Josh Fusitu'a: Blues player previews the Super Rugby clash against the Waratahs

A home farewell for a quintet of Blues players in tonight's Super Rugby contest against the Waratahs at Eden Park. 

Mark Tele'a, Harry Plummer, Ricky Riccitelli, and Adrian Choat are leaving the franchise to head offshore, while Rieko Ioane goes on sabbatical in Ireland. 

The defending champions host the Waratahs tonight at Eden Park, needing a win and hoping Moana Pasifika lose to the Hurricanes in the capital later this evening. 

The Waratahs could also sneak into sixth if they beat the Blues and Moana also goes down. 

Blues player of the year and possible All Blacks bolter Josh Fusitu'a joined D'Arcy to preview the clash.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Watergrave from News Talks, edb, Your Team, Your Sport, Your
show Underway, The All Sport Breakfast with DA News.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
Talks and coming up fourth thirty this afternoon on Gold Sport.
You can hear the Blues take on the Waratas the
Blues have to win this game and ho that Mawana
Pussyfica can't get it done against the Canes. But that's
all in the future. Right here, right now, we're talking
to prop Joshua Fustit Tour.

Speaker 3 (00:40):
Good morning, Joshua, morning money, really.

Speaker 2 (00:44):
Really well, possibly not quite as good as your year. Look,
you talk to Joshua at the start of the season
and say, oh, by the way, you're going to be
Blues play every year and you're going to be propping
up as Elucid for the Blues right the way. You
wouldn't have believed it, would you probably?

Speaker 3 (01:02):
Yeah? No, probably not.

Speaker 2 (01:05):
So you've got no self. What it's come on, man,
you must do.

Speaker 3 (01:08):
Oh yeah, back myself. But yeah, player of the year
amongst players that we have in our team is pretty
crazy to think about their.

Speaker 2 (01:18):
Rock stars everywhere and that that's from one right the
way through to fifteen. What was their response like when
you were given this gone, what did they say?

Speaker 3 (01:28):
What was my response?

Speaker 2 (01:30):
Yeah? No, no, What was their response? What did your
teammates say to you?

Speaker 3 (01:34):
I think a lot of Ford Pack, especially our front
roku is pretty proud and yeah, I think they were
just really just acknowledging just I think just my consistency
about the year just yeah, just kind of gone out
my role to the best I can weekend and week out,
and that's all I can. That's all they can ask for,

(01:56):
is all I really do to be fair.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
And so your role is push and lift? Is that it?

Speaker 3 (02:02):
Yeah? Pretty much? Push, lift, tackle, run.

Speaker 2 (02:06):
It's a ball game. But what about broadening your horizons
because in this day and age, props just don't pushing
and running and lifting. There's a wee bit more required
if you want to get to that next level. So
where's the space do you think you can actually improve
your skills? Joshua?

Speaker 3 (02:26):
I think it's just maybe just around just my ball
playing ability. I guess. I think the game's changing quite
a bit, like you said, and props in all other
positions are evolving. Where you know, one to eight in
the forward pack, need to be able to you know,
ball play, you know, be able to have have those

(02:47):
skills up this leave And I think that's what will
you know set me apart if I continue to improve
in that area for the next levels to come.

Speaker 2 (02:57):
What work did you do in that space? Who do
you work with the end? Like, go and play around
with some backs? Do you who do you talk to
around doing that? Because planning, you're good at what you're
doing the basics, but to advance you need to I
suppose take yourself out of your out of your comfort zone.

Speaker 1 (03:11):
Who do you talk to?

Speaker 2 (03:13):
Who do you use?

Speaker 3 (03:15):
I think it's just everyone in this team. I guess
like we have, Like like I was saying, everyone in
our squad just you know, incredibly gifted. They're just playing
eyes lop footy, playing what's in front. So I think
just you know, hanging around the likes of Hoskins and
people like that who can just you know, pull things

(03:37):
out of there, pull things up up their sleeve and
just continue to pick their brains and how they how
they see the game, how they approach it. I think
that's how I'll be able to evolve it.

Speaker 2 (03:48):
I guess I know what you wanted to say then,
but you went for the sleeve. I think it's a
very smart move. Josh joining us on the program and
great news this week, Big two Ups Patty two Ups
Patrick twe Potu has signed to stick around a means
for them to have someone like that saying yeah, I'm
with the Blues there, my brothers ain't going nowhere. That

(04:11):
must have been met with joy from everybody.

Speaker 3 (04:14):
Yeah, definitely. Patty's definitely someone that you know, I hold
to a high regard, and you know, he's someone that
doesn't really speak a lot, but he leads a lot
with his actions. He's always got some sort of injury,
but you never really know what that guy. He just
goes out to battle every week. You know, I was

(04:34):
hard in the sleeve and yeah, someone that I really
love having around him. Continue to follow him the battle with.

Speaker 2 (04:41):
How do you guys approach this game this afternoon knowing
that you have to win? It's a quarterfinal match, isn't it?
Pretty much?

Speaker 3 (04:51):
I think it's just really just focusing on what we're
good at, you know, focusing on ourselves a lot and
what we're good as, you know, going back to what
won us to come last year. Our physicality just our
ability to you know, play eyes up forty using our initiative,
you know, play what's in front. And I guess that's

(05:14):
what just the big Rocks they were focusing on and
what we're you know, looking forward to bring into the.

Speaker 2 (05:20):
Game to start only three years and this is your
third year, isn't it the leaps that you may what
you were relatively young when you signed out early twenty
twenty one something like that, So your progression is a problem.
You must be satisfied. Did did you plan to you try
to hit marks throughout each season to know that you're improving.

Speaker 3 (05:41):
Yeah, I just especially coming back coming back from last year,
which was quite a relatively good season for myself. I think,
you know, I set the goal to you know, solidify
that starting spot for this year, and it was a
bit you know difficult having Offer around. You know, he

(06:04):
was had as he was coming on the back of
a really incredible All Black season, So I was kind
of just riding behind him, you know, continue to learn,
compete and I think every shot I got given, I
was able to take it with birth hands. But yeah,
very unfortunate what happened to offer, and you know, he's

(06:27):
continued to help us out help me out especially and
you know, just with my scrummaging and stuff. So yeah,
I think that's just what I've been kind of focused
on this year.

Speaker 2 (06:36):
We're seeing at the base for the Saturn in four
thirty five kickoff at Eden Park or one last thing?
Do you talk to you bro much about being a
professional football player? Does he have anything to do with
the way you've developed because he's quite a career, didn't he.

Speaker 3 (06:51):
David, Yeah, he had an awesome career. Yeah, we talked
quite a bit. But there's not really much advice you
can give me on propping, but I guess more so
just the professional sides of things. And yeah, I'm still
learning off him as well.

Speaker 2 (07:07):
It's good to know it runs in the family. Are
there any more brothers sitting around where you'll be worried
about or sisters that play the game.

Speaker 3 (07:14):
I'm the youngest, but got a few nieces there. You know,
it could quite possibly be black friends in the future,
So pushing our fingers.

Speaker 2 (07:22):
Let's watch out for that name, Joshua. Real pleasure catching
up mate, You go well?

Speaker 1 (07:27):
Thank you for more from the All Sport Breakfast with
Darcy Watergrave. Listen live to News Talk set be on
Saturday mornings, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.