June 16, 2025 • 19 mins
On Sports Fix with Jason Pine for 16 June 2025, former Crusaders halfback Bryn Hall joins the podcast to talk about the Crusaders' unbeaten Super Rugby finals record and if it adds extra pressure to the side ahead of this weekend's final.
Newstalk ZB rugby editor Elliott Smith is in the Chamber to discuss The Super Rugby Grand Final between the Crusaders and the Chiefs. Elliott shares his early thoughts and predictions.
Plus, why do things keep going wrong for Liam Lawson? And should a golf major be played on a very difficult course?
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Speaker 1 (00:09):
You're listening to a podcast from News Talks EDB. Follow
this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.
This is Sourcefix Howard by News Talks EDB.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Hello there and welcome into a new week and to
a fresh episode of the Sports Fixed podcast. As wonderful
to have you with us. We're here in association with
g J. Gardner Holmes, New Zealand's most trust at home building.
My name's Jason Pine on the podcast today. The incredible
unbeaten finals record the Crusaders have fashioned since the start
(00:41):
of Super Rugby thirty one straight finals matches in christ
Church and they are yet to lose one. How have
they managed to fashion such an incredible record and does
it in any way create extra pressure? A big part
of the Crusaders sides between twenty seventeen and twenty twenty
two is half back Bryn Hall. He's going to join
us to chat about that. Elliott Smith pops into the
(01:04):
chamber as we talk Super Rugby, a bit of golf
and other bits and pieces as well, and the latest
sports news too, so let's get into it. In other news,
let's get underway with some of the big sports stories
around today. JJ Spawn has won his first golf major
in a dramatic finish for the US Open at oak
Monster need.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
To make it two months.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
They're the American rallying in the back nine of his
final round to claim the title. He appeared out of
it after five front nine bogies, but came home with
the wet sail and the rains, only dropping one further
shot on the back nine and making four birdies, including
two on the last two holes to win the tournament.
Bayern Munich have demonstrated why they're ranked nearly five thousand
(01:57):
spots above Auckland City on the OPTA Stats Club Power Rankings.
At the Club World Cup.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
We'll lift it up of arisaisat.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Auckland effectively the only amateur based team in the tournament
have gone down ten nierl and to Mexico City, NASCAR
and Megan History Racing in Mexico City, and the first
name on the trophy is Shane van Gisberg.
Speaker 4 (02:23):
Now use anavidion.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
It's Sports Fix with Jason Vine.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Here's a question which is going to be floating round
all week and right up until kickoff in the Super
Rugby Final on Saturday night. Can the Chiefs do what
no other team has managed in the history of the
competition and beat the Crusaders in a finals match in
christ Church, and not just any finals match, the Grand Final.
I feel, look, if anybody can, it's the Chiefs. They've
already won down there this season. They put on the
(02:52):
highest score against the Crusaders all season back in round two.
They also won down there in round one in twenty
twenty three. But then you think, does any of that
actually really matter? Does the thirty one games in a
row even matter? Is history just completely irrelevant? The only
thing really that matters us who's better five nights from now.
(03:12):
It's an absolute coin flip. The tab can't split them
a dollar ninety each. For those with no allegiance to
either of these two teams, we can perhaps look at
it a little bit more objectively. Look at the matchups,
and you look at the sides that lined up in
the semi finals and assume they'll be largely the same
for the final. The loose forward battle Blackadder, Christy and
(03:32):
Leo Willie against Fenale, Jacobsen and Satiti. Want a match
up that's going to be some sensational outside backs rees
v Harkey and Jordan for the Crusaders, Kutter, Nudawah and
Stevenson if he can play for the chief But then
it might be that this game is played nice and
tight and those outside backs actually don't get the chance
(03:53):
to show us the full extent of their wares. If
Shawn Stevenson has ruled out, it'll be interesting to see
what Clayton McMillan does actually. Will he move Damien McKenzie
to fall back as he did earlier in the season
when Stevenson was in Japan, and start Josh Jacob at
first five or leave d at first five. That's what
I would be doing, because in a game that's going
to be as intense and as tight as this one,
(04:15):
I'd want Damien McKenzie running the cutter for me, and
that is probably the position where the Chiefs do have
the biggest edge. Much as rivers Rayhanna has come in
and played well, he's not Damien McKenzie. If the Chiefs
can set him a platform, he could be the most
influential player on the park. And with the all back
squad to be named two days later, what better way
(04:37):
to stake a claim for the black Jersey than to
guide your side to a super rugby.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
Title, dissecting the sporting agenda. It's SPORTSFX with Jason Vine.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
On the Sports Fix podcast. The Crusaders will host the
Super Rugby Finals Saturday night against the Chiefs. The Chiefs
will have to break a significant piece of New Zealand
rugby history if they are to lift the trophy. The
Crusaders have never lost a finals match at home, winning
thirty one straight knockout games since the competition began nineteen
ninety six. Britain Hall, half back, played a big part
(05:11):
of that run, nearly one hundred matches in the Crusaders
Super runyby winning sides of twenty seventeen through to twenty
twenty two. He joins us on sports Folks Brunn undefeated
in finals games at home as a player. When you
are a player with the Crusaders, were you aware of
that record as you were helping to build it.
Speaker 4 (05:30):
Look, I think we h we probably got toll from
the media right that it was kind of happening in
kind of playing out as it was, so I guess
you kind of heard it from the outside noise, but
I guess internally it wasn't really something that was driven
to talk to that you kind of knew about it,
and you almost had a center ply that there's been
a lot of work done before us, and so yeah,
you knew about it, but I wouldn't say it was
(05:51):
a detriment to what was to do whatsoever.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
So it never became a burden, never became something that
that caused pressure shivers. We don't want to be the
first side in red and black to lose a finals
game at home.
Speaker 4 (06:02):
No, I think that it never really got talked about
like in that thinking around there, having anxiety around it.
I think it's almost agnit loogy in that. But it
was there and it was great in terms of that.
We enjoyed playing at home and love playing in christ troops.
So the preparation side of it kind of more so
top care of you. You get your week done. I mean,
you do everything that's required for you through that week
to be able to then go and pull more on
(06:23):
the field. So daddy wasn't really talked about, I guess
in a bad way.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Like I just said, it's an incredible record, though, Brian,
why has it been so difficult, in fact impossible for
teams to go to christ Church and win knock out
rugby matches? That's a great question.
Speaker 4 (06:38):
I don't know. I think you probably have found ot
the other things that come down and play. But I
can only speak from my experience. You know, I was
only a part of a six year period, but all
the guys that were there before us that kind of
started and then obviously the boys that are playing there now.
But but I think the conditions do play a big
part of it. Down in christ Church. I think you
probably saw on the weekend it's a lot different probably
what you see in the early part of the year.
(06:58):
You tend to get there's a nice running rugby in
your first part of the but when you kind of
get into the the may during it gets quite cold,
you change your style of footing. You probably saw that
on the weekend as a very not nor hemistead. A
lot of checking dictated in terms of how the game
was won in set piece as well, so you look
at the set piece pressure that the crusader's put on
the Blues on the weekend, it's probably I guess the
DNA what you see in the time of the year
(07:20):
when it comes to rugby, and I think the defense
of pressure and the kid that have shown on the
weekend has probably just been showing, I guess for a
long period of time, and the crusader's using how much
it means to defend your line and winning championships on
what that looks like.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Did you ever seen certain opposition teams are feeling that
once they fell behind to you in christ Church or anywhere,
really they wouldn't be able to come back as slumping
of the shoulders, a change in body language that you
kind of thought, Hey, these guys aren't going to come
back and win this.
Speaker 4 (07:47):
Not necessarily, I think there were definitely times where games
would be tight, and I think it just comes down
to I guess, you know, not overplaying your hand. I
think in finals footing and pressure footing you only really
need to concentrate on your job and been able to
do that time and time to get under pressure. Now, look,
you're not always going to get that right. You're going
to be able to lose some moments and you're not
always going to get things right. But I guess it
is a bit of a cliche, but process driven and
(08:09):
next past focus, it's just kind of driven. And both
habits are built through the week. Those habits are built
through the years, so they've been able to play with
each other, heaving those kind of in scenarios and fields
of winning what those big games. I've playing. A lot
of that group has been through that tenure of you know,
winning the seven championships, So that pedigree in DNA. Is
it fictious for the young guys or the new guys
that have come through and knowing I guess what it
(08:29):
looks like in what it takes on and finance for
at that time of the year.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
If you were in the Chiefs camp this week, would
you expect there to be some chat about how they
can be the record breakers, they can be the ones
to do something that nobody has done before or do
you think that wouldn't be part of their motivational fuel?
Speaker 4 (08:47):
Oh, I'm not through sure. Look, I think it gets
talked about in the media. So you know, especially with
the day and age or social media, it's already been
talked about in the media. You probably see memes through
it through throughout the week. But you know, I guess
for them, I think the Chiefs that are ready in
terms have been able to If there is one thing
I think in the competition that can do it, it'll
be them. I think in the last you know, eight
years or nine years, you know, they've been the most
successful team against the Crusaders team and forever the times
(09:10):
that I played them, there are always some big battles
and they're just very very hard to beat. There a
lot of similarities in terms of pressure footy. They work
really hald off the board. They've been very very good
in the collision here for most of the year, but
that that that Blues game a fortnit ago. But the
way that they did play against the Brumbies, I think,
you know they're they're type of foody that they do play,
(09:32):
whether that's through their forward pack. We've sent Damien mckindi,
Shawn Stevenson, even Quinta Piers form in their backs. They've
got kind of all all the things that you need,
I guess to want to to win a championship in
and not not in just one areas and multiple years.
I think that they can do to be able to
pressure the Crusaders on the weekend.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
All right, and just to finish regardless of the result.
This will be the final game at at Addington, supposed
to be a makeshift temporary stadium when it was stood up.
It's being there for well over a decade. Now, do
you think any part of the Crusaders organization will be
sorry to say goodbye to to dear old Eddington.
Speaker 4 (10:05):
I don't think that'd be sorry. I think check out
how that stadium in christ that's meant Field is just
going to be. It's gonna be so great for the city,
I think, not just for rugby, but the multi purpose
of being able to have events and bringing people and
bringing things down across who's probably been missed a lot.
And so you know, the Crusaders are a big part
of that. And I know Ddington is service purpose and
there's one a lot of titles human and saying that
in some ways it is hard to win down there,
(10:26):
with how hard it is to play at Addington, But
I think having the closed roof and I guess the
buzz that you're going to get from that stadium, I think, Look,
I think the players in and the city are really
I guess say goodbye to Addington and it's said this
purpose for a foremost a decade, and I think it's
going to be a new beginning and something that's really
exciting for the group and the Crusader's moving forward moving
to that to the new indoor Stadium.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
One more game to go at Addington, a big one
this coming Saturday night. Britin thanks so much for your
time on the Sports Fix podcast. Brittin Hall joining us
as the Crusaders look to make it thirty two straight
finals matches wins at home on Saturday.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
The Chamber is now in session on Sports Fix.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
This is for Sports Fox podcast. Into the Chamber we go.
It's a great pleasure to welcome into the chamber from
the Rugby Direct podcast, whose numbers dwarf our own, but
still he's taken the time to join us. Elliott's lovely
to have you inside the chamber on Sportsfaks.
Speaker 3 (11:19):
Elliott, great honorsby here on a Monday, and what I
understand is the people's chambers, so and honest to be here.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Piney, it's great to have you with us. In fact,
I want to start with rugby because we're at the
start of the week which has a Super Rugby Final
at the end of it. We all know the stats,
thirty one straight games without defeat when it comes to
finals rugby. In fact, that is something that's never been
experienced in the Garden City. If anyone's going to do it,
would it be the Chiefs, I think so.
Speaker 3 (11:47):
They've given the Crusader some grief already this year, almost
put fifty on them and Hamilton and beat them comfortably
in the return game in christ Church about a month
and a half ago down there, when the Crusaders had
blown out to a nineteen to three lead and the
Chiefs just wiped the floor with them in the back
half of the game. So I think that the Chiefs
will feel like they do potentially have the Crusaders number
(12:10):
just a little bit. But where they haven't managed to
have it is in knockout football, losing in twenty twenty
one in the Super Rugby Old tad All Final in
christ Church, losing in twenty twenty three at home. Whether
it's a case of third time lucky against the Crusaders
in recent times remigns to be seen. But they will
feel like they don't have much to fear going down
(12:30):
to the South Island and playing there. The thing they've
got a feel is that fear is at thirty one
and oh record really but they've got the wood on
the Crusaders to an extent this year.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
Yeah, And I think, like I say, if anyone's going
to do it, it's to them. I think we've got
the two best teams in the final, haven't, and anybody
say that we haven't. I think at the start of
the final series we thought that it would be in Hamilton.
But of course the Chiefs lost of the Blues kind
of through the format around the other way. But good
on the Chiefs for getting past the Brumbies. The way
that the Crusaders played against the Blues the other night,
(13:01):
I mean that had high intensity too, didn't it. With
the Blues hammering away for what forty odd phases at
the end Crusaders repelling them. They'll always they'll feel us
though they're they're at Grand Final intensity already, won't they
The Crusaders.
Speaker 3 (13:15):
They will look. I think they'll flip it and go.
We considered two tries early and they were tries that
probably they didn't not need to conceive, but they defensively
probably you know, let in. They went soft necessarily, as
I say, But I think they'll be disappointed with letting
those in. But for the last seventy sixty five seventy minutes,
their defensive line didn't get breached. They considered fourteen points
(13:37):
at home. It was an arm wrestle of a game
and they came out on top and keep them scoreless
in the second spell, even if even as as the
lose excuse me by throwing everything at the Crusaders line
forty phases at the end of the game, and still
the Crusader's line was resolute. So they will take plenty
out of that that. At home, their defense is very
(13:58):
very strong and it takes a lot to break them down.
I think winning in an arm wrestle was probably a
good thing for the Crusaders on the weekend because the
probably that's probably their game plan to try and do
it again this week. I think Rob Penny would have
got a lot of confidence from the way that his
team got up, went up again and keep making those
tackles on the line, even though as the Blues were
(14:19):
throwing everything at them and the closing moments and trying
to force golden point extra time. So while there are
certainly things that the Crusaders need to improve on and
perhaps certainly have to finished product, I think they'll go
in with a little bit of confidence knowing that at
home they do tend to grow an extra league and
become very very hard to beat.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
I run my up and down the two likely lineups,
and I guess they'll be fairly similar to the semi
final lineups, you know, injury and slight tweaks notwithstanding. And
I keep landing on Damien McKenzie. I keep landing on him.
Two days out from the naming of the first all
Black squad of the year. How big a part might
(15:01):
he play on Saturday night? Huge potentially?
Speaker 3 (15:04):
And he was excellent I thought in the semi final
against the Blues, sorry against the Brumbies on the weekend.
He took the game by the scruff of the neck,
made some key penalty goals, got his team in the
right areas of the ground and really had the game
on a string. And I think that's what you want
from a first five. He's coming up against relatively inexperienced
verse five in Rivers Rayhana, and we saw when McKenzie's
(15:27):
on song, the Chief's full pack is on song, they
become very very hard to beat. And I don't know
that you know, the Crusaders have found a way to
shut him down in their meetings this year. McKenzie very
very hard player to shut down. But it all goes
back to what kind of ball he gets from his
full pack. The Crusaders will fancy themselves that being able
(15:48):
to disrupt the ball that the Chiefs gared and win
some penalties at scrum time and not give Mackenzie the
platform that he needs and instead give Rivers Rayhanna a
bit more of a platform and be able to serve
it up on them for their first five and you
give him the kind of quality ball that he wants
in the game. So I think it's a battle of
the tens. One experience, one experienced, and it will go
(16:10):
a very very long way to deciding the contest. I mean,
you've got to look back at Rivers Raehanna and in
the way that he stood up for the Crusaders over
the back half of the season. He didn't really play
in the first half of the season, then has been
thrust into the starting ten for the back half after
Taha Kmita's injury and as I think, growing in confidence
every arting that he had, and to be honest, I
(16:30):
thought he outpointed Boden Barrett on Friday night, So another
chance for him to grow and test himself against the
best this weekend. The Crusaders have invested him and in
him when other teams, including the Chiefs, didn't want to.
So this is perhaps a little bit of a chance
to show that maybe the Chiefs got that one wrong as.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
Well other matters around today. I just want to ask
about the golf get your view on that. Because the
US Open has been won by JJ Sporn, who birdied
the last two holes in quite spectacular fashion to win it.
He's the only guy under par for the tournament. What
do you make of this? Should a golf major be
played on difficult courses which equalizes everybody and sometimes makes
(17:09):
the world's best golfers look a bit substandard? Or you know,
do you like the idea that the course is a
challenge for the top players in the world.
Speaker 3 (17:18):
Pini, I absolutely love it. I think it's one of
the best tests in golf. We all love the Masters
and what that means, and the history value that Augusta
has and how special that cause and how tough it is,
and you know, the ghosts and the characters that you
know sort of creeping around, aiming corner and everything like that.
But the US Open has traditionally been a test and
(17:40):
it's very, very hard to run away with the US
Open and put up high scores and that's exactly what
it should be. There should be different elements to contend with,
and we saw that over the weekend. It was a really,
really hard course for the top players in the world
to even scramble to get par on a number of holes,
and you had to be content with accepting that you
(18:04):
were going to maybe not finish under par for the day,
and also had to accept that was perhaps a good
outcome depending on how far you managed to get to
par or how close you managed to get to par.
So I think it's great. It tests that the golfers,
you know, Jjsporm was the best golfer over those four days,
had a bit of a blowout in your final round,
but they managed to rally. I think it you know,
(18:25):
we want to see the best golfers in the world tested.
There's enough PGA Tower events where they can get to
twenty under, twenty five thirty under. Even those are ridiculous.
You're collecting birdies for fun. It basically becomes a battle
of who can get, you know, the most booties and
around and it's not that entertaining. You want to see
some push and pull, and I think we got that
over the last four days.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
Absolutely, but you've made great sense in the people's chamber today. Elliott,
at some stage in the future would love to have
you back. Thanks for joining us today, though.
Speaker 3 (18:54):
It would be my pleasure.
Speaker 1 (18:56):
This is Sportsfix, your daily dose of sports hues hower
by News Talks, and.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
So the final whistle blows on another edition of the
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(19:24):
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Speaker 1 (19:27):
For more from News Talks EDB, listen live on air
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You're listening to a podcast from News Talks EDB. Follow
this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.
This is Sourcefix Howard by News Talks EDB.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Hello there and welcome into a new week and to
a fresh episode of the Sports Fixed podcast. As wonderful
to have you with us. We're here in association with
g J. Gardner Holmes, New Zealand's most trust at home building.
My name's Jason Pine on the podcast today. The incredible
unbeaten finals record the Crusaders have fashioned since the start
(00:41):
of Super Rugby thirty one straight finals matches in christ
Church and they are yet to lose one. How have
they managed to fashion such an incredible record and does
it in any way create extra pressure? A big part
of the Crusaders sides between twenty seventeen and twenty twenty
two is half back Bryn Hall. He's going to join
us to chat about that. Elliott Smith pops into the
(01:04):
chamber as we talk Super Rugby, a bit of golf
and other bits and pieces as well, and the latest
sports news too, so let's get into it. In other news,
let's get underway with some of the big sports stories
around today. JJ Spawn has won his first golf major
in a dramatic finish for the US Open at oak
Monster need.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
To make it two months.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
They're the American rallying in the back nine of his
final round to claim the title. He appeared out of
it after five front nine bogies, but came home with
the wet sail and the rains, only dropping one further
shot on the back nine and making four birdies, including
two on the last two holes to win the tournament.
Bayern Munich have demonstrated why they're ranked nearly five thousand
(01:57):
spots above Auckland City on the OPTA Stats Club Power Rankings.
At the Club World Cup.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
We'll lift it up of arisaisat.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Auckland effectively the only amateur based team in the tournament
have gone down ten nierl and to Mexico City, NASCAR
and Megan History Racing in Mexico City, and the first
name on the trophy is Shane van Gisberg.
Speaker 4 (02:23):
Now use anavidion.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
It's Sports Fix with Jason Vine.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Here's a question which is going to be floating round
all week and right up until kickoff in the Super
Rugby Final on Saturday night. Can the Chiefs do what
no other team has managed in the history of the
competition and beat the Crusaders in a finals match in
christ Church, and not just any finals match, the Grand Final.
I feel, look, if anybody can, it's the Chiefs. They've
already won down there this season. They put on the
(02:52):
highest score against the Crusaders all season back in round two.
They also won down there in round one in twenty
twenty three. But then you think, does any of that
actually really matter? Does the thirty one games in a
row even matter? Is history just completely irrelevant? The only
thing really that matters us who's better five nights from now.
(03:12):
It's an absolute coin flip. The tab can't split them
a dollar ninety each. For those with no allegiance to
either of these two teams, we can perhaps look at
it a little bit more objectively. Look at the matchups,
and you look at the sides that lined up in
the semi finals and assume they'll be largely the same
for the final. The loose forward battle Blackadder, Christy and
(03:32):
Leo Willie against Fenale, Jacobsen and Satiti. Want a match
up that's going to be some sensational outside backs rees
v Harkey and Jordan for the Crusaders, Kutter, Nudawah and
Stevenson if he can play for the chief But then
it might be that this game is played nice and
tight and those outside backs actually don't get the chance
(03:53):
to show us the full extent of their wares. If
Shawn Stevenson has ruled out, it'll be interesting to see
what Clayton McMillan does actually. Will he move Damien McKenzie
to fall back as he did earlier in the season
when Stevenson was in Japan, and start Josh Jacob at
first five or leave d at first five. That's what
I would be doing, because in a game that's going
to be as intense and as tight as this one,
(04:15):
I'd want Damien McKenzie running the cutter for me, and
that is probably the position where the Chiefs do have
the biggest edge. Much as rivers Rayhanna has come in
and played well, he's not Damien McKenzie. If the Chiefs
can set him a platform, he could be the most
influential player on the park. And with the all back
squad to be named two days later, what better way
(04:37):
to stake a claim for the black Jersey than to
guide your side to a super rugby.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
Title, dissecting the sporting agenda. It's SPORTSFX with Jason Vine.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
On the Sports Fix podcast. The Crusaders will host the
Super Rugby Finals Saturday night against the Chiefs. The Chiefs
will have to break a significant piece of New Zealand
rugby history if they are to lift the trophy. The
Crusaders have never lost a finals match at home, winning
thirty one straight knockout games since the competition began nineteen
ninety six. Britain Hall, half back, played a big part
(05:11):
of that run, nearly one hundred matches in the Crusaders
Super runyby winning sides of twenty seventeen through to twenty
twenty two. He joins us on sports Folks Brunn undefeated
in finals games at home as a player. When you
are a player with the Crusaders, were you aware of
that record as you were helping to build it.
Speaker 4 (05:30):
Look, I think we h we probably got toll from
the media right that it was kind of happening in
kind of playing out as it was, so I guess
you kind of heard it from the outside noise, but
I guess internally it wasn't really something that was driven
to talk to that you kind of knew about it,
and you almost had a center ply that there's been
a lot of work done before us, and so yeah,
you knew about it, but I wouldn't say it was
(05:51):
a detriment to what was to do whatsoever.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
So it never became a burden, never became something that
that caused pressure shivers. We don't want to be the
first side in red and black to lose a finals
game at home.
Speaker 4 (06:02):
No, I think that it never really got talked about
like in that thinking around there, having anxiety around it.
I think it's almost agnit loogy in that. But it
was there and it was great in terms of that.
We enjoyed playing at home and love playing in christ troops.
So the preparation side of it kind of more so
top care of you. You get your week done. I mean,
you do everything that's required for you through that week
to be able to then go and pull more on
(06:23):
the field. So daddy wasn't really talked about, I guess
in a bad way.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Like I just said, it's an incredible record, though, Brian,
why has it been so difficult, in fact impossible for
teams to go to christ Church and win knock out
rugby matches? That's a great question.
Speaker 4 (06:38):
I don't know. I think you probably have found ot
the other things that come down and play. But I
can only speak from my experience. You know, I was
only a part of a six year period, but all
the guys that were there before us that kind of
started and then obviously the boys that are playing there now.
But but I think the conditions do play a big
part of it. Down in christ Church. I think you
probably saw on the weekend it's a lot different probably
what you see in the early part of the year.
(06:58):
You tend to get there's a nice running rugby in
your first part of the but when you kind of
get into the the may during it gets quite cold,
you change your style of footing. You probably saw that
on the weekend as a very not nor hemistead. A
lot of checking dictated in terms of how the game
was won in set piece as well, so you look
at the set piece pressure that the crusader's put on
the Blues on the weekend, it's probably I guess the
DNA what you see in the time of the year
(07:20):
when it comes to rugby, and I think the defense
of pressure and the kid that have shown on the
weekend has probably just been showing, I guess for a
long period of time, and the crusader's using how much
it means to defend your line and winning championships on
what that looks like.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Did you ever seen certain opposition teams are feeling that
once they fell behind to you in christ Church or anywhere,
really they wouldn't be able to come back as slumping
of the shoulders, a change in body language that you
kind of thought, Hey, these guys aren't going to come
back and win this.
Speaker 4 (07:47):
Not necessarily, I think there were definitely times where games
would be tight, and I think it just comes down
to I guess, you know, not overplaying your hand. I
think in finals footing and pressure footing you only really
need to concentrate on your job and been able to
do that time and time to get under pressure. Now, look,
you're not always going to get that right. You're going
to be able to lose some moments and you're not
always going to get things right. But I guess it
is a bit of a cliche, but process driven and
(08:09):
next past focus, it's just kind of driven. And both
habits are built through the week. Those habits are built
through the years, so they've been able to play with
each other, heaving those kind of in scenarios and fields
of winning what those big games. I've playing. A lot
of that group has been through that tenure of you know,
winning the seven championships, So that pedigree in DNA. Is
it fictious for the young guys or the new guys
that have come through and knowing I guess what it
(08:29):
looks like in what it takes on and finance for
at that time of the year.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
If you were in the Chiefs camp this week, would
you expect there to be some chat about how they
can be the record breakers, they can be the ones
to do something that nobody has done before or do
you think that wouldn't be part of their motivational fuel?
Speaker 4 (08:47):
Oh, I'm not through sure. Look, I think it gets
talked about in the media. So you know, especially with
the day and age or social media, it's already been
talked about in the media. You probably see memes through
it through throughout the week. But you know, I guess
for them, I think the Chiefs that are ready in
terms have been able to If there is one thing
I think in the competition that can do it, it'll
be them. I think in the last you know, eight
years or nine years, you know, they've been the most
successful team against the Crusaders team and forever the times
(09:10):
that I played them, there are always some big battles
and they're just very very hard to beat. There a
lot of similarities in terms of pressure footy. They work
really hald off the board. They've been very very good
in the collision here for most of the year, but
that that that Blues game a fortnit ago. But the
way that they did play against the Brumbies, I think,
you know they're they're type of foody that they do play,
(09:32):
whether that's through their forward pack. We've sent Damien mckindi,
Shawn Stevenson, even Quinta Piers form in their backs. They've
got kind of all all the things that you need,
I guess to want to to win a championship in
and not not in just one areas and multiple years.
I think that they can do to be able to
pressure the Crusaders on the weekend.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
All right, and just to finish regardless of the result.
This will be the final game at at Addington, supposed
to be a makeshift temporary stadium when it was stood up.
It's being there for well over a decade. Now, do
you think any part of the Crusaders organization will be
sorry to say goodbye to to dear old Eddington.
Speaker 4 (10:05):
I don't think that'd be sorry. I think check out
how that stadium in christ that's meant Field is just
going to be. It's gonna be so great for the city,
I think, not just for rugby, but the multi purpose
of being able to have events and bringing people and
bringing things down across who's probably been missed a lot.
And so you know, the Crusaders are a big part
of that. And I know Ddington is service purpose and
there's one a lot of titles human and saying that
in some ways it is hard to win down there,
(10:26):
with how hard it is to play at Addington, But
I think having the closed roof and I guess the
buzz that you're going to get from that stadium, I think, Look,
I think the players in and the city are really
I guess say goodbye to Addington and it's said this
purpose for a foremost a decade, and I think it's
going to be a new beginning and something that's really
exciting for the group and the Crusader's moving forward moving
to that to the new indoor Stadium.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
One more game to go at Addington, a big one
this coming Saturday night. Britin thanks so much for your
time on the Sports Fix podcast. Brittin Hall joining us
as the Crusaders look to make it thirty two straight
finals matches wins at home on Saturday.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
The Chamber is now in session on Sports Fix.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
This is for Sports Fox podcast. Into the Chamber we go.
It's a great pleasure to welcome into the chamber from
the Rugby Direct podcast, whose numbers dwarf our own, but
still he's taken the time to join us. Elliott's lovely
to have you inside the chamber on Sportsfaks.
Speaker 3 (11:19):
Elliott, great honorsby here on a Monday, and what I
understand is the people's chambers, so and honest to be here.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Piney, it's great to have you with us. In fact,
I want to start with rugby because we're at the
start of the week which has a Super Rugby Final
at the end of it. We all know the stats,
thirty one straight games without defeat when it comes to
finals rugby. In fact, that is something that's never been
experienced in the Garden City. If anyone's going to do it,
would it be the Chiefs, I think so.
Speaker 3 (11:47):
They've given the Crusader some grief already this year, almost
put fifty on them and Hamilton and beat them comfortably
in the return game in christ Church about a month
and a half ago down there, when the Crusaders had
blown out to a nineteen to three lead and the
Chiefs just wiped the floor with them in the back
half of the game. So I think that the Chiefs
will feel like they do potentially have the Crusaders number
(12:10):
just a little bit. But where they haven't managed to
have it is in knockout football, losing in twenty twenty
one in the Super Rugby Old tad All Final in
christ Church, losing in twenty twenty three at home. Whether
it's a case of third time lucky against the Crusaders
in recent times remigns to be seen. But they will
feel like they don't have much to fear going down
(12:30):
to the South Island and playing there. The thing they've
got a feel is that fear is at thirty one
and oh record really but they've got the wood on
the Crusaders to an extent this year.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
Yeah, And I think, like I say, if anyone's going
to do it, it's to them. I think we've got
the two best teams in the final, haven't, and anybody
say that we haven't. I think at the start of
the final series we thought that it would be in Hamilton.
But of course the Chiefs lost of the Blues kind
of through the format around the other way. But good
on the Chiefs for getting past the Brumbies. The way
that the Crusaders played against the Blues the other night,
(13:01):
I mean that had high intensity too, didn't it. With
the Blues hammering away for what forty odd phases at
the end Crusaders repelling them. They'll always they'll feel us
though they're they're at Grand Final intensity already, won't they
The Crusaders.
Speaker 3 (13:15):
They will look. I think they'll flip it and go.
We considered two tries early and they were tries that
probably they didn't not need to conceive, but they defensively
probably you know, let in. They went soft necessarily, as
I say, But I think they'll be disappointed with letting
those in. But for the last seventy sixty five seventy minutes,
their defensive line didn't get breached. They considered fourteen points
(13:37):
at home. It was an arm wrestle of a game
and they came out on top and keep them scoreless
in the second spell, even if even as as the
lose excuse me by throwing everything at the Crusaders line
forty phases at the end of the game, and still
the Crusader's line was resolute. So they will take plenty
out of that that. At home, their defense is very
(13:58):
very strong and it takes a lot to break them down.
I think winning in an arm wrestle was probably a
good thing for the Crusaders on the weekend because the
probably that's probably their game plan to try and do
it again this week. I think Rob Penny would have
got a lot of confidence from the way that his
team got up, went up again and keep making those
tackles on the line, even though as the Blues were
(14:19):
throwing everything at them and the closing moments and trying
to force golden point extra time. So while there are
certainly things that the Crusaders need to improve on and
perhaps certainly have to finished product, I think they'll go
in with a little bit of confidence knowing that at
home they do tend to grow an extra league and
become very very hard to beat.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
I run my up and down the two likely lineups,
and I guess they'll be fairly similar to the semi
final lineups, you know, injury and slight tweaks notwithstanding. And
I keep landing on Damien McKenzie. I keep landing on him.
Two days out from the naming of the first all
Black squad of the year. How big a part might
(15:01):
he play on Saturday night? Huge potentially?
Speaker 3 (15:04):
And he was excellent I thought in the semi final
against the Blues, sorry against the Brumbies on the weekend.
He took the game by the scruff of the neck,
made some key penalty goals, got his team in the
right areas of the ground and really had the game
on a string. And I think that's what you want
from a first five. He's coming up against relatively inexperienced
verse five in Rivers Rayhana, and we saw when McKenzie's
(15:27):
on song, the Chief's full pack is on song, they
become very very hard to beat. And I don't know
that you know, the Crusaders have found a way to
shut him down in their meetings this year. McKenzie very
very hard player to shut down. But it all goes
back to what kind of ball he gets from his
full pack. The Crusaders will fancy themselves that being able
(15:48):
to disrupt the ball that the Chiefs gared and win
some penalties at scrum time and not give Mackenzie the
platform that he needs and instead give Rivers Rayhanna a
bit more of a platform and be able to serve
it up on them for their first five and you
give him the kind of quality ball that he wants
in the game. So I think it's a battle of
the tens. One experience, one experienced, and it will go
(16:10):
a very very long way to deciding the contest. I mean,
you've got to look back at Rivers Raehanna and in
the way that he stood up for the Crusaders over
the back half of the season. He didn't really play
in the first half of the season, then has been
thrust into the starting ten for the back half after
Taha Kmita's injury and as I think, growing in confidence
every arting that he had, and to be honest, I
(16:30):
thought he outpointed Boden Barrett on Friday night, So another
chance for him to grow and test himself against the
best this weekend. The Crusaders have invested him and in
him when other teams, including the Chiefs, didn't want to.
So this is perhaps a little bit of a chance
to show that maybe the Chiefs got that one wrong as.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
Well other matters around today. I just want to ask
about the golf get your view on that. Because the
US Open has been won by JJ Sporn, who birdied
the last two holes in quite spectacular fashion to win it.
He's the only guy under par for the tournament. What
do you make of this? Should a golf major be
played on difficult courses which equalizes everybody and sometimes makes
(17:09):
the world's best golfers look a bit substandard? Or you know,
do you like the idea that the course is a
challenge for the top players in the world.
Speaker 3 (17:18):
Pini, I absolutely love it. I think it's one of
the best tests in golf. We all love the Masters
and what that means, and the history value that Augusta
has and how special that cause and how tough it is,
and you know, the ghosts and the characters that you
know sort of creeping around, aiming corner and everything like that.
But the US Open has traditionally been a test and
(17:40):
it's very, very hard to run away with the US
Open and put up high scores and that's exactly what
it should be. There should be different elements to contend with,
and we saw that over the weekend. It was a really,
really hard course for the top players in the world
to even scramble to get par on a number of holes,
and you had to be content with accepting that you
(18:04):
were going to maybe not finish under par for the day,
and also had to accept that was perhaps a good
outcome depending on how far you managed to get to
par or how close you managed to get to par.
So I think it's great. It tests that the golfers,
you know, Jjsporm was the best golfer over those four days,
had a bit of a blowout in your final round,
but they managed to rally. I think it you know,
(18:25):
we want to see the best golfers in the world tested.
There's enough PGA Tower events where they can get to
twenty under, twenty five thirty under. Even those are ridiculous.
You're collecting birdies for fun. It basically becomes a battle
of who can get, you know, the most booties and
around and it's not that entertaining. You want to see
some push and pull, and I think we got that
over the last four days.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
Absolutely, but you've made great sense in the people's chamber today. Elliott,
at some stage in the future would love to have
you back. Thanks for joining us today, though.
Speaker 3 (18:54):
It would be my pleasure.
Speaker 1 (18:56):
This is Sportsfix, your daily dose of sports hues hower
by News Talks, and.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
So the final whistle blows on another edition of the
Sports Fix podcast. Thank you so much for joining us,
for downloading, for listening in, and for subscribing. If you
are a subscriber to Sports Fix, you'll know that a
fresh episode will drop it to your podcast feed and
around about the same time tomorrow afternoon and every weekday.
And for more from News Talks EDB Sport, check out
Sports Talk weeknights between seven and eight and Weekend Sport
(19:24):
midday to three Saturday and again on Sunday.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
For more from News Talks EDB, listen live on air
or online and keep our shows with you wherever you
go with our podcasts on Irradio
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