Games of the Week 34 – Clash of Style

Brett McKay and Harry Jones lay out the final Games of the Week for 2024, incorporating the final match of the Northern Spring Autumn Series Tours between Ireland and Australian in Dublin, and which will put Joe Schmidt and his gameplan up against his former assistant Andy Farrell and the same gameplan in what will be a fascinating contest. The United Rugby Championship and the English Premiership are both back this week too.</p><br /></p>Does Schmidt and the Wallabies have one last performance up their sleeve for 2024, and what would an upset win over Ireland mean for Australian rugby heading into 2025, and the arrival of the British & Irish Lions? What would a third loss for Lions nations do for their confidence? And how hard will it be to get back into club and franchise rugby after a big month of Internationals?</p><br /></p><strong>This week’s Games of the Week:</strong></p>• Ireland v Australia in Dublin</p><br /></p>URC Rd.7: Munster v Lions in Limerick</p>Premiership Rd.7: Harlequins v Bristol at the Stoop</p>Top 14 Rd.11: Racing 92 v Toulouse in Paris</p><br /></p><strong>Social media: #89Combo</strong></p>Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo</p>YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo </p><strong><em>Now on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social</em></strong></p><br /></p>Brett: https://twitter.com/BMcSport </p>Harry: https://twitter.com/HaribaldiJones</p><br /></p><em>You can find Brett and Harry individually on BlueSky, too!</em></p><br /></p><strong>Make sure you SUBSCRIBE on Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm </strong></p><br /></p><strong>Find Brett and Harry’s written work on RugbyPass and The Roar:</strong></p>Brett: https://www.rugbypass.com/plus/contributor/brett-mckay/</p>Harry: https://www.theroar.com.au/author/haribaldi/ </p><br /></p>Music from Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/track/oakvale-of-albion/extreme </p><br /></p> </p>Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a></p>

00:28:33

Ep.42 - Replacing the Snake with Patrick McCarry

Brett McKay and Harry Jones are joined on The 8-9 Combo by Irish sportswriter and playwright Patrick McCarry to look back over the final full weekend of the Northern Spring Autumn Series Tour, and then to cast an eye forward to the final international fixture for 2024 this weekend coming, when Ireland host Australia at the Aviva in Dublin this Saturday.</p><br /></p>The Irish haven’t had the smoothest of time through this Autumn Nations, and have had to make adjustments to the new Law Variations in play, but this weekend, there is also a much revered character to deal with: the return of Joe Schmidt, with his rebuilding Wallabies in tow.</p><br /></p><strong>Social media: #89Combo</strong></p>Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo</p>YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo </p><strong><em>Now on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social</em></strong></p><br /></p>Brett: https://twitter.com/BMcSport </p>Harry: https://twitter.com/HaribaldiJones</p><br /></p><em>You can find Brett and Harry individually on BlueSky, too!</em></p><br /></p><strong>Make sure you FOLLOW US on Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm </strong></p><br /></p><strong>Find Brett and Harry’s written work on RugbyPass and The Roar:</strong></p>Brett: https://www.rugbypass.com/plus/contributor/brett-mckay/</p>Harry: https://www.theroar.com.au/author/haribaldi/ </p><br /></p>Music from Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/track/oakvale-of-albion/extreme </p>Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney + Amelia</p> </p>Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a></p>

01:09:09

Test Match post-mortem 12 – Murrayfield Maul Chokes Winged Wallabies

Brett McKay and Harry Jones jump into another Test Match post-mortem without much thought at all, with this week's fulltime focus on Scotland’s gritty 27-13 win over Australia at </p>a chilly Murrayfield in Edinburgh, the wrap up the final full weekend of Northern Spring Autumn Series Tours.</p><br /></p>In a game that would have been a statement win for either side, it was the Scots who maintained their shape, their discipline, and their excellent defence to see off the Wallabies, and with it, another shot at a historic Grand Slam.</p> </p><strong>Social media: #89Combo</strong></p>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/89combo">https://twitter.com/89combo</a></p>YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo">https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo</a> </p><strong>Now on BlueSky: </strong><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social"><strong>https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social</strong></a><strong> </strong></p> </p>Brett: <a href="https://twitter.com/BMcSport">https://twitter.com/BMcSport</a> </p>Harry: <a href="https://twitter.com/HaribaldiJones">https://twitter.com/HaribaldiJones</a></p><br /></p><em>You can find Brett and Harry individually on BlueSky, too!</em></p> </p><strong>Make sure you FOLLOW US on Spotify!</strong></p><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm">https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm</a> </p> </p><strong>Find Brett and Harry’s written work on RugbyPass and The Roar:</strong></p>Brett: <a href="https://www.rugbypass.com/plus/contributor/brett-mckay/">https://www.rugbypass.com/plus/contributor/brett-mckay/</a></p>Harry: <a href="https://www.theroar.com.au/author/haribaldi/">https://www.theroar.com.au/author/haribaldi/</a> </p> </p>Music from Uppbeat: <a href="https://uppbeat.io/track/oakvale-of-albion/extreme">https://uppbeat.io/track/oakvale-of-albion/extreme</a> </p> </p>Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a></p>

00:27:30

Games of the Week 33 – Best be Frontrunners

Brett McKay and Harry Jones lay out the Games of the Week for the final full weekend of the Northern Spring Autumn Series Tours, the last chance for the Home Nations to save something from the November Tests, and for the southern hemisphere nations to reinforce their claims of global rugby domination.</p><br /></p>Can Argentina spring one last upset? Can Ireland make one last statement? How much patience is left in Wales? Will New Zealand appease fans at home with a fourth Spring Tour win? Will Scotland blink first, or Australia? And will the full support of the board continue for Steve Borthwick?</p><br /></p>This week’s Games of the Week:</p><strong>• France v Argentina in Paris </strong></p><strong>• Wales v South Africa in Cardiff </strong></p><strong>• Italy v New Zealand in Turin </strong></p><strong>• Scotland v Australia in Edinburgh</strong></p><br /></p>Plus, the Top 14 is back: we like the sound of <strong>Toulon v Bayonne</strong> on Saturday</p><br /></p><strong>Social media: #89Combo</strong></p>Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo</p>YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo </p><strong>Now on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social</strong></p><br /></p>Brett: https://twitter.com/BMcSport </p>Harry: https://twitter.com/HaribaldiJones</p><br /></p><em>You can find Brett and Harry individually on BlueSky, too!</em></p><br /></p><strong>Make sure you SUBSCRIBE on Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm </strong></p><br /></p><strong>Find Brett and Harry’s written work on RugbyPass and The Roar:</strong></p>Brett: https://www.rugbypass.com/plus/contributor/brett-mckay/</p>Harry: https://www.theroar.com.au/author/haribaldi/ </p><br /></p>Music from Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/track/oakvale-of-albion/extreme </p> </p>Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a></p>

00:30:15

Ep.41 – Giving Every Ounce with Dan McKellar

Brett McKay and Harry Jones are joined on The 8-9 Combo by incoming New South Wales Waratahs coach Dan McKellar, who has put the disappointment of how his Leicester Tigers gig ended, the strong links to his native Queensland, and his storied history with the ACT Brumbies all behind him to get on with the job of restoring the Waratahs to the force Australian rugby needs them to be.</p><br /></p>Plus, Brett and Harry also dig into the Wallabies’ super impressive 52-20 thumping of Wales in Cardiff, the first time Australia has won consecutive matches on foreign soil since the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan. Next up for the Wallabies are Scotland at Murrayfield, and a contest that has remained tight for the last few years.</p><br /></p><strong>Social media: #89Combo</strong></p>Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo</p>YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo </p><strong><em>Now on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social</em></strong></p><br /></p>Brett: https://twitter.com/BMcSport </p>Harry: https://twitter.com/HaribaldiJones</p><br /></p><em>You can find Brett and Harry individually on BlueSky, too!</em></p><br /></p><strong>Make sure you FOLLOW US on Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm </strong></p><br /></p><strong>Find Brett and Harry’s written work on RugbyPass and The Roar:</strong></p>Brett: https://www.rugbypass.com/plus/contributor/brett-mckay/</p>Harry: https://www.theroar.com.au/author/haribaldi/ </p><br /></p>Music from Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/track/oakvale-of-albion/extreme </p>Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney + Amelia</p><br /></p> </p>Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a></p>

01:19:09

Test Match post-mortem 11 – Greatest Win of All Time

Brett McKay and Harry Jones jump into another Test Match post-mortem without much thought at all, with this week's fulltime focus on France’s patient 30-29 win over New Zealand in Paris, and South Africa’s well-in-hand 29-20 win over England at Twickenham.</p><br /></p>Two enthralling contests with lead changes and plenty of drama, and from which there was plenty to talk about straight away – and will be more to talk about for the rest of the week, we’re sure.</p><br /></p><strong>Social media: #89Combo</strong></p>Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo</p>YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo </p><strong>Now on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social </strong></p><br /></p>Brett: https://twitter.com/BMcSport </p>Harry: https://twitter.com/HaribaldiJones</p><br /></p><strong>Make sure you FOLLOW US on Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm </strong></p><br /></p><strong>Find Brett and Harry’s written work on RugbyPass and The Roar:</strong></p>Brett: https://www.rugbypass.com/plus/contributor/brett-mckay/</p>Harry: https://www.theroar.com.au/author/haribaldi/ </p><br /></p>Music from Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/track/oakvale-of-albion/extreme </p><br /></p> </p>Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a></p>

00:30:27

Games of the Week 32 – Itching in the Loafers

Brett McKay and Harry Jones lay out the Games of the Week for the second full weekend of the Northern Spring Autumn Series Tour, where the Home Nations in particular will be seeking responses after all suffering losses of varying degrees of hurt the previous round.</p><br /></p>Pressure is starting to mount in certain team environments, and another loss will only add to some already uncomfortable narratives. How much patience does Twickenham Man have left? Equally though, the SANZAAR nations in particular will be wanting to continue their run of performances, with all eyes on South Africa to see if they can make themselves proud again after a win, and Australia determine to ensure the Twickenham triumph was not one-night-only.</p><br /></p><strong>This week’s Games of the Week:</strong></p><strong>• Ireland v Argentina in Dublin</strong></p><strong>• England v South Africa at Twickenham</strong></p><strong>• France v New Zealand in Paris</strong></p><strong>• Wales v Australia in Cardiff</strong></p><br /></p><strong>Social media: #89Combo</strong></p>Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo</p>YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo </p><br /></p>Brett: https://twitter.com/BMcSport </p>Harry: https://twitter.com/HaribaldiJones</p><br /></p><strong>Make sure you SUBSCRIBE on Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm </strong></p><br /></p><strong>Find Brett and Harry’s written work on RugbyPass and The Roar:</strong></p>Brett: https://www.rugbypass.com/plus/contributor/brett-mckay/</p>Harry: https://www.theroar.com.au/author/haribaldi/ </p><br /></p>Music from Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/track/oakvale-of-albion/extreme </p><br /></p> </p>Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a></p>

00:33:52

Ep.40 – No Lamb Curries with Charlie Morgan

Brett McKay and Harry Jones are joined on The 8-9 Combo by <em>The Telegraph’s</em> senior rugby writer Charlie Morgan to look back over the first full weekend of matches of the Northern Spring Autumn Series Tour, with New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, Fiji and South Africa all recording wins in a sweep of southern hemisphere dominance.</p><br /></p>Of course, that means we probably should brace for some kind of reaction, and in the case of Ireland, England, and Scotland, their supporters are already demanding that. But spare a thought for England coach Steve Borthwick, with the RFU already coming out to publicly back their man. And that always ends well…</p><br /></p><strong>Social media: #89Combo</strong></p>Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo</p>YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo </p><br /></p>Brett: https://twitter.com/BMcSport </p>Harry: https://twitter.com/HaribaldiJones</p><br /></p><strong>Make sure you FOLLOW US on Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm </strong></p><br /></p><strong>Find Brett and Harry’s written work on RugbyPass and The Roar:</strong></p>Brett: https://www.rugbypass.com/plus/contributor/brett-mckay/</p>Harry: https://www.theroar.com.au/author/haribaldi/ </p><br /></p>Music from Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/track/oakvale-of-albion/extreme </p>Voiceovers by Chookman + Sean Maloney + Amelia</p><br /></p> </p>Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a></p>

01:20:28

Test Match post-mortem 10 – Joseph & the Technicolour Dream Debut

Brett McKay and Harry Jones rip into another Test Match post-mortem before giving it any thought at all, with this week's fulltime focus on the Wallabies absolutely stunning 42-37 comeback win over England at Twickenham, as well as looking back at New Zealand’s 23-13 win over Ireland in Dublin on Friday night</p><br /></p>An incredible win from Australia. Is it too big a stretch to call it the single greatest win in rugby history? No, we didn’t think so..</p><br /></p><strong>Social media: #89Combo</strong></p>Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo</p>YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo </p><br /></p>Brett: https://twitter.com/BMcSport </p>Harry: https://twitter.com/HaribaldiJones</p><br /></p><strong>Make sure you FOLLOW US on Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm </strong></p><br /></p><strong>Find Brett and Harry’s written work on RugbyPass and The Roar:</strong></p>Brett: https://www.rugbypass.com/plus/contributor/brett-mckay/</p>Harry: https://www.theroar.com.au/author/haribaldi/ </p><br /></p>Music from Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/track/oakvale-of-albion/extreme</p> </p>Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a></p>

00:37:42

Games of the Week 31 – Something Out of the Can with John Ferguson

Brett McKay and Harry Jones push <em>Games of the Week</em> deep into the second week of the November Internationals, where they welcome Australian rugby writer for RugbyPass and The Roar, John Ferguson, along for a proper preview look at the biggest Test Matches of the weekend.</p><br /></p><strong>This week’s Games of the Week:</strong></p>• Ireland v New Zealand in Dublin</p>• England v Australia at Twickenham</p>• Scotland v South Africa at Murrayfield</p><br /></p>• Top 14 Rd.10: Toulon v Bayonne</p><br /></p><strong>Social media: #89Combo</strong></p>Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo</p>YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo </p><br /></p>Brett: https://twitter.com/BMcSport </p>Harry: https://twitter.com/HaribaldiJones</p><br /></p><strong>Make sure you SUBSCRIBE on Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm </strong></p><br /></p><strong>Find Brett and Harry’s written work on RugbyPass and The Roar:</strong></p>Brett: https://www.rugbypass.com/plus/contributor/brett-mckay/</p>Harry: https://www.theroar.com.au/author/haribaldi/ </p><br /></p>Music from Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/track/oakvale-of-albion/extreme </p> </p>Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a></p>

00:42:03