickets, head to thetimes.com/events

The Greatest Rivalry series is level at 1-1!South Africa beat New Zealand in Cape Town and now attention turns to the third test in Johannesburg. Despite being a four match series, is the third test - which is the final one on South African soil - the unofficial decider? Alfie and Alex reflect on the second test including the controversial build-up, in which Rassie Erasmus made multiple changes to his matchday squad. Was this within the regulations? Did it go against the spirit of the game?Plus, legendary former All Blacks captain Sean Fitzpatrick chats to Alex about the upcoming film 'Jonah' which focuses on the iconic Jonah Lomu. Sean explains why there will never be another player like him.

The first test between South Africa and New Zealand produced a famous win for the All Blacks. Can South Africa respond?Was this the best thing for the four match series? Why has Rassie Erasmus named his team for the second test already despite injury concerns? And, how important was Saturday's victory for New Zealand under Dave Rennie?Alfie and Charlie are in studio to analyse the key moments which led to the All Blacks' victory and ask how big an impact will this have on the back-to-back world champions? Alex dials in from South Africa to react to Rassie's team for the second test and explains why Handre Pollard has been selected over Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.***From captaining the England rugby team to tackling life's toughest challenges — including his recent MND diagnosis — Lewis Moody has always been a man of action.Don't miss Lewis in London on November 5th, where he'll be sitting down with Times rugby correspondent Alex Lowe to discuss his new book, Fronting Up. Expect an honest and deeply inspiring conversation exploring the mistakes, triumphs, and life lessons that forged a great man's mettle.For tickets, head to thetimes.com/events.

South Africa and New Zealand play the first test of their four match 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry' series this weekend.Alfie is joined by Alex and New Zealand journalist Jamie Wall, who are both in South Africa, to look ahead to the series.How big are the next four matches for rugby's two super-powers? How does it compare to when England took on the Boks just six weeks ago? And, why has there been a war of words this week in the build-up?Jamie explains the headlines from Dave Rennie's All Blacks team selection and why winning the first test is so pivotal for New Zealand.***From captaining the England rugby team to tackling life's toughest challenges — including his recent MND diagnosis — Lewis Moody has always been a man of action.Don't miss Lewis in London on November 5th, where he'll be sitting down with Times rugby correspondent Alex Lowe to discuss his new book, Fronting Up. Expect an honest and deeply inspiring conversation exploring the mistakes, triumphs, and life lessons that forged a great man's mettle.For tickets, head to hetimes.com/events.