The Ruck

Following the end of the November internationals Alfie, Alex, Will and Barnsey are back in studio to review the action.In 2025 South Africa have cemented themselves as the number one side in the world but who are their closest challengers? Is it England who have won 11 out of 12 matches in the calendar year? And, will Steve Borthwick's side now be expected to win the 6 Nations?It's also been a tough November for the officials so the boys ask what World Rugby needs to do to give referees more support? And, whether they need to crack down on coaches pressuring them.Plus, the fallout from England's narrow win over Argentina, including accusations of Tom Curry being a 'bully', Wales' defeat to New Zealand and a strange 2025 for the Wallabies.

It's the final weekend of the November internationals (apart from Wales and South Africa who play each other next week!). So, Alfie, Will and Elgan are once again at the England training base to look ahead to their match against Argentina. After a huge win against the All Blacks how difficult will this match be? And how important is it to end 2025 with another win? They also have an injury update as Max Ojomoh replaces Fraser Dingwall in the squad for Sunday.Plus, what constitutes success for Wales against New Zealand? And, How will Ireland fare as they host the Springboks in Dublin?

Alfie Reynolds, Alex Lowe, Owen Slot and Will Kelleher look back on the latest action from the November internationals.They ask what was the most important result of the weekend? Wales finally winning at home or England beating the All Blacks? And, they react to Scotland losing to Argentina despite leading 21-0 and what that means for head coach Gregor Townsend.Plus, the Nations Championship, which starts in 2026, has finally released further details about the fixtures so the boys try to explain how the competition will work and the pros and cons.And, after beating the All Blacks on Saturday how do England kick on from that important result?

England have beaten the All Blacks for the 9th time in their history! Steve Borthwick's side ran out comfortable winners for a statement victory.Alfie, Alex and Will react to the result and discuss what it now means for England moving forward. They pay tribute to George Ford who produced an outstanding performance to guide England to victory. And, they ask what does it tell us about this New Zealand team?

All Blacks legend and double world cup winning New Zealand captain Richie McCaw joins Alfie, Alex and Will to look ahead to the match against England this weekend.He explains why an All Blacks team should never be 'developing', what makes Ardie Savea such a great player and how he thinks the game will go at Twickenham. The boys also explain why it is such an important match for the Steve Borthwick England era and why his team selection shows what sort of match we could have in store.

Alfie Reynolds, Elgan Alderman and Stuart Barnes look back on the latest from the November internationals. They're joined by Mark Palmer to reflect on an agonising defeat for Scotland against New Zealand and ask will they ever beat the All Blacks? They also chat about South Africa's stunning performance away to France in Paris on Saturday night and Steve Tandy's Wales tenure starting with defeat to Argentina.Plus, they look ahead to the matches coming up this weekend, including England's game against New Zealand as Stuart explains why he thinks George Ford should start at fly-half and whether England should be the favorites to win the match.

Alfie Reynolds and Will Kelleher look back on England's victory over Fiji at Twickenham. For the second week in a row Steve Borthwick's side managed to win the match comfortably despite not being at their best. Plus, Fiji gave further evidence that they will continue to be a force to be reckoned with at international level.With New Zealand next up for England, they ask how well the first two weekends of November have prepared them to take on the All Blacks. And, question who should play at fly-half, George Ford or Fin Smith.

It's the second weekend of November internationals so Alfie, Alex and Elgan look ahead to the action.They are at the England training base so discuss another very interesting squad selection from Steve Borthwick. Including Chandler Cunningham-South getting the opportunity at number 8, Maro Itoje dropping to the bench and Marcus Smith being deployed at full-back.Plus, they look ahead to the other matches at the weekend, especially Wales v Argentina, France v South Africa and Scotland hosting New Zealand.

Alfie, Will and Owen Slot are back to review all the November internationals over the weekend and preview the upcoming round of fixtures.They are joined by double world champion Springbok, Steven Kitshoff, who looks back on that epic world cup quarter-final in 2023 between France and South Africa and looks ahead to the sides meeting again in Paris on Saturday. He also chats about his life threatening and career ending neck injury which forced him to retire earlier this year and his new business ventures which includes bomb squad beer, named after the famous Springbok replacements. He gives his view on England's own attempt at the bomb squad and the rise of Henry Pollock.Plus, will Scotland's autumn be defined by how they get on against New Zealand? Could we really see Ben Earl start at centre against Fiji? And will that clash in Paris determine who is the best side in the world?