Mick Byrne is the head coach of the Fijian Drua. Hear how Mick made the transition from playing AFL to rugby, to AFL coach, rugby assistant coach, and now Head Coach of the new franchise in the Super Rugby competition, the Fiji Drua. We dive into the lessons Mick has learned over his extensive career, and why he chose to enroll in a psychology cour…

After his very recent retirement from playing Rugby, like many players, life after professional rugby can be difficult. Sam Wykes’ experience was no different at first. However, with some determined resolve, he has created a wealth of opportunities for himself, from commentating to coaching and even corporate recruitment. We hear what Sam’s transit…

Developing Rugby India with Nasser Hussain Most nations that play rugby also play cricket. One notable exception is India, where rugby is still a fledgling sport currently categorised under ‘other sports’. Today, we talk to Nasser Hussain, the CEO of Rugby India and the man responsible for putting the game on the map in India. Tune in to find out h…

#A Day In Union is about uniting and connecting the rugby community globally. The initiative of Greg Mumm and John Anderson, A Day In Union aims to bring rugby back to its grassroots and shift the narrative to a more positive one., uniting all. We discuss where the idea came from, how everyone can get involved, and what different clubs around Austr…

Today’s guest, Robbie McRobbie, is a Scottish-born, British-educated, former police officer who is currently the CEO of the Hong Kong Rugby Union (HKRU). Furthermore, he is a recipient of an MBE award for the role he has played in changing the lives of at-risk youth through sport, as well as the work he has done to advance UK/Hong Kong relations. H…

Sport, rugby in particular, formed the foundation of Nick Leah’s childhood. Walcha where he grew up, had several Ex-Wallabies and aspirational Wallaby trialists namely Peter Fenwick – who captained the Wallabies & Andrew Laurie who both along with his Dad drove a lot of the sport in the town & coached Rugby and Cricket. His dad also coached NSW Cou…

On the 14th of January 2022, disaster struck Tonga and its surrounding islands in the form of a submarine volcanic eruption deemed to be hundreds of times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb. For a country that is reliant on farming and rainwater, this incident has had devastating impacts on the Tongan people. In today’s episode, Peter Harding an…

Geoff Parkes is the author of ‘A World in Union - The Global Battle for Rugby Supremacy, published in 2017 to critical acclaim. He also writes for Australia's leading interactive sports website The Roar in his weekly column on rugby, 'The Wrap'. He has published almost 450 articles, with almost 2 million views. I chat to Geoff about Rugby, the writ…

Lolesio Sione played rugby union in his youth in Samoa. He and his family came to Australia in 2017, and settled in Melbourne. He has been ear marked as a grassroots gun, and a promising young talent in rugby union. He is now part of the Victorian Rugby Academy and developed his game at Wyndham City Rhinos. The Backrower has also been recently aske…

Kerry Chikarovski is a former NSW Liberal Leader and was the first woman to lead a major political party in New South Wales. She is also the Founder and Director of Chikarovski & Associates, a governmental relations, community engagement and stakeholder relations consultancy, which she founded in 2003, whose expertise spans a wide range of industri…

Andy Lockwood grew up in PNG and the UK. In 1999 he travelled to Perth to play some rugby and managed to get selected for the WA U19s. On return to the UK he attended University before starting a career in the British Army. Rugby playing was put on hold for various periods as deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan were on the cards. In 2015 Andy start…

Your mission with head safe and neck safe is ultimately to eliminate or reduce preventable neck and head injuries. Do you have any current information specific to sport in Australia around the number of head and neck injuries occurring in sport each year. What can we do to prevent this or reduce this number? Concussion is of particular concern, eve…

Will Grant lives in Rouchel (pronounced 'Roo Kill' he tells me) - a small town in the Upper Hunter, and was introduced to Rugby Union when he started as a boarder at the Kings School in Sydney. He played his junior rugby as a rugby league player in the surrounding league competitions offered near his rural home. In his senior high school years, Wil…

In the first episode of the 2021 season of Rugby KO, we talk to the talented Nick Piper, owner and producer of Onion TV. His prolific sports documentaries have a combined almost one million views and he is now into the 7th series of The Season, his Rugby Union documentary series. He takes a close look at schools Rugby, and provides access to the in…

From knowing your opponent’s key stats to studying their star players, preparing your team’s defence is as vital as their offence game. Today we speak with Wallabies defence coach Matt Taylor about his life, career, and what he does to develop a dogged defensive line. After touching on his professional highlights, we chat about his time coaching in…

With so many styles of play on offer, adaptability has become a necessary skill for the international and modern rugby coach. Today we speak with Curtis Bradford, one of the youngest national coaches in World Rugby, whose career has taken him to Malaysia, Wales, Finland, Rwanda, and Austria. After sharing his professional highlights, we chat with C…

High-calibre play and healthy interschool rivalries make school rugby a key battleground for developing the next generation players. Today we speak with ex-Wallaby Tim Wallace about school rugby and his work in rugby development at the Shore School in Sydney. We open our conversation by discussing Tim’s career highlights in club and international r…

For many, rugby has been an incredible outlet where people have found friendship and camaraderie. For Toutai Kefu — arguably the best number 8 that the Wallabies have ever had, transitioning into coaching was a natural step that allowed him to stay connected to the culture that he loves. Today we speak to Toutai about his career as an illustrious p…

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 18% of Australians live with a disability,. With great resilience, and after a 2008 rugby accident resulted in quadraplegia, Mark Tonga has advocated for the rights of people with disabilities. Today we speak to Mark about the contributions that both he and the rugby community have made t…

The pandemic has shifted Australian rugby, causing it to focus on the aspects of the sport that matter the most, including fellowship, player engagement, and rugby’s ability to foster communities. All of these are hallmarks of grassroots rugby. Today we speak with Queensland Reds’ General Manager for Community Rugby, Gaven Head, about his role in p…

Far from being a “dirty word,” fundraising is a critical part of supporting rugby. Importantly, if you don’t ask, you don’t get. Today, we speak with former Olympic rower and Executive Director of the Australian Rugby Foundation, Peter Murphy, about the role his foundation plays in funding rugby. Our conversation opens as Peter explores the Foundat…

Trae Stevens is a Bermudian local who began his rugby career in his final year of high school and has not looked back. He was selected in the U19 Bermuda squad, and today plays tight head prop for the Bermudian Mens national side. Last year they won the Rugby Americas North championships, becoming Carribean Champions, edging out Gutaloop, Trae has …

Never underestimate the strength of a small but motivated rugby team. The first episode of our new Going Global format, today we hop over to Bermuda’s tropical beaches to chat with Jamie Barnwell, head coach for the Bermuda men’s national rugby team. Despite having fewer resources and a limited player pool, Bermuda rugby is thriving, in part due to…

Before Phil Thomson took over as CEO, the Brumbies were facing difficult times. They had posted a financial loss for both 2015 and 2016. Today, they boast a tidy profit and increased membership despite the pandemic. In this episode, we speak with experienced manager and Brumbies CEO Phil Thomson about his experience at the Brumbies’ helm and how th…

Some of the best referees rarely get noticed. And even if they make the right call, they’re likely to suffer abuse from crowds and players alike. With experience officiating over the highest levels of play, Scott Young is a veteran ref who can attest to being sworn at in several foreign languages. As today’s guest, we speak to Scott about our great…

From country Tamworth, Mitchell Watts attends Calrossy School, where he has just completed his year 12 trials. He plays for the Tamworth Magpies in the second row. He was selected for Central North, NSW Country and the the NSW Junior Rugby Union U18’s. Mitch is beginning on his pathway to professionalism, but first hopes to achieve the marks to stu…

2017 was a transformative year for the Melbourne Rebels. Having survived being axed from Super Rugby, they also transitioned from being privately owned to joining the Victoria Rugby Union stable. In today’s episode, we speak with Baden Stephenson about his greatest challenges and achievements since becoming the Rebels CEO in 2017. Considering the u…

We talk with Josephine Sukkar, Principal of Buildcorp about Rugby Australia’s incredible opportunity to redefine our approach to the sport and meet the challenges of modern rugby. Tied to this is the need to build greater inclusivity into the game, especially increasing women’s participation. A member of the Order of Australia, Buildcorp principle,…

Amazing Grace: Women’s Rugby with Grace Hamilton. Despite having a relatively late start in rugby, Grace Hamilton’s commitment to the sport and excellence on the field led her to be named the 2019 Wallaroo of the year. In this episode, we speak with Grace about women’s rugby, her career and leadership challenges, and the future of the sport. We beg…

Phil Waugh was able to follow a clear pathway from being a ballboy and then playing for the Warringah Rats to eventually joining the Wallabies. These days the connection between community and professional rugby aren’t as clear. In today’s episode, we talk with Phil about the importance of grassroots rugby and we ask Phil, a non-executive director f…

While winning is important, rugby is a sport that values teamwork and community. Today’s guest is Rod Seib, Queensland Reds Rugby Academy head coach, whose love of the social aspects of rugby has created a life-long commitment to the sport. Our conversation revolves around his position coaching for elite rugby players and early in the episode, we a…

Josh Flook started playing rugby at 6 years old for the Brothers Rugby Club in Queensland. He continued at the club through to playing colts and then first grade in 2019 at the age of 17. He was part of the Brothers Rugby Club squad that took part in the Queensland Premier Rugby grand final that year. He played in the first XV for Nudgee college fo…

From player to coach, Owen Finegan, our guest this week, has lived and breathed rugby from an early age. In this episode, we chat about his career and get his opinions on Australian rugby today. We start by asking Owen about his significant work as the CEO for the Kids’ Cancer Project, which funds childhood cancer research and looks for better ways…

Wests Scarborough product Brad Lacey is an electric outside back who looks to threaten the opposition every time he gets the ball in his hands. After spending a year away from WA the versatile winger will returned to Perth last year and made a huge impact for the Force. A product of the RugbyWA development pathway, Lacey spent a year with the Queen…

Dietrich Roache started playing rugby at the age of 15. He first played league, but following a family outing to the Sydney 7’s, fell in love with the game of 7’s and Rugby Union. He attended Patrician Brothers Fairfield and plays for the Western Sydney Two Blues in their colts program. He was named in the Sydney U18’s side, then NSWJRU U18’s squad…

This weeks guest, Craig Morgan, understands how crucial local engagement is to the future of rugby. After all, a school visit by a rugby club president is what sparked his involvement in the sport at the age of seven. In our discussion, Craig talks about his position as the General Manager of Western Sydney Two Blues, and how his focus has been on …

In 2018 Will Harrison became the youngest player to sign a professional contract with the NSW Waratahs and is regarded as one of the game’s most promising young talents. The 19-year-old cut his teeth at Marcellin College in Sydney’s east and Harrison has come through the NSW Rugby pathway system but a bad leg injury hampered his 2017 season. Follow…

Jack Bowen is 16 years old and began his Rugby career at Chatswood Junior Rugby Club. He later moved to Mosman and represented Northern Suburbs Juniors where he was involved in the State Championship winning side in 2018. He has twice been selected for Sydney JRU team, and then after being identified as a promising player , became a member of the N…

Brando Va’aulu started his rugby career at the Sunnybank Rugby Club in Queensland. He went to Brisbane State High school and played juniors, then through to senior rugby at the club, being selected to play for Queensland in 2006. He played 34 times until 2010, then headed to Tokyo where he played until 2014. In 2013 he was selected to play for Samo…

Today’s guest is David Mortimer AO, an eminent businessman and rugby patron with more accolades than we can fit here. In this episode, we talk to David about his contributions to rugby and his views on the state of Australian rugby. David shares the story of how he was approached to become the chairman for Rugby Australia and how his different view…

Australian rugby is in quite a state and today we have Brendan Cannon on the show to speak about the need for us to remedy this by reigniting a lost sense of community around our beloved game. For those who don’t know, Brendan was an Australian Wallaby from 2001 to 2006 and has a large number of games under his belt for the Queensland Reds, the War…

A Force to be Reckoned With - Tim Sampson Western Force Head Coach Tim was appointed in 2018 and has a strong commitment to the team and its community, underlining his philosophy about entertainment, involvement and community spirit in this wonderful conversation. Tim has also coached the Canberra Vikings and is the most capped first grade player a…