The Good, The Bad & The Rugby

The Godfather of Strength and Conditioning.

Fresh from the misty mountains of Peru, Al and Hask are joined by Hask's former Conditioning Coach at Wasps, Craig White; a man whose influence has shaped the face of High-Performance Coaching in rugby.

With troublesome tales of managing Trevor Leota at Wasps alongside Shaun Edwards, Craig shares the biggest lessons he learned working with Clive Woodward and Warren Gatland on the 2005 and 2009 Lions Tours. For Craig, everything changed when he took a breather from the hyper-masculine world of rugby just months before the 2011 World Cup to go on a yoga retreat that opened his eyes to mindfulness, nature and a more spiritual style of coaching

Season 5 is sponsored by Continental Tyres.

00:00 - Strap in with Continental Tyres 01:00 - A Wasps Reunion 09:38 - Prescribing Brotherhood 16:07 - Football V Rugby, Allardyce V Gatland 20:26 - How Do You Manage Trevor Leota? 25:02 - 2005 + 2009 Lions Tour Double 34:54 - Crouching Tigers Hidden Craig 38:24 - The Life-Changing Yoga Retreat 45:19 - Hitting Rock Bottom & Learning How To Feel 52:03 - Get Children Off Screens & In Nature 55:46 - Tier 2 Champion: Uruguay and Chile Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2-time Investec Champions Cup Winner Geordan Murphy joins Hask and Payno to break down the weekend’s action. Leinster have activated cheat mode with Jordie Barrett at 12 and the RG Snyman wrecking shop. Jack Willis checks in from Toulouse to reflect on a gritty win in Toulon, life without Dupont, and his Lions ambitions. Plus: Furbank’s return, Vesty’s attack and Pollock’s swagger lighting up English rugby. 

Season 5 is sponsored by Continental Tyres. 

WOB Group & GB&R Competition Entry Form

🛞 00:00 – Buckle Up with Continental Tyres 🤣 03:28 – Hask’s WILD Rory McIlroy Story  ⚡ 06:15 – Leinster Go FULL Cheat Mode 🧠 14:52 – How should Leinster deal with Pollock?  😲 26:54 – The Reason Tommy Freeman Left Leicester 🔥 29:00 – Just How Lethal is Sam Vesty’s Attack?! 🇫🇷 33:20 – Bordeaux Lucu Good 👬 39:16 – Willis x Hask Reunite ⚔️ 41:51 – Toulon vs Toulouse: Hostility & History  🔍 45:00 – Who Really Is Ugo Mola?  😢 53:29 – The Dupont Void: How Big a Loss? 🫡 57:30 – What It Means to Captain Toulouse 📈 01:00:00 – Jack’s Rise On & Off the Pitch ❤️ 01:07:00 – Brotherly Love: Tom & Jack’s Bond 🦁 01:11:00 – Jack’s Lions Nibble 🌟 01:17:30 – Investec Dream Team 🧩 01:25:00 – New Tigers Coach? No.10? Fin Smith Rumors Fly! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Benjamin Kayser joins Hask and Tins to break down all the action from the Investec Champions Cup knockout stages.

What’s next for La Rochelle under O'Gara’s leadership? Has Tadhg Beirne’s recent performances shifted our Lions XV? And with 4 English teams falling in the Round of 16, the guys question whether England's eligibility rules should be changed for Jack Willis.

Plus, don’t miss the latest round of Who The Ruck Is That? Can Connor from Aylesford Bulls Rugby Club win £5k for his team?

Season 5 is sponsored by Continental Tyres.

WOB Group & GB&R Competition Entry Form

🦓 00:00 – Welcome to the Investec Quarters 🪂 01:00 – Parachute Chaos in Toulouse 🤔 04:30 – Can O’Gara Turn La Rochelle’s Fortunes Around? 👑 11:20 – Tadhg Beirne: Sorry Not Sorry 🌹12:30 – A Tough Weekend for the English Sides 🧠 21:19 – The Marcus Smith Dilemma 🇫🇷 26:00 – Jack Willis: The French-Based Lion? 📈 32:32 – Lions Watch: Who’s Rising? Who’s Falling? 🎯 39:00 – Munster’s Miracle Run: Can They Go All the Way? 🇫🇷 41:22 – Why the French Still Care About Europe 💙 43:23 – Leinster’s Dream Draw 🔮 48:15 – Quarter-Final Predictions: Who Makes the Final? 🍚 49:30 – Elevate Your Plate: Tilda Rice Time 🏉 50:59 – Ultimate Investec Partnerships: The Half-Back Debate 🛁 58:53 – Bath for Bath: Tins Caught in a Club Conundrum 🏟️ 59:43 – Worcester are Back! But What About Wasps? 🕵️ 01:01:17 – Who the Ruck is That?! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fresh from his appointment to the British & Irish Lions coaching team, Richard Wigglesworth joins The Good, the Bad & the Rugby for a deep dive into his remarkable journey—from record-breaking Premiership player to key figure in England’s coaching setup. Hask and Tins catch up with their old teammate to discuss the challenges of Lions selection and his reflections on England’s Six Nations campaign under Steve Borthwick.

With the Investec Champions Cup knockout stages looming, and with his Lions hat on, Wigglesworth shares his thoughts on the key games and match-ups.

Season 5 is sponsored by Continental Tyres.

WOB Group & GB&R Competition Entry Form

🎂 00:00 – Hask Turns 40! Birthday Surprise  🏉 01:00 – Welcoming Richard Wigglesworth 🔥 05:00 – England’s Six Nations: The Review 🌹 08:30 – Life Under Steve Borthwick ⚡ 14:30 – The Moment It Clicked for England 🏆 16:30 – Fin Smith: Winning Machine 🔄 18:40 – Hybrid Players: The Future of Rugby? 💥 20:16 – Henry Pollock Impact 🍚 25:28 – Elevate Your Plate with Tilda Rice 🦁 27:00 – Becoming a British & Irish Lions Coach 🤜🤛 30:30 – Wigglesworth & Farrell: The Bond 🧐 36:21 – GBR’s Lions Selection & Tough Calls 🦓 43:39 – Investec Champions Cup: Who’s Got the Edge? 💼 59:30 – Bill Sweeney Survives! ⏱️ 01:01:00 – Win Big! Watches of Bath Competition Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alex, Hask, and Tins sit down with Red Roses Head Coach John Mitchell to reflect on his diverse coaching career. At just 37, he became Head Coach of the All Blacks, facing intense media scrutiny after their exit from the 2003 Rugby World Cup. His journey then took him to coaching roles in Australia and South Africa, where a life-changing armed robbery shifted his perspective. Now in his third stint with England—having previously worked under Clive Woodward and Eddie Jones—is Mitchell the coach to deliver World Cup glory later this year?

Season 5 is sponsored by Continental Tyres.

WOB Group & GB&R Competition Entry Form

🚗 00:00 – Strap in with Continental Tyres! 👴 04:30 – The Tindall x Mitchell Reunion 🇳🇿 19:56 – Crashing Out of the 2003 World Cup 🔪 25:50 – The Johannesburg Knife Attack 👶 36:05 – 37 Years Old & Head Coach of the All Blacks 🦫 42:05 – Working for Eddie Jones 🏏 48:31 – Being Father to an International Cricketer 🌹 53:18 – The Women’s Rugby World Cup 🥇 01:04:54 – Greatest Achievement 💔 01:05:29 – Toughest Moment 🏉 01:09:03 – Best Player & Memories of Jonah Lomu 🇺🇾 01:12:00 – Retirement Plans Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices