BBC Radio Scotland Rugby Podcast
- Episodes
- 101
- Released
- weekly
- Latest episode
- Nov 13, 2026
About the podcast
Tom English and Andy Burke with all the news, analysis and interviews on what's happening in the World of Scottish rugby
Episodes 101
Nations Championship: Can Scotland bounce back against Australia?
Andy Burke and Tom English preview Scotland v Australia in the Nations Championship plus we hear from Gregor Townsend
Scotland’s purgatory - good, but not good enough
It's Q and A all the way. Andy & Tom answer audience questions and discuss Scotland's humbling at the hands of the All Blacks and look forward to the next test against Australia.
Sportsound Rugby: All Blacks triumph at Murrayfield
Scotland's long wait for a win against the New Zealand continues after defeat at Murrayfield. We have reaction from Gregor Townsend and the Sportsound Rugby team.
Nations Championship: Can Scotland end 121 years of history against the All Blacks at Murrayfield?
Andy Burke and Tom English preview Scotland v New Zealand in the Nations Championship plus we hear from Gregor Townsend and New Zealand head coach, Dave Rennie
The remarkable rise of Clark Laidlaw
Tom English and Andy Burke sit down with Hurricanes head coach Clark Laidlaw ahead of Scotland v New Zealand in the Autumn Nations. The former Scotland Sevens International who worked his way to coach the New …
Show notes
Tom English and Andy Burke sit down with Hurricanes head coach Clark Laidlaw ahead of Scotland v New Zealand in the Autumn Nations. The former Scotland Sevens International who worked his way to coach the New Zealand Sevens team to a Commonwealth Gold in 2018 and a silver medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics has just led Hurricanes to a Super Rugby trophy. Plus Tom and Andy look back at the contrasting fortunes of Glasgow and Edinburgh as Glasgow stay top and Edinburgh disappoint in the URC.
Nations Championship: Inside Scotland Camp - Lessons, Fatherhood and the All Blacks
With Scotland's Nations Championship campaign fast approaching, Tom English and Andy Burke head inside the national team camp to speak to some of the squad's biggest names and emerging talents. Seb Stephen …
Show notes
With Scotland's Nations Championship campaign fast approaching, Tom English and Andy Burke head inside the national team camp to speak to some of the squad's biggest names and emerging talents. Seb Stephen reflects on the unconventional journey that took him from rejection in Scotland to rugby development in New Zealand and ultimately a Scotland cap. Blair Kinghorn discusses fatherhood, life in France and what Scotland must improve to compete consistently with the world's best. Finn Russell talks marriage, Bath, approaching 100 caps and why Scotland still have another level to reach, while Jack Dempsey opens up about life in Japan, his ambitions of playing at a World Cup in Australia and what separates good teams from great ones. It's a behind-the-scenes look at the personalities, stories and ambitions driving Scotland ahead of a huge autumn campaign.
00:00 Inside Scotland Camp
00:59 Seb Stephen: Scotland's Newest Success Story
01:57 Moving to New Zealand at 18
04:26 Missing Out on a Contract and Starting Again
06:17 The Moment He Became a Scotland International
07:18 The Hooker Battle and Scotland Ambitions
07:42 Blair Kinghorn on the Nations Championship
09:12 Missing the Summer Tour
10:30 Fatherhood, France and Life Away From Rugby
12:28 What Is Missing From Scotland's Game?
14:12 Finn Russell Joins the Conversation
14:42 Approaching 100 Scotland Caps
15:56 Married Life and Life Beyond Rugby
17:09 The Challenge of Facing New Zealand Again
18:31 Why Scotland Still Need Another Level
21:35 Bath, Longevity and Future Plans
24:34 Finn on Rugby's Growth and Eddie Hearn
26:33 Jack Dempsey's New Life in Japan
28:00 Why He Left Glasgow
31:03 World Cup Dreams in Australia
35:20 What Separates Scotland from the Best?
37:12 Reaction to the Player Interviews
38:39 Why Jack Dempsey Is Such a Fascinating Character
40:31 Finn Russell's Enduring Brilliance
43:09 Looking Ahead to New Zealand
Squad Revealed: Townsend's Big Selection Decisions
Scotland are preparing for a huge month of international rugby. Gregor Townsend joins Tom English and Andy Burke to discuss squad selection, competition for places and preparations for matches against New …
Show notes
Scotland are preparing for a huge month of international rugby. Gregor Townsend joins Tom English and Andy Burke to discuss squad selection, competition for places and preparations for matches against New Zealand, Australia and Japan. The panel debates the biggest selection calls, assesses Scotland's depth across the squad and asks whether this group can finally take the next step on the international stage. Plus, reaction to Edinburgh and Glasgow's strong URC form and signs of progress from Scotland Women despite another defeat in WXV competition.
00:00 Scotland Squad Day Arrives
00:29 The Surprise Selection: Ollie Leatherbarrow
01:56 Do Edinburgh Fans Have a Right to Feel Aggrieved?
05:48 Where Does Duhan van der Merwe Stand?
09:26 Is This Scotland's Deepest Squad Yet?
11:53 Gregor Townsend Interview Begins
15:23 Why Some Edinburgh Players Missed Out
16:47 The Thinking Behind Leatherbarrow's Inclusion
18:17 What About Magnus Bradbury?
19:15 Townsend on Bradbury and Freddie Douglas
21:38 Building Towards the World Cup
24:03 Preparing for New Zealand
Tavi Tuipulotu's dream to 'run out for Scotland'
Andy Burke and Tom English speak with Tavi Tuipulotu, brother of Scotland captain Sione and Edinburgh Rugby's Mosese as he marks his Glasgow debut with a try. They hear about the chaos growing up in the …
Show notes
Andy Burke and Tom English speak with Tavi Tuipulotu, brother of Scotland captain Sione and Edinburgh Rugby's Mosese as he marks his Glasgow debut with a try. They hear about the chaos growing up in the Tuipulotu household and why Tavi dreams of running out for Scotland. Plus as Glasgow have an excellent start in the Champions Cup will they get away with their slow starts as they go deeper in Europe? And as Edinburgh suffer their first defeat of the season but stay in the fight against Toulon, is their future still bright? And after another defeat in the WXV are Scotland's Women now going backwards? Tom and Andy have you covered.
How far can Edinburgh & Glasgow go in Europe?
Andy Burke is joined by Scotland's record points scorer Chris Paterson and former Scotland Sevens captain Colin Gregor to discuss Edinburgh's sensational start to the season and how far they and Glasgow can go …
Show notes
Andy Burke is joined by Scotland's record points scorer Chris Paterson and former Scotland Sevens captain Colin Gregor to discuss Edinburgh's sensational start to the season and how far they and Glasgow can go in Europe. Plus Scotland's Women are back in the WXV, away to Australia next weekend.
Six Nations: Scotland's campaign gets off to the worst possible start as they lose to Italy in Rome
Andy Burke and the team review an opening day defeat for Scotland, as they lose 18-15 to Italy in Rome
Six Nations: Scotland suffer defeat to Ireland
After Scotland's Six Nations defeat to Ireland, Andy Burke gets reaction from Rory Darge and Gregor Townsend and Sportsound's Fraser Brown, Peter Wright and Tom English.
Six Nations: Scotland open with win against Italy
After Scotland start their 2025 Six Nations campaign with victory over Italy at Murrayfield, we get reaction from Gregor Townsend, Finn Russell and hat-trick hero Huw Jones.
Six Nations: We hear from the Scotland squad as opener looms
Andy Burke and Colin Gregor talk to some of the players in Scotland's Six Nations squad including Pierre Schoeman, Fergus Burke, Ben White, Jamie Ritchie, Jack Mann & Ewan Ashman
Glasgow Warriors journey to URC glory
In 2024, Glasgow Warriors lifted the URC Championship. Andy Burke sat down with Warriors fly-half Duncan Weir and operations manager John Manson to relive their journey to glory.
'I consider myself a tough guy but cancer scared me' - Peter Wright
Tom and Andy are ditching talk of tries and team selections to hear from Scotland and British Lions prop Peter Wright who shares his journey through a prostate cancer diagnosis. In a frank and informative …
Show notes
Tom and Andy are ditching talk of tries and team selections to hear from Scotland and British Lions prop Peter Wright who shares his journey through a prostate cancer diagnosis.
In a frank and informative discussion Peter shares the ups and downs of his journey as well as reflecting on the anxiety he felt throughout.
Details of support with cancer are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.
John Jeffrey "hurt, bitter and betrayed" by Scottish Rugby
Andy Burke and Tom English hear from John Jeffrey following the acrimonious end to his bid to become chairman of World Rugby and discuss the opening fixtures of the URC
Brown on hanging up his boots and what comes next
Fraser Brown joins Tom and Andy to look back on his Scotland and Glasgow playing career and discuss what’s next for him in rugby.
Horne on tennis, title hopes and scoring records
George Horne joins Tom and Andy to discuss his tennis talents as a youngster, biding his time to become Glasgow’s number nine and his hopes for the URC run-in.
Frustration for Scotland's Women in the Six Nations plus the weekend ahead in URC
Tom English and Andy Burke look back on a poor Scotland performance against England in the Women's Six Nations and preview the weekend ahead in the United Rugby Championship
Women's Six Nations: Scotland's toughest test plus Gilchrist 200 not out for Edinburgh
Tom and Andy are joined by lock Grant Gilchrist ahead of his 200th cap for Edinburgh Rugby plus Scotland Internationalists Chloe Rollie and Leah Bartlett chat about their upcoming game against England in the …
Show notes
Tom and Andy are joined by lock Grant Gilchrist ahead of his 200th cap for Edinburgh Rugby plus Scotland Internationalists Chloe Rollie and Leah Bartlett chat about their upcoming game against England in the Women's Six Nations
Scotland in the Women's Six Nations: A look back on France and a look ahead to England
Scotland prop Heather Lockhart and scrum half Jenny Maxwell join Thomas Duncan to discuss Scotland's upcoming game against England in the Women's Six Nations plus they look back on Scotland's performance against France
Scotland in the Women's Six Nations: A lookback on Wales and a look ahead to France
Scotland prop Heather Lockhart and scrum half Jenny Maxwell join Thomas Duncan to look ahead to Scotland's game against France, after they beat Wales in the Women's Six Nations
Scotland's Six Nations reviewed
Tom and Andy look back on Scotland's Six Nations campaign plus we hear from the team's doctor James Robson as he steps down after 33 years in the role
Scotland in the Six Nations: Townsend’s Scots face date with destiny in Dublin
Tom English and Andy Burke discuss Gregor Townsend’s team selection to face Ireland in Dublin in their final Six Nations match.
Can Scotland go out with a bang in Dublin in the Six Nations?
Tom English and Andy Burke are joined by Scotland and Glasgow Warriors hooker Fraser Brown to reflect on Scotland's defeat in Rome and the upcoming game against Ireland in Dublin
Townsend names team to face Italy in Rome
Tom English and Andy Burke discuss Gregor Townsend’s Scotland team selection to face Italy in Rome in the nation’s penultimate Six Nations match
Duncan Weir on THAT drop-goal as Scotland head back to Rome
Scotland and Glasgow Warriors' fly half Duncan Weir joins Tom English and Andy Burke to look ahead to Scotland's fourth round match against Italy in Rome in the Six Nations
Brown on Calcutta Cup, bonus point worries and facing Italy
Glasgow and Scotland hooker Fraser Brown hails a fourth Calcutta Cup victory and looks ahead to the next Six Nations match in Rome
Six Nations: Can Scotland continue Calcutta Cup dominance?
Tom English and Andy Burke discuss Gregor Townsend’s team selected to face England at Murrayfield in the Calcutta Cup
Six Nations: 'Scotland happy to carry favourites tag in Calcutta Cup'
Tom English and Andy Burke hear the thoughts of England's World Cup winning scrum half Matt Dawson ahead of the Calcutta Cup
These are the latest 40 of 101 episodes. You’ll find older episodes in the podcast’s feed.
Similar podcasts
More Sports podcasts
Is this your podcast?
Confirm it with an entry in your feed: you get a code here, add it as podcast:txt to the channel of your feed, and we check it. Your podcast is then shown as “verified” on SoundNode.