Kurt Eklund: Māori All Blacks Captain ahead of their clash against Japan XV

The Māori All Blacks are aiming to be both brutal and fleet-footed in tonight's clash against a Japan XV in Tokyo. 

The match day 23, which features eight newcomers, has only had two trainings amid the travel to Japan after being named on Tuesday. 

But first-time captain Kurt Eklund wants the team to play in typical Māori fashion, playing with power and pace. 

The match is underway from 9.05pm.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldgrave from US Talks' mate, how's it going?

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Yeah? Good, massive day for you and you'll mean what
you've been together as a team that Marty all blacks
for a WHI I know half an hour you've got
to take on the Japanese at fifteen build ups. No good,
but I'd suggest it's been a lot of fun.

Speaker 3 (00:30):
Yeah, mate, you know it on the head there over
usually pretty tight when it comes into the start of
our camps. You know, we've only got a few days.
We had two training sessions on the field and we've
got to chuck a lot together to be able to
play out there tonight. But I think that's of course
thing about being a Maldi. Everyone can nicks pretty quickly
and you know there's a lot of stuff we do
off the field to bring us together again. So you know,

(00:53):
the connections are there, mate, we just got to go
out there and play rugby to the star that you
know we know who.

Speaker 2 (00:58):
Can well, there are connections, but there's also loose connections
because you've got what ten and eleven debutants in there,
so I'm sure that a few days in camp they're
still coming to terms of the fact they've been selected
to play. How are these young guys, How are these
rookies folding into the camp?

Speaker 3 (01:15):
Yeah? Mate, that also me. You know, they bring a
whole another level of energy. And I remember back to
when I first played all my first week in camp,
and you know, she is pretty She was pretty nervous
going in doing all our pip har and things like that.
I don't know hell of a lot about my Maori culture,
and there's probably a couple of boys like that this

(01:37):
time around as well. But the more time you spend
in here, the more confident you get. And it's just
nice to be able to connect with a bunch of
new Maldi rugby players and Washington.

Speaker 2 (01:47):
Grow really until you started discovering your mighty roots and
where you're from? Where do you hail from? If you're
up north somewhere, what's what's your what's you trying to?

Speaker 3 (01:55):
Ewho is my EWI? It's on my mother's side, so
as my great grandmother was a super she was born
in a water house. There's a house up there at
the Wagner House. I don't know some of them listeners
might know about it, but my mum was pretty much

(02:16):
the only one in her side of the family that
kept in touch with our Maulti family, which is really
cool because she since passed away, and so for me
to be out of play for this team, I get
to represent her and why she's taught us. So it's
a huge privilege for me.

Speaker 2 (02:34):
So from a from a personal point of view, this
is so much more than rugby, isn't it. It's a
journey of discovery, which I'd suggest a lot of people
in New Zealand can probably do with discovering themselves.

Speaker 3 (02:46):
It must be very fulfilling, kit it is, it is,
and every year I come in here, you know, I
leave with a little bit more knowledge about myself, about
my culture, and you know, very grateful to be part
of this team and to be learning along the way.
Like I said, you know, are you green coming into

(03:07):
this team five or six years ago? But the way
I feel now, you know, I'm a lot more confident
in the environment, and man, I love it. It's just
there's no other team like it. You know, such a
privilege to be able to play for the Maldis And
you know, the books in here are great, coaches are great,
the environment's great mate. We just said good time, played

(03:29):
good foot and that's what's all about.

Speaker 2 (03:31):
You said, do you spend a lot of time on
extras as supposed to actually what you're doing on the park.
What are the extras you spend your time doing. I mean,
we'll talk about training, but really the other stuff that
you don't really see in Rugby, what what fills your
boots there?

Speaker 3 (03:46):
We do a lot of wide, a lot of singing,
a lot of hucker practice. So the boys there and
bugger it up on the old Saturday night because it's
usually pretty important. It's a good way to connect. Everyone
comes in the first couple of days has to introduce
themselves in Maldi doing their peppy hug, which is always
pretty nerve wrecking. For the first time or even for

(04:06):
a few blokes have been in there a couple of times.
We do every night we come in, we all eat together,
we all have cut a care and to where he
or come out to a luke who passed away last year.
He's really good at setting a stage for you know,
teaching people more about how to use these things in

(04:29):
different situations. And now we've got to where he and
here who's our cultural advisor? And you know, like I
said before, every time I leave I feel like I've
learned a whole lot more. So that's pretty awesome.

Speaker 2 (04:42):
Did you been in around the team for a while now,
but you've had a bit of a break so to
come back and be given the captain seat tell me
about that?

Speaker 3 (04:51):
Yeah, mate, she was a pretty awesome phone called to receive.
I was driving back to the in laws place actually,
and Floss called me up and this was sitting next
to me in the car and she was trying not
to scream. She was pretty happy, and you know our
eyes started probably watering up a bit more. I just
told her that, you know, it's the hay fever and

(05:12):
what not kicking them, but you know, it's it's an awesome,
very proud moment, like I said, to be able to
represent my mum who pop and my family and all
that sort of stuff, mate, Like, and it's the new
Zealand Mold rugby team to be captain of that is, yes,
something I'm extremely proud of.

Speaker 2 (05:33):
It's probably touched on Rugby We Beat before we Go.
You've found, Yeah, you've done. What's the primary focus from Ross?
What have you guys been looking at in the lead
up to this match and the limited time you've had.

Speaker 3 (05:46):
Yeah, well, our primary focus is to win, to win
first and foremost, so however that may happen is the way.
But you know, it's just typical maldi rugby. We want
to go out there and express ourselves. Obviously we've got
a few structures in place, but a limited time to
you know, make it all happen. So, you know, I

(06:10):
think you'll expect to see the big boys going to work.
You know, we want to be physical, we want to
you know, tap in to mold them. And that's what
they were, you know, that's what they are. Physical, brutal,
but you know, have speed and elegance as well, so
you know a bit of mixture of both, and yeah,

(06:33):
just hopefully it all comes together nicely, seamlessly and we
get the result.

Speaker 2 (06:38):
I don't think I've ever heard rugby hooker before describe
themselves as that elegant and.

Speaker 3 (06:47):
About like that back. So I'm thinking I'm thinking like Rivers,
you know, m v P m VP of the Subaaby final.
You know, I'm thinking he's a little bit more elegant
and a little bit more like put my head into
a rock and trunk clean someone out. So that's the
brutalness that I'll bring.

Speaker 2 (07:01):
Yeah, go the dark spaces. A real pleasure made to
talk about this out of Natakahu. He is going to
be captaining them up against the Japanese fifteen later on
today this evening. Thanks for your time, bro go.

Speaker 3 (07:16):
Well awesome man. Thank you so much for having me.
It is a pleasure.

Speaker 1 (07:20):
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