Owen Farrell and his dad Andy have a unique relationship. The Saracens back reveals what it was like growing watching him in an all-conquering Wigan Warriors team, to being coached by him and England and now facing him as opposition with his position as head coach of Ireland. Owen opens up about what it was like moving from Wigan to London when his dad switched to rugby union, how he spends his time away from the field and where his competitive streak comes from. In this pod you will also...

Being gay is not something that defines Hannah Botterman, she just want to be Hannah Botterman. The Red Roses and Saracens prop opens about about her relationship to club and international team mate Holly Aitchison, her unusual route to Test rugby via eating pasties while working as a painter and decorator and her family relationships. She also discusses why she never thought she had to 'come out', how she initially felt unprepared for international rugby and how she embraces being a role...

Family and close bonds mean everything to Marcus Smith. The England and Harlequins fly half opens up about his upbringing and childhood growing up in the Philippines and Singapore, the pride he takes in being half Filipino and how his parents have influenced in to become who he is today. Smith also discusses how his rejection for trials at Tottenham Hotspur helped his rugby career, the influence of working with Jonny Wilkinson has on him and his thoughts on the role of the spotlight and...

Having come back from two career-threatening injuries, Rosie Galligan knows more than most about the long road back. The Harlequins and Red Roses second row talks about her hospitalisation with meningitis that required her to be quarantined and how a delay could have threatened the use of her legs, as well as the time she shattered her ankle and had to do her recovery during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rosie also opens up about her recovery living with England team mate Zoe Harrison, her stage...

Growing up in south London, Sadia Kabeya did not come from a rugby background. The Red Roses and Loughborough Lightning flanker opens up about some of the challenges she has faced in her early career including growing up around gang culture, the lack of diversity she found as she progressed to higher levels and how the Black Lives Matter movement affected her view of the sport. Despite being relatively new to Test rugby, she explains how she already sees herself as a role model for the sport...

The balance between marketing yourself and abuse on social media is not a choice that Jess Breach wants to make. The Red Roses winger opens up on the difficulties of social media and the changes she wants to see, as well as the negative effect it had on her questioning her own body image. Breach also talks about her close friendship with England fly half Zoe Harrison, the challenging time around her mum's cancer diagnosis and the growth of women's rugby since she first picked up a ball...

From working in a glass factory to World Rugby coach of the year, Simon Middleton has an interesting story to tell. The Red Roses head coach opens up about life growing up in Yorkshire, his late arrival into professional rugby league and some of the times in his life that have been most challenging, from dealing with the death of his father to being jobless and having to care for his family. You will also hear contributions from his former head coach at Leeds Tykes, now Leinster and...

Best friend. Head coach. Husband. Red Roses lock Abbie Ward and Bristol Bears Women head coach Dave Ward have an unique sporting and personal relationship, having to combine their marriage with a working life at the Allianz Premier 15s side. On this England Rugby Podcast: O2 Inside Line, Abbie also talks about the difficult discussion she had with her dad about wanting to become a rugby player, her business plan to go to boarding school and life growing up in Cumbria. This pod will also hear...

As a former England men's international, Louis Deacon never envisaged himself getting involved in the women's game until he got offered the opportunity to become Red Roses' forwards coach in 2021. The ex-Leicester second row opens up on the differences between the men's and women's game, the dark times he faced while dealing with injuries as a player and how the players he is working with got his daughters interested in rugby. You will also hear contributions from his brother, fellow...

Making the choice to balance a life in professional sport and becoming a parent is different for men and women, but one Marlie Packer wanted to embrace. The Red Roses flanker opens up on England Rugby Podcast: O2 Inside Line about how her perception on life has changed since becoming a mum, learning from her mistakes following her drink driving charge in 2018 and her desire to reach a century of caps. You will also hear contributions from World Cup winner and former England team mate Maggie...

Growing up in south east London, where opportunity was seldom and crime was rife, early life for Shaunagh Brown was difficult. From knowing people that either died or went to prison, hear how she helped channel a different energy into sport, her varied career, coming to accept herself as a rugby role model as well as wanting to improve diversity in the sport. You will also hear contributions from his Shaunagh's mum Lesley Rickards, her athletics coach John Hillier as well her team mates...

Any time representing your country is special, but for Mark Atkinson coming on at Twickenham at the age of 31 felt even more memorable. The Gloucester centre goes in-depth about his change in mindset when playing semi-professional rugby and considering taking a stewarding job at the 2012 Olympics, to focusing on being professional and then representing England. From support from friends and family, to a realisation that he wasn't giving it his all, this is a story about perseverance,...

Raffi Quirke doesn't want rugby to define him as a person. The Sale Sharks scrum half opens up about his passions and interests outside of the game including his love of cooking which inspired his Instagram account Pitch to Plate, and why buying a pair of clippers not only allows him to cut the hair of team mates but bond with them off the field. Quirke also speaks about a junior career as a triathlete growing up in Manchester and talks about being part of a new generation of England players...

Growing up in Suffolk, there were not many people that looked like Lewis Ludlam. The Northampton Saints captain opens up about growing up mixed race in an undiverse area of Ipswich with a Palestinian-Egyptian father and a Guyanese mother, and how despite feeling different to other children he found acceptance at his local rugby club. Ludlam also opens up about the politics of race, how England's squad is breaking down class barriers in the sport and where he gets his resilience from. You will...

Growing up with 28 first cousins family was always going to mean a lot to Ben Youngs. As season nine of England Rugby Podcast: O2 Inside Line returns, England's most capped scrum half opens up about the importance of family in his life, in particular his brother Tom who he's played alongside from childhood, to Leicester Tigers and then representing their country together. Youngs also discusses what it was liked being diagnosed with dyslexia aged nine, growing up on a working farm in north...

For Joe Marler, mental health is just as important as his physical health. After being diagnosed with depression and recommended medication and counselling, Joe tells England Rugby Podcast: O2 Inside Line about what he has discovered about himself and how that allows him to enjoy life more. Joe goes into detail about why he wants to start more conversations around mental health and masculinity in rugby, and why he will continue to speak out to make it as normal as possible. This final episode...

Dealing with the loss of a loved one is always difficult, but Red Roses' flanker Vicky Fleetwood had to deal with the passing of her mum while trying to prepare for the Olympics. On this England Rugby Podcast: O2 Inside Line, Vicky opens up on the emotions she had to deal with at the time, how that period has influenced her as a person and how she grieves now. As well as her loss, Vicky explains how she left a life as a personal trainer to become a professional rugby player, becoming a world...

From a chance rugby session in south London to playing for his country, Kyle Sinckler explains what life was really like for him growing up on this England Rugby Podcast: O2 Inside Line. Sinckler opens up on his mum bringing him up along, to living around with people who still don't know what rugby is, the potential for sport in the state education system and now creating a foundation to give young athletes the platform to perform. Season eight sees the players telling their own stories, in...

Claudia MacDonald opens up about living her life as sustainably as possible and how she combines that with being a professional rugby player on this week's England Rugby Podcast: O2 Inside Line. From ditching the car to drive to training to tackling team mates usage of one-use products, Claudia explains why this cause means so much to her when it comes to the planet and climate change, and reveals the steps she is taking to change how she lives. With guest contributor Coreen Grant who works...

Ellis Genge talks candidly about his life growing up. He reveals how rugby potentially saved him from prison, his money struggles during his academy days and conflicts he had to fit into rugby's lifestyle on this England Rugby Podcast: O2 Inside Line. Season eight sees the players telling their own stories, in their own words, with this pod including contributions from England's Joe Marler and Kyle Sinckler, as well as Ellis' former coach at Hartpury, and now Bristol Bears skills coach, Sean...

Season eight of England Rugby Podcast: O2 Inside Line returns with a new format with players telling their own stories, in their own words. The first episode is with Saracens and Red Roses' forward Poppy Cleall, along with contributions from Judy Murray and The Times rugby journalist Jessica Hayden. Poppy gives an intimate account of how she took to social media to fight inequality with sportswear manufacturers ignoring female athletes, talks about the bullying she suffered at school for...

After the Red Roses are crowned 2021 Women's Six Nations champions, we speak to two players who featured in the win over France in the final in Lark Davies and Detysha Harper. Speaking to Dylan Hartley the day after the win against the French, Lark and Detsyha take us into the changing room after the final whistle and talk about the celebrations after securing their third straight title in the competition. The pair reflect on the shortened format of the tournament, as well as a new...

Ahead of the 2021 Women’s Six Nations final, England Rugby Podcast: O2 Inside Line, and Dylan Hartley, catch up with Wasps FC Ladies team mates Ellie Kildunne and Harriet Millar-Mills.   The pair talk about growing up playing rugby in Leeds and Manchester respectively, about playing rugby league, being on the same team as boys and how they were seen as a rugby player over being a girl. Harriet explains the story about how she ended up playing for England but her sister played for Scotland,...

After the Red Roses book their place in the 2021 Women’s Six Nations final, this week’s England Rugby Podcast: O2 Inside Line catches up with scrum halves Claudia MacDonald and Leanne Riley right after their win in Italy.   Dylan chats to the pair about their routes into rugby and how they had very different routes, with Leanne making a 10-year plan at the age of 15 to represent her country and win the sport's biggest competition, while Claudia took it up after chance session while at...

This week on England Rugby Podcast: O2 Inside Line, Dylan is back with the Red Roses as he chats to Vicky Fleetwood and Sarah McKenna. Fresh from the win over Scotland in the 2021 Women's Six Nations, the pair talk about life in camp and some of the activities they have been doing in their down time including arts and crafts. Vicky explains about the importance of 'look good, feel good' in her preparation for a game including her fake tan regime, and Sarah explains the requirement of hair...