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To the Last Drop
To the Last Drop

To the Last Drop

Seasoned rugby writers Brenden Nel and Liam Del Carme have teamed up with Jacaranda FM to bring you 'To The Last Drop', your weekly dose of all things rugby. They collectively bring almost 60 years of rugby reporting to the microphone diving into the game's most topical news stories, interviewing guests in-the-know, gazing into the fixture list crystal ball, and occasionally exploring the game's weird and wacky. Like the bounce of the ball, every episode is a journey into the unknown. TTLD talks tipple too, as our hosts and guests uncork tales that will likely titillate. New episodes drop every Thursday at 9.00am wherever you get your podcasts. About the hosts: Liam Del Carme is one of the country's most enduring sports writers. His time in the newsrooms pre-dates rugby turning professional in the 1990s. Del Carme is currently the rugby writer at The Sunday Times. Del Carme has reported at six Rugby World Cups and around 20 Currie Cup finals. He loves cooking and travel and is the author of the book 'WINGING IT – On tour with the Boks'. Brenden Nel - Rugby has always been a passion for Brenden, so much so that he made it a career. Since first entering a newsroom at the Citizen almost three decades ago, he has written for some of the biggest titles in the world, including Rapport, the Independent (UK), The Times (UK), South China Morning Post and a host of others. Currently, he covers all things rugby for Supersport.com and has reported on no less than four World Cups, five Sevens World Cups and around 250 test matches in total. Brenden is also the author of "Derick Hougaard - Dieware storie van Loftus se Liefling” and has a popular YouTube channel under his name.

Available Episodes 10

Scotland primed to flower

SA Rugby chief executive Rian Oberholzer is in the hot seat on the latest edition of To The Last Drop. Presenters Brenden Nel and Liam Del Carme fired wide ranging questions at the veteran rugby administrator, in particular SA Rugby's much publicised proposed equity deal with the Ackerley Sports Group (ASG). Oberholzer reaffirmed SA Rugby's need to enter an equity agreement and he explained why ASG was their preferred bidder.
Oberholzer also laid bare what SA's competition structure might look like if all the balls in the air fall into place and why the country can't afford to only have four professional teams.
Brenden and Liam also reflect on the last weekend of URC action before the competition went into recess.

Vincent Tshituka still wants to play for the Springboks but the Sharks flank that it will be tough. He points to the long conveyor belt of outstanding loose forwards in South Africa as a potential obstacle but is keeping the faith.
Hosts Liam Del Carme and Brenden Nel note scrumhalf Faf de Klerk's absence from the Bok squad to tour the United Kingdom, but they agree it is a very powerful 34-man squad.
They are also in agreement the Bulls were unfortunate to cop another red card in the URC and that the Pretoria side may find the going tough this weekend in the URC.

Rugby, as vehicle for delivering a spectacle, is on as smooth a path as it has ever been professor Ross Tucker tells this week's edition of To The Last Drop. The renowned sports scientist who sits on a World Rugby committee tasked with player well-being, especially in relation to concussion, says players are now less likely to suffer catastrophic injury than ever before. This, he believes, has not come at the expense of the product despite the fact that the sport is played at breakneck speed.
Hosts Liam Del Carme and Brenden Nel also stare into the crystal ball and predict URC wins this weekend for three of South Africa's URC franchises. They are divided on the fourth.

South Africa's all conquering teams in last weekend's matches in the United Rugby Championship face a far more daunting challenge this weekend when all go into combat away from home. Still, To The Last Drop hosts Brenden Nel and Liam Del Carme argue all four have a realistic chance of coming away with victory in their clashes in the United Kingdom and Italy.
Also on the show, Lions No8 Francke Horn explains why his team will this weekend go into their clash against the Dragons brimming confidence.

On this week's To The Last Drop, Brenden and Liam break down last weekend's Rugby Championship decider between the Springboks and Argentina in Mbombela.
They delve into how the title-winning campaign will benefit the Boks down the line and what the team's management may have in store for the end-of-year tour in November. Later Aphelele Fassi, who has rediscovered the spring in his step, and the always trucking Pieter-Steph du Toit have their say.

Our 'To The Last Drop' hosts agree the Springboks have much to atone in this Saturday's Rugby Championship decider against Argentina in Nelspruit. They fell agonisingly short in rural Argentina last weekend but our hosts concur that defeat cannot be placed at the door of just one player. Besides, apart from missing one kick Manie Libbok actually had a decent Test in Santiago del Estero.
Later in the episode former Blitzboks flyer Marius Schoeman tells Brenden and Liam about his transition from Sevens High Performance manager at SA Rugby to CEO of the SA Rugby Legends. Apart from being a decorated Sevens player himself, Schoeman in concert with Neil Powell, has been instrumental in identifying and developing the talents of Kwagga Smith, Cheslin Kolbe, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Co.

Mziwakhe Nkosi believes Saturday's Currie Cup final is a shot at redemption for the Lions when they clash with the Sharks at Ellis Park. Nkosi admits on the 'To The Last Drop' podcast his players did not cover themselves in glory on that day when they were sucker punched into kicking duel.
Nkosi is unfazed about the prospect of the Sharks loading their team with Springboks.
This week's show also looks forward to the Springboks' Test against Argentina in Santiago del Estero plus it features a clip from Bok coach Rassie Erasmus in which he expresses his displeasure at Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu's decision not to reveal an injury.

As much as Springbok rugby is in rude health, the All Blacks find themselves under searching examination following three defeats in their first four Rugby Championship clashes this year. 'To The Last Drop' hosts Brenden Nel and Liam Del Carme argue the All Blacks aren't far off the pace but that the wins column will ultimately determine the fate of their head coach Scott Robertson. The All Blacks coach faced some awkward questions after his team's defeat in Cape Town last Saturday.

After their stunning come-from-behind win over the All Blacks at Ellis Park, the Springboks are within touching distance of claiming their first Rugby Championship since 2019.

They meet the All Blacks again on Saturday but the tourists have much to ponder ahead to the clash at Cape Town Stadium. The To The Last Drop hosts chew the fat with Kiwi journalist Jamie Wall about their prospects, the difference Scott Robertson has made since becoming head coach, and the state of New Zealand rugby.