The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast Brett McKay & Harry Jones
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- Sports
Harry Jones, the grizzly old no.8, and Brett McKay, the unremarkable schoolboy no.9, unite for the short-side set-piece combination you didn't realise you needed, coming from the rugby podcast double act you already had.
A couple of hosts who came together on a whim in 2022 have become arguably the best - and maybe the only - South African-American-Australian rugby podcast combination in the rugby world, blending the perfect combination of passion, humour, nonsense, and genuine insight. Tune in every week to find out where on earth Harry is podding from, and how on earth Brett keeps it all flowing as they enjoy great rugby chats with an incredible array of guests.
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Games of the Week 7 – Cannot Roll Over Again
Rugby podcasters Brett McKay and Harry Jones are back with their end-of-week offering, Games of the Week, where the guys work through the best games from each of the best competitions around the rugby world each weekend.
This week, they’ve picked:
Super Rugby Pacific – ACT Brumbies v Hurricanes in Canberra
URC: Stormers v Leinster in Cape Town
Premiership: Bath v Saracens in Bath
Top 14: La Rochelle v Toulon in La Rochelle
Plus, Games of the Week from Japan Rugby League One and Major League Rugby in the States, too.
Let the guys know what you think! Is there a game you think they’ve missed?
Social media: #89Combo
Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/89combo/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@89combopodcast
Brett: https://twitter.com/BMcSport
Harry: https://twitter.com/HaribaldiJones
(Yes, Brett and Harry did used to host The Roar Rugby Podcast!)
Find Brett and Harry’s written work on RugbyPass and The Roar:
Brett: https://www.rugbypass.com/plus/contributor/brett-mckay/
Harry: https://www.theroar.com.au/author/haribaldi/
Music from Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/track/oakvale-of-albion/extreme
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Ep.11 – Intent Behind Everything with Sean Maloney
Rugby podcasters Brett McKay and Harry Jones are joined on The 8-9 Combo by Stan Sport commentator, marathon runner, and bad pun extraordinaire Sean Maloney for a mid-season recap on Australian fortunes in Super Rugby Pacific and their runs home over the final six rounds of the competition.
The resurgence of the Australian sides in Super Rugby this season has made for a much more enjoyable rugby product for fans, spectators, and broadcasters alike, and Sean explains what sort of difference this has made to Stan’s coverage this season, while also giving some great insight in the behind the scenes working, the narratives behind the games, why it’s so important to mention a promising player by their full name, and why the criticisms can sting when rugby commentary, like everyone’s opinion on the game, is such a subjective thing.
Social media: #89Combo
Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/89combo/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@89combopodcast
Brett: https://twitter.com/BMcSport
Harry: https://twitter.com/HaribaldiJones
(Yes, Brett and Harry did used to host The Roar Rugby Podcast!)
Find Brett and Harry’s written work on RugbyPass and The Roar:
Brett: https://www.rugbypass.com/plus/contributor/brett-mckay/
Harry: https://www.theroar.com.au/author/haribaldi/
Music from Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/track/oakvale-of-albion/extreme
Voiceovers by Chookman + Amelia
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Games of the Week 6 – Battle of the Tous
Rugby podcasters Brett McKay and Harry Jones are back with their new end-of-week offering, Games of the Week, where the guys work through the best games from each of the best competitions around the rugby world each weekend.
This week, they’ve picked:
· Super Rugby Pacific – Blues v ACT Brumbies in Auckland
· URC: Bulls v Munster in Pretoria
· Premiership: Exeter v Bath in Exeter
· Top 14: Toulon v Toulouse in Toulon (aforementioned in the title)
Plus, Games of the Week from Japan Rugby League One and Major League Rugby in the States, too.
Let the guys know what you think! Is there a game you think they’ve missed?
Social media: #89Combo
Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/89combo/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@89combopodcast
Brett: https://twitter.com/BMcSport
Harry: https://twitter.com/HaribaldiJones
(Yes, Brett and Harry did used to host The Roar Rugby Podcast!)
Find Brett and Harry’s written work on RugbyPass and The Roar:
Brett: https://www.rugbypass.com/plus/contributor/brett-mckay/
Harry: https://www.theroar.com.au/author/haribaldi/
Music from Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/track/oakvale-of-albion/extreme
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Ep.10 – Cohesion up the Wazoo with Simon Strachan
Rugby podcasters Brett McKay and Harry Jones are joined on The 8-9 Combo by co-founder and GM of Sport for Gain Line Analytics, Simon Strachan for a deep dive into the numbers behind the teams playing in not just all the major rugby competitions around the world, but in plenty of other sports as well.
In a conversation that will impact the way you think about teams performing well and not so well, Simon explains how Gain Line’s deep analysis and research or playing groups helps teams in numerous sports understand why they have set themselves up for ongoing success or chronic failure through either their structures or their recruitment, and how across the four leading professional rugby competitions around the world in 2023, three were won by the team with the best Team Work Index.
Social media: #89Combo
Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/89combo/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@89combopodcast
Brett: https://twitter.com/BMcSport
Harry: https://twitter.com/HaribaldiJones
(Yes, Brett and Harry did used to host The Roar Rugby Podcast!)
Find Brett and Harry’s written work on RugbyPass and The Roar:
Brett: https://www.rugbypass.com/plus/contributor/brett-mckay/
Harry: https://www.theroar.com.au/author/haribaldi/
Music from Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/track/oakvale-of-albion/extreme
Voiceovers by Chookman + Amelia
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Games of the Week 5 – Complicated Travel Plans
Rugby podcasters Brett McKay and Harry Jones are back with their new end-of-week offering, Games of the Week, where the guys work through the best games from each of the best competitions around the rugby world each weekend.
This week, they’ve picked:
Super Rugby Pacific – Hurricanes v Chiefs in Wellington
Champions Cup Semi-Finals:
Bordeaux v Harlequins in Bordeaux
Leinster v La Rochelle at the Aviva in Dublin
Northampton v Bulls in Northampton
Toulouse v Exeter in Toulouse
Plus, Games of the Week from Japan Rugby League One and Major League Rugby in the States, too.
Let the guys know what you think! Is there a game you think they’ve missed?
Social media: #89Combo
Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/89combo/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@89combopodcast
Brett: https://twitter.com/BMcSport
Harry: https://twitter.com/HaribaldiJones
(Yes, Brett and Harry did used to host The Roar Rugby Podcast!)
Music from Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/track/oakvale-of-albion/extreme
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Ep.9 – Just Gotta Freewheel with Laurie Fisher
Rugby podcasters Brett McKay and Harry Jones are joined on The 8-9 Combo by new Wallabies assistant coach and one of the great rugby coaching brains in the game, ‘Lord’ Laurie Fisher, to discuss the ever changing trends in professional rugby as well as gain an insight into the preliminary discussions within Joe Schmidt’s growing Wallabies coaching staff.
Where Laurie Fisher has forgotten more about rugby than many of us will ever know, this chat pulls back the layers on his coaching philosophies and his approach around the breakdown and defensive systems in exactly the kind of technical discussion fans of the game love, while Australian fans will really enjoy the level of planning and discussion already happening with Schmidt and his most recent addition to the Wallabies staff, renowned New Zealand scrum guru Mike Cron.
Social media: #89Combo
Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/89combo/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@89combopodcast
Brett: https://twitter.com/BMcSport
Harry: https://twitter.com/HaribaldiJones
(Yes, Brett and Harry did used to host The Roar Rugby Podcast!)
Find Brett and Harry’s written work on RugbyPass and The Roar:
Brett: https://www.rugbypass.com/plus/contributor/brett-mckay/
Harry: https://www.theroar.com.au/author/haribaldi/
Music from Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/track/oakvale-of-albion/extreme
Voiceovers by Chookman + Amelia
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices