England Rugby Podcast: O2 Inside Line

Playing through a game while her dad was on the other side of the world after being rushed to hospital was one of the hardest experiences Alex Matthews has ever faced on a rugby pitch. The double World Cup winner reveals how she fought back tears at scrum time after learning a tumour had been found on her father’s spinal cord.

The Gloucester-Hartpury back-row also discusses life in camp as an introvert, how her natural instinct to care for others led her into a brief role in caregiving, and why she still finds it difficult to fully comprehend her position as a leader within the Red Roses.

In this podcast you will also hear from Alex's dad Dave, mum Vanessa, one of her first rugby coaches Bob Jones, as well as team mates Mo Hunt and Emma Sing.

This podcast was recorded in January 2026.

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Before the biggest tournament of her career, Kelsey Clifford had to deal with the passing of her grandad and the pain of his absence ahead of the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup win. The Saracens prop opens up on the grief she had to deal with pre and post-tournament and some of the things she had to process to help her become a world champion.

Clifford also reveals the weight-loss targets she was set to become a Red Rose, and why she quit crisps to help, where her in-camp nickname of ‘Wesley’ comes from as well as her match day superstitions she must do to feel prepared for a game, including one she is trying to lose.

In this podcast you will also hear from Kelsey’s dad Michael Clifford, her partner and Saracens teammate Beth Blacklock and Red Roses players Mo Hunt and Alex Matthews.

This podcast was recorded in January 2026.

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Growing up on a farm in a small hamlet in Devon, Emma Sing was surrounded by cows, lambs and loved jumping around hay bales. The Gloucester-Hartpury full back talks about how she still adds her weight to farm work alongside her Red Roses career and studying Bioveterinary Science at university so she could give back to the family farm.

Sing also talks about being scouted by Exeter City Football Club as a youngster, how a sports psychologist helped her focus after losing her first England contract and being spotted in supermarkets after winning the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup.

In this podcast you will also hear from Emma’s mum Wendy, one of her first coaches Robin Thorne, and teammates Mo Hunt and Alex Matthews.

This podcast was recorded in January 2026.

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Missing out on World Cup selection in 2022 ‘shattered’ Mo Hunt’s world; she got drunk, turned her phone off and had to deal with thought of her mum quitting her job to watch her in a tournament she was now no longer playing in. The Gloucester-Hartpury scrum half discusses battling back from that time to her life before being a professional rugby player as a PE teacher, giving up chocolate and drinking ahead of tournaments and opening MoZo coffee shop with friend, and teammate, Zoe Stratford.

Mo also talks about how 2025 was a turbulent year for her featuring a break-up, a first solo holiday and becoming a world champion, as well as her pre-match routine and superstitions including a personal song, white feathers and a strict shaving routine.

In this podcast you will also hear from Mo's mum Sally, her sister Jess, as well as Red Roses' teammates Alex Matthews and Emma Sing.

This podcast was recorded in January 2026.

FOLLOW:
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Five nights in hospital with juvenile idiopathic arthritis is a blur for Guy Pepper; he was just seven years old. The Bath Rugby forward reveals how, despite ongoing steroid injections, his diagnosis only strengthened his drive to compete. Pepper also discusses being taught and coached at school by his dad, rooming with Henry Pollock on England duty, and the truth behind his love of clothes shopping.

In this podcast you will also hear from his father Martin, brother Max of Bristol Bears, and England team mates Henry Arundell and Joe Heyes.

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