Rugby’s Greatest Rivals | Episode 1: Consider your country at war episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 15, 2026 · 12 MIN

Rugby’s Greatest Rivals | Episode 1: Consider your country at war

from The Ruck

The Springboks and All Blacks share a rivalry like no other - and it’s about so much more than just the rugby itself. The real story goes back over a century of racism, rebel tours, politics and protest, fuelling fierce confrontations on the field. With South Africa and New Zealand about to kick-off a four test series branded 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry', Alex, Will and Elgan bring you a special podcast series charting the history of battles between rugby’s superpowers. Our story starts over a century ago, in a world recovering from war, where tension over race is sparked by the infamous 'Blackett telegram'.This podcast was produced and edited by Alfie Reynolds, with help from Hope Federico, Robert Wallace, Jamie Wall and David Whisson. Read more: Rugby’s Greatest Rivals: Springboks v All Blacks Photo: Getty Images Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Aug 15, 2026

Embed this episode

NOW PLAYING

Rugby’s Greatest Rivals | Episode 1: Consider your country at war

0:00 12:01

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of The Ruck?

This episode is 12 minutes long.

When was this The Ruck episode published?

This episode was published on August 15, 2026.

Can I download this The Ruck episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!