Mark McCall: End of an era
Rugby Union Weekly
BBC
4.6 • 5.3K Ratings
🗓️ 4 June 2026
⏱️ 48 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Chris and Ashy head to the Saracens training base for a special pod about one of the most influential figures in English club rugby history. After 17 trophy-laden years at Sarries, Mark McCall is standing down as director of rugby at the end of the season. We speak to the man himself who explains why now is the time to move on, and what place he is leaving the club in. Two of Sarries’ senior players, Ben Earl and Nick Tompkins, share their memories of being coached by McCall, and explain what makes him such a good leader. We are also joined by journalist Gavin Mairs to discuss McCall’s legacy. Is he the best director of rugby in PREM history? How much does the salary cap scandal of 2019/2020 tarnish his reputation? And will the RFU miss a trick if they don’t tap into his experience?
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts. |
| 0:06.0 | Experience football like never before on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:09.5 | Join the Football Daily podcast to dive into the fallout |
| 0:12.2 | from an unforgettable Premier League season. |
| 0:14.6 | Wow, these fans have got absolutely wild. |
| 0:18.1 | And all the build-up to an incredible football summer to come. |
| 0:21.0 | Overhead kick! |
| 0:22.2 | That is sensational! |
| 0:24.0 | Expert Insight and the biggest names in the game on the Wayne Rooney show. |
| 0:28.5 | Just coming to the club was already a dream control, a privilege. |
| 0:31.2 | Never saw or dreamed about being the captain of the club. |
| 0:33.8 | Listen on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:36.6 | Five Lives Rugby Union Weekly. |
| 0:41.5 | Hello, Robb Union Weekly, bonus episode time. |
| 0:45.1 | Ashy is here. |
| 0:46.4 | Hello. |
| 0:46.8 | Hello. |
| 0:47.8 | This must be the way I feel today getting here is how you feel everything. |
| 0:51.9 | I hope your journey was a complete disaster. It wasn't actually because I was at my in-laws just an hour away. But telling that, I was hoping you were going to get here and go, it took me three hours to get here. No, but telling how I've not mentioned traveling here, yet when you travel to us on Monday morning, you do it once a year. You cannot stop talking about it. And you were an hour late today as well. And now we're late. No, I turned in and saw they were still training in the rain. Okay. Well, where are we? Let's set the scene. We're away. So all the Albanians. Home of Saracens. Training ground. Saracen's training ground. Yeah, I wonder for how much longer. Why? What have you got up your sleeve? Well, the one reason I know is the building on an awful lot of hoses on here. Right. Okay. So they might have to move somewhere. Does it, yeah, and it's this is somewhere you would have called home for many a year. Yeah, I'd like my time here. I don't come here very often, but I've been a few times since I've finished to watch train and say hello to everybody. Well, the players are finishing training. They'll be getting |
| 1:48.0 | their food. I'm still welcome. Well, you go and see if you can get yourself a feed. Because we're |
| 1:52.8 | here to do a special episode on the Sarri's boss, Mark McCall, who after 17 seasons at this place, |
| 2:00.1 | I mean, at this place slash the Stone X, |
... |
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