Ruggamatrix International Mp3

Happy New Year! The RuggaMatrix Team is back for another year with more commentary and analysis. We start 2010 with a look at the big freeze, the Heineken Cup, Six Nations and Super 14. The Six Nations Squads are starting to hit the press and we check out England's line up. We're just getting started so why not join Djuro, Mark, Les and Ewen as they guide your through both hemispheres of the game.

This is our Christmas Show with special guest Lote Tuqiri and Peter Hewat like you've never heard them before. It's our last show for 2009 but we'll be back in two weeks to tackle the all the big issues of 2010. Ewen McKenzie and Les Kiss take a well earned  rest while we engage in some serious but mostly light-hearted banter between Lote and Pete. It's Lote's most extensive interview since taking up his contract with Leicester so hear what he has to say about playing for the Tigers, eye gouging, his future and a host of other subjects. The last quarter of the show is really a bar chat between a couple of good friends. (This is a disclaimer I guess)

Well this is it .. our anniversary show. RuggaMatrix turns 1 this week and we have a special guest to celebrate it with us. Former Wallabies lock Daniel Vickerman, fresh from leading Cambridge to victory over Oxford in the annual varsity match, gives us a special insight into that game and his life post test rugby. Is it all over? Well not quite, Dan hasn't closed the door yet on once again playing for Australia. It might be our anniversary show but we still get down to business and the Heineken Cup is at the top of that list. Eye gouging is again in the news and we discuss that too. We look back at our big moments from the year past. Our In-Depth Analysis is BORN TO PLAY.

The Heineken Cup is back and we have a full expert preview with our panel. Our special guest star is All Blacks lock Ali Williams. Ali has just released a pretty funny book about life as a touring All Black. It's called Ali's Book of Tall Tales. He's also on the comeback trail from injury and has resumed training with the Auckland Blues. You can hear his thoughts on the All Blacks plus current and future trends in the game.

This week we revisit the laws of the game with none other than Eddie Jones, coach of Suntory and former Wallabies, Saracens and Brumbies mentor. It's a burning issue at the moment but Eddie forces us to take stock and really examine the game closely to the point where you ask yourself... Should we blame the laws or other factors?

It was a classic Test at Croke Park between Australia and Ireland and this week Rocky Elsom and Les Kiss look at the match from opposing viewpoints. The Grand Slam dream is over for the Wallabies and Ireland’s unbeaten run stretches to nine. Although both camps disagree about who should have won, they both concur that Wycliff Palu’s hit on Rob Kearney was a legitimate tackle. Ewen McKenzie reviews the other big test matches across Europe including France’s upset win over South Africa which he forecast.

We look at England with Les and Ewen McKenzie and see if there are positives to come out of their first up defeat. The return of Jonny Wilkinson is certainly one. The French take on the world champion Springboks and the All Blacks hit the catwalk in Milan.

It’s another grand weekend of International Rugby but at Croke Park we’ll see the Tri Nations Champions South Africa take on the Six Nations Champions Ireland in the unofficial North-South face-off. 1995 World Cup hero Joel Stransky is our special guest star and he’s got some good and bad news for the Irish. He also puts his faith in Robbie Deans despite the Wallabies troubling defeat to Scotland and we get an insiders point of view for the upcoming Clint Eastwood film, Invictus, the story of the 1995 World Cup win by South Africa and Nelson Mandela’s role in bringing the nation together. Les Kiss handles the Irish end for this weekend’s clash and we also look at the New Zealand v France showdown.

The Autumn Internationals are upon us and we look at the two big Tests - Wales v New Zealand and England v Australia with our special guest star Wallabies legend John Eales. Fresh from launching a another important sporting programme, THE CAPTAINS' FORUM, he spends some meaningful time with the RuggaMatrix team. From leadership to the detail of the second-row, John Eales is a MUST LISTEN. Les Kiss joins the show direct from the Irish camp and  talks about the pressure to perform against the southern invaders.

This week we head to Japan for Saturday's historic Bledisloe Cup clash in Tokyo and catch up with a man of many talents, Wallabies hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau. Possibly the game's most lethal tackler Tatafu reveals a quiet side to his personality that includes an appetite for education. Fluent in Japanese, he's been a massive hit among the locals. The match will have serious ramifications for both sides as they prepare for the Autumn Internationals. The panel goes through top squad lists for the upcoming series and we grill Les Kiss over the omission of Bob Casey.  Les also reacts to Scott Johnson's prediction that Ireland won't go back to back in 2010. Ewen McKenzie answers questions about the Stade Francais controversy brewing in the French press.

Our Special guest is England and Stade Francais backrower James Haskell. James has a massive Top 14 game against Toulon in Paris this weekend, following that he'll ship back to England for camp ahead of the Autumn Internationals.

RuggaMatrix takes you to Wales this week and speaks with their enigmatic Ospreys coaching director Scott Johnson. Johnson is one of rugby's truly great characters and on this show he doesn't hold back. The Ospreys are coming off a vital win in the Heineken Cup and we get the inside word on the preparations for the next phase. Johnson makes a bold call on this season's Six Nations champions (warning for the Irish here) and the upcoming autumn internationals. Les Kiss was called away on urgent business but Ewen McKenzie is back in the chair from Queensland after his first week as Reds coach. Our In-Depth Analysis this week is NUMBER 8. It's the position with the most basic of names but the role is far from simple. We look in detail at the different types of Number 8 playing the game, what skills they bring to the table and whether they should be recruited from backs to start with? Once again the coaching masterclass with Ewen McKenzie is an eye opener. Our In-Depth Analysis is once again brought to by bobdw

London Irish have shown they are the real deal this season after grinding out a tough 12-9 win over Heineken Cup champions Leinster at the RDS. Today RuggaMatrix speaks with their inspirational captain Bob Casey about the rise of the Exiles this year. Casey is back in contention for Ireland selection and he hopes to add to his 7 national caps this autumn. The big lock took time out of his fortnightly poker night with teammates to give us a wide ranging and entertaining interview.

Today's show is like a 12 course meal... something for everyone. England and Stade Francais backrower James Haskell joins up with his former coach Ewen McKenzie for an in-depth chat about his life plus French and English Rugby. Haskell features on the cover of the new Stade calendar and among the rugby questions we get to the bottom of that photo ... touched up or not? His form has been terrific on field this year in the Top 14 and RuggaMatrix catches up with him just a few days out before Stade's Heineken Cup clash with Edinburgh. We also fire in a call to Peter Hewat to preview the big HC clash in Dublin between defending champions Leinster and the Guinness Premiership's hottest team at the moment, London Irish.

This week electric Wallaby wing Lachie Turner joins the panel for the whole show and he puts in an impressive performance. The Wallabies will soon embark on a historic tour of Japan and the Home Nations. The Croke Park clash is shaping as a classic and Les Kiss has already begun his analysis of the Australian side. Turner faces some tough questions over the Tri Nations series and meets them all head on. Kiss takes a close look at the Munster v Leinster showdown this weekend and what the Irish coaching team are hoping to see.

A late show this week but worth the wait. Our special guest star is former Gloucester and NSW Waratahs playmaker Duncan McRae. Forced to retire through in injury after his time in the UK, Duncan gives us a expert view on the Wallabies, Guinness Premiership and Magners League.

It's another big show ahead of the final Tri Nations clash in Wellington between the Wallabies and All Blacks. Australian and former Leinster flanker Rocky Elsom is our special guest star. The Rock joins us for Wallaby camp in New Zealand but we cover a whole range of subjects including the grand slam tour at the end of the year. We also get a first hand account of the 'Bloodgate' match .. from the other side. Well worth a listen. Marc Stcherbina joins the panel. Les Kiss reports in from Ireland camp and Ewen McKenzie gives us the low-down on the vacant Queensland coaching job. This week we discuss the Magners League in length before casting an eye across the Guinness Premiership.

Ewen McKenzie has parted ways with Stade Francais and he speaks with RuggaMatrix. It's a frank, too the point and no holds barred interview done just hours after the announcement was made just 5 games into the Top 14 season. As always Ewen aims up and we wish him the best for the future. Les Kiss is back from the wilderness and he's got plenty to say about the Magners League and the performance of the Irish clubs. We find out where the Ireland nation team is up to and his thoughts on the Tri Nations. Our special guest star is former South African back rower and now commentator and businessman, Bob Skinstad.

Strong running centre Jaque Fourie is our special guest star as he warms up for his 50th Test. Les Kiss is still unpacking his old rugby league gear in Ireland so we've giving him the week off again but he is brilliantly replaced by London Irish fullback Peter Hewat. Hewat is preparing for a big year with Irish as they are back in the Heineken Cup.

This week RuggaMatrix catches up with the South African camp ahead of their Tri-Nations clash with Australia in Perth. Assistant Springboks coach Dick Muir tells us about the confidence within the camp and the secret to their incredible success. Les Kiss is still settling back in Ireland so we'll hear from him in a couple of weeks but Ewen McKenzie has avoided the Swine Flu to give a us a full rundown on happenings in the north including Bloodgate. Our In-Depth Analysis is THE BIG PLAY.