Player welfare as weapon and the amazing world of Japanese toilet tech

ROG and the now-married Stephen Ferris talk player welfare in modern rugby, and I talk to Rob Penney about life in Japan and how he looks back on his time with Munster.

Retirement: planned, unplanned, and what comes next

The life of a professional sportsperson can come to a halt in various different ways. Only the very few have the luxury of a pre-announced retirement along with celebratory last season.

Some can own their decision to retire, both circumstance and timing, even if they weren’t 100% conscious at the time that their last game would be their last game.… Read more...

The 2017/18 Podcast Season

We're rolling nicely over at The Hard Yards. Here's what I've been up to on the pod so far this season.

Podcast: It’s the #ROGpod

Ronan O'Gara makes his debut on the pod: "Sharing" his washbag with Donncha O'Callaghan for a decade, a look ahead to Ireland vs England, and how the Stade/Racing merger announcement impacted the market for rugby players in Europe.