Episodes
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On the last edition of To The Last Drop for the year podcast hosts Brenden Nel and Liam Del Carme reach into their Christmas stockings, and reveal their wishlist for South African rugby for the New Year.
They reflect on a momentous year for Springbok rugby and lament some of the shortcomings still afflicting the domestic game, especially in the Champions Cup.
They also look forward to some of the mouthwatering fixtures awaiting rugby fans next year, especially in Australia and New Zealand. -
Apart from the resumption of long tours from the All Blacks, South African rugby fans can also look forward to the NZ Māori visiting these shores in the not-too-distant future. South African Rugby Union president Mark Alexander explained a multi-layered approach in the strengthening of their bond with New Zealand Rugby which includes visits from the Māori and the Silver Ferns.
On the 'To The Last Drop' podcast Alexander also reiterated the need to broker a global season, a long-held ambition that he will help drive as a World Rugby council member.
He also assured podcast hosts Liam Del Carme and Brenden Nel that there is life in Springbok rugby after Rassie Erasmus. -
Missing episodes?
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Having last week failed in their bid, South African Rugby Union president Mark Alexander has reiterated the need to find an equity partner on the 'To The Last Drop' podcast. He acknowledged time is of the essence as the local game needs an injection of cash but also equity partners that can help grow and sustain the game.
Despite keen local interest, Alexander insists SA Rugby needs an equity partner with the expertise to monetise and build the Springbok brand globally. -
“There are no more excuses,” star Lions midfielder Henco van Wyk insists ahead of his team's Challenge Cup opener against the Ospreys in Swansea.
The Lions who last season came tantalisingly close to reaching the play-offs in the United Rugby Championship are yet to play in the knock-out rounds but Van Wyk told the hosts of 'To The Last Drop' they need to deliver better returns this season. He explained they have a settled group of players and have no reason not to improve this season.
The centre spoke about his time spent on the sidelines due to injury and his undiminished desire to represent the Springboks one day. -
His team took a lot of confidence from their podium finish at the Paris Olympics, Blitzboks coach Philip Snyman argues ahead of the World Sevens Series in Dubai.
He believes his team will also be ready to handle the pressure of playing in Cape Town next week.
They will however be without the hugely influential Selvyn Davids who is injured but Snyman told the 'To the Last Drop' podcast they have sufficient contingencies in place to mitigate the blow.
Snyman also chuckles at the notion he might have picked up World Coach of the Year award had his team instead of France gone all the way at the Paris Olympics. He believes Boks coach Rassie Erasmus is more deserving of the accolade.
World Player of the Year, Pieter-Steph du Toit, also explains what winning the award a second time means to him.
Hosts Brenden Nel and Liam Del Carme also look ahead to this weekend's matches in the URC. -
They were at opposite ends of a bitter spat during the British & Irish Lions tour of South Africa in 2021 but Rassie Erasmus and Warren Gatland have since cleared the air.
Erasmus and Gatland will again pit their coaching wits against each other when the Boks take on Wales at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on Saturday.
There appears to be no hangover from the Lions' series and Erasmus in fact, on this week's episode of 'To the Last Drop' comes out to bat for the beleaguered Gatland who has seen his Wales team suffer 11 straight defeats. It is Wales' longest losing streak.
Erasmus though insists Gatland cannot become a bad coach overnight.
Also on the show, new Bok, Cameron Hanekom explains he did not take overtures to play for Wales seriously.
Plus, hosts Brenden Nel and Liam Del Carme look ahead to South Africa's last Test of the year in full expectation of a Bok win. -
What does it take to have a winning mentality? What does it mean to be mentally tough? Can mental toughness be taught? All these teasing questions are answered on the next episode of To The Last Drop with renowned sports psychologist Henning Gericke.
Gericke, a former middle distance athlete of some repute is perhaps best remembered for being part of the Springbok medical team at the 2007 Rugby World Cup. Gericke who currently consults with the Bulls also points to the pitfalls parents face when they have young, aspiring sporting talents under their roof.
Hosts Brenden Nel and Liam Del Carme also look ahead to Saturday's Test between the Springboks and England at Twickenham. -
The improved performances of their teams in the United Rugby Championship will stand Scotland in good stead during their Autumn Series and beyond. SA-born Glasgow Warriors coach Franco Smith tells the To The Last Drop podcast Scotland will give a better account of themselves when they play the Springboks at Murrayfield on Sunday compared to the 18-3 defeat they suffered in the Rugby World Cup in Marseille last year. Smith has brought a steely mentality to his players' improved conditioning and physicality and Scotland will also reap the benefit with the high number of Warriors now in their ranks.
Respected author and pundit Pete Burns also runs the rule over Scotland and their prospects against the Boks. -
SA Rugby chief executive Rian Oberholzer is in the hot seat on the latest edition of To The Last Drop. Presenters Brenden Nel and Liam Del Carme fired wide ranging questions at the veteran rugby administrator, in particular SA Rugby's much publicised proposed equity deal with the Ackerley Sports Group (ASG). Oberholzer reaffirmed SA Rugby's need to enter an equity agreement and he explained why ASG was their preferred bidder.
Oberholzer also laid bare what SA's competition structure might look like if all the balls in the air fall into place and why the country can't afford to only have four professional teams.
Brenden and Liam also reflect on the last weekend of URC action before the competition went into recess. -
Vincent Tshituka still wants to play for the Springboks but the Sharks flank that it will be tough. He points to the long conveyor belt of outstanding loose forwards in South Africa as a potential obstacle but is keeping the faith.
Hosts Liam Del Carme and Brenden Nel note scrumhalf Faf de Klerk's absence from the Bok squad to tour the United Kingdom, but they agree it is a very powerful 34-man squad.
They are also in agreement the Bulls were unfortunate to cop another red card in the URC and that the Pretoria side may find the going tough this weekend in the URC. -
Rugby, as vehicle for delivering a spectacle, is on as smooth a path as it has ever been professor Ross Tucker tells this week's edition of To The Last Drop. The renowned sports scientist who sits on a World Rugby committee tasked with player well-being, especially in relation to concussion, says players are now less likely to suffer catastrophic injury than ever before. This, he believes, has not come at the expense of the product despite the fact that the sport is played at breakneck speed.
Hosts Liam Del Carme and Brenden Nel also stare into the crystal ball and predict URC wins this weekend for three of South Africa's URC franchises. They are divided on the fourth. -
South Africa's all conquering teams in last weekend's matches in the United Rugby Championship face a far more daunting challenge this weekend when all go into combat away from home. Still, To The Last Drop hosts Brenden Nel and Liam Del Carme argue all four have a realistic chance of coming away with victory in their clashes in the United Kingdom and Italy.
Also on the show, Lions No8 Francke Horn explains why his team will this weekend go into their clash against the Dragons brimming confidence. -
On this week's To The Last Drop, Brenden and Liam break down last weekend's Rugby Championship decider between the Springboks and Argentina in Mbombela.
They delve into how the title-winning campaign will benefit the Boks down the line and what the team's management may have in store for the end-of-year tour in November. Later Aphelele Fassi, who has rediscovered the spring in his step, and the always trucking Pieter-Steph du Toit have their say. -
Our 'To The Last Drop' hosts agree the Springboks have much to atone in this Saturday's Rugby Championship decider against Argentina in Nelspruit. They fell agonisingly short in rural Argentina last weekend but our hosts concur that defeat cannot be placed at the door of just one player. Besides, apart from missing one kick Manie Libbok actually had a decent Test in Santiago del Estero.
Later in the episode former Blitzboks flyer Marius Schoeman tells Brenden and Liam about his transition from Sevens High Performance manager at SA Rugby to CEO of the SA Rugby Legends. Apart from being a decorated Sevens player himself, Schoeman in concert with Neil Powell, has been instrumental in identifying and developing the talents of Kwagga Smith, Cheslin Kolbe, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Co. -
Mziwakhe Nkosi believes Saturday's Currie Cup final is a shot at redemption for the Lions when they clash with the Sharks at Ellis Park. Nkosi admits on the 'To The Last Drop' podcast his players did not cover themselves in glory on that day when they were sucker punched into kicking duel.
Nkosi is unfazed about the prospect of the Sharks loading their team with Springboks.
This week's show also looks forward to the Springboks' Test against Argentina in Santiago del Estero plus it features a clip from Bok coach Rassie Erasmus in which he expresses his displeasure at Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu's decision not to reveal an injury. -
As much as Springbok rugby is in rude health, the All Blacks find themselves under searching examination following three defeats in their first four Rugby Championship clashes this year. 'To The Last Drop' hosts Brenden Nel and Liam Del Carme argue the All Blacks aren't far off the pace but that the wins column will ultimately determine the fate of their head coach Scott Robertson. The All Blacks coach faced some awkward questions after his team's defeat in Cape Town last Saturday.
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After their stunning come-from-behind win over the All Blacks at Ellis Park, the Springboks are within touching distance of claiming their first Rugby Championship since 2019.
They meet the All Blacks again on Saturday but the tourists have much to ponder ahead to the clash at Cape Town Stadium. The To The Last Drop hosts chew the fat with Kiwi journalist Jamie Wall about their prospects, the difference Scott Robertson has made since becoming head coach, and the state of New Zealand rugby. -
Like everyone else, former Test lock Johan Ackermann is in a state of anticipation ahead of Saturday's Rugby Championship clash between the Springboks and the All Blacks on the latest episode of To The Last Drop. The Boks will hope to firm their grip over the All Blacks with a possible fifth win in their last seven matches against their old foes. The All Blacks, who were a little aggrieved at the outcome of last year's Rugby World Cup final, have a chance to exact retribution at a venue where it will hurt the Boks most. Our hosts break down the elements that may help shape the game with Ackermann, now a much-respected coach.
00:00 Introduction to the Podcast
00:31 Preview of the Big Game: Springboks vs All Blacks
00:47 Team Announcements and Injuries
01:02 Historical Context and Rivalry
01:34 Springboks' Strategy and Selections
08:08 Discussion on Eben Etzebeth’s Injury
11:28 Interview with Johan Ackermann
12:23 Johan Ackermann's Coaching Journey in Japan
14:08 Challenges and Successes in Japan
16:17 Future Coaching Aspirations
22:32 Reflections on Past Matches and Rivalries
35:58 Cultural Adjustments in Japan
38:40 Wrapping Up and Score Predictions -
Coaching guru and popular television pundit Swys de Bruin may have put down the microphone but he sat down with the To The Last Drop team as they looked ahead to the Springboks' clash next weekend against the All Blacks.
De Bruin says he is surprised former captain Sam Cane remains in the All Blacks set-up, adding he has not seen a significant change in the way the three-time Rugby World Cup winners go about their business under Scott Robertson.
De Bruin warned that they remain redoubtable opposition but that the Springboks have gone from strength to strength since winning the Rugby World Cup. -
Our hosts this week corner former Bok centre and television pundit Gcobani Bobo. They look ahead to this weekend's Rugby Championship Test between the Springboks and the Wallabies in Perth. Bobo is thoroughly enthused by the much-changed Bok line-up, arguing the World Champions now boast depth that other teams cannot match.
Bobo is also pushed down memory lane about his time Perth, the city where he regrettably, never played a Test.
00:00 Introduction to the Podcast
00:30 Springboks' Victory in Brisbane
01:05 Springbok Rugby's Evolution and Strategy
02:34 Challenges and Changes in the Team
05:24 Interview with a Rugby Legend
08:54 Reflections on 2003 and Rugby Experiences
17:27 Leadership and Future of Springbok Rugby
35:47 Predictions and Final Thoughts - Show more
