The Sporting Almanac Podcast

The Six Nations - Italy

The Six Nations - Italy16 wins in 130 games in the Six Nations paints a picture of Italy as perennial whipping boys, fodder for the more established nations, perhaps even unworthy of their place at the top table of European and Northern Hemisphere Rugby Union. But it does not tell the full story of Italy's continuous and steady rise and genuine improvement since they first joined the competition in the year 2000.Playing catch up to five other nations where Rugby Union is in some cases a national obsession, in others a well organised and established secondary national sport, especially when you yourselves have fingers in so many sporting pies spreading talent pools thin - it was never going to be easy, and it was never going to be quick. But slowly and surely, led by legends of the game like Andrea Masi, the Bergamasco brothers and the irrepressible Sergio Parisse, the Italians have built fast, caught up and now stand as a genuine challenge to anyone in the tournament, especially at home.In this episode we look at the quarter century of Italy in the competition and ask the important questions: How good are Italy really now? Could they win the Six Nations in the next decade? And what is it they have in common with Micah Richards? For the answers to these and more, friends, Romans, countrymen, lend us your ears!

The Six Nations - Wales

The Six Nations - WalesIt's only been five years since Wales last won the Six Nations, and only two more beyond that since their last Grand Slam in 2019. But for Welsh fans it probably seems a lifetime ago with the current team struggling for wins against even mid-ranked nations and threatening to be perpetual wooden spoonists in the Northern Hemisphere's premier Rugby Union competition.To say the fortunes of Welsh rugby can ebb and flow is quite the understatement. They produced arguably the best attacking force in the sports history to close out the 1970s, and for a decade from the mid-2000's a side that came close to those colossuses that preceded them. The highs form a stark contrast against the lows.Today we briefly look at the origins of Welsh rugby and ask why industrialised, working class Wales of the late 19th Century didn't follow the North of England into Rugby League. Then, it's all about their recent success - Gavin Henson, Shane Williams, Dan Biggar, Alun Wyn Jones and Leigh Halfpenny and many more players besides, as we explain how Wales came closer than any team in our lifetime to dominating the Six Nations.

The Super Bowl

Super Bowl LX - Seattle Seahawks vs. New England PatriotsThe Super Bowl simply needs no introduction. It is, one way or another, the biggest event on the annual sporting calendar. Multi-million dollar advertisements, tickets in the tens of thousands of dollars and more, a half time show some people look forward to more than the football... and behind it all, you have two conference champions vying for the only things that universally matter in the game - the Vince Lombardi trophy, a Super Bowl ring and immortality.Today, we focus on three main events of Jack's choosing - his favourite Super Bowl, his choice for the most important Super Bowl in history, and his greatest Super Bowl fairy-tale. Expect helmet catches, a league turned upside down, grocery store shelf stacking, and destiny fulfilled across the board.Ben takes us on a preview of this season's event framed around the last time the Seahawks took on the Patriots, where the Seahawks famously did not run the ball and blew the chance to win back-to-back Super Bowls, a wound Seattle will be desperate to heal in Santa Clara on Sunday. And Jack, for one, very much hopes they will...Plays Mentioned in the Episode:The Helmet Catch - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlyBEJ60DucPhilly Special (mic'd up) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XmhBaUdgesWarner to Bruce 73yd touchdown - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ui9eOuMScI

The Six Nations

The Six Nations Series - IntroductionThe Northern Hemisphere's biggest rugby competition is back. France, England, Ireland, Scotland, Italy and Wales will renew their decades long fight for European supremacy, starting with France vs. Ireland in Paris.In this series we will dive into each of the nations histories in the competition, but for this episode we set the scene, talk about why we love the Six Nations, its past and what its future might hold.

Winter Olympics X - Alpine Skiing and its Superwomen

Winter Olympics Series Episode X - Alpine Skiing and its SuperwomenWe bring our Winter Olympics series to a close just in time for the opening ceremony, and finish with the true blue ribbon events of the games - Alpine Skiing, consisting of the Slalom, Giant Slalom, Super-G, Team Combined and, the crème de la crème of the winter games, the Downhill events.The latter is designed to test the six core components of technique, courage, speed, risk, physical condition and judgement, perhaps none more so than courage. Athletes can reach speeds in excess of 150kph, injury (or worse) is never more than a moments misjudgement away. There is no test in sport like it.We take a look particularly at the careers of two incredible women: Mikaela Shiffrin, arguably the greatest ever to strap on a pair of skis; and Ester Ledecká, the first person to compete at both Snowboarding and Skiing at the same Olympics - impressive enough, but what happened when she did is no less than extraordinary.Mikaela Shiffrinhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXZONudWZSwEster Ledeckáhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke0bRzCWz1c