GOLD DIGGER: The search for Australian rugby MATT DURRANT

2023 can probably get in the bin. Okay, it wasn’t all bad. Some of us had a great trip to France and it’s great if you follow 7s rugby, but otherwise, it’s been tough. Joining Matt to have a quick review of the year and where to next for Australian rugby is Blake from the Rugby Report Card with a slice of umbrage but plenty of strong, honest views. We talk about the Eddie show, Hamish McLennan vs the Rebel Alliance but also look at the positives, our women’s 7s, the opportunities for building rugby amongst the youth and who could be angling for the Wallaby head coach role. 
This episode will be the final in the current series of the Gold Digger podcast and will close with some announcements about the film and the opportunity of a new book that is perfect for some off season reading. Dig in!

It was an interview that was months in the making. Then he was sacked but still the opportunity was there. At the time of recording in early January 2023 he was a former Wallaby coach and at the time of publishing he is now the current Wallaby coach. Eddie Jones, a man who needs no introduction to Australian rugby fans.

We dig into his origins at Matraville High playing with the Ellas, his coaching journey, the rise of Japan and how he changed their mindset, the evolving professional players and then cut to the core of the issues that need to be addressed in Australia and how important cohesion is. A frank chat with a battle hardened former school teacher and now journeyed coach that is all the more salient given he has been given the mantle of Wallaby coach for "one more job". Dig in!

Since when do we lose to Italy? Another historical Wallaby loss surely requires a response and with a little wine in hand, Matt decides to give it a go. Not much here except a good old fashioned cathartic whine about the bleeding obvious. We dwell on the Italian game, touch on some points around the business of rugby and also raise a glass to the Black Ferns victory and why that could matter for Australian rugby. Pour yourself a strong drink and dig in!

We made the call and many of you answered! A short but sharp Q and A session with writer/director Matt Durrant and Director of Photography Majdi Slaibi on the newly released feature documentary Gold Digger: The search for Australian Rugby. Some background on how the film came together, technical aspects of making it, more anecdotes from the production and the questions from the many and many listeners out there!

If you're in Australia, you can now watch the film On Demand via Fox Docos which is available via Foxtel GO and Binge. More announcements on further releases around the world coming soon. Dig in! 

Finally, the documentary we've been waiting to share with Australian audiences will get a local release this Thursday the 15th September 2022 on the day of the Bledisloe Test Match in Melbourne. The film will be screened on Fox Docos via Foxtel and Binge.

Director Matt Durrant and cinematographer and co-producer Majdi Slaibi from Thiqa Media share a few stories of how the film started almost 3 years ago and the journey of getting it from concept to broadcast. A battler story of two guys with an idea and plenty of enthusiasm who jumped in and navigated the Australian rugby sphere to chase the story despite the limits of being self funded, having a skeleton crew and managing to overcome the challenges of a pandemic that momentarily shut down production .

A few anecdotes,  some favourite interview moments and a call out for listeners to tell us what they want to hear after the film is out. Dig in!

The Ella brothers are synonymous with Australian rugby and especially the era in which the Wallabies and the "running rugby" style took over the rugby world. Glen Ella, the twin of Mark and older brother of Gary, lived and played through it all from that Invincible Schoolboy Tour of 1977/78 to the dominant Galloping Greens of Randwick in the 80s and then the highest honour of  playing for the Wallabies with his brothers.

We talk to Glen about his thoughts on the state of rugby now in Australia, dissect that recent series loss to England and touch upon his friendship with current head coach and former Matraville High alumni Eddie Jones. Can attacking styles be dominant again in world rugby despite ever imposing defences? Is rugby at a critical juncture in Australia where the style of the game isn't as attractive a brand as it used to be? And did rugby in Australia miss a trick by not engaging more Indigenous athletes who now populate the AFL and NRL? An honest and engaging conversation with a former Wallaby who remains just as committed to the game as the day he was first introduced to it with his brothers at high school. Dig in!