The Good, The Bad & The Rugby

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Nick Knowles: Pirates, Pasties & Prem Dreams Oct 07, 2026

Show notes

This week, DIY SOS TV star Nick Knowles joins Alex Payne, James Haskell and Mike Tindall and he’s got some great stories to tell.

Now part-owner of the Cornish Pirates, Nick talks about his Welcome to Wrexham-inspired documentary and his ambitious 10-year plan to take the club all the way to the top of the Prem. He also opens up on the realities of making it happen, from the stadium and budget to the challenges of travel to and from Cornwall.

From American investment and pirate-themed stadiums to pasties and cannons, this episode is top drawer.

00:00 🛞 Season 6 is Sponsored By Continental Tyres

04:27 💪 Grip Strength Challenge

07:03 🏉 Rugby Roots

11:02 🚪 Nick’s Career Breaks

14:15 🧠 Rugby Life Lessons

19:03 🎬 Pirates Documentary Vision

27:07 🌊 Love Letter To Cornwall

33:23 🔴 Saracens Visit

35:52 🍒 Gloucester Hype Check

38:14 🏴‍☠️ Pirates Ten Year Plan

43:37 🏟️ Stadium Vision

49:29 💥 Pirate Matchday Spectacle

51:53 🛠️ DIY SOS Legacy

01:04:11 👀Richmond Rising

🎤 Off-Road Live Tour: https://myticket.co.uk/artists/the-go...

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Joe Heyes: From Personal Crisis to England's Finest Sep 30, 2026

Show notes

England's Player of the Season, Joe Heyes, joins the GBR lads for one of the most honest interviews we’ve ever done.

Joe talks us through Leicester's opening-weekend defeat to Saracens, before opening up on a much tougher chapter as a teenager, a battle with his mental health and the journey back to become England's best scummager.

We also dig into Joe’s passion for history, his family's sporting heritage, his smoked-fish side hustle and where England go after a tough 12 months.

... Jonny May eventually made it in too.

Links:

🏰 Follow Joe’s History channels on TikTok & Instagram: @Heyestory

🚴 Support the RFC500 Challenge. Find them on @RFC500 on Instagram.

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🎤 Off-Road Live Tour: https://myticket.co.uk/artists/the-go...

Chapters:

00:00 🏉 Season 7 Is Sponsored By Continental Tyres
01:12 💪 Grip Strength Challenge
02:50 🔍 Leicester V Saracens Review
13:04 🏆 Player of Year Mindset
17:57 📜 Joe’s History Channel
26:00 🔄 Rugby vs Football Culture
30:48 💔 Academy Pressure and Mental Health
37:01 🎭 England Mindset and Team Quirks
46:50 🏟️ Gameday & Family Support
52:56 🏃 Jonny May Arrives Late

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The Signings, The Kits & The Massive Punts Sep 23, 2026

Show notes

New season, same chaos. The wheels are rolling on Season 7 of The Good, The Bad & The Rugby, and we're kicking things off with our wildest preview yet. Payno, Hask and Tins run through everything ahead of a huge year of rugby: the headlines you need to know, the signings that'll shake up the leagues, the fixtures already circled in the calendar, the kits we're loving (and the ones we're not), the coaches we'd love to play for, and a full set of "Massive Punt Predictions" for 2026/27 that we absolutely do not expect to age well.

Thank you as always to Continental Tyres, official tyre partner of England Rugby and proud sponsors of the Continental Tyres Schools Cup.

With a World Cup in Australia around the corner, the lads hit the road for another Live Tour! Tickets are on sale Thursday 24th September at 10am.

🎤 Off-Road Live Tour: https://myticket.co.uk/artists/the-good-the-bad-the-rugby

00:00 🛞 Season 7 is Sponsored by Continental Tyres

03:15 📰 The Biggest Headlines Ahead of the New Season

10:06 🎟️ The Fixtures We Can't Wait to Watch

12:20 ✍️ Signings That'll Shake Up the Leagues

18:52 🏆 Who We Want to Win Silverware

22:43 👕 Best & Worst Kits of the New Season

32:42 🌟 The Rock Star We'd Pay to Watch

37:23 🚀 The Kid Ready to Make an Impact

44:18 🧠 The Coach We'd Love to Play For

53:41 🎲 Massive Punt Predictions for 2026/27

01:00:57 🧡 A Tribute to Tins' Dad

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Season Finale: Courtney Lawes on England's Wild Year Jul 20, 2026

Show notes

It's the last show of the season, and what better way to sign off than with a brand new member of Team GBR joining the panel, Courtney Lawes sits down with Tins to break down a chaotic, controversial final weekend of Nations Championship rugby. England scrape past Argentina in one of the most chaotic games we've seen in years, four yellow cards and all. Courtney gives his verdict on whether England were simply "too aggy" against a scrappy Pumas side. We also round up the rest of the weekend: New Zealand's impressive win over Ireland, Scotland's near-miss against Fiji, and a dominant Springboks side that Courtney says are "operating like a religion" under Rassie Erasmus. It's been a mammoth season of GBR — thank you to every single one of you for watching and listening. See you next season! ───────────────────────────── 🔗 LINKS

🛞 Win two tickets to a Gallagher PREM match: https://purespectrum.decipherinc.com/survey/selfserve/53b/260718?list=1

📗 The Good, The Bad & The Rugby: Unloaded: ⁠https://lnk.to/GBRUnlocked/waterstones 💸 Refund Club is a trading style of Sandsford Law Limited, authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA no. 8008114). Checking is free. A fee is payable only if your claim is successful. Eligibility: car finance taken out in the UK between 2007 and 2021. The average claim is around £829 per agreement; this is an average and not a guarantee of the amount you will receive. You can also claim yourself for free by contacting your lender or the Financial Ombudsman Service. https://refundclub.co.uk/gbr ───────────────────────────── 📑CHAPTERS 00:00 🚗 Season 6 Is Sponsored By Continental Tyres 01:51 💥 England vs Argentina Chaos 03:26 🟨 Discipline Yellow Card Crisis 07:17 🏉 Breakdown Strategy Debate 10:10 📈 Positives and Player Progress 15:52 💸 Refund Club 16:51 🎥 TMO Drama 22:31 🔥 Borthwick Pressure and Roadmap 32:33 🤔 Selection Stability Debate 33:17 🔒 Locking In Core Roles 34:32 ⭐ Should Pollock Start 35:56 🌍 England World Cup Outlook 38:55 📺 Harvey Norman RGB TVs 40:38 ⚡ All Blacks vs Ireland Controversy 47:54 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland and Fiji Check-In 53:43 🏆 Boks Dominance and Season Sign-Off

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Argentina v England Preview Jul 16, 2026

Show notes

Producer Tom and Mike Brown dig into Steve Borthwick’s final selection for the summer leg of the Nations Championship ahead of England v Argentina. Steve has a 5/5 record against Los Pumas… no excuses then?

00:29 💔 Football Heartbreak 03:41 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England Team Named 05:07 🔄 Marcus at Fullback 06:19 🤫 Start Pollock Debate 11:03 💥 Buenos Aires Hostility 13:45 💸 Refund Club 14:44 📈 What Counts as Progress? 17:25 🔥 How Big Is This Game?

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Stop The Boks! Can't Stop The Boks! Jul 12, 2026

Show notes

Alex Payne is joined by Mike Brown and former Scotland Captain John Barclay to break down Round 2 of the Nations Championship. The trio unpack South Africa's incredible depth, ask whether anyone can stop the Boks on the road to 2027, and debate whether Scotland's performance was a step forward despite the defeat. Plus, England finally get back to winning ways against Fiji where Henry Pollock continues his remarkable rise. Will Steve Borthwick start him v Argentina? The guys give their verdict.

Refund Club is a trading style of Sandsford Law Limited, authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA no. 8008114). Checking is free. A fee is payable only if your claim is successful. Eligibility: car finance taken out in the UK between 2007 and 2021. The average claim is around £829 per agreement; this is an average and not a guarantee of the amount you will receive. You can also claim yourself for free by contacting your lender or the Financial Ombudsman Service.

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00:00 Season 6 is Sponsored by Continental Tyres

03:16 Scotland vs Springboks

13:55 South Africa Depth Debate

21:37 Ad Break Refund Club

22:35 Fiji Worries and Board Drama

25:56 England Attack Identity

33:56 Let Pollock Loose

34:28 Backline Picks Argentina

35:22 Backing Van Rensburg

37:01 Caluori & Why Fullback Is Hard

41:30 Harvey Norman Break

43:02 Will Jordan Record Breaker

47:02 France Depth And Wallabies Woes

52:22 Japan Home Game Farce

56:48 All Blacks vs Ireland - Round 3

59:07 Argentina vs England - Round 3

01:02:33 Tables Fixtures And Farewell

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Fiji v England Preview Jul 09, 2026

Show notes

Alex Payne and Mike Brown run the rule over Steve Borthwick’s selection ahead of England’s game against Fiji. The pressure is on Steve Borthwick following a 5th straight defeat this year.

00:00 🚗 - Season 6 Is Sponsored By Continental Tyres

01:26 🏉 - England v Fiji Build-Up

02:49 📋 - England Team Sheet Analysis

06:11 🎙️ - Brown On England’s Backline

10:47 💷 - Refund Club

11:46 🤔 - Who Should Play 15?

14:20 💥 - How Will England Deal With The Pressure?

17:57 🧠 - The Value Of Experience

20:14 🍻 - O’Neills Pubs

20:58 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 - Come On England

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Altitude Sickness: Can England Find a Cure? Jul 05, 2026

Show notes

South Africa reminded everyone exactly why they're world champions, brushing England aside 45-21 at altitude in Johannesburg to open the new Nations Championship. Payno, Hask and Tins dig into where it really went wrong for England, not the early 17-0 hole (they clawed back to within three at half-time), but the, two costly yellow cards, and defensive system the boys argue isn't getting the best out of these players. It sparks a proper debate about whether Shaun Edwards is the "elephant in the room" England can't keep ignoring. The lads give their early thoughts on the tournament itself. Plus Wales' back-to-back wins, Dave Rennie's winning start with the All Blacks, Ireland's fightback in Australia.

🛞 00:00 Season 6 is Sponsored By Continental Tyres

🤔 01:16 Does the New Nations Championship Make Sense?

📊 02:54 Round One Results

🏉 06:30 England vs South Africa Breakdown

🐘 16:10 Shaun Edwards "Elephant In The Room"

🚗 33:31 Refund Club

🔥 34:33 Australia vs Ireland Thriller

🇳🇿 39:43 All Blacks Edge France

🌸 43:54 Japan Upset Italy and Wales Rise

📋 47:19 Table Round Up

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South Africa v England Preview Jul 02, 2026

Show notes

Mike Brown joins Payno to react to Steve Borthwick's England team selection ahead of the blockbuster Test against South Africa. From Tommy Freeman at 13 to Tom Curry's massive back row battle, Brown gives his verdict on England's chances against the world champion Springboks.

01:53 🏉 Starting XV Breakdown 03:20 💬 Freeman at 13 Debate 04:53 ⚡ Van Poortvliet and Curry Spotlight 09:21 🎖️ Caps and Experience Gap 11:20 🛡️ Furbank Fullback Fundamentals 13:24 ⛰️ Altitude Reality Check 16:23 🔥 Ellis Park Hostility 19:38 📝 Composite XV Picks 22:35 🎯 How England Can Upset 24:36 🔮 Prediction and Wrap Up

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How to Beat the Boks in South Africa Jun 30, 2026

Show notes

In this week’s show we hear from two men who have done what few England players ever have: beaten the Springboks in South Africa. Mike Tindall and Jonny May take us inside England's historic victories in 2000 and 2018, sharing untold tour stories and revealing the physical and mental blueprint required to "Beat the Boks".

2000: SA 22 – ENG 27 at Bloemfontein: (1-8) Jason Leonard, Phil Greening, Julian White, Martin Johnson, Danny Grewcock, Richard Hill, Neil Back, Lawrence Dallaglio (9-15) Kyran Bracken, Jonny Wilkinson, Ben Cohen, Mike Catt, Mike Tindall, Austin Healey, Matt Perry Bench – Mark Regan, Dave Flatman, Simon Shaw, Joe Worsley, Will Greenwood, Tim Stimpson, Leon Lloyd South Africa: Montgomery, Paulse, Fleck, Barry, P. Rossouw, van Straaten, van der Westhuizen, Kempson, Marais, Visagie, Boome, Otto, Krige, Venter, Vos.

2018 SA 10 – ENG 25 at Newlands (1-8) Joe Marler, Jamie George, Kyle Sinckler, Joe Launchbury, Maro Itoje, Chris Robshaw, Tom Curry, Nathan Hughes (9-15) Ben Youngs, Danny Cipriani, Mike Brown, Owen Farrell, Henry Slade, Jonny May, Elliot Daly Bench – Luke Cowan-Dickie, Alec Hepburn, Harry Williams, Jonny Hill, Mark Wilson, Sam Simmonds, Ben Spencer, Denny Solomona

00:00 🍑 Jonny May’s Tattoo

03:41 🇿🇦 Boks v England Preview

07:43 😡 Red Mist to Friendship

14:57 🚌 Touring South Africa Reality

18:04 🌹 The 2000 Tour

26:13 🔫 Robbed at Gunpoint

31:37 🦌 The Infamous 53-3

35:55 🛫 The 2018 Tour

40:30 🏟️ Siya Kolisi and Rassie Era

43:32 🙉 Tour Madness

45:38 🗻 Cape Town Win and Cipriani

🔗 LINKS

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