Will and Alex are solving all sorts on the Ruck this week.

Mark Palmer comes on to chat about Glasgow's extraordinary win over Toulouse in the Champions Cup -- a rare shining light in another mixed round of the competition -- and the boys then debate how to fix the tournament, so there are fewer blow-out pool games.

Could there be a "European Super League" instead? Or would it work playing it in one block in May and June?

Then Will Collier, the Castres tight-head, joins us to discuss demystifying the scrum, following on from the superb guest column he wrote for The Times last week.

And Alex dissects some news and theories around promotion from the Champ to the Prem, a subject that refuses to go away.

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The Ruck has a South African flavour this week as we interview Springboks hybrid hero André Esterhuizen, the centre who can also play back-row. We talk about that innovation, the Boks' fine 2025 and the upcoming Champions Cup clash between his Sharks and Saracens on Saturday.

Will, Alex and Elgan delve into the first round of the Champions Cup, which featured some of the same old issues but good wins for Northampton Saints, Bath, Bordeaux-Begles and the Scottish sides.

Plus, the boys rattle through the 2027 World Cup draw, and a gouging ban for Eben Etzebeth. We ask how the South Africans can be stopped from winning three tournaments in a row, and whether Rassie Erasmus might throw the Italy game.

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Following the end of the Autumn Internationals, Alex Lowe and Elgan Alderman review the action. We look at South Africa's 73–0 mauling of Wales, as well as the late-game incident involving Eben Etzebeth.

Elsewhere, Alex and Elgan discuss the latest in the R360 league saga, and with the 2027 Rugby World Cup draw coming this week, we look ahead to how the new 24-team format changes the pools, the seeding and the matchups it could deliver.

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