The Offside Line Podcast

About The Offside Line Podcast

Welcome to the Offside Line Podcast with your hosts Peter Burns and David Barnes. In this weekly show we examine all aspects of Scottish rugby, from the grassroots level to the Test arena, and discuss the goings on in the wider global game – helped by a regular panel of special guests and featuring exclusive interviews. David Barnes has worked as a freelance rugby journalist since 2004 covering every level of the game in Scotland for publications including The Herald/Sunday Herald, The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, The Scotsman/Scotland on Sunday/Evening News, The Daily Record, The Daily Mail/Mail on Sunday and The Sun. He established the Offside Line in 2016 to provide high-quality, independent and up-to-date coverage of all aspects of Scottish rugby. In 2005 he co-authored Jim Renwick’s autobiography, Centre of Excellence, and in 2008 was shortlisted for Rugby Book of the Year at the British Sports Book Awards for The Accies: The Cradle of Scottish Rugby. He is the co-author of the critically acclaimed Behind the Thistle: Playing Rugby for Scotland and Behind the Lions: Playing Rugby for the British & Irish Lions. Peter Burns is a William Hill Sportsbook of the Year shortlisted author and the managing director of Polaris Publishing Ltd. He has written eleven sports books, including Behind the Thistle: Playing Rugby for Scotland, This is Murrayfield: 100 Years of History in 100 Matches, Behind the Lions: Playing Rugby for the British & Irish Lions, This is Your Everest: The Lions, the Springboks and the Epic Tour of 1997, When Lions Roared: The Lions, the All Blacks and the Legendary Tour of 1971 and The Men in the Arena: England, Australia and the Battle for the 2003 Rugby World Cup. He is also the author of the forthcoming children's book series, Shadow Thieves. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Publisher

David Barnes & Peter Burns

Category

news · sports · sports

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

23 Aug 2024

Latest episode

6 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

111 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   6 Oct 2026

   The return of Scotland Sevens and missed deadlines

   Barney and Burnsy catch up to discuss the return of the Scotland Men's Sevens team this coming weekend, Edinburgh's gritty win over Stormers last Friday night and whether George Horne cost Glasgow Warriors a win over Ulster on Saturday evening. There's also a revelation about how a missed deadline by Barney gave Burnsy his big break in the literary world! This episode is sponsored by KubeNet - a multi-award winning technology solutions provider based in Glasgow. It's Cyber Security Awareness Month, making it the perfect time to take stock of your organisation's cyber defences. Championship-winning teams know success starts with a strong defence, and resilient businesses are no different. Our sponsors KubeNet provide managed IT services, cyber security solutions and proactive support to help keep your organisation protected against evolving threats. Don't wait until you've conceded a costly cyber attack. Get ahead of the game and strengthen your defence today. You can contact KubeNet at hello@kubenet.ne (mailto:hello@kubenet.ne)t to learn more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

2. 

   1 Oct 2026

   Clubhouse: Arnold Clark Men's Premiership round six preview

   Barney is back from his golfing jolly to join Stuart and Robin as they look ahead to the final round of matches before the Arnold Clark Men's Premiership 'welfare' break. Game of the day looks like being at Myreside where Watsonians will look to bounce back from last weekend's agonising defeat at the Greenyards by getting the better of a Heriot's side on a high after becoming the first side to beat Ayr in a league match in just shy of two years. Elsewhere, Ayr and GHA will each look to exorcise the demons of last weekend's defeats when they meet at Millbrae, while still winless Glasgow Hawks face a tough trip to the Borders to take on Kelso at Poynder Park, and Edinburgh Accies welcome Melrose to Raeburn Place. The Hawick versus Currie Chieftains game has been postponed as a mark of respect following the new earlier this week that Currie stalwart Ally Donaldson had passed away following a short illness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

3. 

   28 Sept 2026

   Scots teams off to a flyer in URC .... and has Ayr's bubble been burst?

   A short sharp pod to start the week with Barney and Burnsy catching up to celebrate two bonus-points wins on the road for the Scots teamson the opening weekend of the URC ... and four Irish defeats! Meanwhile, how much should we read into Arnold Clark Men's Premiership champions Ayr suffering their first league defeat in just short of two years against Heriot's at Goldenacre? Congratulations to Garioch whose perseverance in the Arnold Clark Women's Premiership was rewarded with a first win of the season over Cartha Queens Park on Saturday, but it was a disappointing afternoon for Scotland Women who couldn't build on a positive first half against Australia and ended up slumping to a third defeat in as many weeks at Hive Stadium. Finally, the boys reflect on the gut-wrenching news that Ally Donaldson – a Currie Chieftains and Scottish rugby legend – has passed away on Sunday evening following a short illness, aged just 60. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Who has been a guest on The Offside Line Podcast

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Alex Stewart
• Doug Struth
• Stuart Rutherford

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Spotify

4.9 / 5

40 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 42 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

72

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

32

Contact The Offside Line Podcast

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Questions about The Offside Line Podcast