Wrong Side of the Ruck

Strap into the couch today folks because we just got done watching thirteen Leinster players hold off a pissed off Toulon in a Champions Cup semi final. Somewhere between a bullshit TMO call, the second yellow card, and Tocco doing his best Leif Erikson to find Leinster on a map it all goes off the rails. Exactly where you'd expect us to end up. The battering ram theory of physics and tackling gets a full review, Gibson-park has the try of the match, until he didn't, and Jonesey makes too many points for anyone to actually follow. The couch, much like Leinster, is still intact.Welcome to Rugby on the Wrong Side of the Ruck. Yellow cards, new words and the Road to Bilbao. Get in losers, we think you'll like it here.

The couch is back this week and Leicester give us plenty to talk about in their defeat of Bristol. Theirs bonus point tries, cards and Tocco finally nails the tagline for us, twice, while finding out he needs space to run and frolic. We loose the questions for the mailbag, still don't have an intro for it, and Tocco takes on English drinking habits with a hot take that would turn Pollocks hair white. Er. White-er. We've got flanker on flanker crime, scrums so sexual you'll make rutting noises, nostalgic tales of the Vert and a Metzstein file that's still redacted.Come get cozy as we chat, confidently incorrect, about the sport we all love. It's rugby on the Wrong Side of the Ruck. We think you'll like it here.

Grab a spot on the couch as we work to somehow right this ship and proudly come in with absolutely no plan, no prep, and no intention of fixing that. What started as a return to Japan, a full-circle moment back to Episode 1, quickly turns into us questioning how this whole thing ever worked in the first place. MXC didn’t pan out, this did, and we’re still not convinced that makes sense.We talk ex-All Black 9s like TJ Perenara and Aaron Smith and Tocco confidently discovers in real time that Verblitz and “Blitzkrieg Bop” are not, in fact, the same thing. Mullets are flowing, islander bleach-blonde chaos is thriving, and we keep dragging the conversation back to the scrums like it’s the only thing holding this together.This one is even less analysis and somehow more nonsense. Just like your favorite B-Side old boys; all chaos, all scrums, and mostly wrong.Welcome to the B-Side, we think you'll like it here.

Triple A couldn't find us back in 2000 in the DeLorean and Tocco doesn't know a thing about Fusion, so we headed over to Australia to watch the greatest game ever played. Or so we're told.Settle down on the couch because this one gets weird fast. Rapid succession tries from New Zealand in the opening minutes have us questioning WHY this is the greatest game ever played, Harambe comes up and we take a hard left at was Jonah Lomu even that good. Somehow our Swiss fan Bielle-Biarray is still on our minds as we lament the chaos that is this match; Crooked feeds, hits that would get you a bunker review and props that make us believe we could have actually gone pro.The couches are full, the beers are cold and the rugby is...questionable. But this is rugby the way we like it, the way it was meant to be watched.On the wrong side of the ruck. Welcome, we think you'll like it here.

It may have been Super Saturday, and we may have picked an off match, but work with us here. The couch is still cozy and we're getting to all the matches; this one is just for us.Tocco is Sicilian, Jones is Welsh, and sometimes the heart wants what the heart wants. Like a nice Vespa. So while the title was decided elsewhere we caught the highlights first, then settled in and did what we do best; watched the match and talked about almost everything except what was in front of us.There's D1 rugby and a coming of age tale about Boise, Tocco's dad has some swagger that we refuse to elaborate on, and Ferrari the prop gets the full Ferrari treatment. Hot takes about Italy at a World Cup, Bielle-Biarrey makes his way in, and England did England things to Ireland. Just in rugby this time.This may be the end of the Men's Six Nations, but we're just getting started. It's the rugby you've always wanted, just on the Wrong Side of the Ruck. Welcome, we think you'll like it here.

The couch is sitting a little lower this week as we wallow in our self pity in not making the 1st side again. Said pity doesn't last long as beers are had and stories start flying. The Metzstein files get opened again, commercial reads go completely sideways from the start and Jones apparently has amnesia about it. Edinburgh vs. Ulster gives us an excuse to talk about red cards and what the hell is the use in a game like this while we spend most of the time not actually answering the question.We talk Irish Bars in Budapest and the legend of the most Hungarian man ever, Attila, the dark origins of "on the Wagon" and Tocco talks about getting kicked out of bars for things he probably may have not ever done.This one is less analysis and way more barstool. Just like your favorite B-Side old boys; all story, all beer, mostly wrong.

This is a big one. Largest episode yet. We had to break out an extra couch to contain all the rugby. Round 4 of the 6 Nations delivered two huge wins and a...Wales, and we weren't able to just pick one game and try and pretend the others weren't awesome. Scotland did Scottish things and gave us hope, France drops their first loss, Italy puts England down and Ireland handled Wales, but not as handily as you'd think. It's almost any ones 6 Nations going into week 5.Tocco tries math. Jones gets way too excited about a match he knows the ending of, we talk our favorite trainer Krieger and try and explain how this whole thing can end looking like charlie Day with some string and a murder board.The couches are full of friends, the beer is still cold and there's a lot happening. Welcome to Rugby the way you've always wanted it; on the Wrong Side of the Ruck. We think you'll like it here.

The couch is back in action for Six Nations round 3 that has Jones grasping at his chest at what could have been. Wales were up at half 17-5. In Cardiff. And yet we still found a side quest into how to pronounce someones name. There are unprovoked, yet passionate, rants about scrum feeds that Tocco may not be listening to, a potential 70's porn star and Finn Russell doing things in the second half that would make a stripper blush.Come hang out with us as we open up the Metstein files, ensure no beer goes undrunk and we open up the Mail Bag to tell your stories.It's the rugby you always wanted; on the Wrong Side of the ruck. Welcome, we think you'll like it here.

Well thats unfortunate. The team sheet has gone up and we've been dropped from the first team. Good news for you though as we're running with the B-Side today.It all starts with scrums, and we can't shut up about them. Binding technique, head placement and headbutts. You know, the dark arts. The only reason chubby guys like us can even take the field still.This is the B Side. No real structure, no real game plan, just the boys talking ourselves into corners we can't get out of. Tocco launches an assault on Queensland that borders on obsessive, we somehow veer down Mormon Soaking lane and end up at Del Taco somewhere down the line.The couch is comfy this week, the pints are flowing earlier than normal and we've accepted our demotions. Welcome to the third half!

The couch is pulling double duty this week, keeping one eye on the 6 Nations pulse before flying south for the summer and the opener of a landmark season. Thirty years of Super Rugby Pacific and one hell of an opening game.Finn Russell fingers a tap pass that was, frankly, inappropriate. Italy are doing things to Ireland that have absolutely no business happening. Jones gives up on Wales completely and we're not sure he's coming back from it. Then we make the trip to Dunedin; Tavatavanawai is back, de Groot is back, Ta'avao makes his debut and Nareki pulls off the kind of play that makes you remember exactly why you fell in love with this game in the first place.The Boys are Back in Town, the couch is comfy, the beer is cold and we can't wait to share the Highlanders with you.

We're back on the couch this week and it's a doozie; France vs. Ireland, the long awaited 6Nations home opener and a pair of Americans who probably care a little too much.Jones is doing his best to resist the allure of the French, Tocco is making wild claims about English rugby with the confidence of a man who believes he's never been wrong once in his life. Dupont comes out of the sheds and does literally everything while somehow having time to be that good looking. Bielle-Biarrey remains Swiss until proven otherwise, ITV's scrum commercials get a public shaming and we finally find out what a BlueRev is. We've got lineouts arriving exactly on time, scrums collapsing to a Culture Club soundtrack in our heads and the Smith vs. Dupont debate getting out of hand.This is rugby as you've always known it. On the couch, with your mates, beer in hand, and opinions overstated. Wrong Side of the Ruck. Pull up a stool, we're glad you're here with us.

The DeLorean broke down at just the right time and place for Jones this week; Peak Welsh rugby. Have a seat at the bar with us as we relive the Welsh glory days and watch the 2019 6 Nations and talk about it as if we know what the fuck is actually going on. You'll hear about Tocco's triple crown, who we think the Yankee's of Rugby are, the TMO as the good guy for once, Mullets and Tocco's similarities to a lion on a gazelle. It may sound like nonsense, but it'll makes sense the more you listen. So grab a friend, grab a beer and come sit down with us.

The couch is feeling nostalgic this week as we get it up to 88mph and crash right back into 2007; back when rugby was a little looser, hydration meant extra Carlsberg and the dark arts held sway.We're taking a watch at the 6 Nations of old as we prep for this years tourney and digging into Italy vs. Scotland. The one at Murrayfield. Tocco is planted firmly in his Italian roots as he waxes poetically about watching this game years ago and Jones still somehow lets Scotland disappoint him.We've got Castro Giovanni in Dolce and Gabana, old school forwards making us think WE could have been a pro back in the day and somehow Ben Tameifuna is still catching strays.Grab your beer, meet us at Twin Pines Mall and lets all be confidently incorrect together as we relive Italy's glory day.

We're back on the couch for episode 4 where we get a look at Northampton vs. Bordeaux Part 2: the long awaited sequel to last years European Championship final, and somehow we're still talking about Bielle-Biarrey and if he's Italian or not. Pollock's frosted tips, A Tocco cock up that has us wishing we could hit up Twin Pines mall and head back to fix the timeline, this one has it all. We dig into why this rematch carries weight, what Bordeaux learned from last year, how Northampton want revenge, and then immediately get distracted with plenty of side-quests. Welcome back to Wrong Side of the Ruck. Grab a beer and come along.

And it's the 3rd episode already! Pull up a chair and sit with us as we toss on Bordeaux vs. Racing 92 of the French Top 14. We spend an unreasonable time trying to figure out if that player is French, Italian or Swiss, openly drool over Big Ben Tameifuna and draw comparisons to the UEFA Cup that likely only make sense to us.Confident opinions with no facts to back them up, bad analogies, yelling at the TV and Tocco is still trying to convince me that Wales should get dropped from the 6 Nations.It's rugby the way you've always loved it; on the couch, beer in hand, and confidently incorrect.

Welcome back to Wrong Side and Episode 2! This week we sit down over a cold one and dive into this Irish Darby. Watch along with us if you can and enjoy momentum swings, questionable calls, and plenty of moments where one of us is convinced the match is about to flip completely. We talk through what Connacht are trying to build, where Ulster look dangerous, and how quickly confidence can turn into panic when things go sideways. We analyze as we go, pointing out what may matter, overreact when things don't and have way too many side conversations about points we started 30 seconds ago. No polish, no neutral tone, just rugby and the opinions of two of your best friends.Press play, throw the game on and come argue with us. Cause we may not be right, but we refuse to be quiet.

The very first one! Your hosts Tocco and Jones kick off Wrong Side with a watch-along of Japanese League One, reacting in real time and letting the match take us wherever it goes. Expect plenty of talk about what we’re seeing on the field, how the Japanese game feels compared to other leagues, and a lot of side quests about rugby as a whole and how it used to be when we were still young.