Rugby Direct – Details, episodes & analysis

This week on Rugby Direct, ZB's own Elliott Smith reviews the first All Blacks v Springboks test and unpacks what went wrong towards the second half the match.

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Elliott's landed in Johannesburg and he and Liam assess the stunning news that Leon MacDonald has quit the All Blacks coaching staff after just five tests.

Elliott and Liam also offer some thoughts on where the first test between the All Blacks and Springboks will be won and lost, as well as the latest in the NPC and FPC.

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This week on Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith and Liam Napier review the Super Rugby semi-finals as the Blues and Chiefs advance to Saturday night's decider, at the expense of the Brumbies and top-seeded Hurricanes.

We also chat with Kevin Malloy, the Super Rugby Pacific board chair to review the season and discuss the future shape of the competition.

And with the All Blacks squad days away from being named, we give our respective 32-man squads we think will be named next week.

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On this week's edition of Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith (Newstalk ZB's All Blacks commentator) and Liam Napier (NZ Herald rugby writer) react to a hectic 48 hours of news from the All Blacks camp - with six down with Covid including three members of the coaching staff.
We discuss how that might affect the planning for Saturday's match and the make-up of the side, while Joe Schmidt has been called in as an extra voice for the All Blacks in the absence of Foster, John Plumtree and Scott McLeod. What Irish state secrets will be able to provide an insight into?
Elliott and Liam also discuss Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and whether Havili and Goodhue's absence means he will get a call-up for the first test.

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On this week's edition of Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith (Newstalk ZB's lead rugby commentator) and Liam Napier (Chief Sports Writer at the NZ Herald) break down the Crusaders' emphatic Super Rugby Pacific grand final win over the Blues at Eden Park.
The guys discuss the Crusaders' ability to play grand final footy, to suffocate the Blues and turn the hosts' lineout inside out with incredible regularity.
For this final time this season, the guys dish out their MVP points and crown the highly prestigious and inaugural Rugby Direct Medal.
In addition, the guys give their thumbs up or down to the Super Rugby season as a whole, review the Black Ferns Pac4 series and look ahead to the All Blacks.

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On this week's edition of Rugby Direct, we go one-on-one with All Blacks coach Ian Foster about the 36-man squad named for the three-test series against Ireland and discuss the key talking points of his squad including the six new caps, the exclusion of TJ Perenara and Brad Weber at halfback and other key discussion points with Ireland on the horizon.
Liam Napier joins to dissect the squad and where the strengths and weaknesses lie, as well as look ahead to a small matter of a Blues and Crusaders Super Rugby Pacific final.

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On the latest edition of Rugby Direct:
Elliott Smith and Liam Napier dissect the Super Rugby Pacific quarter-finals that went exactly to the formbook, at least on the scoreboard but who impressed and who left the guys a bit cold even in progressing through to the last four.
With the Highlanders and Hurricanes signing off for the year, we also review where it went wrong (and right in some areas) for them this year and where both sides need to improve if they're to be contenders for next year.
We also outline what we want to see from the Black Ferns as they return to the park for the Pac-Four series against Australia, Canada and the USA.

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On this week's edition of Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith and Liam Napier debate the final round of Super Rugby Pacific before the playoffs, including the race for the eighth spot eventually won by the Highlanders.
We wave farewell to the Drua and Moana Pasifika (as well as the Rebels and Force) and assess the two maiden campaigns from the Pacific expansion sides and where they need to improve on next year.
The guys debate what the Blues need to fix as they try and convert their top seeding into a title, while also ponder a controversial non-red card from the weekend and ask whether Pablo Matera got away with one.

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On this weekend’s episode of Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith is joined by Liam Napier, who returns from watching the other code in Brisbane to help analyse week 14 of Super Rugby Pacific, the penultimate round before the playoffs which saw big wins for three kiwi-based sides and a narrow win and narrow losses for a couple of others.
Elliott and Liam dish out the usual MVP points and tipping, as well as ponder the merits of the current playoff structure, whether an Australian side is capable of going all the way and winning the competition and also assess the first seasons of the Fijian Drua and Moana Pasifika as they prepare to wrap their inaugural seasons.

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On this week's edition of Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith and special guest Christopher Reive from the New Zealand Herald (@ChrisReive) break down the weekend of rugby that was from Super Rugby Pacific, as the Kiwi sides went 5-nil over their Australian opponents, along with a feisty Pacific derby in Sydney.
Elliott and Christopher also discuss the growing reputation of Stephen Perofeta and whether an All Blacks jersey awaits him in the July series against Ireland, as well as pondering on the back of a kiwi sweep over the weekend whether the Australians have really closed the gap or if it was all bluster.

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