Scrumbags Rugby Podcast · Pick and Drive Productions

Which Aussie side will rise in 2026?

·59 min·3 clips

Max Jorgensen’s first touch was an 80-metre break that led to Charlie Gamble’s try.

1. Scrumbags Rugby Podcast focuses on Super Rugby Pacific round one, with the Waratahs, Reds, Brumbies, Force, and Highlanders all in the frame. 2. Mitch and Lockie host the show, and their club allegiance matters because the episode is built around a Waratahs-versus-Reds rivalry. 3. The episode asks which Aussie side will rise in 2026, while using preseason results and round-one selection calls as the main hook. 4. The hosts open with the Waratahs’ 50-48 trial win over the ACT Brumbies in Canberra and note nine lead changes. 5. Lockie says the Brumbies were up 48-38 with 10 minutes left before a yellow card swung the match. 6. Max Jorgensen’s long break and Charlie Gamble’s finish become the clearest highlight from the Waratahs’ attack. 7. The hosts also point to Ione Moananu’s late try as evidence that the Waratahs kept going to the end. 8. They say the Waratahs’ Wallabies players, including Andrew Kellaway, Joseph Suaalii, and Jake Gordon, fitted the game plan well. 9. The discussion highlights the Waratahs’ use of forward pods, quick recycle, and soft hands under pressure. 10. The Brumbies get praise too, especially Charlie Cale’s pace and Pete Samu’s back-row work. 11. Lockie says Cale and Samu looked like two forwards with serious speed for their size. 12. The hosts single out Declan Meredith’s 22-to-22 kick and say they have not seen a similar boot in Australian rugby outside Reece Hodge. 13. Ryan Lonergan’s presence beside Meredith is described as a confidence boost that helped the Brumbies’ fly-half look more composed. 14. The Waratahs’ use of Joseph Suaalii as a decoy and distributor is treated as a strategic clue for round one. 15. Andrew Kellaway’s try is used to show how the Waratahs can attack through tight hands and then release runners outside. 16. On the Reds side, the hosts focus on Tom Lynagh’s fitness, Carter Gordon, Harry McLaughlin-Phillips, and the missing Tate McDermott and Harry Wilson. 17. The tone is conversational, partisan, and footy-nerdy, with quick swings between match analysis and rivalry banter. 18. The format mixes live reactions, preseason review, and round-one tipping rather than a formal interview structure. 19. Waratahs or Reds fans tracking round-one selection calls. 20. Listeners wanting polished, neutral match analysis.

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