Blockbuster semi-final weekend in the European Rugby Champions Cup, and things got spicy.

Leinster Rugby nearly pulled off an all-time choke job but somehow held on in a proper squeaky-bum finish—thanks in no small part to the unlikely Irish saviour Rieko Ioane, who shut the gate on a last-gasp attack that would’ve sent Dublin into meltdown.

Over in the other semi, Union Bordeaux Bègles got the job done against Bath Rugby in a cracking contest… though you’d be forgiven for missing parts of it while Andy Goode carried on like the ref had personally wronged him. Maybe he had a point—but mate, we get it.

Back home, Super Rugby Pacific rolls on:

• The Hurricanes keep humming, with Ruben Love making a serious case as the next All Blacks 10 👀
• The Crusaders… still lurking. Doubt them at your own risk
• The Blues got it done after a shaky start against Moana Pasifika
• The Highlanders and Fijian Drua battled to a sweaty stalemate
• The Western Force are making a cheeky late push after knocking off the Waratahs
• And the Reds piled more misery on the sliding Brumbies

All that… plus a generous serving of absolute nonsense.

Grab a beer and enjoy 🍺

Super Round heads to the brand-new Te Kaha Stadium in Christchurch… and what a way to christen it. A full weekend of footy, packed stands, cracking atmosphere, and a proper festival feel — the kind of rugby showcase Super Rugby dreams about. The stadium? Unreal. The crowds? Even better. The results? Well… depends which side of the Tasman you’re sitting on.

The Kiwi teams absolutely ran the table. The Crusaders kicked things off by beating Waratahs, sending the Christchurch faithful home very happy in game one. The Blues nearly gave their fans heart failure but somehow scraped past the Queensland Reds in full squeaky-bum, extra-time chaos — thanks in part to a late penalty from Fraser McReight that went the wrong way.

The Highlanders got the job done over Moana Pasifika, while the Chiefs handled the Fijian Drua. And the Hurricanes? Fehi Fineanganofo, WHAT A FREAK, too bad he's going to Newxastle. All in all — an absolute belter of a weekend, unless you’re Australian… in which case, maybe skip this one. We crack a couple of beers, break down the action, butcher a few names, and talk a healthy amount of nonsense along the way.

Grab a beer and enjoy

We’re back… and it’s a weird one.

After a month off while Tony went and did the whole “get married and eat his bodyweight in Thailand” thing, Two Cents Gets Distracted returns — slightly heavier, slightly rustier, and walking straight into some genuinely grim news.

This week, we unpack the potential demise of Moana Pasifika. What does it mean for Pacific rugby — a region that has given the game so much talent, passion, and identity? And more importantly… what now? Is there a real path forward, or are we watching another crack form in the already shaky foundations of Super Rugby?

Which leads us to the bigger question — what even is the future of Super Rugby? Is this still a competition built to last, or are we quietly edging toward the slow fade of what was once the pinnacle of provincial rugby?

Not all doom and gloom though — because the footy absolutely delivered.

We had a proper top-of-the-table belter between the Chiefs and the Hurricanes, the Blues nearly pulled off the all-time choke in a game they had no business losing, and the Force did the unthinkable by knocking over the Crusaders (which, let’s be honest, brings a smile to most faces).

All that, plus the usual nonsense, tangents, and questionable takes.

We’re back. Grab a beer and enjoy.

This week on Two Cents Get Distracted, the biggest story in world rugby… is that Tony’s getting married. That’s right — the pre-wedding special is here, and we spend a fair chunk of time talking about love, life, and how on earth Tony convinced Lydia this was a good idea.

Eventually — and we mean eventually — we stumble our way into some rugby after sampling some deeply questionable smoothie beers courtesy of our mate Erin. They’re odd. Very odd.

On the field, James Slipper cements himself as an all-time great, breaking Wyatt Crockett’s Super Rugby caps record, and the Brumbies celebrate in style with a gritty, never-say-die win that looked well beyond them at one point.

Proper tough footy. Elsewhere: The Reds get it done in Lautoka, while the Drua forget how to catch and Glenn Jackson nearly combusts Moana Pasifika come unstuck against the Crusaders at North Harbour The Hurricanes continue their upward trend, brushing aside a struggling Highlanders side And the rest? Rugby happened. It always does. We talk about it… sort of.

Plus, the return of the world’s fastest-growing game show: 🎯 Post URC Post-Match Predictions — where Tony, who hasn’t watched a single URC game (because… 3am), attempts to predict results after they’ve already happened. It’s as stupid as it sounds. 🚨 Important announcement: This is our last episode for a little while! We’re taking about a month off while Tony ties the knot and heads off on honeymoon.

So for now — Grab a beer and enjoy

Fresh (barely) off Tony’s stag do on Saturday night, the rugby gods showed absolutely zero mercy… delivering one of the most chaotic, dramatic, and all-time great Six Nations finales we’ve ever witnessed.

Running on fumes and questionable life choices, Tony and Mark try to make sense of a weekend that had everything.

Wales finally get their moment—after weeks of showing promise without reward, they get the chocolates against a dangerous Italy side that just couldn’t quite fire when it mattered.

Scotland… well, Scotland did what Scotland do against Ireland. Ireland get the job done with a bonus point win, and for a brief, slightly nauseating moment, found themselves as diehard England fans, praying for one last twist.

And then… it happened.

A battered, doubted, and heavily criticised Steve Borthwick-led England side almost pulled off the unthinkable—before Thomas Ramos, the ice man himself, stepped up and absolutely ripped their hearts out with a clutch extra-time penalty to seal it for France.

Three unreal games. Absolute chaos. Championship on the line. Limbs everywhere.

We break it all down—with a healthy dose of nonsense, questionable analysis, and lingering hangovers.

Apologies in advance for any audio issues… but grab a beer and enjoy 🍻

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.