June 4, 2025 • 19 mins
On Sports Fix with D'Arcy Waldegrave for Wednesday June 4 2025, the Black Caps head coach of the last seven years is set to leave the role. Gary Stead joins D’Arcy as they look at the good, the bad and the ugly of his very successful tenure. He’ll also let us know what his crowning glory was as the coach.
D’Arcy can’t work out the discord around the Super Rugby Pacific finals fixtures. It’s really not that hard to understand. An outstanding Super season, and people want to have a moan about the schedule? Really? D’Arcy has a moan. Ha!
In the Chamber is Newstalk ZB’s director of sport Clay Wilson. Has NZ Cricket made an error in not retaining Stead in the test match coaching role? Will David Nyika have enough to comeback from his heavy defeat and but Nick the Greek on his bum?
Big thanks to GJ Gardner Homes – New Zealand's most trusted home builder.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
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.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
This is Sportsfix Howard by.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
News Talks It be yay, there are welcome into the
Sports Fix podcast. My name's Darcy Walter Grave and this
is it or then you can I in the wonderful
wide world of sport on this day, Wednesday, the fourth
of June twenty twenty five, coming up on the.
Speaker 4 (00:34):
Podcast, and thanks very much as always to GJ.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Gardner Holmes, new Selling's most trusted homebuilder for climbing on board.
Speaker 4 (00:42):
I'll be talking with Gary Steat. Gary has finally.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Decided to retire from his role as the head coach
of the black Caps.
Speaker 4 (00:49):
What a career. We'll talk to Gary about that.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
I've got some opinion around Super Rugby Pacific and the
way the finals have operated and how confusing it is.
Speaker 4 (01:01):
I don't think so.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
And Clay Wilson joins us in the chamber these Director
of Sport for News TALKSZB as we discussed some of
the big bought stories of the day. This is what
we intend on doing and like always, we'll get it done.
Speaker 4 (01:15):
Let's go in other news.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
Don't ever quick and listen now to some short sports swipes.
Pugilist David Nika is returning to the Squid Circle. Neck
Tara Lumpos is his opponent on the Gallon Williams undercard.
Last time out, David got a whipping from one of
the scariest guys in boxing, Jib Tyler.
Speaker 4 (01:38):
This is what David thinks so.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
About his first time back about Neck a bloke he's
sparred with way that wing.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
I don't think he's evolved or developed at all since
we last barred. I've changed a lot.
Speaker 5 (01:51):
You know.
Speaker 6 (01:51):
I've got a lot more as tools in my arsenal now,
So I'll be too mobile, too fast, too sharp and
if I if I keep my powder dry, I think
I can stuck.
Speaker 4 (01:59):
With Wow, a boxer backing himself. You want to read
about it.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Gone They get stuck and Vera Coli, one of the
Globe's greatest ever bat, has finally picked up an IPL title.
Ei scored with forty three from thirty five balls as
Bengalaru rapped up one hundred and ninety runs. It was
too much for Punjab, even though they were helped by
a three ft from Kyle Jamison.
Speaker 4 (02:23):
They lost.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
They handed a maiden title to the team Verrett has
been with for a long long time. I've given everything
that I had for the last eighteen years.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
I've said loyal to the Steam no matter what. I've
had moments that I thought otherwise, but I stuck to
the Steam.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
I stood behind them, they stood behind me. I always
dreamt of winning it with them, and.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
You said A Rugby Players Association boss Rob Nicholas pointed
out why Mike Tendall's proposed new look rugby series are
three sixty. Well, have a tough time getting in traction.
The timing is terrible. It's all over some very powerful
existing competitions.
Speaker 7 (03:03):
Well, let's straighten the face of the French Top fourteen finals,
the Heineken Cup finals being this Premiershi Final, United Rugby
Final Series, Super Rugby Final series, and I suspect every
country associated with those competitions. It's going to go, hey,
hang on a.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Set ah and that some short sports swipes for you.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
You scan apion It's Sportsfix with Dancie Valdegree.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Far too much complaining around the nature of the Super
Rugby Pacific playoff system. Slightly confusing but in essence, if
you can't deal with the very basic rhythm or laws
that have been in place since the start of the competition.
Try this, follow your team, chair for your team, support
your team, watch some fantastic rugby, and if your team
(03:51):
keeps winning, at the end of it all, when the
whole shoot match winds up, your team will be the
only gunslinger still standing and the rest of the teams,
regardless of what happened in the playoffs, will be lying there,
prone on the ground, all shot up. I think complaints
here bizarre. It's almost like the people would complain at
a funeral if they had half a chance. Of course,
(04:14):
what we're dealing with here is a lopsided competition team wise,
there are only eleven teams. Of course, we lost the Rebels.
That's not a bad thing. It's not great for trying
to decipher a simple enough method through the final stages.
But we do have a much better competition without the
(04:35):
Rebels being involved, and for that I'll take a bit
of jiggery pokey when it comes to the final wash up.
If your biggest complaint about Super Rugby Pacific this year
is the fact you can't quite grasp the concept of
how the playoffs.
Speaker 4 (04:50):
Work, well, I pat to you.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
There are a lot more things in life to get
tied up around and upset about than the nature of.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
A draw that was forced by the.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
Lopsided nature of an eleven team competition. It has been
a huge success and if this is all you can
find to grown up about, maybe go and watch another sport.
Winners will be winners, regardless of the format, and at
the end, someone's going to stand above all saying we're
Super Rugby Pacific Champions, and that, my friends, is.
Speaker 4 (05:22):
What we're after.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
Dissecting the sporting agenda.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
It's Sportsfix with Darcy Waldegrave.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
Time now for we chat with outgoing Black Caps coach
across three formats and arguably the most successful coach in
New Zealand cricket history. His name is Gary Stead. He's
out at the end of the month and he joins us.
Now get Gary.
Speaker 5 (05:46):
Hello. How are you?
Speaker 4 (05:48):
More's the point? How are you?
Speaker 3 (05:49):
It's been a long time in the saddle and finally
the hound has been released. What was the initial sense
around that decision finally being made?
Speaker 5 (05:57):
Oh? Look, I mean it's sad in a way.
Speaker 6 (05:59):
It's been a big part of my life for the
last yeah, seven or so years, but look, I mean
it's time for someone else to work with the team,
and yeah, I'm content and happy that it's the right
time for me to move on.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
The general consensus is that because you didn't want to
take on all three formats, New Zealand Cricket weren't keen
to carry on with you in just the text role.
Speaker 4 (06:22):
Is that about right?
Speaker 6 (06:23):
Yeap, Yeah, that's about right. But look, I mean that's
their prerogative. And I always understood there was that chance
of that that happened thing, so there was no guarantees
at all of me carrying on in anything.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
Did you even, like, maybe consider changing your mind and going,
you know what, I can do everything?
Speaker 5 (06:39):
Oh, I mean, yeah, consider it.
Speaker 6 (06:41):
But I think after seven years, and I think the
last seven seven or eight months were particularly long time
on the road as well.
Speaker 5 (06:49):
To be honest, I was.
Speaker 6 (06:50):
Pretty buggered Darcy and I needed, I didn't need some
time just to recharge. And yeah, I still want to
be involved in cricket in the future. I think I've
got a lot to give still, But yeah, I just
I couldn't. I couldn't see myself continuing with everything for
much longer.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
Where would the involvement be at a national level. One
of the Pirate T twenty leagues got any idea about
where you might want to go.
Speaker 6 (07:14):
Not one hundred percent sure just yet, but yeah, look,
I mean I still think there's coaching left in me
and I enjoy seeing people improve and teams improve, and
ultimately that's what you're about as coach and support staff
is to try and get the best out of your
players and see that improvement. And I'm passionate about doing that,
whether it be in cricket and another sport or even
(07:36):
in business.
Speaker 4 (07:37):
Potentially, what have you learned seven years in the role
You must have developed over that time.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
I know you've challenged yourself from time to time too,
You've taken time off, you've questioned your own.
Speaker 4 (07:48):
Ability and input.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
So when you look back at the seven years we's
been I suppose the biggest growth in you Gary.
Speaker 5 (07:56):
Oh.
Speaker 6 (07:56):
It's hard to say over a long period of time,
but I think when you get to.
Speaker 5 (08:00):
This level, a lot of the things you're trying to
do is well.
Speaker 6 (08:03):
It's ultimately is to get the best out of the players.
So you're always trying to challenge yourself around how you
go and do that, and some players respond to I
guess Plan A is the way you go about it.
Speaker 5 (08:14):
Others respond to Plan B. So I think having that.
Speaker 6 (08:17):
Adaptability and flexibility to everyone in their needs is the
most important thing you can do. If you're just a
one trick pony, then I'm not sure that's going to
cut it with everyone, and then you're certainly not getting
the best out of your team then as well. So
I think you can always work on those things, and
that's just about building relationships and learning about each individual.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
You've had a great tenure, You've done some fantastic things,
not you, but as the coach, because I know you'll
deflect it all to the players, which is fair enough.
But when you look back at the last seven years highlight,
I know what mine is, but I'm much more interested
in what yours is as far as your coaching career,
what really shone.
Speaker 6 (08:57):
I think, Darcy, the three NL win in India is
something that stands out to me as probably being the
hardest thing to achieve in that tenure.
Speaker 5 (09:06):
And it's interesting because I think a lot of the.
Speaker 6 (09:09):
Success of that actually came from the two all loss earlier.
Immediately prior to that, the Sri Lanka where bar a
couple of bad sessions, we actually played really good cricket
and we talked about being on the right track in
terms of what we were trying to achieve and having
the confidence in our abilities to then go and execute
the plans in India, and I think we did that
(09:30):
really really well. Obviously, the World Test Championship it was
a huge coup and I think fantastic for the team.
But I do think the three nor win in India
was probably the greatest achievement that I had in my time.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
The landscape of cricket is dramatically changing. We know there
are going to be at a top level a lot
of adjustments with the acceleration of the T twenty leagues.
Do you think international cricket's in a good space going forward?
Do you believe that the best is yet to come,
that these issues will be dealt with in a pragmatic
(10:06):
manner by the.
Speaker 4 (10:07):
Powers that be?
Speaker 6 (10:08):
I'm not sure, to be honest, Darcy, I hope international
cricket will be forever seen as the pinnacle of what
you can do in cricket, because ultimately that is country
versus country, and you are then seeing hopefully the best
versus the best but these franchises are I guess, putting
pressure on international cricket and on players to go and
(10:29):
play in their formats, and understandably there's some more options
for an opportunities.
Speaker 5 (10:34):
For players out there to concede.
Speaker 6 (10:36):
But I think it's something we've tried to do well
here as make sure the environment within the Black Ops
team is something that players do want to come back
to and they see the value in that, and I
hope that continues.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
The Chamber is now in session on Sports Fix.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
But turning now into the hallowed grounds of the Chamber,
it is Clay Wilson, sports news director from News Talk
ZB Hell. It grounds bit out of the top, isn't it, Clay.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
I don't know, talk yourself up.
Speaker 4 (11:03):
No, I'm talking us up. It's not it's all about that.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
I think you're talking about this award winning segment.
Speaker 4 (11:08):
Not yet award pending. I always choose to say because
you never know.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
That's how I am.
Speaker 3 (11:13):
Yeah, they're good, Welcome into the Chamber. Gary Stead had
a big chat with Gary Stead about the life and
times of arguably the most successful coach New Zealand Cricket
has ever had.
Speaker 4 (11:25):
Is that a good argument? Is that why you came back.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
I'm certainly an argument that a case that can be
made speaking about this when we sort of got wind
of the fact that it might be the end of
his time, and you do look back and you say, well,
the team did have a couple of lean pitches, but really,
you know, a ton of success and I think the
(11:48):
initial impression perhaps was that he rode an off the
back of the success that was created by Mike Hessen
and Brenda McCallum and that and that team that of
course went to the twenty fifteen World Cup final and
that group of players they created there. But the team
has gone down a couple of times since then in
terms of their performance and always come back up. Obviously
(12:09):
won a World Test Championship and then our bolt out
of the blue last year winning that Test series in India,
not just winning, sweeping them. So you know, without being
on the inner workings of the team, you'd have to
say that Gary Steed has been a pretty good cricket
coach with the limited resources he has in comparison to
his counterparts in the big.
Speaker 4 (12:30):
Australia India South.
Speaker 3 (12:32):
The list goes on with cricket, though it fluctuates to
stay at the very top of cricket and when everything well,
it's impossible, isn't it. You're going to have spikes, going
to have plateaus. But on average, you've got to look
at the general success and the trend of the team
as it moves. They are clear and present danger across
(12:52):
every format and the other teams know that.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
Yeah, and I think like in terms of the amount
of players we have, the resources we have, you'd have
to say, you know, you're right. The expectation can't be
to be consistently one of the leading countries in the world,
but they have peaked at the right times. They've had
some amazing success in individual series and individual competitions. So
(13:17):
here you really can't put too much pass Garriyes, did
I mean he has towards the back end of his
tenure had some critics, but then he goes that they
go and when that Test series in India, and you say, well,
perhaps he's still doing a lot of things right and
unearthed or selected at the very least a lot of
players that have gone on to become world class in
their field and regulars in the Black Caps environments. So yeah,
(13:40):
I think any argument that he just rode in on
the back of the success of Hessen and McCullum, etc.
Really can't be made. And you have to say that
he's done very well in seven years. I mean it's
an international sport. It's quite a long time, isn't it.
Speaker 4 (13:53):
What he said to me, he's bugging, you can't do
it anymore. That's why he's not going to.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
Be doing white ball, white bull, red ball. It's like
that's the offer I can only do and I'm not
going too. I'm going to have a cup of tea
and a Lie doea clay. Let's move to another side.
David Nika is on the undercard of Gallon Sonny Bill
Williams coming out on thost five, six weeks or so.
This is his first fight back since he got He
(14:18):
got his clock clean, didn't he He got destroyed by Giopattire.
Didn't shock anyone. I thought he might have a crack,
but man, Gias class. He just ride straight over him.
Probably the best thing that could happen to Nika if.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
You will, Yeah, I think David Nika took that shot.
You know in three weeks. Notice, everyone knew he was
a massive underdog. He knew he was an underdog while
he was confident. You know, boxes are always going to
go in they're confidence.
Speaker 4 (14:43):
How many boxes you know took themselves down? Oh a
bit rubbish.
Speaker 2 (14:46):
But I don't think his stock, as they say in
fight sports, really took that much of a dent. You know,
he did have some moments earlier in that fight, and
yes he got completely cleaned up and put to sleep,
but we've seen the class of Giopatire. People are going
to look at that and say, well, perhaps he just
wasn't quite ready. That doesn't mean he's not a world
champion of the future.
Speaker 3 (15:06):
So no notice, which is key and also very fresh
in his professional career.
Speaker 4 (15:10):
It's that's quite a start. It's a big punt.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
It's like.
Speaker 3 (15:14):
Andre Mkalovitch and what happened to him at the start.
Too much memory. So anyway, sorry, carry hol on. I've
got a bit.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
Lost, yeah, I think. And the thing. The thing with
the Gayapatire fight is the part of the reason that
David Nika had to take that fight is because not
many other people at the top of that division want
to fight him, and he's still quite fresh in his
professional career. So taking this fight against Nick Sharylumpus, who's
you know, some people might call a bit of a journeyman,
but has fought oppattire and he didn't get knocked out,
(15:42):
and also fought Jerome Pampalone two or three years ago
here in Auckland and took them both a distance. Has
never been stopped by a punch, had to lost a
fight because of a knee injury. But you know, it's
clearly very durable, is very skillful. You know it might
be getting on in years, but I think, you know,
I don't think this is a real walkover for David
(16:03):
Nicer and probably the perfect kind of comeback fight after
what happened against j Pataie. You don't want to, you know,
you want to, you want a winnable fight, but you
don't want someone who you're going to walk through in
two minutes and be out of the kind of thing.
Don't you want to be able to make some kind
of statement to those fights he's trying to get at
the top of top of this division because he's clearly
got that ability to be a to be a world champion.
Speaker 4 (16:24):
Well, so that's the problem.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
What division, Because this isn't the twilight zone, isn't it's
a catchweight fight, So it's actually got.
Speaker 4 (16:30):
No essential division. It's being fortune.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
It's just like this just have a scrap is boxing,
isn't it? Like I think if you if you're someone
of David Nika's standing and you've got to that kind
of contender status, even though it will be at catchweight,
to get to get a fight, to get a win
back under your belt, to make a bit of a
statement in terms of the weight divisions, it's probably not
a massive concern right now. Maybe in his next fight
(16:56):
you look at you want to get back in your
division and make sure you're having a cruiserweight fight. But
it strikes me that that next fight will be a
you know, a contend to fight, perhaps a tight eliminated
type of fight, because he clearly is someone who is
viewed in that way. But he just obviously needs to
make sure he does the business first, because it's as
I said, it's not necessarily an absolute cakewalk against a
(17:17):
very experienced fighter.
Speaker 4 (17:19):
I like the way you use the words striking there,
Clay Wilson. You're onto it sharp as a sack of
wheat moss. It's good. It's good to hear it.
Speaker 3 (17:26):
Got one last thing, He's no way I'm giving anyone
any money to watched Sonny Bill Williams and Paul Gallon fight.
But now that he's on the undercard, Naker, I might
even peel off a couple of notes.
Speaker 4 (17:36):
What do you reckon?
Speaker 2 (17:37):
Yeah, they know what they're doing, don't they. This is
this is all part of the plan.
Speaker 7 (17:41):
You know.
Speaker 2 (17:42):
I'm assuming there was probably a few people in your
camp that you know, fearless Sonny Bill Paul Gallon fighters
A a bit overdue and B maybe a bit a
bit kind of naff given their backgrounds. So you know,
for the boxing purists, the pugilist pugilistic fans in US,
you know, to get someone like David Nicer on the
(18:03):
card might attract them. And you know, I would definitely be
keen to watch watch them and see were goes. Someone
who's not only a great fighter, but a lovely bloke
and easy to root for, so so definitely be keen
just to see how it goes.
Speaker 3 (18:14):
Thank you very much, Klay Wilson, sports news director for
News Talk ZB for stepping into the hallowed ground of
the chain that you look after yourself.
Speaker 1 (18:22):
Jeers, does this is sports Fix your daily dose of
sports Hughes cow and by News Talks.
Speaker 4 (18:28):
Eb gift wrapped, delivered and then ripped open.
Speaker 3 (18:32):
That's your Sports Fixed podcast present for today being Wednesday,
the fourth of June twenty twenty five. I've enjoyed our
humble offering. If you have just subscribe, it means this
will tune up in your inbox and a week daily basis.
Telly Friends, Telly Family, they can do the same old thing.
And if you want some sport talk you can engage
(18:54):
and we got that too on News Talk zeb between
seven and eight Monday to Friday, Sports Talk myself or
Jason Pine on Monday, and then he gets to do
it all on Saturday and Sunday Weekend Sport between twelve
mid day and three pm Saturday and Sunday. Thanksging to
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to you for your ears and your attention.
Speaker 4 (19:16):
Get you tomorrow for.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
More from News Talks at b Listen live on air
or online, and keep our shows with you wherever you
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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.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
This is Sportsfix Howard by.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
News Talks It be yay, there are welcome into the
Sports Fix podcast. My name's Darcy Walter Grave and this
is it or then you can I in the wonderful
wide world of sport on this day, Wednesday, the fourth
of June twenty twenty five, coming up on the.
Speaker 4 (00:34):
Podcast, and thanks very much as always to GJ.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Gardner Holmes, new Selling's most trusted homebuilder for climbing on board.
Speaker 4 (00:42):
I'll be talking with Gary Steat. Gary has finally.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Decided to retire from his role as the head coach
of the black Caps.
Speaker 4 (00:49):
What a career. We'll talk to Gary about that.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
I've got some opinion around Super Rugby Pacific and the
way the finals have operated and how confusing it is.
Speaker 4 (01:01):
I don't think so.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
And Clay Wilson joins us in the chamber these Director
of Sport for News TALKSZB as we discussed some of
the big bought stories of the day. This is what
we intend on doing and like always, we'll get it done.
Speaker 4 (01:15):
Let's go in other news.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
Don't ever quick and listen now to some short sports swipes.
Pugilist David Nika is returning to the Squid Circle. Neck
Tara Lumpos is his opponent on the Gallon Williams undercard.
Last time out, David got a whipping from one of
the scariest guys in boxing, Jib Tyler.
Speaker 4 (01:38):
This is what David thinks so.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
About his first time back about Neck a bloke he's
sparred with way that wing.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
I don't think he's evolved or developed at all since
we last barred. I've changed a lot.
Speaker 5 (01:51):
You know.
Speaker 6 (01:51):
I've got a lot more as tools in my arsenal now,
So I'll be too mobile, too fast, too sharp and
if I if I keep my powder dry, I think
I can stuck.
Speaker 4 (01:59):
With Wow, a boxer backing himself. You want to read
about it.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Gone They get stuck and Vera Coli, one of the
Globe's greatest ever bat, has finally picked up an IPL title.
Ei scored with forty three from thirty five balls as
Bengalaru rapped up one hundred and ninety runs. It was
too much for Punjab, even though they were helped by
a three ft from Kyle Jamison.
Speaker 4 (02:23):
They lost.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
They handed a maiden title to the team Verrett has
been with for a long long time. I've given everything
that I had for the last eighteen years.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
I've said loyal to the Steam no matter what. I've
had moments that I thought otherwise, but I stuck to
the Steam.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
I stood behind them, they stood behind me. I always
dreamt of winning it with them, and.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
You said A Rugby Players Association boss Rob Nicholas pointed
out why Mike Tendall's proposed new look rugby series are
three sixty. Well, have a tough time getting in traction.
The timing is terrible. It's all over some very powerful
existing competitions.
Speaker 7 (03:03):
Well, let's straighten the face of the French Top fourteen finals,
the Heineken Cup finals being this Premiershi Final, United Rugby
Final Series, Super Rugby Final series, and I suspect every
country associated with those competitions. It's going to go, hey,
hang on a.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Set ah and that some short sports swipes for you.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
You scan apion It's Sportsfix with Dancie Valdegree.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Far too much complaining around the nature of the Super
Rugby Pacific playoff system. Slightly confusing but in essence, if
you can't deal with the very basic rhythm or laws
that have been in place since the start of the competition.
Try this, follow your team, chair for your team, support
your team, watch some fantastic rugby, and if your team
(03:51):
keeps winning, at the end of it all, when the
whole shoot match winds up, your team will be the
only gunslinger still standing and the rest of the teams,
regardless of what happened in the playoffs, will be lying there,
prone on the ground, all shot up. I think complaints
here bizarre. It's almost like the people would complain at
a funeral if they had half a chance. Of course,
(04:14):
what we're dealing with here is a lopsided competition team wise,
there are only eleven teams. Of course, we lost the Rebels.
That's not a bad thing. It's not great for trying
to decipher a simple enough method through the final stages.
But we do have a much better competition without the
(04:35):
Rebels being involved, and for that I'll take a bit
of jiggery pokey when it comes to the final wash up.
If your biggest complaint about Super Rugby Pacific this year
is the fact you can't quite grasp the concept of
how the playoffs.
Speaker 4 (04:50):
Work, well, I pat to you.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
There are a lot more things in life to get
tied up around and upset about than the nature of.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
A draw that was forced by the.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
Lopsided nature of an eleven team competition. It has been
a huge success and if this is all you can
find to grown up about, maybe go and watch another sport.
Winners will be winners, regardless of the format, and at
the end, someone's going to stand above all saying we're
Super Rugby Pacific Champions, and that, my friends, is.
Speaker 4 (05:22):
What we're after.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
Dissecting the sporting agenda.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
It's Sportsfix with Darcy Waldegrave.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
Time now for we chat with outgoing Black Caps coach
across three formats and arguably the most successful coach in
New Zealand cricket history. His name is Gary Stead. He's
out at the end of the month and he joins us.
Now get Gary.
Speaker 5 (05:46):
Hello. How are you?
Speaker 4 (05:48):
More's the point? How are you?
Speaker 3 (05:49):
It's been a long time in the saddle and finally
the hound has been released. What was the initial sense
around that decision finally being made?
Speaker 5 (05:57):
Oh? Look, I mean it's sad in a way.
Speaker 6 (05:59):
It's been a big part of my life for the
last yeah, seven or so years, but look, I mean
it's time for someone else to work with the team,
and yeah, I'm content and happy that it's the right
time for me to move on.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
The general consensus is that because you didn't want to
take on all three formats, New Zealand Cricket weren't keen
to carry on with you in just the text role.
Speaker 4 (06:22):
Is that about right?
Speaker 6 (06:23):
Yeap, Yeah, that's about right. But look, I mean that's
their prerogative. And I always understood there was that chance
of that that happened thing, so there was no guarantees
at all of me carrying on in anything.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
Did you even, like, maybe consider changing your mind and going,
you know what, I can do everything?
Speaker 5 (06:39):
Oh, I mean, yeah, consider it.
Speaker 6 (06:41):
But I think after seven years, and I think the
last seven seven or eight months were particularly long time
on the road as well.
Speaker 5 (06:49):
To be honest, I was.
Speaker 6 (06:50):
Pretty buggered Darcy and I needed, I didn't need some
time just to recharge. And yeah, I still want to
be involved in cricket in the future. I think I've
got a lot to give still, But yeah, I just
I couldn't. I couldn't see myself continuing with everything for
much longer.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
Where would the involvement be at a national level. One
of the Pirate T twenty leagues got any idea about
where you might want to go.
Speaker 6 (07:14):
Not one hundred percent sure just yet, but yeah, look,
I mean I still think there's coaching left in me
and I enjoy seeing people improve and teams improve, and
ultimately that's what you're about as coach and support staff
is to try and get the best out of your
players and see that improvement. And I'm passionate about doing that,
whether it be in cricket and another sport or even
(07:36):
in business.
Speaker 4 (07:37):
Potentially, what have you learned seven years in the role
You must have developed over that time.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
I know you've challenged yourself from time to time too,
You've taken time off, you've questioned your own.
Speaker 4 (07:48):
Ability and input.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
So when you look back at the seven years we's
been I suppose the biggest growth in you Gary.
Speaker 5 (07:56):
Oh.
Speaker 6 (07:56):
It's hard to say over a long period of time,
but I think when you get to.
Speaker 5 (08:00):
This level, a lot of the things you're trying to
do is well.
Speaker 6 (08:03):
It's ultimately is to get the best out of the players.
So you're always trying to challenge yourself around how you
go and do that, and some players respond to I
guess Plan A is the way you go about it.
Speaker 5 (08:14):
Others respond to Plan B. So I think having that.
Speaker 6 (08:17):
Adaptability and flexibility to everyone in their needs is the
most important thing you can do. If you're just a
one trick pony, then I'm not sure that's going to
cut it with everyone, and then you're certainly not getting
the best out of your team then as well. So
I think you can always work on those things, and
that's just about building relationships and learning about each individual.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
You've had a great tenure, You've done some fantastic things,
not you, but as the coach, because I know you'll
deflect it all to the players, which is fair enough.
But when you look back at the last seven years highlight,
I know what mine is, but I'm much more interested
in what yours is as far as your coaching career,
what really shone.
Speaker 6 (08:57):
I think, Darcy, the three NL win in India is
something that stands out to me as probably being the
hardest thing to achieve in that tenure.
Speaker 5 (09:06):
And it's interesting because I think a lot of the.
Speaker 6 (09:09):
Success of that actually came from the two all loss earlier.
Immediately prior to that, the Sri Lanka where bar a
couple of bad sessions, we actually played really good cricket
and we talked about being on the right track in
terms of what we were trying to achieve and having
the confidence in our abilities to then go and execute
the plans in India, and I think we did that
(09:30):
really really well. Obviously, the World Test Championship it was
a huge coup and I think fantastic for the team.
But I do think the three nor win in India
was probably the greatest achievement that I had in my time.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
The landscape of cricket is dramatically changing. We know there
are going to be at a top level a lot
of adjustments with the acceleration of the T twenty leagues.
Do you think international cricket's in a good space going forward?
Do you believe that the best is yet to come,
that these issues will be dealt with in a pragmatic
(10:06):
manner by the.
Speaker 4 (10:07):
Powers that be?
Speaker 6 (10:08):
I'm not sure, to be honest, Darcy, I hope international
cricket will be forever seen as the pinnacle of what
you can do in cricket, because ultimately that is country
versus country, and you are then seeing hopefully the best
versus the best but these franchises are I guess, putting
pressure on international cricket and on players to go and
(10:29):
play in their formats, and understandably there's some more options
for an opportunities.
Speaker 5 (10:34):
For players out there to concede.
Speaker 6 (10:36):
But I think it's something we've tried to do well
here as make sure the environment within the Black Ops
team is something that players do want to come back
to and they see the value in that, and I
hope that continues.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
The Chamber is now in session on Sports Fix.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
But turning now into the hallowed grounds of the Chamber,
it is Clay Wilson, sports news director from News Talk
ZB Hell. It grounds bit out of the top, isn't it, Clay.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
I don't know, talk yourself up.
Speaker 4 (11:03):
No, I'm talking us up. It's not it's all about that.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
I think you're talking about this award winning segment.
Speaker 4 (11:08):
Not yet award pending. I always choose to say because
you never know.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
That's how I am.
Speaker 3 (11:13):
Yeah, they're good, Welcome into the Chamber. Gary Stead had
a big chat with Gary Stead about the life and
times of arguably the most successful coach New Zealand Cricket
has ever had.
Speaker 4 (11:25):
Is that a good argument? Is that why you came back.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
I'm certainly an argument that a case that can be
made speaking about this when we sort of got wind
of the fact that it might be the end of
his time, and you do look back and you say, well,
the team did have a couple of lean pitches, but really,
you know, a ton of success and I think the
(11:48):
initial impression perhaps was that he rode an off the
back of the success that was created by Mike Hessen
and Brenda McCallum and that and that team that of
course went to the twenty fifteen World Cup final and
that group of players they created there. But the team
has gone down a couple of times since then in
terms of their performance and always come back up. Obviously
(12:09):
won a World Test Championship and then our bolt out
of the blue last year winning that Test series in India,
not just winning, sweeping them. So you know, without being
on the inner workings of the team, you'd have to
say that Gary Steed has been a pretty good cricket
coach with the limited resources he has in comparison to
his counterparts in the big.
Speaker 4 (12:30):
Australia India South.
Speaker 3 (12:32):
The list goes on with cricket, though it fluctuates to
stay at the very top of cricket and when everything well,
it's impossible, isn't it. You're going to have spikes, going
to have plateaus. But on average, you've got to look
at the general success and the trend of the team
as it moves. They are clear and present danger across
(12:52):
every format and the other teams know that.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
Yeah, and I think like in terms of the amount
of players we have, the resources we have, you'd have
to say, you know, you're right. The expectation can't be
to be consistently one of the leading countries in the world,
but they have peaked at the right times. They've had
some amazing success in individual series and individual competitions. So
(13:17):
here you really can't put too much pass Garriyes, did
I mean he has towards the back end of his
tenure had some critics, but then he goes that they
go and when that Test series in India, and you say, well,
perhaps he's still doing a lot of things right and
unearthed or selected at the very least a lot of
players that have gone on to become world class in
their field and regulars in the Black Caps environments. So yeah,
(13:40):
I think any argument that he just rode in on
the back of the success of Hessen and McCullum, etc.
Really can't be made. And you have to say that
he's done very well in seven years. I mean it's
an international sport. It's quite a long time, isn't it.
Speaker 4 (13:53):
What he said to me, he's bugging, you can't do
it anymore. That's why he's not going to.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
Be doing white ball, white bull, red ball. It's like
that's the offer I can only do and I'm not
going too. I'm going to have a cup of tea
and a Lie doea clay. Let's move to another side.
David Nika is on the undercard of Gallon Sonny Bill
Williams coming out on thost five, six weeks or so.
This is his first fight back since he got He
(14:18):
got his clock clean, didn't he He got destroyed by Giopattire.
Didn't shock anyone. I thought he might have a crack,
but man, Gias class. He just ride straight over him.
Probably the best thing that could happen to Nika if.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
You will, Yeah, I think David Nika took that shot.
You know in three weeks. Notice, everyone knew he was
a massive underdog. He knew he was an underdog while
he was confident. You know, boxes are always going to
go in they're confidence.
Speaker 4 (14:43):
How many boxes you know took themselves down? Oh a
bit rubbish.
Speaker 2 (14:46):
But I don't think his stock, as they say in
fight sports, really took that much of a dent. You know,
he did have some moments earlier in that fight, and
yes he got completely cleaned up and put to sleep,
but we've seen the class of Giopatire. People are going
to look at that and say, well, perhaps he just
wasn't quite ready. That doesn't mean he's not a world
champion of the future.
Speaker 3 (15:06):
So no notice, which is key and also very fresh
in his professional career.
Speaker 4 (15:10):
It's that's quite a start. It's a big punt.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
It's like.
Speaker 3 (15:14):
Andre Mkalovitch and what happened to him at the start.
Too much memory. So anyway, sorry, carry hol on. I've
got a bit.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
Lost, yeah, I think. And the thing. The thing with
the Gayapatire fight is the part of the reason that
David Nika had to take that fight is because not
many other people at the top of that division want
to fight him, and he's still quite fresh in his
professional career. So taking this fight against Nick Sharylumpus, who's
you know, some people might call a bit of a journeyman,
but has fought oppattire and he didn't get knocked out,
(15:42):
and also fought Jerome Pampalone two or three years ago
here in Auckland and took them both a distance. Has
never been stopped by a punch, had to lost a
fight because of a knee injury. But you know, it's
clearly very durable, is very skillful. You know it might
be getting on in years, but I think, you know,
I don't think this is a real walkover for David
(16:03):
Nicer and probably the perfect kind of comeback fight after
what happened against j Pataie. You don't want to, you know,
you want to, you want a winnable fight, but you
don't want someone who you're going to walk through in
two minutes and be out of the kind of thing.
Don't you want to be able to make some kind
of statement to those fights he's trying to get at
the top of top of this division because he's clearly
got that ability to be a to be a world champion.
Speaker 4 (16:24):
Well, so that's the problem.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
What division, Because this isn't the twilight zone, isn't it's
a catchweight fight, So it's actually got.
Speaker 4 (16:30):
No essential division. It's being fortune.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
It's just like this just have a scrap is boxing,
isn't it? Like I think if you if you're someone
of David Nika's standing and you've got to that kind
of contender status, even though it will be at catchweight,
to get to get a fight, to get a win
back under your belt, to make a bit of a
statement in terms of the weight divisions, it's probably not
a massive concern right now. Maybe in his next fight
(16:56):
you look at you want to get back in your
division and make sure you're having a cruiserweight fight. But
it strikes me that that next fight will be a
you know, a contend to fight, perhaps a tight eliminated
type of fight, because he clearly is someone who is
viewed in that way. But he just obviously needs to
make sure he does the business first, because it's as
I said, it's not necessarily an absolute cakewalk against a
(17:17):
very experienced fighter.
Speaker 4 (17:19):
I like the way you use the words striking there,
Clay Wilson. You're onto it sharp as a sack of
wheat moss. It's good. It's good to hear it.
Speaker 3 (17:26):
Got one last thing, He's no way I'm giving anyone
any money to watched Sonny Bill Williams and Paul Gallon fight.
But now that he's on the undercard, Naker, I might
even peel off a couple of notes.
Speaker 4 (17:36):
What do you reckon?
Speaker 2 (17:37):
Yeah, they know what they're doing, don't they. This is
this is all part of the plan.
Speaker 7 (17:41):
You know.
Speaker 2 (17:42):
I'm assuming there was probably a few people in your
camp that you know, fearless Sonny Bill Paul Gallon fighters
A a bit overdue and B maybe a bit a
bit kind of naff given their backgrounds. So you know,
for the boxing purists, the pugilist pugilistic fans in US,
you know, to get someone like David Nicer on the
(18:03):
card might attract them. And you know, I would definitely be
keen to watch watch them and see were goes. Someone
who's not only a great fighter, but a lovely bloke
and easy to root for, so so definitely be keen
just to see how it goes.
Speaker 3 (18:14):
Thank you very much, Klay Wilson, sports news director for
News Talk ZB for stepping into the hallowed ground of
the chain that you look after yourself.
Speaker 1 (18:22):
Jeers, does this is sports Fix your daily dose of
sports Hughes cow and by News Talks.
Speaker 4 (18:28):
Eb gift wrapped, delivered and then ripped open.
Speaker 3 (18:32):
That's your Sports Fixed podcast present for today being Wednesday,
the fourth of June twenty twenty five. I've enjoyed our
humble offering. If you have just subscribe, it means this
will tune up in your inbox and a week daily basis.
Telly Friends, Telly Family, they can do the same old thing.
And if you want some sport talk you can engage
(18:54):
and we got that too on News Talk zeb between
seven and eight Monday to Friday, Sports Talk myself or
Jason Pine on Monday, and then he gets to do
it all on Saturday and Sunday Weekend Sport between twelve
mid day and three pm Saturday and Sunday. Thanksging to
j Gardner, Holmes and Sounds most trusted homebuilder, and thanks
to you for your ears and your attention.
Speaker 4 (19:16):
Get you tomorrow for.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
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