5 Live Rugby League

Tanya Arnold, Kevin Brown, Andrew Henderson and John Kear reflect on a gripping Grand Final after Wigan defeated Hull KR 9-2. Victory meant the Warriors completed an incredible quadruple in 2024 and their CEO and former player, Kris Radlinski, joins the team to give an insight in to the preparations, celebrations and what now lies ahead for the most successful side of the Super League era.

It’s Grand Final week with Wigan Warriors and Hull KR battling for the right to be crowned Super League Champions. Tanya Arnold is at Old Trafford to preview the biggest night of the Rugby League year. Wigan are looking to win the Grand Final for the 7th time, whilst Hull KR are playing in their very first Super League title decider. Head Coach Matt Peet and players Bevan French and Kruise Leeming offer an insight into the Warriors’ preparations as they seek to lift their fourth trophy of the campaign. Hull KR boss Willie Peters, Captain Elliot Minchella and forward James Batchelor reveal their thoughts ahead of the big game. Rugby League legend Paul Sculthorpe and commentator Matt Newsum set the scene for what promises to be an epic contest.

Tanya Arnold and Kevin Brown look ahead to a crucial weekend of Super League action featuring the Women’s Grand Final in St Helens and the Semi-finals in the men’s competition. Zoe Harris of St Helens and York Valkyrie’s Kelsey Gentles join the podcast to talk about their preparations for the Women’s Final in which Saints will be looking to complete the Treble against the defending Champions from York. They describe their own journeys through the sport, the physical and mental demands of playing the game and their own personal motivations for Sunday’s Final. Grand Final places are up for grabs in the Men’s competition and Kevin offers his analysis of the two Semi-finals.Warning: This episode contains discussion of suicide. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised you can find support via the BBC Action Line at https://bbc.co.uk/actionline/

It’s Play-off time in the 2024 Men’s Super League season and six teams are still standing in the race to be crowned Champions at the home of Manchester United. Tanya Arnold is at the official launch event to preview the upcoming series with representatives from all the teams involved. Salford coach Paul Rowley and his Leigh counterpart Adrian Lam look ahead to their clash in the elimination round, where the winners will progress to the semi-finals but the loser’s season will end. It’s the same scenario for Warrington and St Helens when they meet on Saturday. Warrington Full-back Matt Dufty and St Helens Coach Paul Wellens reflect on their seasons so far and what they hope to achieve in the play-offs. Wigan and Hull KR have earned a week off in the opening round of matches and we find out from Liam Marshall, Mikey Lewis and Willie Peters how they will approach the break. Leeds’ Rhyse Martin discusses his final season with the Rhinos and Rugby League legend Paul Sculthorpe makes some predictions about how the p

As a player and coach Mike Ford has been involved at the very top level in both codes of Rugby and is currently the Managing Director of Oldham. He talks to Tanya Arnold about the recent revival at the club which has seen them promoted to the Championship, and reveals his vision for Rugby League in the town which prioritises pathways for junior players and establishing a permanent base at Boundary park. He reflects on his time as a player with Wigan, and his coaching journey through Rugby Union, including spells with Ireland, England, Saracens and Bath. He discusses why so many Rugby League players have become successful defence coaches in Rugby Union, and ponders whether it might be time to start a discussion on merging the two codes. Ford also talks about the challenges his club face in gathering enough grading points for potential promotion to Super League one day, and whether his England Rugby Union international son George might play Rugby League for Oldham in the future.

Salford Red Devils captain Kallum Watkins joins the podcast as his team continue their quest to secure a place in the Super League play-offs. After losing two of their key players before the start of the campaign Salford have defied expectations this year and enter the final fortnight of the season in fourth place. Watkins reveals some of the secrets to their success and discusses his own positional move from centre to second-row forward. He highlights the players who influenced him most during his early career at Leeds Rhinos, and responds to recent speculation linking him with a return to Headingley. He talks openly about the three ACL injuries he has suffered during his career and how he hopes that talking about his mental health challenges will help others in the future.

Leeds Rhinos’ Sporting Director Ian Blease joins the podcast to talk about his role at one of the biggest clubs in Rugby League. After an inconsistent season the Rhinos have three games left to secure a place in the play-offs and Blease discusses the decision to bring in Brad Arthur as Head Coach midway through the campaign. He talks about his short, medium and long-term goals for the club, and the pressures of trying to deliver success for the eight-time Grand Final winners. Transfer deals, the financial challenges facing the sport and development pathways for players are also on the agenda.

With four rounds to go until the Super League play-offs it’s Hull KR who lead the way at the top of the table and their captain Elliot Minchella joins the podcast to talk about the run-in. He discusses the secrets of their success in 2024, and how the players have benefited from the philosophies of Head Coach Willie Peters. Minchella reflects on his own Rugby League career, including a spell playing part-time with Bradford which he combined with work on a building site. He reflects on his England debut, the influences on his career as a loose forward and the challenges of captaincy. He also discusses the progress that has been made on and off the field at Hull KR in the last few years.

Canberra Raiders captain Elliott Whitehead joins the podcast to talk about rugby league life in the Australian Capital and his move back to Super League at the end of the year. He reveals how a promise to Catalan Chairman Bernard Gausch will see him return to the south of France for one last season before he retires from the game and sets up a new life in Australia. He reflects on his early days with his hometown club Bradford, and discusses the best players he has played against. He also chats about the highlights of his international career with England and Great Britain.

Warrington’s Lachlan Fitzgibbon joins Tanya Arnold and Kevin Brown to talk about his first year in Super League. The second row forward joined the Wolves from Newcastle in Australia for the start of the 2024 campaign and is widely considered to be one of the best signings of the season. He reveals how playing in the northern hemisphere has been a long-term goal, and how recent successes for the Super League clubs in the World Club Challenge underlines the quality of the British game. He describes the lessons Warrington have learnt from their defeat in the Challenge Cup Final and their goals for the rest of the season. He talks about exploring Europe, rugby league in Las Vegas, watching the Euros, and as an Australian living in the UK what does he think of the British summer?

In an emotional 5 live Rugby League Podcast, Tanya Arnold and former stand-off Kevin Brown are joined by Leigh flying winger Josh Charnley. The former England international opens up about the highs and lows of his stellar career, including the drive to become Super League’s record try-scorer, the joy of the Leopards recent Challenge Cup success, his long-term passion for fishing and bricklaying, falling out of love with the sport and the heartache of a fellow player mocking his disabled son.

Reflections on the victories for England’s Men and Women in the mid-season internationals against France. Author and journalist Steve Mascord was at both matches in Toulouse and shares some ideas about how to raise the profile of international Rugby League in the Northern Hemisphere. England men’s Assistant Coach Andy Last and debutant Elliot Minchella assess their game, and Head Coach Stuart Barrow gives his reaction to a comfortable win for England’s women and looks ahead to future challenges for his team.

Toulouse Head Coach Sylvain Houles joins Tanya Arnold and Kevin Brown. As the England men’s and women’s teams head across the channel for a weekend of international Rugby League they discuss the status of the sport in France and what the future holds for Toulouse under the new grading system for clubs. Houles reflects on the challenges of Toulouse’s last Super League campaign in 2022 and lessons the sport can learn from that season to help grow the game on the continent. He reveals how his interest in Rugby League first came about, the philosophies that have shaped his coaching career and how working with Rugby League players compares to life on the family sheep farm in the French countryside.

Matt Newsum is joined by Hull KR winger Ryan Hall and England Head Coach Shaun Wane. Hall crossed for his 248th Super League try last week and is now the leading try-scorer in the competition’s history. He reflects on the relief of reaching the milestone and picks out some of his favourite scores from his record-breaking tally. Shaun Wane looks ahead to England’s 2024 schedule which now includes a two match series against Samoa in the autumn, and a game in France at the end of June.

Wigan winger Liam Marshall joins Matt Newsum and Kevin Brown to discuss the Warriors success in the 2024 Challenge Cup Final. Their victory at Wembley means they now hold all four trophies available to them, with the Super League title, League Leaders Shield and World Club Challenge already residing in the Wigan trophy cabinet. We hear about the Warriors post match celebrations, their motivation to win more silverware, and how a unique culture in the club drove them to their current position as the undisputed Kings of British rugby league. There are also reflections on St Helens’ fourth consecutive victory in the Women’s Challenge Cup Final and Wakefield’s triumph in the 1895 Cup Final against Sheffield.

Former team-mate Sam Burgess and Daryl Powell, the coach who gave Rob Burrow his first start in Super League, lead tributes to the Leeds Rhinos Legend who died on Sunday. They reflect on his amazing achievements as a player and his drive to raise awareness of Motor Neurone Disease after his diagnosis in December 2019. The Wigan coach Matt Peet describes the impact Burrow had on the whole of Rugby League and how Saturday’s Challenge Cup Finals Day provides the perfect platform for people to pay their respects. Players and personalities involved in the Men’s and Women’s Finals and the 1895 Cup Final look ahead to the matches on what will be an emotional day under the Wembley arch.

Daryl Powell joins Tanya Arnold and Kevin Brown to talk about Rugby League life with Wakefield Trinity and the ups and downs of his coaching career. Powell has guided Wakefield to Wembley, where they will play in the 1895 Cup Final in June and to the top of the Championship table after nine wins from nine matches at the start of the season. With significant off-field development at their stadium the club are confident they will be back at Super League level in 2025. Powell also reflects on how he might have approached things differently during a difficult spell in charge of Warrington Wolves and how the 2017 Grand Final with Castleford left him wanting to sit in a dark room. He also reveals how he loves spending time on the river and how a call on a camping trip persuaded him to take on his latest challenge.

London Broncos Head Coach Mike Eccles joins Tanya Arnold and Kevin Brown to talk about Rugby League life in the capital. The Broncos were promoted to Super League for 2024 but under the current grading system won’t have a place in the elite competition next year. Eccles outlines the challenges the club faces and his reasons why the Broncos should be given more support in the drive to establish a strong presence for the game in London. He reflects on how the club’s history can be used as evidence that anything is possible and describes his own unusual journey to becoming a Head Coach. Eccles also gives an insight into his approach to leading a group of players who lost 10 of their opening 11 matches of the Super League season.

Phil Bentham, who was recently appointed as the RFL's new Head of Referees joins Tanya Arnold and Kevin Brown to discuss the current issues around officiating in Rugby League. He reveals his priorities as he settles into his new role and talks about his previous experience working with the VAR team in Premier League football. He discusses some ideas for Super League in 2025 and the challenges presented by proposed new tackle-height laws. And we find out who he thought was the most difficult player to referee.

St Helens Captain Jonny Lomax joins Tanya Arnold and Kevin Brown for a rare interview about his remarkable life. Widely regarded as the one of the best players in Super League, Lomax talks in great detail about the life-threatening brain injury he suffered on the field at the age of 14, and how the support of his family helped him through. He describes his emotions after a third ACL injury left him close to retirement in 2015 and how he found the motivation to continue his career. He has since won four Super League Grand Finals. He also discusses the current season with St Helens, fatherhood, and his thoughts about what he might do at the end of his career.