England rugby international Andy Goode on Gateway 97.8

This summer has been amazing for English sport. The Ashes team have the nation on the edge of their seats, but the best is yet to come. Whilst 44% of us prefer to watch Australia being bowled out, it’s rugby that’s truly on our minds, with 56% excited for that first ruck. Just around the corner, the Rugby World Cup has got the Nation in a frenzy. England have the best chance they’ve had in years, and we are excited to see just how far they progress. Australia & South Africa have both won twice, whilst England have lifted the silverware once – the only team in the Northern Hemisphere to have done so! In fact, 43% of us back England to make it to the semi-finals – beating big boys South Africa (22%), smashing the French (12%) and walking all over the Fiji team (2%).

To win, the All Blacks are favourites as always (23%), but over 1 in 10 of us (14%) have faith that the boys will bring it home… This just may be one of the finest squads in England’s history, but whatever your opinion one thing is for sure – rugby is a sport unlike any other: a chance for people from all walks of life to come together, forget everything for 80 minutes and enjoy friendly banter and debate. Along the same lines, Greene King IPA – the official partner of England Rugby – asked fans the burning questions ahead of the kick-off later this month. Almost a third (30%) cited the legend Jonny Wilkinson as the best kicker of all time; over 1 in 10 thought infamous bad boy Danny Cipriani would have added value to the squad if he was to play… and you don’t even have to be a rugby fan to recognise that man’s name!

Aston spoke to Andy Goode, former England rugby union international to discuss about the biggest debates around the game and provide his invaluable predictions for the biggest tournament of the year.