Italy made history, beating England for the first time ever on their 33rd attempt. Can they rebuild before facing the French next week? We’re not so sure.

Meanwhile, Scotland pulled off a massive upset over France, denying the French a Grand Slam and blowing the Six Nations wide open heading into the final weekend. Now the title is still up for grabs, with Ireland and France both in the hunt in what promises to be a blockbuster finish.

And Wales… the team we all confidently labelled as absolute rubbish… might not actually be rubbish. They went down to Ireland, but defended like demons and showed genuine signs of life, including one of the most glorious prop-forward tries you’ll ever see.

We also cover the huge news of Dave Rennie being appointed the next All Blacks coach through to the World Cup, wrap up all the Super Rugby action, and spend a completely reasonable amount of time gloating about the fact that our Blues beat the Crusaders… and we were there to see it.

Grab a beer and enjoy.

A Big Thankyou to Rugby Historian!!

Go check out their awesome site! rugbyhistorian.com

No Six Nations. No international drama. Just pure, unfiltered Super Rugby… and chaos.

With Europe taking the week off, all eyes turned south — and unfortunately for us (and especially for Mark), Australia decided to wake up and choose violence. The Blues found yet another soul-crushing way to lose, going down in the 81st minute in overtime. Yes, the 81st. Yes, Mark is still processing. No, he is not okay.

The Crusaders finally remembered how to win, knocking off the Chiefs after the Waikato boys absolutely flew out of the blocks. The Drua defended the fortress in Lautoka, toppling a fancied Hurricanes side and proving that Fiji remains one of the most terrifying away trips in world rugby.

With no major international storylines to anchor us, things got loose. There’s fear. There’s frustration. There’s a generous serving of absolute nonsense. And somehow, we still talk rugby.

Strap in. Grab a beer. And enjoy the spiral.

It was a weekend of our favourite sporting delicacy: beautiful, chaotic upsets and we are absolutely feasting. Ireland didn’t just beat England… they systematically dismantled them, with Jamison Gibson-Park running the show like a man who had the English defence on puppet strings. Every counter looked dangerous, every breakdown felt Irish, and England had absolutely no answers.

Down south, the rugby gods delivered something even more outrageous: the Crusaders didn’t just lose — they got hammered. The Brumbies dropped a half-century on them in Christchurch for their first win there in 26 years. Nobody saw it coming, everybody enjoyed it (well… almost everybody). Wales, after weeks of looking like rugby’s saddest soap opera, finally resembled a functioning rugby side again. They still went down to a street-tough, slightly fortunate Scotland — but at least this time there were signs of life and something to actually laugh with instead of at.

We also get stuck into France continuing to look like the team to beat, Italy continuing to be awkwardly competitive, and a Super Rugby round that delivered chaos, entertainment, and confirmation that the Blues still look shaky even when they scrape past the Force. Upsets, chaos, schadenfreude, and a healthy dose of nonsense.

Grab a beer and enjoy.

This week on Two Cents Gets Distracted, Scotland did the most Scottish thing imaginable.

Lose to Italy… then immediately turn around and snap England’s 12-game winning streak.

Yes, the Scots beat the English. The rugby world rejoiced. Bagpipes were heard from space. We are, frankly, delighted.

Meanwhile, Wales have somehow discovered new geological layers of rock bottom. France treated them like training cones, playing Harlem Globetrotters rugby with offloads, flair, and the kind of ominous swagger that should concern literally everyone.

Italy vs Ireland? Suddenly… tight? Competitive? Slightly terrifying if you’re Irish? Is this an Italian renaissance, or are we witnessing the slow fade of Ireland’s golden generation? We attempt to answer that question with absolutely no qualifications whatsoever.

Plus — Super Rugby is back! The Crusaders lost (we celebrate responsibly). The Blues also lost (less fun). Balance has been restored to the universe.

All that, plenty of nonsense, and a decent helping of rugby chat.

Grab a beer and enjoy

This week the Six Nations roared and rusted to life. We kick things off with France coming out hotter than a sizzling baguette at Stade de France, leaving Ireland flatter than day-old Guinness.

Then, we revel in Italy’s glorious ambush of Scotland,proving once again that it’s tough being Scottish. And, if you thought Wales couldn’t dig deeper, think again: their performance was a full-on Fawlty Towers episode, while England casually strolled in and gave them a rugby spanking.

We also look forward to Super Rugby getting started and unpack some of the new law changes.

Grab a beer and enjoy

Fresh off our summer break, this first episode of the year drops us straight back into the deep end as we’re still reeling from the bombshell that Razor has been fired. The coaching carousel is already spinning: is Jamie Joseph next in line? ? Or are we about to be introduced to a whole new cast of weird and wonderful rugby powerbrokers?

We also turn our attention north, with the Six Nations kicking off — the “greatest rugby championship in the world”

As ever, expect a healthy mix of hot takes, half-baked theories, international rugby hype, and a solid helping of nonsense.

Welcome back to Two Cents Gets Distracted — where we talk a lot of rubbish and just enough rugby to justify it.

Grab a beer and enjoy

Big thanks to sports4cast for the beers! - https://sports4cast.com/

The rugby world just got flipped upside down in the middle of summer. Scott “Razor” Robertson is out as All Blacks coach after a brutal internal review and reports suggest the players themselves led the charge.

From Ardie Savea’s alleged refusal to return under Razor, to questions about leadership, culture, and where New Zealand rugby goes next, Two Cents Gets Distracted drops an out-of-season emergency pod to unpack the biggest coaching bombshell in years.

Grab a beer and Enjoy

It’s the final episode of the year, and you know we’re not signing off without our annual dose of chaos. Welcome to the most prestigious, least credible, and proudly unhinged rugby awards show in existence:

The 2CGDS. Tony and Mark return to hand out a fresh selection of awards nobody asked for, celebrate the best and worst moments of the rugby year.

But this year’s finale also carries a weight as Gazza, hung up his boots last week. We take a moment to pay tribute to Gazza, Mark’s dad, a regular on his channel and a genuinely good bloke. A true character: warm, funny, honest, and utterly himself in every moment. Gazza brought joy to so many who watched him, and his presence became a much-loved part of the wider Two Cents community. He will be sorely missed.

So grab a beer, raise a glass for Gazza, and enjoy.