Published by Mark Morgan and Tony O'Sullivan
Legendary Rugby YouTuber Mark from Two Cents Rugby breaks down all of the happenings of the great game of Rugby while Tony from Distracted Sports tries to keep up.
Listen on Apple PodcastsThe first block of the Nations Championship is done, and the All Blacks—much to our delight—finally played like bloody All Blacks. For 40 glorious minutes at Eden Park, they were all over a slightly flailing Irish side. Ireland fought their way back into it after halftime, but putting 41 points on them and winning by 19 is a bloody good result. More importantly, it gives us a little bit of—keyword—optimism heading into the Greatest Rivalry Series. Speaking of which, the Boks—or the B-Boks, C-Boks, or whatever version of the Boks was rolled out this week—put Wales away without too much trouble. South African fans weren’t exactly thrilled by the dropped ball and generally ordinary-looking performance, but they still won 43–0, and that scrum somehow looks even more terrifying than ever. So, naturally, we dive into the All Blacks–Springboks rivalry and start looking ahead to the series we’ve all been waiting for. Tony throws a little chum into the water, so try not to bite too hard. It’s all banter at the end of the day. Probably. Rassie is definitely in our heads. Elsewhere, Australia gave Joe Schmidt a fitting send-off by dominating Italy, Fiji scored some absolutely ridiculous tries despite losing to Scotland, and England and Argentina appeared to cram an entire year’s worth of yellow cards into one fiery, chaotic match. Coming on the back of the spicy England–Argentina Football World Cup semifinal, the whole thing felt suitably hostile, slightly unhinged and, eventually, pretty entertaining. We cover all of that, talk plenty of rugby and sprinkle in the usual amount of bullshit. There’s no episode next week, but after the break, we’re going deep into South African content as the Greatest Rivalry Series finally arrives. Grab a beer and enjoy.
Week two of the Nations Championship delivered some incredible rugby, some average rugby, a few near-upsets, several glorious “could-have-beens,” and more than a handful of “why now?” and “why on earth are they playing there?” moments. The All Blacks kicked things off against Italy in a match we were desperately hoping would be the moment Dave Rennie’s new team finally clicked. That may be a little demanding in only week two, but they certainly didn’t click during a fairly shambolic opening 40 minutes. Things improved dramatically for about 15 minutes in the second half, when New Zealand suddenly piled on the points and eventually cruised to a 30-point victory. Will Jordan scored his 50th Test try, reaching the mark faster than any All Black before him, while Anton Segner made his long-awaited debut and Moby provided a tidy little cameo off the bench in his first Test as well. Australia then produced a genuinely excellent first half against France, followed by an absolute dog-shit second half against France. What began as a hugely encouraging performance became another deeply deflating evening for Wallabies supporters around the world. Ireland faced Japan in that famous fortress of Japanese rugby: Newcastle, Australia. Why Newcastle, Australia, you may ask? Excellent question. Apparently Ireland didn’t fancy travelling to Japan, pushed their weight around and got their way. Japan made the match considerably tighter than expected, but Ireland eventually showed their class and pulled away. England absolutely pumped Fiji, while the game of the round may have come in South Africa, where Scotland the Brave were once again incredibly brave. The Springboks may not have fielded their absolute strongest side, but they were still expected to dominate. Instead, Scotland pushed them far closer than the final score suggests. With a little more clinical finishing, a bit more composure near the line and perhaps slightly more defence, this genuinely could have been the day Scotland finally won in the Republic. Sadly, it wasn’t to be. This week’s beers were kindly supplied by the great Andrew Stark from Tempo Rehab. Check out his work at temporehab.com and have a look at the Tempo Rehab YouTube channel as well. https://www.youtube.com/@tempo_rehab Grab a beer and enjoy.
A weekend of pumpings. Leinster pumped the Bulls in Ireland to claim the URC title. Our friends the Hurricanes looked incredible and gale-forced their way to a totally, utterly, humiliating pumping of the Chiefs in a frankly silly 60–50 loss. And in what is usually a bit of a laugh, the Barbarians taking on South Africa in the Republic looked slightly less like a laugh this time, as the Baa-Baas also received a reasonably serious pumping. So if you were in dire need of some tight rugby, like some of us were, this was absolutely not the weekend for you. That brings the domestic season to a close, with a little sprinkling of international flavour thrown in. But maybe the biggest story of the week eclipsed all of that: Dave Rennie naming his inaugural All Blacks squad. Four new names were included, perhaps none more interesting than Anton Segner. The German-born loose forward came to New Zealand as a 15 or 16-year-old on what was basically a student exchange, and now, ten years later, he’s in the All Blacks. Quite an incredible story — especially after standing out in a poorly performing Blues outfit like a diamond in a sea of poo. Stop it. Also, a massive thanks to Allouran for the wine. We appreciate it very, very much. Grab a beer and enjoy. Or, in this case, maybe a wine.
A weekend of pumpings. Leinster pumped the Bulls in Ireland to claim the URC title. Our friends the Hurricanes looked incredible and gale-forced their way to a totally, utterly, humiliating pumping of the Chiefs in a frankly silly 60–50 loss. And in what is usually a bit of a laugh, the Barbarians taking on South Africa in the Republic looked slightly less like a laugh this time, as the Baa-Baas also received a reasonably serious pumping. So if you were in dire need of some tight rugby, like some of us were, this was absolutely not the weekend for you. That brings the domestic season to a close, with a little sprinkling of international flavour thrown in. But maybe the biggest story of the week eclipsed all of that: Dave Rennie naming his inaugural All Blacks squad. Four new names were included, perhaps none more interesting than Anton Segner. The German-born loose forward came to New Zealand as a 15 or 16-year-old on what was basically a student exchange, and now, ten years later, he’s in the All Blacks. Quite an incredible story — especially after standing out in a poorly performing Blues outfit like a diamond in a sea of poo. Also, a massive thanks to Allouran for the wine. We appreciate it very, very much. Grab a beer and enjoy. Or, in this case, maybe a wine.
Two Cents Gets Distracted is back for Super Rugby semifinal weekend — a weekend where we were promised tension, drama, heartbreak, and possibly a couple of classic playoff arm-wrestles. Instead, we got two absolute pumpings. First up, the Crusaders — the playoff specialists, the heartbreak merchants, the team who have ruined so many perfectly good weekends for so many perfectly decent rugby fans — went up against one of the four teams of the year, the Chiefs. We were all set for a tight one. A proper semifinal. A clash of heavyweights. What we got was the Chiefs putting 30-plus points on them in the first half and turning the whole thing into something closer to a public execution than a rugby match. The score settled a little in the second half, but let’s be honest, the damage was done. As neutrals, we probably wanted a contest. As people who have watched the Crusaders cause untold emotional damage for years, we also didn’t entirely hate seeing them get pumped. Then it was time for our Blues, who had absolutely no business being anywhere near a semifinal, but through the luck of some playoff-format nonsense found themselves lining up against the high-flying Harlem Hurricanes — or, frankly, the Harlem Globetrotter Hurricanes. The Canes were slick. They were sharp. They were ridiculous. There was a touch of skulduggery from our man Cam Roigard, but he got on with it, lifted the tempo, and the Hurricanes started doing Hurricanes things. To be fair to the Blues, the first half was at least a little tighter than the Chiefs-Crusaders game, with only four points in it at the break. Then the second half happened. The Hurricanes showed their class, the Blues forgot how defence works, and the Canes ended up putting 50-plus on them. Mercifully, the Blues’ season is now over, and we can all move on with our lives. So now we get the final the competition probably needed: Chiefs vs Hurricanes at the Cake Tin. The two best, most in-form teams in Super Rugby going head-to-head. Will they fill the tin to the brim? Who knows. Can we please, for the love of all things holy, get a competitive game? We also have a chat about the URC final coming up, with Leinster taking on the Bulls, and because this is Two Cents Gets Distracted, there are naturally a couple of technical difficulties to keep things spicy. Grab a beer and enjoy. Massive thanks as well to Carl from Republic Home and his dad David for sponsoring the podcast. You can get 10% off by using the code 2CGD at republichome.com . Thanks for the beers, lads.
.There was also a heap of playoff rugby across the URC and Super Rugby, although if we’re being brutally honest, a lot of the games were a bit one-sided and a touch meh. Plenty of lovely tries, great skills, and individual moments of brilliance, but not a huge amount of jeopardy. The URC probably delivered the better drama. Leinster were ultimately too good for the Stormers, but the Stormers made them work for it for a decent stretch. Meanwhile, the Bulls pulled off a cracking come-from-behind win against Glasgow, who were playing at Murrayfield — when, let’s be honest, they probably would’ve much rather been at their actual home ground. In Super Rugby, things got a bit ridiculous. The Hurricanes, who qualified number one, played the Brumbies, who qualified sixth, and absolutely pumped them. Which raises the very fair question: what was the point of that game? The format seems designed to suck the jeopardy out of the tournament just so we can squeeze in three quarter-finals. Honestly, just give us a top four and be done with it. Elsewhere, the Blues looked like they remembered how to play rugby for brief periods, before also remembering they had the defensive structure of a wet paper bag. The Crusaders put plenty on them down in Christchurch, and yet somehow, despite losing a worrying number of games in a row, the Blues are now semi-finalists thanks to the “lucky loser” system. The best Super Rugby game of the weekend was probably Chiefs v Reds, even though the Chiefs still managed to win it relatively comfortably and end the Reds’ season. So yes, we talk dads, rugby, playoff formats, lucky losers, one-sided quarter-finals, and the general absurdity of it all. Tony, in particular, has a bit of a whinge. Grab a beer and enjoy.
This week’s episode comes with a small technical disclaimer: we absolutely butchered the video file, so due to corrupted footage, this one is mostly audio-only with a few tiny video scraps sprinkled in. Apologies — although, to be fair, we’ve never looked better. But fear not, because the rugby chat survives. After the usual world-class nonsense, we dive into the URC, where the semi-finalists are locked in and rugby fans in New Zealand are, of course, absolutely buzzing with excitement. No irony there whatsoever. In all seriousness, though, the final four should make for some cracking clashes, and we break down what’s coming. Then it’s over to the final round of Super Rugby, where the Blues continued their late-season collapse by getting absolutely pumped by the Mooloo men of Waikato. Moana Pasifika delivered the feel-good story of the week, grabbing a win in what may sadly be their final game in existence. Meanwhile, the Crusaders — being the absolute bastards they are — appear to be coming right at exactly the right time. And who gets to face them next week in Christchurch, at their shiny new stadium? The Auckland Blues, currently riding a four-game losing streak. Lovely. Even better, thanks to the bizarre “lucky loser” setup, the Blues might still sneak through even if they lose. Because apparently even finals rugby doesn’t need actual jeopardy anymore. We also touch on the Force, Waratahs, Highlanders, and look ahead to a weekend of knockout rugby, jump flights, jump sticks, and all the usual nonsense. Grab a beer and enjoy.
Two Cents Gets Distracted returns for another week of rugby nonsense, overreactions, and the occasional decent point. This week: Leinster do what Leinster do best — rock up with what is basically a full international side (plus newly signed 88-test All Black Rico Ioane) and somehow still get absolutely folded in a big knockout game. Bordeaux go back-to-back in the Champions Cup and, sadly for the neutrals, it wasn’t even close. A full-scale French demolition job. We also discuss the absolute unit that is Ben Tameifuna — less “tighthead prop” and more “small tectonic plate” — while Maxime Lucu continues to prove that if a certain Antoine Dupont didn’t exist, he might genuinely have a case as the best halfback on the planet right now. Back home, the Chiefs and Crusaders gave us an absolute belter, and annoyingly… those pesky Crusaders are starting to look properly dangerous again. The Force’s finals dream is over, the Reds did enough to sneak through, and thankfully our Blues avoided embarrassment by employing the elite tactical strategy known as “having the bye.” We cover every Super Rugby game, throw in a dangerous amount of nonsense chat, and somehow end up talking ourselves into several terrible opinions along the way. Grab a beer and enjoy.
Audio warning from the lads this week: the first 10 minutes are a bit cooked. We had some mic issues, so poor old Mark is a little quiet while we ramble about books, TV shows, random nonsense and even break into a strange little song at one point. It’s still listenable, but if you’re not interested in hearing two idiots talk absolute rubbish before the rugby starts, you can safely skip ahead without missing much. Once we actually get to rugby, the big topic this week is the South African URC sides reportedly considering pulling out of the Champions Cup. Is the travel just too brutal? Are the players being run into the ground with basically year-round rugby? Are the South African teams really adding enough to justify the chaos? And are fans actually invested in it? We dive into all of it. Back home, we break down another massive weekend of Super Rugby, including the Blues putting in an absolutely grim performance against the Hurricanes. Genuine dogs balls stuff. The Canes, meanwhile, just keep rolling from strength to strength. We also cover a couple of brutal injuries from the weekend. Damian McKenzie copped a nasty head knock that’ll likely sideline him for a few weeks, while poor old Tangi Tao suffered a season-ending injury at the worst possible time after pushing hard into All Blacks contention. Proper heartbreaking luck for the bloke. As always, there are tangents, nonsense, overreactions, probably a few terrible takes and a couple of beers along the way. Grab a beer and enjoy
Blockbuster semi-final weekend in the European Rugby Champions Cup , and things got spicy . Leinster Rugby nearly pulled off an all-time choke job but somehow held on in a proper squeaky-bum finish—thanks in no small part to the unlikely Irish saviour Rieko Ioane , who shut the gate on a last-gasp attack that would’ve sent Dublin into meltdown. Over in the other semi, Union Bordeaux Bègles got the job done against Bath Rugby in a cracking contest… though you’d be forgiven for missing parts of it while Andy Goode carried on like the ref had personally wronged him. Maybe he had a point—but mate, we get it. Back home, Super Rugby Pacific rolls on: The Hurricanes keep humming, with Ruben Love making a serious case as the next All Blacks 10 👀 The Crusaders … still lurking. Doubt them at your own risk The Blues got it done after a shaky start against Moana Pasifika The Highlanders and Fijian Drua battled to a sweaty stalemate The Western Force are making a cheeky late push after knocking off the Waratahs And the Reds piled more misery on the sliding Brumbies All that… plus a generous serving of absolute nonsense. Grab a beer and enjoy 🍺
Super Round heads to the brand-new Te Kaha Stadium in Christchurch… and what a way to christen it. A full weekend of footy, packed stands, cracking atmosphere, and a proper festival feel — the kind of rugby showcase Super Rugby dreams about. The stadium? Unreal. The crowds? Even better. The results? Well… depends which side of the Tasman you’re sitting on. The Kiwi teams absolutely ran the table. The Crusaders kicked things off by beating Waratahs, sending the Christchurch faithful home very happy in game one. The Blues nearly gave their fans heart failure but somehow scraped past the Queensland Reds in full squeaky-bum, extra-time chaos — thanks in part to a late penalty from Fraser McReight that went the wrong way. The Highlanders got the job done over Moana Pasifika, while the Chiefs handled the Fijian Drua. And the Hurricanes? Fehi Fineanganofo, WHAT A FREAK, too bad he's going to Newxastle. All in all — an absolute belter of a weekend, unless you’re Australian… in which case, maybe skip this one. We crack a couple of beers, break down the action, butcher a few names, and talk a healthy amount of nonsense along the way. Grab a beer and enjoy
We’re back… and it’s a weird one. After a month off while Tony went and did the whole “get married and eat his bodyweight in Thailand” thing, Two Cents Gets Distracted returns — slightly heavier, slightly rustier, and walking straight into some genuinely grim news. This week, we unpack the potential demise of Moana Pasifika. What does it mean for Pacific rugby — a region that has given the game so much talent, passion, and identity? And more importantly… what now? Is there a real path forward, or are we watching another crack form in the already shaky foundations of Super Rugby? Which leads us to the bigger question — what even is the future of Super Rugby? Is this still a competition built to last, or are we quietly edging toward the slow fade of what was once the pinnacle of provincial rugby? Not all doom and gloom though — because the footy absolutely delivered. We had a proper top-of-the-table belter between the Chiefs and the Hurricanes, the Blues nearly pulled off the all-time choke in a game they had no business losing, and the Force did the unthinkable by knocking over the Crusaders (which, let’s be honest, brings a smile to most faces). All that, plus the usual nonsense, tangents, and questionable takes. We’re back. Grab a beer and enjoy.
This week on Two Cents Get Distracted, the biggest story in world rugby… is that Tony’s getting married. That’s right — the pre-wedding special is here, and we spend a fair chunk of time talking about love, life, and how on earth Tony convinced Lydia this was a good idea. Eventually — and we mean eventually — we stumble our way into some rugby after sampling some deeply questionable smoothie beers courtesy of our mate Erin. They’re odd. Very odd. On the field, James Slipper cements himself as an all-time great, breaking Wyatt Crockett’s Super Rugby caps record, and the Brumbies celebrate in style with a gritty, never-say-die win that looked well beyond them at one point. Proper tough footy. Elsewhere: The Reds get it done in Lautoka, while the Drua forget how to catch and Glenn Jackson nearly combusts Moana Pasifika come unstuck against the Crusaders at North Harbour The Hurricanes continue their upward trend, brushing aside a struggling Highlanders side And the rest? Rugby happened. It always does. We talk about it… sort of. Plus, the return of the world’s fastest-growing game show: 🎯 Post URC Post-Match Predictions — where Tony, who hasn’t watched a single URC game (because… 3am), attempts to predict results after they’ve already happened. It’s as stupid as it sounds. 🚨 Important announcement: This is our last episode for a little while! We’re taking about a month off while Tony ties the knot and heads off on honeymoon. So for now — Grab a beer and enjoy
Fresh (barely) off Tony’s stag do on Saturday night, the rugby gods showed absolutely zero mercy… delivering one of the most chaotic, dramatic, and all-time great Six Nations finales we’ve ever witnessed. Running on fumes and questionable life choices, Tony and Mark try to make sense of a weekend that had everything . Wales finally get their moment—after weeks of showing promise without reward, they get the chocolates against a dangerous Italy side that just couldn’t quite fire when it mattered. Scotland… well, Scotland did what Scotland do against Ireland. Ireland get the job done with a bonus point win, and for a brief, slightly nauseating moment, found themselves as diehard England fans, praying for one last twist. And then… it happened. A battered, doubted, and heavily criticised Steve Borthwick-led England side almost pulled off the unthinkable—before Thomas Ramos, the ice man himself, stepped up and absolutely ripped their hearts out with a clutch extra-time penalty to seal it for France. Three unreal games. Absolute chaos. Championship on the line. Limbs everywhere. We break it all down—with a healthy dose of nonsense, questionable analysis, and lingering hangovers. Apologies in advance for any audio issues… but grab a beer and enjoy 🍻
Italy made history, beating England for the first time ever on their 33rd attempt. Can they rebuild before facing the French next week? We’re not so sure. Meanwhile, Scotland pulled off a massive upset over France, denying the French a Grand Slam and blowing the Six Nations wide open heading into the final weekend. Now the title is still up for grabs, with Ireland and France both in the hunt in what promises to be a blockbuster finish. And Wales… the team we all confidently labelled as absolute rubbish… might not actually be rubbish. They went down to Ireland, but defended like demons and showed genuine signs of life, including one of the most glorious prop-forward tries you’ll ever see. We also cover the huge news of Dave Rennie being appointed the next All Blacks coach through to the World Cup, wrap up all the Super Rugby action, and spend a completely reasonable amount of time gloating about the fact that our Blues beat the Crusaders… and we were there to see it. Grab a beer and enjoy. A Big Thankyou to Rugby Historian!! Go check out their awesome site! rugbyhistorian.com
No Six Nations. No international drama. Just pure, unfiltered Super Rugby… and chaos. With Europe taking the week off, all eyes turned south — and unfortunately for us (and especially for Mark), Australia decided to wake up and choose violence. The Blues found yet another soul-crushing way to lose, going down in the 81st minute in overtime. Yes, the 81st. Yes, Mark is still processing. No, he is not okay. The Crusaders finally remembered how to win, knocking off the Chiefs after the Waikato boys absolutely flew out of the blocks. The Drua defended the fortress in Lautoka, toppling a fancied Hurricanes side and proving that Fiji remains one of the most terrifying away trips in world rugby. With no major international storylines to anchor us, things got loose. There’s fear. There’s frustration. There’s a generous serving of absolute nonsense. And somehow, we still talk rugby. Strap in. Grab a beer. And enjoy the spiral.
It was a weekend of our favourite sporting delicacy: beautiful, chaotic upsets and we are absolutely feasting. Ireland didn’t just beat England… they systematically dismantled them, with Jamison Gibson-Park running the show like a man who had the English defence on puppet strings. Every counter looked dangerous, every breakdown felt Irish, and England had absolutely no answers. Down south, the rugby gods delivered something even more outrageous: the Crusaders didn’t just lose — they got hammered. The Brumbies dropped a half-century on them in Christchurch for their first win there in 26 years. Nobody saw it coming, everybody enjoyed it (well… almost everybody). Wales, after weeks of looking like rugby’s saddest soap opera, finally resembled a functioning rugby side again. They still went down to a street-tough, slightly fortunate Scotland — but at least this time there were signs of life and something to actually laugh with instead of at. We also get stuck into France continuing to look like the team to beat, Italy continuing to be awkwardly competitive, and a Super Rugby round that delivered chaos, entertainment, and confirmation that the Blues still look shaky even when they scrape past the Force. Upsets, chaos, schadenfreude, and a healthy dose of nonsense. Grab a beer and enjoy.
This week on Two Cents Gets Distracted , Scotland did the most Scottish thing imaginable. Lose to Italy… then immediately turn around and snap England’s 12-game winning streak. Yes, the Scots beat the English. The rugby world rejoiced. Bagpipes were heard from space. We are, frankly, delighted. Meanwhile, Wales have somehow discovered new geological layers of rock bottom. France treated them like training cones, playing Harlem Globetrotters rugby with offloads, flair, and the kind of ominous swagger that should concern literally everyone. Italy vs Ireland? Suddenly… tight? Competitive? Slightly terrifying if you’re Irish? Is this an Italian renaissance, or are we witnessing the slow fade of Ireland’s golden generation? We attempt to answer that question with absolutely no qualifications whatsoever. Plus — Super Rugby is back! The Crusaders lost (we celebrate responsibly). The Blues also lost (less fun). Balance has been restored to the universe. All that, plenty of nonsense, and a decent helping of rugby chat. Grab a beer and enjoy
This week the Six Nations roared and rusted to life. We kick things off with France coming out hotter than a sizzling baguette at Stade de France, leaving Ireland flatter than day-old Guinness. Then, we revel in Italy’s glorious ambush of Scotland,proving once again that it’s tough being Scottish. And, if you thought Wales couldn’t dig deeper, think again: their performance was a full-on Fawlty Towers episode, while England casually strolled in and gave them a rugby spanking. We also look forward to Super Rugby getting started and unpack some of the new law changes. Grab a beer and enjoy
Fresh off our summer break, this first episode of the year drops us straight back into the deep end as we’re still reeling from the bombshell that Razor has been fired. The coaching carousel is already spinning: is Jamie Joseph next in line? ? Or are we about to be introduced to a whole new cast of weird and wonderful rugby powerbrokers? We also turn our attention north, with the Six Nations kicking off — the “greatest rugby championship in the world” As ever, expect a healthy mix of hot takes, half-baked theories, international rugby hype, and a solid helping of nonsense. Welcome back to Two Cents Gets Distracted — where we talk a lot of rubbish and just enough rugby to justify it. Grab a beer and enjoy Big thanks to sports4cast for the beers! - https://sports4cast.com/