Was Leinster’s scrum-after-scrum against Munster a rehearsal for the Springboks?Owen Murphy is a South African living in Dublin. He is now Megafoon’s Irish correspondent, accredited by the IRFU and Leinster. He joins MW Welman and Harry Jones straight after his first Leinster v Munster from the Aviva press box. In that match he watched Leinster turn down other options to scrum again and again, and afterwards he put the question to Leo Cullen in his first press conference.Harry brings this season’s URC scrum numbers and remembers the look on Caelan Doris’s face after last year’s Test in Dublin. The three also dig into Ireland’s provincial rivalries, its World Cup nerves, and what the Springboks will need to bring on 21 November.In this episode:- Leinster’s scrum choices against Munster and what they could signal for Ireland- Owen’s first day in the press box and his question to Leo Cullen- How the Leinster-Munster rivalry compares with the old Currie Cup days- The Megafoon Meet and Greet in Dublin on Test day

Would you back this group to win a World Cup?Rassie Erasmus caught us off guard with a midweek Springbok squad announcement, so the Lekker Rugby Pod tore up the schedule. Harry Jones joins MW Welman for a quick-fire reaction to the squad for the November Nations Championship tests. They look at what it reveals about the Springboks’ thinking a year out from the World Cup.Harry works through the unlucky names left at home and the senior players who now have something to prove. He also looks at the young players being thrown into test rugby to accelerate their experience. Then he floats a theory about bonus points, points difference and the All Blacks that could explain why this squad is so loaded with pace and playmakers.In this episode:- Who misses out, and who is on notice- The work-ons for Moerat, Mostert and Fassi- The bolters, and why only test rugby can test them- The engine room question ahead of Ireland and France

How can a win feel worse than a loss?The Bulls watched Ulster claw their way back on a scorching afternoon at Loftus. The Stormers put a big score on the Scarlets and still walked off with more questions than answers. Both results went down as wins on the log, and neither felt like one.MW Welman and Harry Jones look at what those two performances say about the Bulls and Stormers when the opposition stops being mid-table and starts being Leinster, Glasgow or Munster. MW reports from the Loftus press room, where his questions got Johan Ackermann talking more freely than usual. Harry brings the numbers, including strength of schedule and the latest Harry Index.In this episode:- Johan Ackermann opens up at the Loftus press conference- How tough have the Bulls’ and Stormers’ opponents really been?- Turnovers, missed tackles and the case for the Bulls kicking more- The Stormers’ hooker crisis, plus the good, the bad and the ugly for both teamsIs either team ready to go to Dublin and do what Northampton once did?

Why have the Bulls and Stormers suddenly decided Europe is worth chasing with everything they’ve got?Harry Jones is heading to Bordeaux to embed with the Stormers for their Champions Cup clash. He and MW unpack what has shifted this season, what a deep European run could be worth to South African rugby, and where the Sharks fit into the picture. Then the conversation widens.In this episode:- Why the Bulls and Stormers are targeting the Champions Cup this season- How the Harry Index actually works, and why the Hurricanes are on itJohan Ackermann’s long bet on a faster Bulls side- The URC scoring explosion, and why Harry says long live the maul tryPlus, details on the free Megafoon meet and greet in Ballsbridge on 21 November, before the Springboks take on Ireland in Dublin.

Have the All Blacks really bounced back, or did they just meet the right opponent at the right time?The All Blacks got their first chance to respond at Eden Park, with a big Bledisloe win over the Wallabies. On this episode of The Lekker Rugby Pod, Martin Devlin of the Devlin Sports Podcast Network (DSPN) joins Harry Jones and MW Welman to sort out what was fixed from what the Springboks exposed, and to look ahead to Sydney.

Can you explain how the Bulls and the Stormers play in two minutes or less?This quickfire special edition of the Lekker Rugby Pod opens with Jake White’s new job at Fiji, then keeps going. MW Welman plays the complete ignoramus, Harry Jones does the explaining, and neither of them stays on topic for long.In this episode:- Jake White at Fiji and Sean Edwards at the Pumas- The Bulls and Stormers game plans, and which is harder to plan for- The maul law, Marnus van der Merwe’s trapdoor call and Harry’s 33- The brake foot law, and Harry’s view of itWe are also hosting a free Megafoon Meet and Greet in Dublin on Saturday 21 November, from 11:00 to 13:00 at The Schoolhouse in Donnybrook, before Springboks v Ireland. Gráinne Seoige and Leon, Harry Jones and Paul Avenant will be there, with other guests still to be announced. Everyone is welcome.

Why did the Bulls and Stormers both come up short, and how does a team work out what really went wrong?Harry Jones joins MW Welman on the Lekker Rugby Pod to analyse their losses properly, using the Bulls' defeat to Munster and the Stormers' defeat to Edinburgh as the working examples. Harry brings the numbers, and they ask whether a loss comes down to one fixable problem or to something bigger in how a team plays. The conversation also turns to the Springboks, where the tries conceded this season raise questions of their own.In this episode:- How a team diagnoses a loss, and what gets looked at first- The Bulls, the Stormers and the role of game drivers- Lineouts, kick retention and the numbers behind the results- Springbok defence concerns and the latest on Harry's 33

Was Perth a proper Test match, or a fixture the Springboks simply had to get through?Harry Jones watched the Wallabies win at 2:45am, under the covers in Northern California, and came away with two theories. Either Rassie Erasmus used 13 changes to run a deliberate stress test, or 17 weeks on the road finally caught up with a tired squad. MW Welman isn't convinced the experiment was worth running at all.They weigh up what the coaches learned about Aphelele Fassi, Andre Esterhuizen's captaincy and a defence that has conceded more tries every year since 2023, and ask whether Jerry Flannery's system is working.Then it's over to the URC: why the Stormers built a high-carry game for 4G pitches, what Johan Ackermann wants from the Bulls, and the Kwagga Smith rumours.In this episode:- Perth: stress test or obligation?- The Springbok defence and the numbers behind it- Harry's 33-man World Cup squad- The Stormers on 4G and the Bulls' fast start