Barely Rugby: Stereotypes, celebrity encounters & a zombie apocalypse
Rugby Union Weekly
BBC
4.6 • 5.2K Ratings
🗓️ 20 August 2025
⏱️ 36 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this very first episode of Barely Rugby comedian Harriet Kemsley gets the lowdown on what life is really like for England stars Hannah Botterman and Meg Jones. Harriet knows absolutely nothing about rugby as the trio all meet for the first time - and nothing is off limits.
Harriet finds out all about dealing with boobs in a scrum and even has a feel of Hannah's cauliflower ear. They discover why Meg was called "new boy Megan" when she first started rugby and also how the pair cope with the stereotypes that's associated with the game - like constantly being called a man.
Also Harriet learns some important life lessons, like how to survive in a zombie apocalypse. And Hannah tries to ring her famous friend, rugby superstar Ilona Maher...But will she pick up?!
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts. |
| 0:04.9 | Hello, Harriet Kemsley here. |
| 0:06.7 | Now, Barely Rugby is a little different to your normal episodes on the Rugby Union Weekly, |
| 0:11.2 | as myself and England Rugby stars, Hannah Bottoman and Meg Jones, |
| 0:15.3 | do use a bit of blue language from time to time. |
| 0:17.7 | So be warned, there is a bit of swearing in these episodes. Enjoy. |
| 0:22.6 | On the Rugby Union Weekly, this is Barely Rugby. |
| 0:27.7 | Hello and welcome to Barely Rugby with me, comedian Harriet Kemsley, and two of the biggest |
| 0:33.4 | personalities and stars in women's rugby. It's England's Hannah Bottomoman and Meg Jones. Hello. Hello. Hello. Thank you for coming. Now this is a mini pod series |
| 0:44.2 | going out of the World Cup where nothing is off limits and we have five episodes to deep dive into what life is |
| 0:50.6 | really like off the pitch including touring hobbies, the perils of dating, all the way |
| 0:56.4 | through to dealing with boobs in a scrum. So don't forget to subscribe to the pod on the Rugby Union |
| 1:01.5 | weekly feed on BBC Sounds. We are all here sat together in a pub and I have to admit now, I know |
| 1:08.7 | nothing about rugby. We just go back to the boobs in the scrum. Yeah, you want to talk about boobs? Well, in the scrum. The scrum, I've never encountered boobs in the scrum. Really? You're in the front though. You would have, surely. Little head in the cleavage. I'm in the, I'm just not really thinking about that when I'm in there. No, yeah, fair enough. So, boobes in a scramm are not a problem. Oh, we could talk about it. Yeah. Do you think I'm in a scrum? I don't know what that means. This is when I said, I know nothing about rugby. That was overplaying it. Um, they've literally got the person that knows the least. Love that. Kind of about anything. Have you ever watched any, any rugby? |
| 1:28.8 | I did, I took my dad they've literally got the person that knows the least kind of about anything |
| 1:44.8 | have you ever watched any any rugby |
| 1:47.2 | I took my dad to go watch men's rugby |
| 1:50.4 | at Twickenham years ago |
| 1:52.2 | someone's got to go haven't they |
| 1:53.6 | somebody's got to do it |
| 1:55.2 | yeah yeah yeah so we've got a lot to learn |
| 1:58.2 | yeah we've got a lot to learn it's for sure've got a lot to learn, it's for sure. |
... |
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