Episodes
Who’s boxing clever and who’s punching below their weight so far in the URC’s South African sector? MW and Harry dig into who can still rise. They also dissect what went wrong for the Vodacom Bulls and right for the Stormers, Sharks and Lions! Harry ends with a moving tribute to the Butcher of Paarl, the Lantana Lekkerback, Kurt-Lee Arendse!
Published 10/21/24
The marriage between rugby and social media is rocky but neither side can leave the other. Part of the problem is how we chase things, not knowing why: fame, approval, fortune, community. MW and Harry dig into the why in this special episode on the how not to be anti-social media.
Published 10/18/24
Published 10/18/24
The balance of power in rugby is forever shifting. Club versus country, the bitter battle between the hemispheres, the fight for broadcast revenue, embattled coaches finding ways to beat other coaches, the everpresent log, and shifting laws. Happy MW and sad Harry discuss what we learned this past weekend and talk about how scrumhalves are like jockeys!
Published 10/14/24
Does rugby know how to grow? MW quizzes Harry on World Rugby's proposed law changes and the expected and unexpected consequences of shifts. They also take a look at what should be expected of Jake White and his Bulls this URC season. Harry finishes with an Ode to Ox, true to MW’s poll promise.
Published 10/11/24
What can we make of the Boks 3.0 this far into season 2024? MW and Harry rummage around in the ruck to see what can be known, what is yet to be known, and what may never be known. Harry goes deep, guessing at the currents running under River Rassie.
Published 10/07/24
Join Harry and MW for a special literary look at the Rugby Championship and the claims in Johnny Sexton’s autobiography (“we were the best”). Tongue in cheek and cheek in tongue.
Published 10/04/24
The Rugby Championship trophy is full of brandy and coke and probably safely in a cabinet that is full. Are we getting too full of ourselves? What can we make of 2024 so far? Have the Springboks ticked enough boxes? MW and Harry dissect the climactic Mbombela win, look across the Bok season as a whole, and cast their eyes ahead to the end of the tale.
Published 10/04/24
The great gamble of Santiago lost by a point but Nelspruit awaits, full of redemption and vindication. MW and Harry study how this, the first true knockout match of 2024, mirrors another must win match, the semifinal of 2023 in the World Cup versus Englander i, down to the team shape. The way to understand the complexity of Rassie’s rugby brain is to begin at the end and work backwards. Join us for rugby archaeology!
Published 09/27/24
Rugby detectives do not attach to one theory too quickly. MW and Harry sift through the evidence of Round 5 to find the causes, culprits and silver linings of the one-point Springbok loss to the Pumas in The Rugby Championship!.
Published 09/23/24
Once again, Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus surprised all and sundry with a relatively inexperienced Springbok team, with the backline and bench being the more experienced. Did he structure this team to exploit the Springboks' well-known scoring sprees after half time or does he have something else in mind? MW and Harry do a proper deep dive into what Rassie might be thinking and how he might intend to attack a high-riding Pumas side.
Published 09/19/24
The Boks try to close out The Rugby Championship one week early in Argentina. But it is the most unpredictable team selection of the year with stalwarts left back home, an ongoing lock shortage, and a need to see more from the supporting cast. MW and Harry speculate as to how Rassie and his merry band of mad scientists will use the Springbok Lab.
Published 09/17/24
Can the Boks Stay on Top? MW and Harry take a hard look at the end of the Underdog Era and the chances of Rassie and the boys learning to be the favourites in every match. This is an episode which goes deeper into the psychological world of winning in business, sport and life!
Published 09/12/24
The All Black challenge to Springbok superiority was repelled in Cape Town. Not by much, but by just enough to put several arguments to rest. MW and Harry rip into stadium reviews, anthemology, Hegelian theory, key moments and a wider view of these golden years and how long they may last. Plus, Harry reflects on a homecoming. Join the growing audience for this deep Bok dive pod!
Published 09/09/24
Who has outfoxed who? Rassie and Razor are locked in a tactical vice. Join MW and Harry as they decode who is in whose head. Win and Rassie is well on his way to mastering the old enemy. Lose and we are back to square one. Draw? Team mysteries, bench battles and a new fortress!
Published 09/05/24
MW and Harry went to Ellis Park. Listen to their individual experiences of the monumental Springbok Test win over an excellent but ultimately limited All Black team. Some stood up. Some stepped down. The conversation travels through theme and topic and the triumph! Join the growing audience for this deep Bok dive pod! Harry's X (Twitter) account: https://x.com/haribaldijones
Published 09/02/24
The most intriguing rivalry in rugby has always been as much about mind games as physical mismatches. With both the Boks and All Blacks turning the page on the 2023 World Cup, the battle at Ellis Park will set the tone. Also, the naming of Aphelele Fassi at fullback creates a dozen key questions: all are explored. MW and Harry fathom what might and could and will happen. Join the growing audience for this deep Bok dive pod!
Published 08/29/24
The old enemy invades Ellis Park with Springbok supremacy on the line. Split the series and the All Blacks leave feeling (too) good. The Boks are better, brainier and faster, but remain underdogs until they show they can handle the mantle of world’s best. A hiccup: lock stocks are battered! Hear Harry reveal inside info to MW real time and the guys ponder with North brain and South madness how to handle it. Join the growing audience for this deep Bok dive pod!
Published 08/29/24
Beyond benches and burpees: what traits make a Bok in Rassie’s world? What is the one thing most valued by coaches like Daan Human and Tony Brown? Which players need to have more caps than their age? Why did Razor cut his attack coach? MW and Harry dig into the Championship thus far and take on the topics nobody else will. Join the growing audience for this deep Bok dive pod!
Published 08/23/24
Everybody knows the Boks are hard, big, tough and stubborn. But are they now the smartest team in The Rugby Championship? Brainier than the All Blacks? MW and Harry explore these and other rugby heresies on this deep dive review. Join the growing audience for this deep Bok dive pod!
Published 08/19/24
The Springboks have controversially named one of the least capped starting teams in recent memory to maintain their lead in the Rugby Championship. MW and Harry debate how much that championship really matters in Rassie’s grand scheme! Perth will provide a few more answers than Brisbane! Join the growing audience for this deep Bok dive pod!
Published 08/15/24
Much hype for Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and he showed why! But what about that high school third team industrial engineer late bloomer from Maties with the buttoned up jersey and major attitude? MW and Harry dig deep into one of the best Bok blindside run on debuts in history, and also cover Razor’s sharp pain in Wellington caused by the Pumas’ claws. Visit Harry's X (Twitter) account here: https://x.com/haribaldijones
Published 08/12/24
Wondering who’s who and what’s what in the Wallabies as the Springboks try to lift the Brisbane curse? MW asked Harry all the questions he could about the matchup, lineups, philosophies, rivalry, and what is at stake for Sacha and the boys!
Published 08/08/24
Springbok fans want it all: blood new players like the lekkerbacks to mesh with 75-cap veteran winners so we win every World Cup but also stay on top by using continuity and finally win a bloody Rugby Championship with 1000 caps in first and second XVs! MW and Harry debate how Rassie & Co may approach the rest of this year, when and how Siya Kolisi and Willie le Roux will ride into the sunset, and what the Full Tony might look like!
Published 08/05/24
Success is intoxicating. But it holds risks: where can Rassie go next? What kind of empire can he build? What sport offers a model? MW and Harry explore gridiron analogies and the mental games coaches play.
Published 08/04/24