The Rugby Report (Duane Burghard)

Rugby Australia's Chairman is OUT! World Rugby manages to make the World Cup debacle worse, and in the URC (as we recap round 5 and preview round 6), it's a GREAT weekend to be Scottish! Finally, we'll have part 2 at our look ahead to the 2024 Super Rugby Pacific season. Enjoy!

The MLR championship is TODAY! Elsewhere, the Rugby Championship and the 2024 NPC season are both upon us, but forget all that! Did you see the women’s 7s at the Olympics?! SEASON FIVE of The Rugby Report starts, RIGHT NOW!

In this episode we’ll cover the All Blacks thunderous response in round 2 of The Rugby Championship, followed by a relatively predictable week in the NPC, with one exception. The August 19, 2024 edition of The Rugby Report starts, RIGHT NOW! (Bloopers at the end, enjoy!)

Welcome to Season FOUR of The Rugby Report! In this episode, we recap Round 1 action in Super Rugby (and look forward to Round 2), then zip over to the URC to recap Round 10 and preview Round 11, and finally, we finish in the USA as we preview Round 1 of the 2024 MLR Season. And for the first time in two seasons, there ARE Bloopers at the end! Enjoy!

The Rugby Championship took the weekend off, so we are all NPC all the time this week, and that action included SEVERAL surprises, including a LOT of water in Pukekohe .. and speaking of water, what’s in the water in Dunedin?! The August 26, 2024 edition of The Rugby Report starts, RIGHT NOW! (Bloopers at the end, Enjoy!)

The Rugby Championship is underway (way down under), and the Sky Stadium Hudu continues for the All Blacks. Meanwhile the NPC gets going in New Zealand (including a WILD celebration in Invercargill), and the MLR gets a NEW back to back champion. The August 12, 2024 edition of The Rugby Report starts, RIGHT NOW! (Bloopers at the end, enjoy!)

In this episode, there's a super upset at the Super Round in Melbourne (as we recap round 2 and preview round 3 in Super Rugby Pacific). I also land a PERFECT score with my Round 11 predictions in the URC. And finally, rugby returns to the USA as we cover opening weekend in the MLR! Bloopers are at the end! Enjoy!

In this episode, we cover the first round of the NPC playoffs (the quarterfinals) and look forward to the semifinals. Who goes on and who goes home? Find out here! Bloopers, as always, are at the end, enjoy! #npc #npcrugby #rugby #nzrugby #nzr

Welcome to this special, highly abbreviated episode of The Rugby Report. Due to a schedule conflict, I had to REALLY rush this episode. We reacap all the scores from the weekend action in Super Rugby and the MLR, and then look forward to next weekend, but that's all I could do before we just ran out of time. It's still FUN though, and normal episodes return next week! Blooper still follow. Enjoy!

In this, now increasingly abbreviated episode of The Rugby Report, we'll recap the NPC Semifinals and look forward to next week's Grand Final. Enjoy! #npc #npcrugby #rugby #nzr #nzrugby

There’s a new top team in Super Rugby for the first time this season. And it was a bad weekend to be the #1 team in the URC too as the Warriors fell in Pretoria. Meanwhile, there were some CLOSE finishes in the MLR. The May 13, 2024 edition of The Rugby Report starts, RIGHT NOW (with full looks at the playoff picture in BOTH Super Rugby AND the URC, AND, of course, Bloopers at the end! Enjoy!).

In this episode, we start again with Super Rugby, then we welcome the ridiculous number of new listeners that we've picked up in the UK over the last two weeks (and reward them by significantly expanding our coverage of the URC), then we once again check in on the MLR standings. And, as always, Bloopers are at the end! Enjoy!

The weekend’s Super Rugby action included a total blowout, a one point game, AND a game for the ages. Meanwhile, over in the URC, Leinster is league leading no more, and finally, in the USA, San Diego suffers a setback as the Sabercats soar! The April 29, 2024 edition of The Rugby Report starts RIGHT NOW! (with Bloopers at the end! Enjoy!)

In Season 2, Episode 4 of our report, we begin with a recap of round 3 action in Super Rugby (and then look ahead to round 4 (note: apologies to Queensland Reds and Fijian Drua fans, your mention was unintentionally edited out ... my prediction was that the Reds will win). The URC is on spring break (so no news there), but we stop in on the USA and talk about MLR action and standings. And, as always, Bloopers are at the end! Enjoy!

Welcome to the May 20, 2024 edition of The Rugby Report, your weekly recap and preview pod. In this episode, the phrase “escaped with the win” applies to at least a couple of games in Super Rugby, while URC action ended with a thriller in Ireland, and in the USA it’s another round of oh so close games. As always, there are bloopers at the end, so enjoy!

The Aussies and Kiwis cram 6 games worth of action into 4 games! Meanwhile, the European Champions Cup quarterfinals are over, and that means the URC is back baby! And in America, the MLR hits the halfway point with … Dallas and Chicago ?? In the fight for playoff spots? Playoffs? But most importantly, where the heck have I been? The April 15, 2024 edition of the Rugby Report begins, RIGHT NOW! (with bloopers at the end!).

In this episode we recap round 1 and look forward to round 2 of Super Rugby Pacific, and we check in on the MLR and URC standings. Bloopers follow the show. Enjoy!

In this week's Rugby Report we look back at the results from Round 8 in the NPC (including the incredible win by the Southland Stags!), and then forward to Round 9 (including a detailed look at the CRAZY playoff picture as we go into the last week of the season). We also take a look back at the thrilling end of the 2022 Rugby Championship. On a personal note, I fixed last week's audio issue, debuted completely new graphics for game previews (the Round 9 segment), and I MAY have made a few more "fish" jokes while covering the Mako games. Bloopers are at the end! Enjoy! #npc #npcrugby #rugby #rugbychampionship #newzealand #nzrugby

The Wellington Hurricanes reach Category 5 and 0! The Sharks pull off a shocker in the URC, and they’re not alone! And in the MLR, a pair of teams from Texas take down their opponents. The March 25, 2024 edition of the Rugby Report (with bloopers at the end!) starts, RIGHT NOW!

In this episode of Rugby Shorts, we look at last weekend's "North vs South" action in the Autumn Nations tournament. Enjoy! #nzr #rugby #nzrugby

In this episode we will cover the weekend action in The Rugby Championship, including the match between the best two teams in the world AND the shocker in South America, and then, in New Zealand, we'll talk about why fans are openly asking if they should start building an ARK. The September 2, 2024 edition of The Rugby Report starts, RIGHT NOW! (Bloopers at the end, enjoy!)

The Crusaders have dropped their first four games for the first time in franchise history. There were also two blowouts in the weekend action down under, and the URC is back in action this coming weekend! The March 18, 2024 episode of the Rugby Report (with Bloopers at the end) starts, RIGHT NOW!

The Super Rugby and URC quarterfinals are in the books, and while there were no shockers, several games were closer than they look. Meanwhile, the USA prepares for the end of its regular season, and how much would you pay to host a rugby tournament? Apparently the correct answer is one BILLION dollars. The June 10 edition of The Rugby Report starts, RIGHT NOW! (Bloopers at the end! Enjoy!)

In this, the shortest Rugby Report of the year, we look back at the NPC Championship game and we look ahead to the future of The Rugby Report (and, spoiler alert, there WILL be a future for The Rugby Report!). #npc #npcrugby #nzrugby #rugby

The Boks are back in Cape Town where they end a SEVENTY FIVE year drought. Meanwhile, Argentina says don’t cry for me just yet in Santa Fe, and in New Zealand, a last minute THRILLER in McLean Park sends the Ranfurly Shield to Tasman for the first time EVER. The September 9, 2024 edition of The Rugby Report starts, RIGHT NOW! (Bloopers at the end, enjoy!).

In this episode we will cover a wild Bledisloe Cup game in Sydney and wonder what might have been for the ABs after Argentina’s shocker against South Africa! We’ll also cover the opening weekend of the URC which contained a slew of CLOSE games, including a shocker in Ulster, but NO games in South Africa as the mystery there deepens. Finally we will head to New Zealand, where the provincial postseason takes shape for the men and is already in full swing for the women. Bloopers are at the end! Enjoy!

In this episode we recap the thrilling QF Round of the URC playoffs (and look forward to the SF Round), then we check in on Round 12 in the MLR, and finally, we recap Round 11 action in Super Rugby Pacific (and look forward to Round 12). We also have an IMPORTANT programming notice at the end (along with, of course, Bloopers!). Enjoy!

Welcome to Season 2, Episode 5 of The Rugby Report! This week we have coverage of Super Rugby, URC, 6 Nations and the MLR! We start with a recap of Round 4 in Super Rugby (and then look ahead to Round 5). Then we talk about some key matchups in the URC which are coming up this weekend AND check in on the weekend results in the 6 Nations Tournament. And finally, we finish in the USA and talk about MLR action and standings. As always, Bloopers are at the end! Enjoy!

In this week's Rugby Report, we cover the last weekend of the NPC regular season AND look ahead to the Quarterfinal round of the playoffs. Who wins? Who goes home? Find out here! We also welcome Spotify listeners for the first time (as we expand our audience into the audio only universe), and I get to enjoy the fastest post-production process EVER as my new "backgrounds generator" software REALLY pays off. Bloopers at the end! Hope you enjoy! #rugby #npc #nzrugby #nzr

The 2024 Rugby Championship takes its final week off, while in Europe, the Premiership considers a union with the URC, and in New Zealand, the Mako Men defend the shield, while the Mooloos slip and slide their way to their biggest win in more than two YEARS. The September 16, 2024 edition of The Rugby Report starts, RIGHT NOW! (Bloopers at the end! Enjoy!)

While The Rugby Report remains on hiatus, I will periodically have little five minute updates on key games and news in rugby ... I call them Rugby Shorts. In this edition, there's an update on the 2023 Super Rugby season and the possibility of adding a team from the USA, the Hurricanes pass on Garden-Bachop, and the All Blacks head to Japan, Enjoy! #rugby #nzr #nzrugby

In this episode, we'll take a look at half of the 2024 squad and schedule announcements from Super Rugby Pacific. I'll also explain why I am NOT canceling my Peacock streaming subscription now that the Rugby World Cup has ended, and we'll recap and highlight round 4 in the URC, preview round 5, and catch you up on the scores in the Premiership. Enjoy!

In this episode, we recap the last week of the Super Rugby Pacific regular season (including a shocker in Sydney and a thriller in Wellington), and then preview the upcoming quarterfinal round. We also recap Round 16 in the MLR and have a look at the standings as that league heads towards its postseason. Bloopers are at the end!

The playoffs are here! The playoffs are here! Yes, the postseason is upon us in Europe and in the lands down under, so we’ll cover the end of the regular seasons and get you properly prepped for the playoffs. We’ll also check in on the MLR as it enters the last month of its season. Plus there are BIG coaching moves in Super Rugby, and Rugby Australia makes a mistake in Melbourne, and I WILL have a special comment. The June 3, 2024 edition of The Rugby Report starts, RIGHT NOW! (Bloopers at the end! Enjoy!)

Super Rugby AND the URC are just one week away from their postseasons, so we'll look at the tables and discuss the possibilities as they both head to their final rounds. And in the USA, the Sharks pull off a SHOCKER in Miami! The May 27, 2024 episode of The Rugby Report starts ... RIGHT NOW! (with Bloopers at the end! Enjoy!).

The Reds beat the Crusaders for the first time this CENTURY. The URC is headed towards the playoffs in Europe. And in the MLR, there may not be a new top dog, but the Hounds howled in New England. The May 6, 2024 edition of The Rugby Report starts right now! (Bloopers at the end! Enjoy!)

The bye weeks end with a bang down under! The URC enters the home stretch to the playoffs with some surprisingly close games and one that was rather shockingly NOT, Finally, in the USA, the Hounds have been released in the east! The April 22, 2024 edition of the Rugby Report starts, RIGHT NOW! (Bloopers at the end! Enjoy!)

It’s semi-final weekend in Super Rugby AND the URC, and it was a GREAT weekend to be #4 as the Chiefs and the Warriors pull off MAJOR upsets. And speaking of upsets, the Jackals fall to DC in Dallas?? The June 17, 2024 edition of The Rugby Report starts, RIGHT NOW. (Bloopers at the end! Enjoy!)

Welcome back to Season 2 of The Rugby Report. In this episode we preview the Super Rugby Pacific and MLR seasons (both of which start this weekend), and we check in on the URC. And, of course, Bloopers at the end. Enjoy!

The 21 year drought in Auckland is finally over, and the URC Grand Final comes down to the very last SECOND. In this episode we cover the Super Rugby and URC Grand Finals, then preview the last week of the MLR regular season as well as their playoff picture, and we will conclude by bidding a fond farewell to Season 4 of our pod. The June 24, 2024 edition of The Rugby Report starts, RIGHT NOW. (and we don't just have bloopers at the end, we have the best bloopers from all of season 4!).

In this mini-episode, we quickly cover the Women's World Cup Championship, the weekend action in the Autumn Nations, Chicago getting an MLR franchise (and I'll suggest some names for the new team), and some key trades in SuperRugby ... and there's a few bloopers at the end. Enjoy! #rugby #nzrugby #nzr #womensrugby

In this episode, we recap Round 10 of Super Rugby and then look forward to Round 11, we also check in on Round 11 in the MLR, and finally, we preview the Final 8 (Quarterfinal) Round of the URC playoffs. Bloopers are at the end, enjoy!

In this episode, the Wallabies may be tipping a Kiwi as their new head coach, but it's not who you think. Also, Super Rugby is heading to Japan where, let's face it a bunch of their players already are. And finally, we'll check in on URC and Premiership action before sending Season 3 of this podcast into the history books. Enjoy!

The Curse is Reversed in Wellington as the All Blacks FINALLY put the capital curse to bed, and the Boks are back at the top after a decisive win brings them the 2024 Rugby Championship title. Meanwhile the URC gets everyone involved in Round 2, and the NPC heads for the postseason, and we'll tell you we’ll tell you who’s in, who’s out, and who’s still not sure. The September 30, 2024 edition of The Rugby Report starts, RIGHT NOW! (Bloopers at the end, and we are SO SORRY for the delay listeners, we had a TOTAL meltdown of our original broadcast file and had to re-do everything)