Episode 318: Springboks' Great Expectations

The Nations Championship is finally here, and with a brand-new tournament comes one very important question: what actually counts as success?

Ant and Phil kick things off by looking at South Africa's campaign. Is three wins the minimum expectation for the Springboks? Which combinations still need answers before the business end of the season? And with Rassie continuing to build depth across the squad, just how much experimentation is too much when silverware is on the line?

The boys then work their way around the rest of the tournament, setting realistic expectations for every side. England's lofty ambitions come under scrutiny, France head to New Zealand with a genuine chance of causing problems, there's plenty of sympathy for Fiji, who once again won't get the opportunity to play their home fixtures on home soil, and can the Wallabies take a big scalp from Ireland or France.

Attention then turns across the Tasman, where Dave Rennie has some fascinating selection calls to make for his All Blacks side. Should the Hurricanes provide the backbone of the team? Is Ruben Love ready for the biggest stage? And after one particularly spicy internet take, the panel spends far longer than expected debating whether Will Jordan might just be the most overrated All Black of the modern era.

Plus predictions for the opening weekend, discussion around the changing balance of power in world rugby, and why this year's Nations Championship could tell us a lot about where every major nation really stands.

Music by @monstroid, 80s TV Show.