French Lessons: England's Cross-Channel Wake-Up Call

The Good, The Bad & The Rugby

Folding Pocket

Sports News, Sports, Rugby, News

4.5 • 2.5K Ratings

🗓️ 30 April 2025

⏱️ 88 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

As French club rugby thrives, English rugby finds itself at a crossroads. Alex and Tins are joined by Jonny May, Courtney Lawes, and rugby powerbroker Simon Gillham [OBE] for a timely conversation on what England can learn from across the Channel. From the dominance of ProD2 and the booming Top 14 to the structural chaos at home, the team digs into the future of the English game. Plus: Investec Champions Cup semi-final previews and Courtney’s Lions ambitions. Tickets are selling fast for finals weekend in Cardiff on the 23rd and 24th of May, head to EPCR.com for more details. Season 5 is sponsored by Continental Tyres. WOB Group & GB&R Competition Entry Form 🛞 00:00 – Buckle Up with Continental Tyres 🎙️ 02:00 – Meet Simon Gillham OBE: Rugby’s Quiet Powerbroker 🤝 05:47 – When Brive Signed Courtney Lawes: Inside the Transfer 🏆 11:14 – Why Promotion & Relegation Still Works 🇫🇷 21:13 – What English Rugby Can Learn from France 📺 27:30 – Prem Rugby’s £200M TV Deal: Gamechanger? ⚠️ 40:18 – The Hidden Problem with Premiership Academies 🏗️ 45:47 – Franchise Model: Big Questions 🔥 51:35 – Investec Champions Cup Semi-Final Preview 🔍 56:59 – Courtney’s Saints Scouting Report 🦁 01:04:00 – Lions 10 Debate: Smith, Prendergast, Ford, Farrell? 🇫🇷 01:09:49 – Bordeaux v Toulouse: All French Affair 🔮 01:11:50 – Semi-Final Predictions: Who’s Going to Cardiff? 🎯 01:13:50 – Courtney on a 3rd Lions Tour? 🧠 01:18:00 – England’s New Coaching Team & Players to Watch this Summer 🐉 01:21:25 – Dave Reddin Joins Wales Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Joining us today, two England legends in Johnny May and Courtney Laws.
0:03.2	If I was going into any game against Lentster, it's just don't give penalty and field position away.
0:07.0	What do you make of Pollock Mania?
0:08.6	He's essentially a back with an unbelievable jacqueline game.
0:12.4	A Lensster going to win by...
0:14.4	Bloody hell.
0:15.4	Yeah, sorry.
0:16.4	We have to talk lions.
0:17.4	I want to prove I'm still the best. I'm ready. I'm ready. Simon Gillum is one of
0:22.4	Rugby's real power brokers, vice president and shareholder of CA BREVE, the chairman of
0:27.4	Tier 2. Have you had a conversation with TNT? No, would you like? I love to. The problem with
0:31.7	the premiership, there's no jeopardy. And so if there's no jeopardy, there are no bums on seats. You've got different stakeholders just defending their state.
0:38.4	And that is very sad.
0:40.4	Into the final moments, Alex Payne trying to keep this side going forward.
0:44.0	Haskell takes it on now with just relentless chat largely about himself.
0:47.9	And there's Tyndall to add the finishing touch of glamour and World Cup winning stories.
0:52.6	That is how you podcast.
0:57.7	Hello, Dream Team.
0:58.9	Welcome along to this week's episode of The Good, the Bad and the Rugby,
1:01.8	proudly sponsored as always by our very good friends at Continental Tires,
1:05.2	the official tire partner of England Rugby.
1:07.9	Whether on the rugby field or the road,
	...

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