{"podcast":{"title":"The Ruck","slug":"the-ruck-1115414","podcast_index_feed_id":1115414,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/d0e840b0-f5fe-47d3-b781-71019347fb0b","website_url":"https://www.thetimes.co.uk/podcasts/the-ruck","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/61ba0ecc1a8cbe70e43cf148/1767917470701-837c1e75-c823-43db-bad3-e27646e9eeac.jpeg","author":"Reynolds Alfie","episode_count":575,"summary":"The Ruck is the journalists' rugby podcast from The Times & The Sunday Times. Join Alfie Reynolds, Alex Lowe, Will Kelleher and a selection of guests every week as they provide insight and reports throughout the season, including big-name interviews and forthright analysis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-12T18:20:55.688798+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-ruck-1115414"},"episode":{"title":"BONUS: Can rugby survive its brain injury problem?","slug":"bonus-can-rugby-survive-its-brain-injury-problem","published_at":"2026-04-30T07:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-ruck-1115414/bonus-can-rugby-survive-its-brain-injury-problem","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-ruck-1115414","url":"https://shows.acast.com/theruck/episodes/bonus-can-rugby-survive-its-brain-injury-problem","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/acast/s/theruck/e/69f0c98f526757e10b4a48cc/media.mp3","summary":"Shane Christie was one of the brightest rugby stars in New Zealand before suffering multiple concussions, leading to a brain injury that would slowly take everything from him. And his experience is far from unique. In this deeply personal account, David Walsh talks to Shane's former partner, Holly Parkes, to ask, What happened? What does Shane's story reveal about the sport he loved deeply? And can rugby survive the fallout?  This is part one of a two-part special investigation into the crisis facing this global game.  This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today:  http://thetimes.com/thestory *** Allianz Future Fund | Allianz Insurance Guest:  Holly Parkes Host:  David Walsh, chief sports writer, The Sunday Times Producer:  Sophie McNulty We want to hear from you - email:   thestory@thetimes.com Read more:   Two friends, two suicides. How did rugby let this happen? Clips : Harlequins - YouTube. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","meta_description":"Shane Christie was one of the brightest rugby stars in New Zealand before suffering multiple concussions, leading to a brain injury that would slowly take…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2848,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-ruck-1115414/episodes/bonus-can-rugby-survive-its-brain-injury-problem/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-ruck-1115414/bonus-can-rugby-survive-its-brain-injury-problem.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}