June 13, 2025 • 9 mins
Matches in rugby's National Provincial Championship are on track to appear on a free-to-air platform.
As Sky and New Zealand Rugby near renewal of their broadcast contract - the Herald reports agreement has all but been reached that TVNZ Plus will show live NPC games in 2026.
The deal being worked on between Sky and TVNZ would see matches split across the two networks - both screening a mix of live, delayed live and highlights.
It's understood up to three lives games a week will end up on TVNZ Plus.
The discussions come as NZR also considers the format of the provincial competition.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Darcy Wildergrave
from News Talk ZEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Good evening, Neil, Yeah, Darcy, how are you doing, ma?
Speaker 3 (00:14):
I'm doing well. You're getting prepped up and ready to
run before the NPC. How long have you got now?
Speaker 2 (00:21):
We come together about the fourteenth of July. This is
pretty much in a month that we had a shield
game against kin Country two days ago, which ran really
really well, good crowd in the stadium for its opening
for the new stand and everything on what was a
pretty rough day weatherwise in our province. But wrapped that
four to five thousand people turned out to watch it.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
It's been a fort how they the MPC can springboard
off the success of Super Rugby, But he told me
and set up to this, that's the other way around.
Super Rugby's springboard and off what NPC did last year.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Yeah, I thought NBC has been challenged before that. There's
been a fair but going on behind the scenes with
impact and the direction of our game. But I was
wrapped with our NPC went last year. The competition was
titled A Way. I really did think there was a
lot of teams playing a really good brand of rugby
that the public bought into and there appeared to me
to be a lot of interest in it all the
way through, so I was unhappy about how it went.
(01:17):
We can always be better, but yeah, it's carried on
too into the Super season.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
What were the keys to last season? What do you
think happened at playing wise, across the coaching staff and
everything to do with the National Provincial Championship. What lifted it? Neil?
Speaker 2 (01:33):
I can't put my finger on it totally, but there
are a lot of people playing with an attacking mindset,
so it was a good brand of footy. The public
seemed to get involved it and like you mentioned to me,
you know, there were a lot of smaller grounds being used,
so it's a bit more atmosphere, but it's the whole lot,
like just as a genuine interest in NPC because a
little bit tribal, the communities get with it. Yeah, and
(01:55):
Super is another level up and performance wise, but it's
a collection of all the provinces in one place, so
it's a bit harder for them to get that tribal stuff.
But they've got a way bigger.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Audience playing at smaller grounds, playing local rugby essentially in
local provinces, how important do you think that is for
the reach and the effectiveness of the game?
Speaker 2 (02:17):
New Well, if you want an experience for the crowd,
it's obviously better to have a full ground, whether people
are actually closer to the ground. You know, we get
a lot of multipurpose grounds nowadays where the field is
miles away from the stands, the stands are half empty.
It's just not a good feel for the game. But
everyone's got to buy into an entertaining day, whether it
be the owners, the councils, the coaches of the teams
(02:40):
that play foot that people want to see and no
one gets too entertained by just box kick and jills
all day. So yeah, chance your arm at the end
of the day and play with a positive attitude and
people will enjoy it as well as the players.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
It's interesting that it's not confirmed yet, but it looks like
the Sky deal with you said a rugby and we've
been waiting so long for this little come out of
entries a good chance that TV in said are going
to be the free to air partner. How important is
that that there'll be at two games free aware of
the NPC? Is that a very important part of the
structure of the competition, do you think, and the relevance
(03:14):
of it.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Yeah, I've honestly got no skill sets in that area.
Like the only part that would worry me is that
people will sit at home and the comfort on night
games to watch on TV. But you want people to
be seeing your game at the end of the day.
So yeah, there's not something I'm strong on or know
too much about. That's the people above myself.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
The strong nature of the camp with the attacking attitude,
the way people want to play the smaller grounds. Is
there anything else you'd add to that? The way the
game is refereed seems to be good, The rule book
seems to be working out. Is there any other tweaks
you can see from your position now?
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Yeah, Well, I've got a comproment Chris Pollock who runs
referees in this country, because they're communicated with us or
what we want and what they want and we're all
actually working together. And it's something you said on Rugby
you are doing a lot more effort to do now too,
is to find out what everyone wants and you can
actually see little steps in the right direction at the
moment rather than being dictated to but one hundred percent
(04:14):
of New Zealand referees at a role to play and
trying to keep our game going. So it's a more
entertaining brand for everyone to watch and that's going to
be good. The same can't be said for the world
Refereeing associations who just continually keep changing the rules all
the time in over referee situations.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
There's not a lot of doubt in that when you
look globally, but locally it has been good and isn't
it lovely? And we've seen this in Super Rugby too
in the development of ns are of the last few
years that they're actually listening to the stakeholders. They're listening
to the players and the coaches and the fans, and
the club's going, hey, what do you want, what do
you need and then applying it. This is how it
(04:52):
should work. Right.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Yeah, it's a shame we sort of have to get
through rock bottom before changes are made, but yeah, you
don't have to be a rock star to see that
the shift's being made. With David Kirk at the top,
he's the personally got a fair better respect for don't
even moment person but yeah, he's had involvement in the
game in a lot of levels, and even when you
got to the silver Aps side of it, a lot
(05:14):
of the things that him and Rob Michel alluded to
before that was agreed to have actually happened. And now
he's sitting on our board and we're suddenly seeing some
ships and management positions up there. So yeah, he's obviously
got a plan with a new board about how they
want things to go, and I'm sitting back with interest
and waiting to see where it hads. But from my
(05:36):
position at the moment, I can see some good things
happening in the game, So let's hope that continues.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
Being media, you always like to attack the bad, so
I probably will try what needs to really be changed.
Is there any screaming problem here that you think just
get rid of that or maybe not?
Speaker 2 (05:53):
Well, yeah, that's a very open question. But I'm an
old person and I sit back, and when you start
getting bureacracies in place where people can't move and you've
lost control of your and a lot of it to
me is at the top level, you've got to ask
what you're actually doing and making sure you're aligned and
got a purpose involved. So yeah, there's some questions being
(06:15):
asked at the moment, whether we are actually all aligned
to what we're trying to achieve here, and like I said,
there's some good moves one place at the moment to
find out what direction this game needs to go in
and the way it's run, and to get control of
our costs, because as our leaders have pointed out, there's
nothing wrong with our income that's continually gone up, but
there's been massive increases in our costs across the board,
(06:37):
So that needs to be looked at.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
Does that happen at your level as well, and an
MPC level.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Something does you're in dangerous ground now because we've had
the finger point at us an MPC is that we're
not economically viable or fits a purpose, and out of
impact comes to facts that actually, MPC the costs haven't
gone up bugger all in ten years, and when you
look across the rest of our game, they've gone up
by just about ten percent a year in that time.
(07:06):
Thing got pointed in the wrong direction. So there's an
awareness of that now. Like I say, there's a different
group of people starting to come into the top level
that are going to ask some tough questions and that's
got to be good because we need that money spent
in the right here is to keep us strong for
good and you need.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
To be heard. As I went back on before, you
can talk all you want, but if no one's listening,
there's no point. But now you feel that actually you are.
People are paying attention to the applight for one of
a better word of NPC.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
Yeah, well again, you know, we all prove who reviews
and that. But the impact report came out and it's
alluded to a lot of things, and one of them
is that NPC is actually vital in the pathways. So
you talk about public interest, but the public should be
interested to see who the new talent is coming through
the systems and the way I look at things, they're
just always pathways for the very very best players to
(07:57):
come through, so you can accelerate that. You still need
to keep doors wide open for people that come through
school club and into MPC and then make their way
up into super because they happen all the time. But yeah,
we've got this professional elements in our game now that
only no professional rugby think the only way you can
progress is through an academy and be fast tracked. When
(08:18):
you're eighteen to twenty years old, there's elements of truth
in it, but there's also a large number of people
that progress at a later stage.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
And when you see that, everybody stands in cheers. Guys
that have all girls, that have done the work and
they've gone through situations and they find themselves ready to
represent them ready to play their best football, and they're
not fifteen.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
Absolutely. It's like a list of the examples of people
that have been on the tills. So they're in their
early twenties and suddenly get a chance at NPC level
and light it up and find their way into Super rugby,
and you'd like to think they're on the track a
little more time. They might even make themselves into an
all that Jurney. There's great stories out there. Just respect
those different pathways, if everyone respects each other and make
(09:02):
sure we're all aligned to what we're trying to achieve.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
For more from Sports Talk and live to News Talks.
It'd be from seven pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Darcy Wildergrave
from News Talk ZEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Good evening, Neil, Yeah, Darcy, how are you doing, ma?
Speaker 3 (00:14):
I'm doing well. You're getting prepped up and ready to
run before the NPC. How long have you got now?
Speaker 2 (00:21):
We come together about the fourteenth of July. This is
pretty much in a month that we had a shield
game against kin Country two days ago, which ran really
really well, good crowd in the stadium for its opening
for the new stand and everything on what was a
pretty rough day weatherwise in our province. But wrapped that
four to five thousand people turned out to watch it.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
It's been a fort how they the MPC can springboard
off the success of Super Rugby, But he told me
and set up to this, that's the other way around.
Super Rugby's springboard and off what NPC did last year.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Yeah, I thought NBC has been challenged before that. There's
been a fair but going on behind the scenes with
impact and the direction of our game. But I was
wrapped with our NPC went last year. The competition was
titled A Way. I really did think there was a
lot of teams playing a really good brand of rugby
that the public bought into and there appeared to me
to be a lot of interest in it all the
way through, so I was unhappy about how it went.
(01:17):
We can always be better, but yeah, it's carried on
too into the Super season.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
What were the keys to last season? What do you
think happened at playing wise, across the coaching staff and
everything to do with the National Provincial Championship. What lifted it? Neil?
Speaker 2 (01:33):
I can't put my finger on it totally, but there
are a lot of people playing with an attacking mindset,
so it was a good brand of footy. The public
seemed to get involved it and like you mentioned to me,
you know, there were a lot of smaller grounds being used,
so it's a bit more atmosphere, but it's the whole lot,
like just as a genuine interest in NPC because a
little bit tribal, the communities get with it. Yeah, and
(01:55):
Super is another level up and performance wise, but it's
a collection of all the provinces in one place, so
it's a bit harder for them to get that tribal stuff.
But they've got a way bigger.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Audience playing at smaller grounds, playing local rugby essentially in
local provinces, how important do you think that is for
the reach and the effectiveness of the game?
Speaker 2 (02:17):
New Well, if you want an experience for the crowd,
it's obviously better to have a full ground, whether people
are actually closer to the ground. You know, we get
a lot of multipurpose grounds nowadays where the field is
miles away from the stands, the stands are half empty.
It's just not a good feel for the game. But
everyone's got to buy into an entertaining day, whether it
be the owners, the councils, the coaches of the teams
(02:40):
that play foot that people want to see and no
one gets too entertained by just box kick and jills
all day. So yeah, chance your arm at the end
of the day and play with a positive attitude and
people will enjoy it as well as the players.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
It's interesting that it's not confirmed yet, but it looks like
the Sky deal with you said a rugby and we've
been waiting so long for this little come out of
entries a good chance that TV in said are going
to be the free to air partner. How important is
that that there'll be at two games free aware of
the NPC? Is that a very important part of the
structure of the competition, do you think, and the relevance
(03:14):
of it.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Yeah, I've honestly got no skill sets in that area.
Like the only part that would worry me is that
people will sit at home and the comfort on night
games to watch on TV. But you want people to
be seeing your game at the end of the day.
So yeah, there's not something I'm strong on or know
too much about. That's the people above myself.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
The strong nature of the camp with the attacking attitude,
the way people want to play the smaller grounds. Is
there anything else you'd add to that? The way the
game is refereed seems to be good, The rule book
seems to be working out. Is there any other tweaks
you can see from your position now?
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Yeah, Well, I've got a comproment Chris Pollock who runs
referees in this country, because they're communicated with us or
what we want and what they want and we're all
actually working together. And it's something you said on Rugby
you are doing a lot more effort to do now too,
is to find out what everyone wants and you can
actually see little steps in the right direction at the
moment rather than being dictated to but one hundred percent
(04:14):
of New Zealand referees at a role to play and
trying to keep our game going. So it's a more
entertaining brand for everyone to watch and that's going to
be good. The same can't be said for the world
Refereeing associations who just continually keep changing the rules all
the time in over referee situations.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
There's not a lot of doubt in that when you
look globally, but locally it has been good and isn't
it lovely? And we've seen this in Super Rugby too
in the development of ns are of the last few
years that they're actually listening to the stakeholders. They're listening
to the players and the coaches and the fans, and
the club's going, hey, what do you want, what do
you need and then applying it. This is how it
(04:52):
should work. Right.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Yeah, it's a shame we sort of have to get
through rock bottom before changes are made, but yeah, you
don't have to be a rock star to see that
the shift's being made. With David Kirk at the top,
he's the personally got a fair better respect for don't
even moment person but yeah, he's had involvement in the
game in a lot of levels, and even when you
got to the silver Aps side of it, a lot
(05:14):
of the things that him and Rob Michel alluded to
before that was agreed to have actually happened. And now
he's sitting on our board and we're suddenly seeing some
ships and management positions up there. So yeah, he's obviously
got a plan with a new board about how they
want things to go, and I'm sitting back with interest
and waiting to see where it hads. But from my
(05:36):
position at the moment, I can see some good things
happening in the game, So let's hope that continues.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
Being media, you always like to attack the bad, so
I probably will try what needs to really be changed.
Is there any screaming problem here that you think just
get rid of that or maybe not?
Speaker 2 (05:53):
Well, yeah, that's a very open question. But I'm an
old person and I sit back, and when you start
getting bureacracies in place where people can't move and you've
lost control of your and a lot of it to
me is at the top level, you've got to ask
what you're actually doing and making sure you're aligned and
got a purpose involved. So yeah, there's some questions being
(06:15):
asked at the moment, whether we are actually all aligned
to what we're trying to achieve here, and like I said,
there's some good moves one place at the moment to
find out what direction this game needs to go in
and the way it's run, and to get control of
our costs, because as our leaders have pointed out, there's
nothing wrong with our income that's continually gone up, but
there's been massive increases in our costs across the board,
(06:37):
So that needs to be looked at.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
Does that happen at your level as well, and an
MPC level.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Something does you're in dangerous ground now because we've had
the finger point at us an MPC is that we're
not economically viable or fits a purpose, and out of
impact comes to facts that actually, MPC the costs haven't
gone up bugger all in ten years, and when you
look across the rest of our game, they've gone up
by just about ten percent a year in that time.
(07:06):
Thing got pointed in the wrong direction. So there's an
awareness of that now. Like I say, there's a different
group of people starting to come into the top level
that are going to ask some tough questions and that's
got to be good because we need that money spent
in the right here is to keep us strong for
good and you need.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
To be heard. As I went back on before, you
can talk all you want, but if no one's listening,
there's no point. But now you feel that actually you are.
People are paying attention to the applight for one of
a better word of NPC.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
Yeah, well again, you know, we all prove who reviews
and that. But the impact report came out and it's
alluded to a lot of things, and one of them
is that NPC is actually vital in the pathways. So
you talk about public interest, but the public should be
interested to see who the new talent is coming through
the systems and the way I look at things, they're
just always pathways for the very very best players to
(07:57):
come through, so you can accelerate that. You still need
to keep doors wide open for people that come through
school club and into MPC and then make their way
up into super because they happen all the time. But yeah,
we've got this professional elements in our game now that
only no professional rugby think the only way you can
progress is through an academy and be fast tracked. When
(08:18):
you're eighteen to twenty years old, there's elements of truth
in it, but there's also a large number of people
that progress at a later stage.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
And when you see that, everybody stands in cheers. Guys
that have all girls, that have done the work and
they've gone through situations and they find themselves ready to
represent them ready to play their best football, and they're
not fifteen.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
Absolutely. It's like a list of the examples of people
that have been on the tills. So they're in their
early twenties and suddenly get a chance at NPC level
and light it up and find their way into Super rugby,
and you'd like to think they're on the track a
little more time. They might even make themselves into an
all that Jurney. There's great stories out there. Just respect
those different pathways, if everyone respects each other and make
(09:02):
sure we're all aligned to what we're trying to achieve.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
For more from Sports Talk and live to News Talks.
It'd be from seven pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.
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