John Hart: Blues Board Member on the inaugural Blues Hall of Fame

The Blues are celebrating their 30th anniversary with their inaugural Blues Hall of Fame. 

It’ll honour the legends, stories, and defining moments that have shaped the club since its inception in 1996. 

The first class of inductees will be honoured at a formal lunch today. 

Former All Blacks coach and Blues board member John Hart told Kerre Woodham that initially, while they catch up on history, the Hall will focus on the players and coaches. 

But after that, he says, the ‘Guardians’ class will be added, which honours people like managers, administrators, supporters, or sponsors.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the carry Wood and Mornings podcast from
News Talks.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
He'd b The Auckland Blues are celebrating their thirtieth anniversary
with the launch of the inaugural Blues Hall of Fame.
The Blues Hall of Fame will honor the legend, storings
and defining moments that have shaped the club since its
inception in nineteen ninety six, and the first class of
inductees will be honored at a former lunch today for
all Black. Coach and Auckland Blues board member John Hart

(00:32):
joins me. Now, very good morning to.

Speaker 3 (00:33):
You, morning Carrie.

Speaker 2 (00:36):
When you Google the Blues Hall of Fame, you find
blues legends from American blues singers. But hopefully once this
is launched, we'll be able to get higher up in
the Googles and the Google standings.

Speaker 3 (00:48):
Yeah, it's a big day for the club today in
establishing the Hall of Fame and inducting the first three
inductees into the Hall of Fame. Who are three of
the legends of blues Rugby.

Speaker 2 (01:02):
Do we know who we are? Do you get a
sneak preview or they be announced at the lunch.

Speaker 3 (01:06):
Well, they'll be announced at the lunch. Obviously the players know,
but outside of that, very few people know, and it's
been a pretty well keeped secret for about five months,
so I'm pretty pleased with that. So it'll be fantastic.
We've got eight hundred people at the Sky City Entertainment
Center today celebrating this occasion, and it'll be a really

(01:26):
special lunch.

Speaker 2 (01:27):
Because the Crusaders have a Hall of fame, don't they
for their club.

Speaker 3 (01:33):
Yes, they introduced a Hall of Fame about three years ago.
And we've actually picked the date really because we saw
twenty twenty six being the thirtieth and of thirty year
anniversary of Super Rugby and the game tomorrow, the Hurricanes
Blues game, which is a huge game on the rugby schedule,

(01:56):
was the first game ever played in Super Rugby history
thirty years ago, so it's a nice way to celebrate
that occasion as well as launch a big hall of
fame in favor of our legends.

Speaker 2 (02:10):
Is it an actual hall that people can walk through?

Speaker 3 (02:14):
No, no, not initially. You know that's possibly to come,
but it initially would be more centered around the Blues headquarters,
but ultimately in time that will grow as obviously as
the inductees, and the whole concept grows when.

Speaker 2 (02:31):
It comes to the inductees. I was just talking about
the fact that you know, there was an article saying
that quite often the hard workers, the worker ants, never
get the recognition, whereas those are up the front always
seem to get the awards and the recognition. Will it
be just the players who are inducted into the Hall
of Fame or others as well?

Speaker 3 (02:49):
Well? We've got two classes. One is Hall of Famers,
which will be players and coaches, and then we have
also a classification called guardians, and they will be people
who could have been team management, have been administrators, could
have been support corporate sponsors or supporters of the Blues.

(03:12):
But for the first few years, because we've got a
lot of history to catch up on, we've agreed that
we will just focus on players and in time the
guardian concept will will be put aside, be put into
the Hall of Fame as well.

Speaker 2 (03:27):
So obviously they're going to be the first players will
be from the golden years of Auckland Rugby, won't they.

Speaker 3 (03:36):
Well, you pretty good guess, curiously, because.

Speaker 2 (03:40):
I'm just struggling. I'm struggling to think of any from
last week.

Speaker 3 (03:45):
Well, it's players have to be well retired from the
game to be considered. That's one thing. So you're not
looking at the modern day at the moment, just as
well you're looking at you're looking at history, and I
would think that there are a number, a great number
of players who qualify who have been major contributors to
the Blues. But I've got no doubt there are players

(04:07):
on the current scene who will be ultimately Hall of famous.

Speaker 2 (04:12):
They lift their game from last week, sure, without wishing
to go on, but yes, I'm expecting to see much
in the performance.

Speaker 3 (04:18):
Yeah, it's a big game for them tomorrow. I think
the team were incredibly disappointed with their performance in christ
Yet and tomorrow you know we're playing the high Flyers.
There's no doubt that the Hurricanes are the best team
in the competition. They're playing a fantastic style of rugby.
They have dominated teams physically and skill wise, and it'll

(04:39):
be a huge challenge. But looking to a big crowd
looking to awkwandess to come out tomorrow and tomorrow night
and make a statement and support the Blues because if
ever they need support, it will be tomorrow night and
no better occasion than to celebrate our thirty years history
and also our Hall of Famer inductees who will be

(04:59):
introduced to the crowd tomorrow before the game. So we're
hoping for a big turnout. I know that Kyle Budge
team of going really working hard on making the fan
experience better at Eden Park. So there's a lot of
activity for kids. There's a lot of activity going on before, after,
and during the game. You know, I think people will
see a step change and this is what Carl has

(05:21):
been brought into the organization to do, to make sure
we start to reward the fans.

Speaker 2 (05:26):
Yeah, because yes, that fan experience matters so much, doesn't it,
because we saw the great feedback from the Super Round
in christ Church with their launch of the new stadium.

Speaker 3 (05:37):
Absolutely. I mean, I think today, if you have anything
but fans in your mind, you've got it wrong, because
you know, we need fans to come to games, We
need people to get our get our crowds up and crowds,
you know, and fans are crucial to the survival of
the game. So obviously there's a huge focus going into

(05:58):
that now and that will grow in the future. Remind you,
I think it's been something's been lacking and rugby generally,
but you know where that we can stage start the
stage a change and all that tomorrow and Tomorrow night
then look forward to people, beautiful weather, great two great teams.
Nothing better Carrie than to be tomorrow night at even back.

Speaker 2 (06:19):
Absolutely, thank you very much, John for we're all black
coach and talking the Blues Hall of Fame honoring the
legends of the game since the club's inception in nineteen
ninety six. And of course yeah the Blues playing the
Hurricanes who are at the top of their game, and
a rematch of the first game to kick off Super
Rugby thirty years ago.

Speaker 1 (06:40):
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