This Pod keeps getting better and better. Its constantly makes me challenge my perceptions of people in the game. Brilliant stuff.

Went to Penny Hill as a 12 year old and Dylan stayed an hour after training, on his own accord with me and a mate doing Lineout drills. Really surprised at how nice the guy is contrary to his media portrayal.

The first time I've really heard Dylan talk other than a few words at a press conference! Could have listened for hours! Blinding stuff!

Proper legend. We're lucky to have had the man as a captain. Great insight into professional rugby. Speaks volumes to Payno who says next to nothing throughout (and Hask also, thank fuck).

Dylan is an absolute breath of fresh air 👍🏼

Best pod yet, love Dylan. Chatty, honest and eloquent

'Don't offer him out just fill him in when he's not looking'. Class

Genuinely fascinating guy with hidden depths. The more of these I see, the more I realise what a disgrace our media is.

Top bloke Dylan, straight talking, hard working, the sort of guy you'd be proud to stand next to - top interview guys. Thanks to you all.

Brilliant pod. Shocking and emotional revelations about the physical damage a professional rugby career leaves. Makes you wonder about the sustainability of the game as it is. Excellent work boys!

The 8 dislikes are people Dylan has filled in when the ref wasn’t looking.

You gentlemen really do know how to get some of the best guests on! Once again an absolute pleasure and Dylan Hartley changing my entire perspective of him!

Its absolutely great getting as real insight as to how the retired players actually are and not how they are perceived. Hask pure gold as usual and Alex holding down the fort. Well done lads great effort.

This is easily the best rugby podcast I've heard. It goes a long way to underline the fundamental problems of the game.

Another fantastic pod guys. Absolute class again and great to listen to Dylan with his own views on career et al. Brilliant 👍👍👍

@DylanHartley will go down as one of the best England captains! People will talk about his poor disciplinary record but should be remembered as an England player who achieved so much & set some pretty impressive standards in the white shirt! Raukura!!!

Fascinating the wear and tear!

Absolutely brilliant

Best cast so far. Excellent. Thank you

Brilliant podcast again.....what i love about the show is how you perceive someone before you listen to who they are and how they see things in their career and it changes the way you see them...👏👏👏👏

Hask looks like a haggard tin tin 😂 great podcast guys!

The best one yet-great stories-great banter-good guy

Loving this podcast..

Loved that chaps, thank you.

Loving the pod, great guests with so much love for the game and great insights into all the goings on in rugby, long may it continue, great job 🏉

Love the behind the scenes stuff.Fantastic podcast.Love English rugby.

The one thing I love about this podcast is the build up to them actually announcing in the Facebook group who is gonna be on the podcast. Because it just keeps getting better and better each week. KEEP IT UP!!!

First 4 minutes and I'm laughing out loud, brilliant!

That was absolutely brilliant love this podcast

Laughed out loud when he accidentally said Guscott's name after trying so hard not to 😅

What an awesome interview with Dylan. Humble and sincere. A true inspiration to any young player. Well done Dylan on a truly fantastic career. I'm looking forward to reading your book!!

Absolutely awesome guys, and great to hear the inside track from Hask and Dylan who was brutally honest, loved the podcast

Unreal!! Love Dylan!!! What a bloke!!!

Dylan, Great Player, great bloke. Really enjoyed that interview.

I started watching this and halfway through was beginning to think where is the rugby? Lol it’s a bit heavy.... but having finished it I have to say it’s one of the best. The honesty and the stories - it’s what sets this podcast apart from the others. Can’t wait for the next one

What a great pod cast.

Top guests this series and I’m loving it

Brilliant !!

Probably my favourite so far. No filter at all from Dylan.

Unashamed credit to the guys and the team for putting this whole thing together…hits the absolute sweet spot for format, dynamic, top bants (obvs), insight, honesty and of course royal, red carpet guest-list…at exactly the right time. Nailed it lads…absolutely nailed it. (I did notice one or two Lion’s 15 creeping into the FB comments though, so maybe kill that off before it learns to walk!)

Thanks best pod so far Dylan comes across very straight talking, and his favourite word C..t , brilliant

That is a podcast. Love the honesty.

love this podcast!!!!

House of rugby, now this make my week

Great show. Coming from Northampton any Saints player gets my attention and today was most enjoyable. Only been in Dylan's presence once when on a return trip to the UK I was in the Saints shop stocking up on stuff when Dylan came in and purchased a team photo poster for his Gran in NZ and I saw him pay for it. I was amazed that as the then current captain he didn't get it for free and thought to myself how good that type of action was because it showed he didn't take or expect anything for granted. Wish him all the best in his post retirement career.

Great podcast gents. Its good to listen to players from the top of the game giving a no holes view on the impact that game can have on your body and the price that is being paid by the players.

Really great podcast and the issues raised were highly relatable. This goes way beyond the professional game. As an ex amateur player now in his 40s who has to give up in his early 20s I have a lot of what you guys were describing. I’m now on first name terms with my local Knee (multiple surgeries) back (multiple injections) shoulder (multiple injections and pending surgery) and neurologist (multiple concussions, with some of the symptoms Dylan described). What is scary is when I talk to each of them they describe performing similar surgeries and more complex ones on 14yros who are really pushing to get into academies etc. I have even heard of schools asking for legal waivers from parents who are pushing for kids to play despite multiple repeated concussions, again to either stay in or access academies. From guys I speak to who still play, all of the pain coping mechanisms are very present, use of pain killing injections etc. Just to keep playing, it’s all through the sport and orthopaedic surgeons are seeing the impact of it and actively discussing ways to manage it. It’s a great game, I wouldn’t change any of it... but I wouldn’t want my son/daughter to experience the pain I feel and the pain others feel everyday from playing it

Best one yet

What a guy Dylan is. Completely not what I expected. Amazing compelling listening/viewing.

Haha, love how someone has changed Jeremy Guscott profession on wikipedia to "British Bricklayer"!!

what an episode!!!

I'll be honest as a welsh man I've never been a big fan of Dylan but after this I'm a huge fan and wish I appreciated him more when he was playing. Hope to see him on as a commentator

This is a great interview with an honest and real human being. Two things from the recent 6 nations and beyond. Sexton and his reaction to the french doctors outpouring is a classic denial psychologically to what’s happening to both his mind and body and a sad but understandable desire to try and prolong the upsides. It also makes me resee the irish explanation of the O Mahoney red card. He is a veteran rugby player, smart, astute, and completely cognisant and yet the commentators afterwards they brushed what he did off. What I struggle with was that they, and all the commentators are so immune and it’s so much absorbed that they don’t see the down sides of old way of playing this wonderful game. I’m 65, I love rugby, but it’s a game of beauty and creativity not brutality and thuggery and yet those are the things that are encorageged.

Quality. Loving the new POD. The abuse @alexpayne takes like an absolute champ is one of my favourite things to listen & watch since the HOR days.

Another top show. Dylan seems like a very genuine guy with some great insight. Keep it up guys....

Big Love Dylon. Truth. Saloman Speedcross 5' on deck. You filled them in king and country, with Honour.

High light of the week watching you guys. Love what you lads are doing and it just gets better and better. If your ever in Montenegro, beers on me.

Superb session lads, hanging on every word👏👏👏

Another great show! I was surprised and a bit disappointed that Dylan said that he isn't having his brain challenges looked at. Perhaps not the best way to prepare or mitigate any problems and he could be a good example for others to seek help...

@JAMESHASKELL your well respected & appreciated for this podcast & the previous, And most importantly your whole playing career. Please don't mess about with the boat anymore.

Dylan, Amazing.

Great podcast. Love him or hate him Dylan gave a great interview. Probably one of my favourites in fact. Including any previous guests on house of rugby too. Great viewing

This has been an amazing start to the pod!! Keep up the great work! Love the guests! This is what we rugby fans need, real rugby fans, that want to hear straight from the players and people involved.

As a tigers fan i loved that final ... but as an england fan what a captain he was. Well done dilbert

I've played rugby for the last 20 years and have had many injury over the years and some in training. Had to have full shoulder reconstruction last year rotator cuff and bicep tenders reattached. Healed up quick as normal played the final game of the season only to blow my mcl and acl and tear tendons in my ankle. When I'm healed up I will still go back but in a playing capacity. Will go along and help coach the new guys and kids or video record for further analysis. Nothing will stop me from my local club being down there even if I'm not in a playing capacity.

Cracking podcast this week

Despite his discrepenciery issues Dylan Hartley is one of my favourite players in the game of rugby. He has character and and this is what the english game needs to remain relavent in todays world

An absolute class interview. I must say it has completely changed my opinion of Dylan Hartley. Yeah, I was one of those dicks who bought into the media narrative. I am so pleased I have been proven wrong. The RFU hierarchy should give his ideas and concerns some real thought. Unfortunately, because the game has such disparate interests, I feel that the old establishment will bumble on and continue in its unimaginative reactive manner. Well done James and Alex!

Great to see the other side to Dylan. Really eye opening but shows just what a great bloke he is.

Where can I get the TEAM BIN JUICE t-shirt from?

Comes across as a top bloke, quality player

Sorry guys, technical question: what streaming software is this?

Get Paul O'Connell on

Straight talking, straight shooting, 97 caps under 3 really different coaches. Dylan Hartley is an all time English front row legend! Not being part of the Blazer and cucumber sandwich brigade he has never received the recognition he deserves! As an Irishman, I can tell you, if he'd played in green, he'd be a living legend. We understand & accept the many sides to a man's character, and to CELEBRATE and support, not publicly hang him out to dry! I often wondered Dylan, why you didn't grab Barnes by the throat, and advise him that if you were going to say what he reported you'd said, you would have gone right up to his face and said it in his face! Not utter it in some spineless manner under your breath as he reported! No matter, Dylan Hartley, rest proudly knowing true grass roots rugby aficionados know great players when they see them. And as Alex says, less those that have made a Faustian pact with the devil of those with greasy palms!! But their opinions are just noise! Great interview guys. Well done Dylan on a great career.👍

good luck DH u done good

Haskell, Dylan and Billy V body damage and a 7 month concussion was sufficient for me to talk my son out of joining the DPP schemes and have a normal job and play the odd amateur game for fun. 34/35 years old and the injury count is like a repeated assault and battery.

Took me a nanosecond to guess it was Guscott he was referring to.

When’s Rory Best coming back on??

Who is this 'Archie bloke' at 1:38:02?

Think these guys need more influence in the game going forward

What happened to house of rugby?

Loved this episode. Is Alex Payne self tanning these days? Gorgeous!

“Excuse Me”

It'd be interesting to see without the bans could he have surpassed Leonard

PMSL! @ THE GUSGOTT story!

I relate strongly to this comment 1:05:25

Straight Shooter- would be awesome if he runs RFU.

They should introduce a time bank system whereby no player can play beyond a certain amount of ball in play time. That time would depend on the player level obviously (academy, standard, elite). But it would also mean that clubs would need more players while still respecting the same salary cap, so players would face a pay cut and that cuts to the root of it. If player safety truly is more important than club finances, that means less cash for players who play less. Would players accept that?

im from nz not sure who he is?

Pano Pano Pano

You're setting a very high standard, but can you keep it up? If you don't have Prince Alexander Obolensky on soon, I'll be very disappointed.

It's like what F1 racing went through.. It took drivers to make the changes to dangerous circuit's but it took the likes of Senna to die racing. Hope it doesn't take a player to die in a international match for changes to happen.

This is the first time I’ve experienced Dylan off the paddock being interviewed. I know he’s shown to be great with grass roots and hearty fans but as a Kiwi rugby fan myself, this is not as important as current and former captains being humble while being interviewed. The uncontrolled mongrel in him wouldn’t have been tolerated in professional union in NZ. The hosts are always brilliant on this great pod and never let the game down, at all. On this occasion, Dylan shows me he’s still below par on a maturity level and should have mastered this at least before being asked to captain England.

100% it’s Neil Best with the kill list

Hask, have you eaten your family?

Naahhh f all that, talk about smashing people and winning. Beautiful

Consider yourself a lucky boys, you had the best facilities and treatment, and retired in your 30’s!

Look at the way Dylan Hartley sits throughout the pod, he still wants to win. He's defensively attacking in a measured way. English rugby will not be a winning consistent organisation until they look beyond. The handling of Cipriani is an example. As Brian Clough was " the greatest manager England never had "

instead of 2 games per week maybe they could have just doubled points? I am casual so I am not 100% sure if that would work.

but hes met the right people a bro"