Show Notes
Franco Smith has been calling himself a Dreamgiver for years. This conversation explains what that actually means.Jamie Lyall, who commentates for World Rugby and writes for RugbyPass, has watched Franco up close since 2022, when a teacher from the Free State arrived in Glasgow with no recruitment budget, inherited a staff, and started coaching scrum sessions he had never run before. Lyall unpacks what makes him different: a cultural intelligence that can hold Jack Dempsey and Sione Tuipulotu inside the same framework, and an ability to make players believe in something before they have any proof it works.The conversation also covers Glasgow's URC title run and that afternoon at Loftus, Franco's legacy at Italy, Kyle Steyn's place in world rugby, and an honest read on Gregor Townsend's record when the pressure is on.On this episode of the Lekker Rugby Pod, MW Welman sits down with rugby broadcaster and journalist Jamie Lyall.
More from The Lekker Rugby Pod!
Why have the Bulls and Stormers suddenly decided Europe is worth chasing with everything they’ve got?Harry Jones is heading to Bordeaux to embed with the Stormers for their Champions Cup clash. He and MW unpack what has shifted this season, what a deep European run could be worth to South African rugby, and where the Sharks fit into the picture. Then the conversation widens.In this episode:- Why the Bulls and Stormers are targeting the Champions Cup this season- How the Harry Index actually works, and why the Hurricanes are on itJohan Ackermann’s long bet on a faster Bulls side- The URC scoring explosion, and why Harry says long live the maul tryPlus, details on the free Megafoon meet and greet in Ballsbridge on 21 November, before the Springboks take on Ireland in Dublin.
Have the All Blacks really bounced back, or did they just meet the right opponent at the right time?The All Blacks got their first chance to respond at Eden Park, with a big Bledisloe win over the Wallabies. On this episode of The Lekker Rugby Pod, Martin Devlin of the Devlin Sports Podcast Network (DSPN) joins Harry Jones and MW Welman to sort out what was fixed from what the Springboks exposed, and to look ahead to Sydney.
Can you explain how the Bulls and the Stormers play in two minutes or less?This quickfire special edition of the Lekker Rugby Pod opens with Jake White’s new job at Fiji, then keeps going. MW Welman plays the complete ignoramus, Harry Jones does the explaining, and neither of them stays on topic for long.In this episode:- Jake White at Fiji and Sean Edwards at the Pumas- The Bulls and Stormers game plans, and which is harder to plan for- The maul law, Marnus van der Merwe’s trapdoor call and Harry’s 33- The brake foot law, and Harry’s view of itWe are also hosting a free Megafoon Meet and Greet in Dublin on Saturday 21 November, from 11:00 to 13:00 at The Schoolhouse in Donnybrook, before Springboks v Ireland. Gráinne Seoige and Leon, Harry Jones and Paul Avenant will be there, with other guests still to be announced. Everyone is welcome.
Why did the Bulls and Stormers both come up short, and how does a team work out what really went wrong?Harry Jones joins MW Welman on the Lekker Rugby Pod to analyse their losses properly, using the Bulls' defeat to Munster and the Stormers' defeat to Edinburgh as the working examples. Harry brings the numbers, and they ask whether a loss comes down to one fixable problem or to something bigger in how a team plays. The conversation also turns to the Springboks, where the tries conceded this season raise questions of their own.In this episode:- How a team diagnoses a loss, and what gets looked at first- The Bulls, the Stormers and the role of game drivers- Lineouts, kick retention and the numbers behind the results- Springbok defence concerns and the latest on Harry's 33
Was Perth a proper Test match, or a fixture the Springboks simply had to get through?Harry Jones watched the Wallabies win at 2:45am, under the covers in Northern California, and came away with two theories. Either Rassie Erasmus used 13 changes to run a deliberate stress test, or 17 weeks on the road finally caught up with a tired squad. MW Welman isn't convinced the experiment was worth running at all.They weigh up what the coaches learned about Aphelele Fassi, Andre Esterhuizen's captaincy and a defence that has conceded more tries every year since 2023, and ask whether Jerry Flannery's system is working.Then it's over to the URC: why the Stormers built a high-carry game for 4G pitches, what Johan Ackermann wants from the Bulls, and the Kwagga Smith rumours.In this episode:- Perth: stress test or obligation?- The Springbok defence and the numbers behind it- Harry's 33-man World Cup squad- The Stormers on 4G and the Bulls' fast start