S4 E18: Itoje England captaincy reaction and Matawalu madness

A slightly new dynamic for you all today - host Ollie Little has given the columnists the week off! He is joined by Italy, Benetton and former Harlequins winger Louis Lynagh for a general life chit chat! The guys discuss Louis's whirlwind move from England training squads into the Italy starting lineup, gym and Call of Duty and of course previewing a tantalising Six Nations R4!

Three fixtures told three hugely different stories in the third round of the 2025 Six Nations. Ireland held off a promising performance from Wales, England scraped past Scotland for the first time in five years and France broke records in bouncing back to beat Italy.  Plenty to discuss as always, as the podcast debates whether England got lucky against Scotland and if Finn Russell is losing grip of the British & Irish Lions test jersey. For this one, join host Ollie Little, columnists Nick Cain and Brendan Gallagher and renowned rugby commentator for the BBC, ITV, Sky Sports and BT Sport Nick Heath.

It's almost time for the third round of the 2025 Six Nations, and the headline fixture of the weekend takes place at Twickenham as England host Scotland.  With the fixture's winner set for a position to make a charge at winning the Championship and competition for British Lions spots coming up, the stakes couldn't be higher.  Joining host Ollie Little and columnists Brendan Gallagher and Nick Cain to preview the all-important fixture is former Scotland and British and Irish Lions fly-half Craig Chalmers.

A weekend full of statement wins and in the aftermath, a mid-tournament coaching departure. Join the guys to review how England got the job done at Twickenham against a wasteful French side, as well as discussing Ireland's damning 11th consective victory over Scotland. For Wales, a record low 14th straight defeat; news broke of Warren Gatland's departure as head coach just an hour before the guys recorded. They react to the news and debate what's next for Welsh rugby. Joining host Ollie Little and columnists Nick Cain and Brendan Gallagher to discuss all, former England centre (though currently based in France!) Jamie Noon.

Three home wins marked the start of the 2025 Six Nations as France thrashed Wales, Scotland conquered Italy and Ireland saw off England. So much to look back on and look forward to as Round Two looks even more tantalising.  Will England stick or twist with their selection? Is Antoine Dupont getting even better? Does defeat for Wales this weekend spell the end? Scotland or Ireland?! Joining host Ollie Little and columnists Chris Hewett and Brendan Gallagher to debate all is rugby performance coach and analyst, Irishman Brett Igoe.

Here. We. Go. The Six Nations is just two sleeps away and we can't wait! Join host Ollie Little and a special panel of Rugby Paper columnists Chris Hewett and Nick Cain, but also Richard Isaac from the Rugby Analyst as the guys welcome England, British & Irish Lions and Bath legend Jerry Guscott to preview the Championships. Is third place a success for England? Will there be a Grand Slam winner? Can Wales stop the rot?  We debate all in this one - just hours before Steve Borthwick named his side to face Ireland - and stay till the end to hear our winner, players of the tournament and ones to watch.  Don't forget to play along with our predictions league as well - check them out on the Rugby Paper website!  

What to make of that Champions Cup weekend? On one hand we saw a classic in Northampton's victory over Munster, however the issues with the tournament were highlighted by Toulouse and Bordeaux's drubbings of Leicester and the Sharks, who crashed out at the group stage along with the other South African sides. How can the tournament become more competitive? Is the schedule too much for Springbok sides?  Alongside this scrutiny the countdown to the Six Nations is well and truly on. 10 days out, England and Scotland suffer injury blows so how does this leave selection looking? Join host Ollie Little and columnists Brendan Gallagher and Nick Cain for a deep dive.   

Join Ollie Little, Brendan Gallagher and Chris Hewett for this week's Rugby Paper Podcast edition, recorded just half an hour after it was announced that Maro Itoje would be England's captain for the Six Nations.  The guys react to the England squad announcement before welcoming on former Fiji and Glasgow Warriors scrum half and winger Niko Matawalu. Just as he was on the rugby pitch, Niko is pure entertainment, providing some fantastic stories from his time in the UK.

Happy new year one and all and welcome back to the Rugby Paper Podcast! We hope you had a restful holiday season and are as excited as we are about the year of rugby ahead. Kicking off a Lions year in style with the Six Nations just a month away, the guys are joined by former Australia, Northampton Saints, Waratahs and now Narbonne winger Taqele Naiyaravoro. The gang discuss his time in England, how Cheslin Kolbe transformed the modern-day winger as well as learning about his distant relationship to Josua Tuisova.  Also tune in as the guys discuss England's injury-hit back three as well as that Northampton v Bath thriller.

In our last episode of 2024, the gang is back together in full force. Host Ollie Little and columnists Nick Cain, Chris Hewett and Brendan Gallagher come together to review the Champions Cup weekend gone by and debate the tournament's changed format.  Don't miss the Rugby Paper Podcast's awards for 2024, as the guys pick their Player of the Year, Team of the Year, Match of the Year and very finally, Podcast episode of the Year! The podcast also pay tribute to former England outside back Tom Voyce, who tragically lost his life in the floods caused by Storm Darragh at the start of the month.