Moana Pasifika captain Ardie Savea has claimed the Super Rugby Pacific player of the year title after establishing an unassailable lead in voting with two weeks left in the regular season.
This has sparked discussions about whether or not he'd work as an All Blacks captain.
Wayne 'Buck' Shelford joined Piney to discuss.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Dancy Wildergrave
from News Talk SEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
It was a performance for the Ages at Albany on
Saturday night.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
Waerver it no waer a over it? Don't get the
penaly head? Who got it?
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Hey Savia? Artie severe with one of the all time
great individual rugby displays, helping Mowanna Pacifica to a first
ever Super Rugby went over the Blues and it's prompted
the quite natural questions about whether the absolutely inspirational leadership
that he has shown this season could be transferred up
(00:44):
to the next level. Should Ardie Savier be All Blacks Captain?
Keen for your view, but first let's bring in former
All Blacks Captain Sir Buck Shelfer. The All Blacks never
lost when you were Captain, Sir Buck. Thanks for joining us.
Let's cut straight to the chase. Do you think Ardie
Savia should be in the conversation to captain the All Blacks?
Speaker 3 (01:05):
I think you be in the conversation. When he actually
made the or rest a few years ago, I thought
to myself that he's probably going to be the captain
of the future, and I just raised it and wrote
from the get go when he was a young guy.
And he's got all the characteristics of a great loose forward,
(01:26):
you know, with the ball in hand, defensively everything you know,
and he okay, I'll give him his choos. He can
kick a little bit.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
I don't recall you doing a lot of a lot
of grubber kicking or kicking and chasing during your time,
but I'm sure you would have given it a go
at some stage.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
I didn't kick the ball at all. I just I
didn't have time to kick them ball. Too busy worrying
about the rest of the game, you know.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
So speaking of captaincy, then he's clear he's leading Maana
Pacifica and look he's obviously doing a terrific job there.
When you talk about leading the All Blacks, how how
much of a step up would that be for any
player from leading their Super rugby franchise to leading the
All Blacks.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
Well, I don't think. On the field, as you know
you've got in the era that I've played, we actually
did have three of maybe four or five captains from
their own provinces, and they were all good captains. You
know that, you know you look at it. Bike Brower Canterbury.
They were all good captains and basically they could all
(02:26):
done the All Black job, but uwiderstanding that it was
a different era, different game, different rules, And I think
that Artie's right on top of his game at the
moment and he's just leading my ship performances alone. You know,
I don't think he talks to them much, and he
lets them get on with their game and he just
plays the game and they support him. Well. You know,
some of those players around him are really reinforced. There
(02:50):
opportunities to make the samone inside as well, and even
the All Blacks, and I think that, you know, we're
going to look at him. He's a great leader and
he leaves by performance first and foremost. And even you
look at the people who are watching the games on Saturdays,
they say, wow, that guy can You know, you don't
hear too many people talking in the pubs about it
about the game with rugby, but when you have to
(03:13):
hear the ones that know rugby, and well, he is fantastic,
that kid. Yeah, so I think he'd be a great
captain for the All Blacks.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Have you seen examples of a player who's been given
the captain c and that captain c sits heavily on
their shoulders. Not necessarily what happens on the field back,
but you know that everything that goes with it, the
outside responsibility. Well, I guess what I'm asking is there
is there a case to just let Ardie Savia lead
within the team without wearing the armband.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
Well, it doesn't really bother me. You know, if you're
going to be the leader, take the leadership. Give him
the leadership. And I think he's a good leader. You know,
I've only talked to the man once, and but you know,
of what I've seen, the way he plays, I say
he'd be talking since anyway. I think that performance alone fantastic.
(04:08):
But I think that he can be a very very
very good vocal because he knows the game really really well.
You know, he plays it well and he knows it well.
And I think that you know, you can do both
jobs quite easily. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
Do you think the captain C enhanced you as a
rugby player?
Speaker 3 (04:27):
Well, I didn't kept in many teams until I was
in my I had to say, into my mid twenties,
I very captain in very few teams, and then all
of a sudden I got asked to take captain and
the New Zealand Combined Services and then my club team
and it just went on from there. So I went
from you know, a club team to Combined Services at
(04:49):
North Harbor. You know, just we went from there, went
to Auckland. I never kept at Auckland, but then made
the All Blacks from North Harbor and then the Core
Cup from Griswelly. But all the other teams, all the
other teams that I've played for over that period of time,
Combined Services, all that sort of stuff, I kept it. Yeah,
(05:09):
the background I had was military, which was quite disciplined
and about doing things right and you know, getting it
right and all those sorts of things that sticked to
the game plan and until we had to change it
if we're under pressure. But there's the last three or
four or four years of my career from eighty seven
to ninety when I got subsequently dropped out of the team.
(05:33):
I actually I believe the leadership that I had done
through the Navy, or for the five or six years
eleven years that I was in the Navy, held me
in good stead because it's all about leadership in the military,
that's for sure.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
And that era of New Zealand rugby is still so
fondly remembered from basically from the eighty seven World Cup
through until nineteen ninety, you know, a couple of unbeaten
years pretty much under your leadership. So you never felt
encumbered by the captaincy of the national side.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
Well, no, not at all. I just believe that, you know,
I could do the job, and so I just got
on with it. But I wasn't scared of asking the players,
what do you think, what are we going to do now?
What should we do now? You know, and we would
share the responsibility because you know, I'm not the only
one that could be kept our team. There's other guys
that get captain teams as well. So it was just
getting the support from the other captains and the team
(06:25):
who've kept it at various levels, and you know, get
the guarante, you know, get some consensus and then go
with it just straight away. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
So Raiser chose Sculp Barrett as this captain last year.
Can you see a set of circumstances where he makes
a change this year.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
Well, you know that's up to Raiser, but I think
you need a captain that's right up the front, right
out the front, performing getting things right, so he doesn't
make many mistakes, does he, No, no, and so but
with that he basically galvanizes the rest of the team
(07:04):
as well. And as when you get galvanized the team
just by performance, you don't have to say a lot,
you know. And that's one of the things that I
found that when you galvanized the team into doing things
really well, you don't have to talk much. And because
you know our team and then in the eighties eighty seven,
(07:25):
eighty eight, eighty nine, we just went out there and
done everything exactly how we wanted to do it, and
there was no team in the world could stand with
us really during that time. And basically it wasn't until
nineteen ninety that we lost. I think it was next loss.
So you know, at the end of the day, it
was a galvanized team under the ten years through the
(07:48):
eighty seven right through the ninety when I got dropped.
Yeah how pretty Galvin.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
Yeah, how important? But do you reckon it is that
the All Blacks captain is popular with the rugby public
because you were still are still bring back buck signs around,
you know, I mean, Ardie Savia would be a popular
choice anst the vast majority of the rugby public as
all Blacks captain. Is that an important fact to consider
as well?
Speaker 3 (08:14):
I think so because his face is out there, you know, everywhere,
and everyone knows him, Scott Parrot, they know Scott Barrett
because he's got two other brothers in the team as well. Well,
had two other brothers at the moment, and they might
not make this his team, you know, but I'd have
to say that three of them will make it. But
I actually think that you know, Scott has had his injuries.
(08:36):
You know, he started late in the season and you know,
I don't think he's back to form yet. He's had
a few runs a three games now yep, and I
don't think he's in form at the moment, so I
think he needs a few more games before he actually
you can decide on whether he wants to be he
(08:56):
gets the captaincy or not. I don't know. At the
end of the day, it's not out, it's not my decision,
and something is the decision is going to be made
by the coach or basically you could actually term and
do what they've done for some of the other game
is double captains, dual captains and but at the end
of the day, Artie will just still be doing his
(09:18):
thing and which is galvanizing a team to play better
and better all the time. And so if you can
do it with a team with the talent of the
or Blacks, your chances are you're never going to lose.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
So if you were coach, Artie would be captain.
Speaker 3 (09:35):
If I was the coach, Artie would have been my
captain now two three years ago.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
So Buck, always love chatting rugby with you. Thanks for
taking the time, Thank.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
You very much. Enjoyed your commentary on the soccer too.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
Thank you, so Buck, we'll catch up again soon. Okay,
catch the bye, Thank you, bye bye. That's Swan Shelford.
Buck Shelford, one of our great leaders.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
For more from sports talk, listen live to news talks
they'd be from seven pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Dancy Wildergrave
from News Talk SEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
It was a performance for the Ages at Albany on
Saturday night.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
Waerver it no waer a over it? Don't get the
penaly head? Who got it?
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Hey Savia? Artie severe with one of the all time
great individual rugby displays, helping Mowanna Pacifica to a first
ever Super Rugby went over the Blues and it's prompted
the quite natural questions about whether the absolutely inspirational leadership
that he has shown this season could be transferred up
(00:44):
to the next level. Should Ardie Savier be All Blacks Captain?
Keen for your view, but first let's bring in former
All Blacks Captain Sir Buck Shelfer. The All Blacks never
lost when you were Captain, Sir Buck. Thanks for joining us.
Let's cut straight to the chase. Do you think Ardie
Savia should be in the conversation to captain the All Blacks?
Speaker 3 (01:05):
I think you be in the conversation. When he actually
made the or rest a few years ago, I thought
to myself that he's probably going to be the captain
of the future, and I just raised it and wrote
from the get go when he was a young guy.
And he's got all the characteristics of a great loose forward,
(01:26):
you know, with the ball in hand, defensively everything you know,
and he okay, I'll give him his choos. He can
kick a little bit.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
I don't recall you doing a lot of a lot
of grubber kicking or kicking and chasing during your time,
but I'm sure you would have given it a go
at some stage.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
I didn't kick the ball at all. I just I
didn't have time to kick them ball. Too busy worrying
about the rest of the game, you know.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
So speaking of captaincy, then he's clear he's leading Maana
Pacifica and look he's obviously doing a terrific job there.
When you talk about leading the All Blacks, how how
much of a step up would that be for any
player from leading their Super rugby franchise to leading the
All Blacks.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
Well, I don't think. On the field, as you know
you've got in the era that I've played, we actually
did have three of maybe four or five captains from
their own provinces, and they were all good captains. You
know that, you know you look at it. Bike Brower Canterbury.
They were all good captains and basically they could all
(02:26):
done the All Black job, but uwiderstanding that it was
a different era, different game, different rules, And I think
that Artie's right on top of his game at the
moment and he's just leading my ship performances alone. You know,
I don't think he talks to them much, and he
lets them get on with their game and he just
plays the game and they support him. Well. You know,
some of those players around him are really reinforced. There
(02:50):
opportunities to make the samone inside as well, and even
the All Blacks, and I think that, you know, we're
going to look at him. He's a great leader and
he leaves by performance first and foremost. And even you
look at the people who are watching the games on Saturdays,
they say, wow, that guy can You know, you don't
hear too many people talking in the pubs about it
about the game with rugby, but when you have to
(03:13):
hear the ones that know rugby, and well, he is fantastic,
that kid. Yeah, so I think he'd be a great
captain for the All Blacks.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Have you seen examples of a player who's been given
the captain c and that captain c sits heavily on
their shoulders. Not necessarily what happens on the field back,
but you know that everything that goes with it, the
outside responsibility. Well, I guess what I'm asking is there
is there a case to just let Ardie Savia lead
within the team without wearing the armband.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
Well, it doesn't really bother me. You know, if you're
going to be the leader, take the leadership. Give him
the leadership. And I think he's a good leader. You know,
I've only talked to the man once, and but you know,
of what I've seen, the way he plays, I say
he'd be talking since anyway. I think that performance alone fantastic.
(04:08):
But I think that he can be a very very
very good vocal because he knows the game really really well.
You know, he plays it well and he knows it well.
And I think that you know, you can do both
jobs quite easily. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
Do you think the captain C enhanced you as a
rugby player?
Speaker 3 (04:27):
Well, I didn't kept in many teams until I was
in my I had to say, into my mid twenties,
I very captain in very few teams, and then all
of a sudden I got asked to take captain and
the New Zealand Combined Services and then my club team
and it just went on from there. So I went
from you know, a club team to Combined Services at
(04:49):
North Harbor. You know, just we went from there, went
to Auckland. I never kept at Auckland, but then made
the All Blacks from North Harbor and then the Core
Cup from Griswelly. But all the other teams, all the
other teams that I've played for over that period of time,
Combined Services, all that sort of stuff, I kept it. Yeah,
(05:09):
the background I had was military, which was quite disciplined
and about doing things right and you know, getting it
right and all those sorts of things that sticked to
the game plan and until we had to change it
if we're under pressure. But there's the last three or
four or four years of my career from eighty seven
to ninety when I got subsequently dropped out of the team.
(05:33):
I actually I believe the leadership that I had done
through the Navy, or for the five or six years
eleven years that I was in the Navy, held me
in good stead because it's all about leadership in the military,
that's for sure.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
And that era of New Zealand rugby is still so
fondly remembered from basically from the eighty seven World Cup
through until nineteen ninety, you know, a couple of unbeaten
years pretty much under your leadership. So you never felt
encumbered by the captaincy of the national side.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
Well, no, not at all. I just believe that, you know,
I could do the job, and so I just got
on with it. But I wasn't scared of asking the players,
what do you think, what are we going to do now?
What should we do now? You know, and we would
share the responsibility because you know, I'm not the only
one that could be kept our team. There's other guys
that get captain teams as well. So it was just
getting the support from the other captains and the team
(06:25):
who've kept it at various levels, and you know, get
the guarante, you know, get some consensus and then go
with it just straight away. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
So Raiser chose Sculp Barrett as this captain last year.
Can you see a set of circumstances where he makes
a change this year.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
Well, you know that's up to Raiser, but I think
you need a captain that's right up the front, right
out the front, performing getting things right, so he doesn't
make many mistakes, does he, No, no, and so but
with that he basically galvanizes the rest of the team
(07:04):
as well. And as when you get galvanized the team
just by performance, you don't have to say a lot,
you know. And that's one of the things that I
found that when you galvanized the team into doing things
really well, you don't have to talk much. And because
you know our team and then in the eighties eighty seven,
(07:25):
eighty eight, eighty nine, we just went out there and
done everything exactly how we wanted to do it, and
there was no team in the world could stand with
us really during that time. And basically it wasn't until
nineteen ninety that we lost. I think it was next loss.
So you know, at the end of the day, it
was a galvanized team under the ten years through the
(07:48):
eighty seven right through the ninety when I got dropped.
Yeah how pretty Galvin.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
Yeah, how important? But do you reckon it is that
the All Blacks captain is popular with the rugby public
because you were still are still bring back buck signs around,
you know, I mean, Ardie Savia would be a popular
choice anst the vast majority of the rugby public as
all Blacks captain. Is that an important fact to consider
as well?
Speaker 3 (08:14):
I think so because his face is out there, you know, everywhere,
and everyone knows him, Scott Parrot, they know Scott Barrett
because he's got two other brothers in the team as well. Well,
had two other brothers at the moment, and they might
not make this his team, you know, but I'd have
to say that three of them will make it. But
I actually think that you know, Scott has had his injuries.
(08:36):
You know, he started late in the season and you know,
I don't think he's back to form yet. He's had
a few runs a three games now yep, and I
don't think he's in form at the moment, so I
think he needs a few more games before he actually
you can decide on whether he wants to be he
(08:56):
gets the captaincy or not. I don't know. At the
end of the day, it's not out, it's not my decision,
and something is the decision is going to be made
by the coach or basically you could actually term and
do what they've done for some of the other game
is double captains, dual captains and but at the end
of the day, Artie will just still be doing his
(09:18):
thing and which is galvanizing a team to play better
and better all the time. And so if you can
do it with a team with the talent of the
or Blacks, your chances are you're never going to lose.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
So if you were coach, Artie would be captain.
Speaker 3 (09:35):
If I was the coach, Artie would have been my
captain now two three years ago.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
So Buck, always love chatting rugby with you. Thanks for
taking the time, Thank.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
You very much. Enjoyed your commentary on the soccer too.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
Thank you, so Buck, we'll catch up again soon. Okay,
catch the bye, Thank you, bye bye. That's Swan Shelford.
Buck Shelford, one of our great leaders.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
For more from sports talk, listen live to news talks
they'd be from seven pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.
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