Elite Rugby Banter

Alex, Ben, Matt and Adam return to cast their eyes over the second last week of the Super Rugby treadmill before the playoffs. The Waratahs-Sunwolves game (and its links to wrestling) gets airtime as does Alex's love of Richie Mo. Matt's keypad makes its distinctive noise, Ben tries to not get to excited and Adam apparently said something to Matt on the first day they met that left an impression. The gang also decide to let The Bitcoin do all the work for them this week for predictions given their track record over the course of the season. What could possibly go wrong? Music from bensound.com. Image rights belong to the respective broadcaster.

It isn't Morgan Freeman or Tim Robbins, but the ERB Redemption for last week's absence is here and Adam, Alex and Matt (Ben had a family engagement) run the rule over all the positions, wonder if DMac will get rested and have some epic bants in a special feature towards the end of the show. Music from bensound.com.

The gang return, and say sorry for not producing as they promised. They then tackle the weekend's past action, waxing lyrical about the magnificence of Ben Smith, the pure smooth that is Nicolas Sanchez's kicking style, attempting to figure out how the Super 15 log and playoffs actually work, and a look ahead to the second last week of Super Rugby in 2018. Image sourced from: https://pixabay.com/en/sorry-bear-teddy-toy-cute-apology-2798346/ Music from bensound.com.

Ant becomes the "Anarchist" as he joins Matt, Alex and Adam on the pod pine. They chat about England's deserved victory over the Springboks in Cape Town, where to for the Boks from here, some of the other international games over the weekend, and Matt wonders about Israel Folau's sin bin. Super Rugby rears its head as the gang make their picks for the week, where Ant chooses his moment. Nothing beats international rugby right? Music from bensound.com.

The gang say happy Fathers Day to all the dads out there, and the Prince of Rants awakes from his slumber to burn all before him. Adam has a pop at the All Blacks, Owen Farrell is compared to a certain Canadian pop star and Matt does his first roast duck. Shout out to friends of the pod, @FantasyXVDraft! Music from bensound.com.

Alex, Ben, Matt and Adam chat about the weekend's international rugby action, the Blitz Bokke, Wilco Louw's looming spa day and how Ryan Crotty is the Gandalf/Lt. Richard Winters of the rugby world. Alex loses his temper when talking about the Wallabies kit and Ben has a confession, buried late-on in the pod on purpose (naughty naughty!) Music from bensound.com.

Alex and Ben welcome back Matt and Adam onto the pod, as the gang chat about Dick Sporting Goods Park, the looming Test series between South Africa and England, divisions over Frans Steyn and a brief look at the Australia and New Zealand series, among other topics (including curling). Music from bensound.com.

Alex, aided by Ant the Analyst and Ben from Tax, steers the ship in Adam and Matt's absence. They discuss the lay of the land in Super Rugby, South Africa losing a bad game of rugby against Wales on the other side of the world, Rieko and stray rugby players wandering around Dunedin. There will be no Fantasy Chat or predictions episode this week with Super Rugby on hiatus. Music from bensound.com

Ant joins the Fantasy chat in an attempt to help Matt, Alex and Adam figure out how they left Mafi on the bench last week. One of them can't stop picking Blues as the pod works its way through the back division, while Matt sets up his wildcard pick for OBK in style. Music from bensound.com.

Ant joins Matt, Alex and Adam in looking to the weekend's coming games, including SA v Wales in the USA. Ben mails it in (and very thoroughly), Game of Thrones references abound, and Adam uses a Harry Potter comparison in one of the weekend's match-ups. Tom Banks, the Australian fullback in South Africa over the last two weeks, also gets some well deserved airtime. Music from bensound.com.

The gang are back as they discuss how being able to do it on a cold in Christchurch (Stoke?) is the measure of a good rugby team, World Rugby's new focus on nipples, the weekend's games including the kak-fest that was the Stormers-Lions, and Rassie Erasumus' first Springbok squad. Music from bensound.om. Image from Geof Wilson, at this address: www.flickr.com/photos/17211040@N00/7554791106 Image under this license: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en

Adam, Matt and a returning Alex cast their over the forwards in this week's Fantasy Chat, with Adam doing his best Ben impression. The great Ardie Savea debate poses a head-scratcher and questions are asked about to do with #YearOfAkira. Music from bensound.com.

Ant (making his predictions debut) brings his cold logic to proceedings as he helps Ben, Matt and Adam figure what on earth is happening in the latest round of Super Rugby, especially with a couple of tough picks this week. Alex is MIA due to a heavy weekend apparently... Music from bensound.com.

Alex takes a break as Ant returns (with his formidable knowledge of actual statistics to boot) as he, Matt, Ben and Adam dissect the All Blacks squad, the latest round of Super Rugby fixtures, briefly touch on the Ashwin Willemse walk-off and discuss why the Stormers require a clean-out. Ant also reveals he is a Sharks fan (!). Music from bensound.com.

Ben, Matt and Adam (with Alex mailing it in) assess the back division for this coming week's Fantasy rugby clashes, and if Matt is to be believed, a Little flyhalf casts a big shadow. That, and DDA 2 cracks a mention. Music from bensound.com.

It's another week of Super Rugby, and another week of the Elite Rugby Banter team searching for that elusive GSP. The Coin of Destiny, undefeated thus far, returns once more and one man, against all odds (but according to statistics?), picks the Waratahs to break Australia's never-ending losing streak against Kiwi opposition. Also, Alex was apparently working on something important. Music from bensound.com.

The gang return and heap praise upon the Sunwolves (#Awooo!) for demolishing the Reds, chat about Joe Moody's two/six week ban, Australia's reserve 10s and the weekend's games. Matt also does himself proud in the #Awooo stakes. Music from bensound.com.

Matt, Adam and Alex are regaled by Ben's woes at the gym and office, and after selling Malcolm Marx and buying Robbie Coetzee, chat about their the most tasty, salty, and outright interesting Fantasy forward picks for the week. Also, no one knows what Stitcher is. Music from bensound.com.

Alex, Ben, Matt and returnee Adam have a tough time figuring out who is going to win the Stormers-Chiefs and Bulls-Sharks games, but amidst the tough minded thinking, a new coin is flipped and one of the gang think it will be an absolute disaster. Music from bensound.com.

Matt, Ben and Alex are joined by ERB newbie Ant as they chat about the great man that is Lappies Labuschagne, his departure from the Sunwolves, Australia's struggles in Super Rugby and the Sharks putting the hammer down on the Highlanders. Music from bensound.com