S10 Ep6: Alex King - Wasps Glory Years - Wales Sacking & Why Henry Pollock Is The Greatest Gift To England Rugby!

The Rig Biz Podcast

Blind Dog Productions

Business, Rugby, Comedy Interviews, Comedy, Marketing, Sports

4.9 • 952 Ratings

🗓️ 19 November 2025

⏱️ 52 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The Rig Biz podcast returns with an electric deep dive into a blockbuster weekend of rugby, joined this time by a special guest: former England fly-half and elite coach Alex King. Archie and the team waste no time throwing King into the thick of it, unpacking England’s long-awaited victory, the rise of young star Pollock, and the surprisingly charismatic new era under Steve Borthwick. With insider clarity and a healthy dose of irreverence, King explains how England have rediscovered identity, cohesion, and belief—while also revealing what really matters behind the scenes: squad spirit, smart coaching voices, and the underestimated power of a good off-field crack.

From there, the episode barrels into a globe-spanning journey through King’s playing and coaching life. He reflects candidly on his time with Wales, the pressure of public scrutiny, and the fragile psychology of a team desperate for a win. He shares raw memories from the infamous 1998 “hell tour,” tales from Claremont’s rugby-mad heartland, and colourful portraits of legends like Jonny Wilkinson, Sean Edwards, Martin Johnson, and Lawrence Dallaglio. The conversation veers between insight and chaos—whether it’s snogging analogies, stories of shaved heads on debut, or nights out that could only happen in the pre-camera-phone era.

As the episode winds down, King opens up about stepping away from professional coaching after decades in the game, finding a new path in high-performance sportswear, and rediscovering family life after years of constant relocation. The chat finishes with a rapid-fire “chat or no chat” assessment of King’s former teammates—equal parts affectionate and brutally honest. It’s a sprawling, hilarious, and revealing conversation that captures everything Rig Biz does best: big personalities, bigger stories, and a proper session’s worth of rugby gold.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Molesh, Molesh, Molesh, Molesh, Molesh, Molesh, I mean, Molesh.
0:06.2	Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the Rigbiz podcast.
0:08.6	I mean, normally we start just myself and Archie Kersen, but today we're joined by a
0:12.9	Kedrippelinist champion, a double European champion.
0:15.4	A man fluent in French, he wanted to be a cricketer.
0:17.4	He ended up being a rugby player.
0:18.5	But we've got a huge weekend of rugby to analyse. Normally you do the job, but I mean, we've got one of the greatest coaches in the game here alongside you. Well, I went through my connections on LinkedIn. I did a deep dive and I said, look, we need somebody, a voice out there that hasn't been heard for the time. You know, a voice that will give the public what they need.
0:38.1	You know, don't worry about Dawes or BBC Radio 5 Live, whatever.
0:42.6	Don't worry about Haskell and Tyndall.
0:45.5	Coles and Young, they need to both go on a diet.
0:48.5	There's no other podcasts I can think of.
0:50.3	So we just brought in Alex King, aka Kingy, into the studio.
0:55.1	Welcome.
0:56.0	Lovely to be here. Let's start the England game then. Come on. We haven't beaten them in fucking ages. I think eight years or seven years. Oh, since the World Cup, sorry, six years. Get your facts. What a game that was. It was amazing, wasn't it? Absolutely amazing. We start to finish, 12-0 up, come back,
1:10.4	and then the finishers
1:11.5	finish the game amazingly.
1:12.9	Well, I was there, you know, I don't really miss a game at the Allianz. I would say I'm the captain of the Allianz-Faithel. You're always thinking who starts swing, low-suit challenge. It's actually me. The ringleader. But I do, I was thinking, I need to learn the second verse. Yeah, you do. I can't get it through. 30 years you've been going. But I did start a good heed.
1:31.0	No, but I was thinking, I need to learn the second verse. Yeah, you do.
1:27.8	I can't get a thrift.
1:28.6	30 years you've been going.
1:29.7	But I did start a good heap.
1:31.0	No, but I was at,
	...

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