NZRU are calling it “mutual consent”… but the speed of this decision feels like something else entirely. MW Welman and Harry Jones are joined by New Zealand’s Martin Devlin (DSPN) to ask the question everyone’s thinking: why move this fast unless the next coach is already lined up?We break down the review, the PR spin, the whispers, and what it tells us about power inside New Zealand Rugby. Razor Robertson, David Kirk, player influence, and the Tony Brown and Jamie Joseph rumours, it’s all on the table.

Seven losses in a row. Record points conceded at Loftus. A squad packed with Springboks looking confused and disconnected. MW Welman and Harry Jones go forensic on what’s really gone wrong at the Bulls, from the “butterfingers” narrative to the brutal reality of short-field defence every week.But the biggest warning sign isn’t the scoreboard. It’s the feeling. The want. The body language. We talk coaching, player responsibility, Springbok influence, and why “acceptance rugby” is the fastest way to lose a dressing room and a fanbase. The Bulls didn’t become a URC powerhouse by being delicate, so what changed… and what does “winning ugly” look like now?

Throughout history, every empire, dynasty, and dominant team has eventually faced the same question: can this last?In Episode 137 of the Lekker Rugby Pod, and the first of 2026, MW Welman and Harry Jones use history as a lens, asking what figures like Napoleon and other fallen powers can teach us about the Springboks today. Through power, paranoia, leadership, and the Rassie Erasmus effect, this conversation goes beyond tactics and results. It is not about predicting a fall. It is about understanding why this Springbok era may be structurally different from everything that came before.