September 26, 2025 • 8 mins
Fans on both sides of the Tasman are raring to go as the All Blacks and Wallabies battle it out for the Bledisloe Cup.
They’re clashing tonight at Eden Park, where the All Blacks have remained undefeated for over thirty years.
Former Wallaby Brendan Cannon just so happened to stop by the Kingslander, hopping on air with Piney to preview the clash.
“We’ve obviously been through a fairly long and protracted period of, of non-success in Australian rugby,” he said.
“So we take a little bit of delight in the fact that there’s uncomfortability in the Kiwi scene at the moment.”
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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 Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalks Ed.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
B'm a Wallaby, Brendan Cannon, Good to see you, mate,
How are you I going?
Speaker 3 (00:16):
Well? I'm very excited game day.
Speaker 4 (00:18):
You still get the juice's flowing, sweaty palms, and I
think it's an interesting afternoon for both teams. This afternoon.
High anticipation on the Wallaby side of things, and I
sense a little bit of nervousness from.
Speaker 5 (00:31):
The Kiwis do you really?
Speaker 4 (00:33):
I do? I do a sense of vulnerability that I
haven't seen for a long time, and it's a damn shame.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
But that's what life's all about.
Speaker 4 (00:40):
You've got to be vulnerable to grow and maybe this
afternoon that vulnerability could be exposed.
Speaker 5 (00:46):
Well. I love that. It seems like you've been working
on that for a while.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
Twenty three years.
Speaker 5 (00:53):
You've been along with you and been How are you mate?
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Living the dream?
Speaker 5 (00:56):
Happy to be here now?
Speaker 2 (00:57):
You were born the year after the Wallaby's last week
the All Blacks here at Eden Park.
Speaker 6 (01:01):
Yeah, yeah, I'm one of the great mocks that will
be put on any sporting side. So yeah, last time
we won here was eighty six I was born in
eighty seven. Okay, last premiership the Mighty Paramatter Eels one
was eighty six as well, so I don't get a
lot of joy. But we're hoping, hoping to break a
record tonight with history.
Speaker 5 (01:22):
Britton. You know what it's like to win the Bleeder
Slow Cup?
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Yes?
Speaker 5 (01:25):
What is it like to win the Bleeder Slow Cup?
Speaker 4 (01:27):
Well twenty three years ago when we last held it,
so two thousand and two. I think we beat an
antin Oliver captain lad Side at Carrasbrook and it was
a great eraror for the Wallabies back then and we
were just talking offline which before about how close it
was between.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
The two sides.
Speaker 4 (01:43):
It was really just on the day who got a
rubber the green. To a degree, there's probably been a
fairly significant void in recent years between the All Blacks
and the Wallowies. But I think the way the Wallabies
have played this year has generated a level of interest
which has been missing for a while, which but I
think is good for rugby internationally. But in terms of
the Bledders though, I didn't think in two thousand and
(02:05):
two when we had it that if we did lose
it it would take twenty three years and counting before
we even looked like we were a chance to get
it back. So twenty three years is a long time.
There's generations of austrange children that have grown up that
have no idea what the blidder the cup looks like.
Hopefully that changes today.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
Well, the line I've been using most of the week
is that no one's ever posted on social media that
the Wallabs have won the blitter Slow Cup because they
arrived all about it?
Speaker 3 (02:29):
You?
Speaker 5 (02:29):
Oh five O six been?
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Is it a source of frustration for Australian rugby fans
that it has been over here for so long?
Speaker 6 (02:35):
Oh? Look, I think we've moved well beyond frustration and
now we're just living in desperate sort of hope. I mean,
the last time we had her, I remember I would
have been sitting at home with the old man watching
this bloat lifted above us, lifted above his head.
Speaker 5 (02:49):
So you know, I do.
Speaker 6 (02:51):
I do agree with cano though definitely, you know, starting
rugby's feeling a lot better these days over there.
Speaker 5 (02:57):
I think it was a great lines tour.
Speaker 6 (02:58):
There's a lot of positivity about the team at the moment,
and the All Blacks definitely look vulnerable and looking forward
to uh hopefully bringing it back home to where it
belongs now.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
Apart from the rugby, of course, you usually are here
for business reasons as well.
Speaker 5 (03:11):
So what has brought you across.
Speaker 6 (03:13):
We are own a company over here called Traffic Management
New Zealand. So it's the largest traffic management company across
the country and yeah where we bought it a couple
of years ago. And we're delighted to be here and
been very very well, warmly welcomed by the kiwi's.
Speaker 4 (03:29):
I've loved working for the Aultist group that owned this
Traffic Management Management New Zealand business because whilst I used
to come here with the rugby tours, I've gone to
parts of New Zealand that I never went to on
rugby tours. I've been to Gisbon, be Anga nice like
we're trying to sort of get the local language to
(03:50):
roll off the Aussie ton.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
So you've got but you've got business interests in Australia
as well, part of your part of your empire.
Speaker 5 (03:56):
I wouldn't call it an empire.
Speaker 6 (03:58):
I'm just a humble traffic controller from Western Sydney out
there doing his best, trying to find a.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Way through it.
Speaker 6 (04:02):
But yeah, we own and operate the largest traffic management
coming across his go in New Zealand.
Speaker 5 (04:07):
So wonderful.
Speaker 6 (04:08):
I'm delighted to be here and looking forward to a
good afternoon with Brendan and Kevy and a couple of
clients as well.
Speaker 5 (04:14):
So Kevin, Kevin me Alarma, you've got the great man
joining you from Young lad.
Speaker 4 (04:17):
Also last year we had Kevy involved with us at
the Wellington Test and at that time he was the
third most cap. He's now the fourth most cap because
I think Boden Barratt's passed him. But it's quite amazing
for to walk the streets towards a rugby venue with
a guy like Kevin Mirelama, who is not just New
Zealand Royalty, but he's he's International Rugby Royalty. One of
(04:39):
the nicest, nicest guys that you could ever ever meet,
unashamingly humble, you know, very very strong with family and religion.
But he'll be a superstar this afternoon for us. He
stops and talks with absolutely every man. He should be
a politicians. Come on, mate, we're running late. I've got
(05:02):
to talk to everyone.
Speaker 5 (05:02):
So I know you're right. He never turns down a
handshaker or a request for a photo. What was it
like tackling Jonah Wow?
Speaker 3 (05:11):
Okay, so I it was really interesting.
Speaker 4 (05:13):
In nineteen ninety four I played in an Ossie twenty
one side against the Kiwi twenty one side that had
Justin Marshall, Andrew Mertins, Tane Randell like it was the
next era of the Albacks, and a guy called Jonahloma
So that was pre ninety ninety five where he blew
the world away. We used to it was almost like
comedy sessions when we'd do postgame reviews after you'd played
(05:35):
a team with Jonahlomi in because we, as as Ossie
rugby players, took great delight in watching anyone in the
team get absolutely pulverized by him and the way in
which their body would contort into all these weird shapes
and sizes. So we would also be laughing on the
field like just you couldn't stop him. He was and
freak sometimes can be not a great adjective to describe someone,
(05:58):
but he was unbelievable. If you went into a laboratory
and said I need a bit of size, I need
a bit of speed, I need a bit of someone
that loves content, someone that loves running into people. Jonah
Lomi was like the perfect stereotype or proto type of
a rugby player.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
Phenomenal.
Speaker 5 (06:14):
I love that.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
Phenomenal.
Speaker 5 (06:15):
What an explanation, all right been? So how are you feeling?
Speaker 2 (06:18):
Where would you place your level of optimism about this afternoon?
Speaker 6 (06:22):
Marginally higher than when it's been for the last ten years.
I mean every time I come into it with any hope,
I end up walking away bitterly disappointed. But I think, yeah,
off the back of a really strong lines to a
pretty average lead in for the All Blacks, I mean,
if there's ever a time I feel like this is
the one.
Speaker 4 (06:41):
So yeah, optimistic. We've obviously been through a fairly long
and protracted period of non success in Australian rugby, so
we take a little bit of a delight in the
fact that there's uncomfortability in the Kiwi scene at the moment.
That second half against the spring Box recently was phenomenal
(07:02):
for the spring Box, not so much for the All Blacks.
The Wallabies had a half football against the Springboks in
Johannesburg which you got the rugby world to step up
and sit up and go Wow, this Wallaby side has
got some potential. So I think this afternoon, I don't
think we've got our stronger side. I think Will Skelton
being out is a big loss and it's a shame
that he's not available till next week. He has such
(07:23):
a presence and I think we saw the influence he
had in that line series. So I don't think we've
got our stronger side. I think it will be incredibly competitive,
but I do hope that that vulnerability. I think Gilbert
and Artica the former yes it's the former site coach
for the All Blacks who no longer is with them.
I think you will miss him because I think the
vulnerability and the skeletons and the anguish of years gone
(07:45):
by could be exposed this afternoon, Eden Park.
Speaker 5 (07:48):
How many cans of beer going the Bleislote?
Speaker 3 (07:50):
Do you know? The nor It's a tough.
Speaker 5 (07:52):
One twenty, its quickly empty.
Speaker 4 (07:56):
It's north of twenty and you need a couple of
blokes to hold it because it carries a fair bit
of weight. But it's a magnificent piece of silverware. It
means a lot between the two countries, and obviously whoever
gets it gets boasting rights. But it stops stops the
rugby nation between Australia New Zealand anytime the bledders those on.
I hope that we get to touch it or get
close to it, but you've got to earn the right
(08:18):
and the Wallabies have got to play well this afternoon.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
Man, it's been great to chat to you guys. Have
an awesome afternoon with giving me a lama. I know
you will.
Speaker 5 (08:23):
We will and enjoy the game regardless of what happens.
Speaker 4 (08:26):
Can we get a Kiwi commentator to sort of align
with us and join into a go the Wallabies chat?
Speaker 5 (08:33):
Not right now?
Speaker 3 (08:34):
Right now? Off line?
Speaker 5 (08:35):
All right, I can't have a revitation on the linel.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
Great to see your voice, bring again and Venus from
Traffic Management New Zealand.
Speaker 5 (08:45):
Great dear of your longs.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Faine, listen live
to News Talk said Be weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on Ihard Radio.
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalks Ed.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
B'm a Wallaby, Brendan Cannon, Good to see you, mate,
How are you I going?
Speaker 3 (00:16):
Well? I'm very excited game day.
Speaker 4 (00:18):
You still get the juice's flowing, sweaty palms, and I
think it's an interesting afternoon for both teams. This afternoon.
High anticipation on the Wallaby side of things, and I
sense a little bit of nervousness from.
Speaker 5 (00:31):
The Kiwis do you really?
Speaker 4 (00:33):
I do? I do a sense of vulnerability that I
haven't seen for a long time, and it's a damn shame.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
But that's what life's all about.
Speaker 4 (00:40):
You've got to be vulnerable to grow and maybe this
afternoon that vulnerability could be exposed.
Speaker 5 (00:46):
Well. I love that. It seems like you've been working
on that for a while.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
Twenty three years.
Speaker 5 (00:53):
You've been along with you and been How are you mate?
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Living the dream?
Speaker 5 (00:56):
Happy to be here now?
Speaker 2 (00:57):
You were born the year after the Wallaby's last week
the All Blacks here at Eden Park.
Speaker 6 (01:01):
Yeah, yeah, I'm one of the great mocks that will
be put on any sporting side. So yeah, last time
we won here was eighty six I was born in
eighty seven. Okay, last premiership the Mighty Paramatter Eels one
was eighty six as well, so I don't get a
lot of joy. But we're hoping, hoping to break a
record tonight with history.
Speaker 5 (01:22):
Britton. You know what it's like to win the Bleeder
Slow Cup?
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Yes?
Speaker 5 (01:25):
What is it like to win the Bleeder Slow Cup?
Speaker 4 (01:27):
Well twenty three years ago when we last held it,
so two thousand and two. I think we beat an
antin Oliver captain lad Side at Carrasbrook and it was
a great eraror for the Wallabies back then and we
were just talking offline which before about how close it
was between.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
The two sides.
Speaker 4 (01:43):
It was really just on the day who got a
rubber the green. To a degree, there's probably been a
fairly significant void in recent years between the All Blacks
and the Wallowies. But I think the way the Wallabies
have played this year has generated a level of interest
which has been missing for a while, which but I
think is good for rugby internationally. But in terms of
the Bledders though, I didn't think in two thousand and
(02:05):
two when we had it that if we did lose
it it would take twenty three years and counting before
we even looked like we were a chance to get
it back. So twenty three years is a long time.
There's generations of austrange children that have grown up that
have no idea what the blidder the cup looks like.
Hopefully that changes today.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
Well, the line I've been using most of the week
is that no one's ever posted on social media that
the Wallabs have won the blitter Slow Cup because they
arrived all about it?
Speaker 3 (02:29):
You?
Speaker 5 (02:29):
Oh five O six been?
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Is it a source of frustration for Australian rugby fans
that it has been over here for so long?
Speaker 6 (02:35):
Oh? Look, I think we've moved well beyond frustration and
now we're just living in desperate sort of hope. I mean,
the last time we had her, I remember I would
have been sitting at home with the old man watching
this bloat lifted above us, lifted above his head.
Speaker 5 (02:49):
So you know, I do.
Speaker 6 (02:51):
I do agree with cano though definitely, you know, starting
rugby's feeling a lot better these days over there.
Speaker 5 (02:57):
I think it was a great lines tour.
Speaker 6 (02:58):
There's a lot of positivity about the team at the moment,
and the All Blacks definitely look vulnerable and looking forward
to uh hopefully bringing it back home to where it
belongs now.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
Apart from the rugby, of course, you usually are here
for business reasons as well.
Speaker 5 (03:11):
So what has brought you across.
Speaker 6 (03:13):
We are own a company over here called Traffic Management
New Zealand. So it's the largest traffic management company across
the country and yeah where we bought it a couple
of years ago. And we're delighted to be here and
been very very well, warmly welcomed by the kiwi's.
Speaker 4 (03:29):
I've loved working for the Aultist group that owned this
Traffic Management Management New Zealand business because whilst I used
to come here with the rugby tours, I've gone to
parts of New Zealand that I never went to on
rugby tours. I've been to Gisbon, be Anga nice like
we're trying to sort of get the local language to
(03:50):
roll off the Aussie ton.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
So you've got but you've got business interests in Australia
as well, part of your part of your empire.
Speaker 5 (03:56):
I wouldn't call it an empire.
Speaker 6 (03:58):
I'm just a humble traffic controller from Western Sydney out
there doing his best, trying to find a.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Way through it.
Speaker 6 (04:02):
But yeah, we own and operate the largest traffic management
coming across his go in New Zealand.
Speaker 5 (04:07):
So wonderful.
Speaker 6 (04:08):
I'm delighted to be here and looking forward to a
good afternoon with Brendan and Kevy and a couple of
clients as well.
Speaker 5 (04:14):
So Kevin, Kevin me Alarma, you've got the great man
joining you from Young lad.
Speaker 4 (04:17):
Also last year we had Kevy involved with us at
the Wellington Test and at that time he was the
third most cap. He's now the fourth most cap because
I think Boden Barratt's passed him. But it's quite amazing
for to walk the streets towards a rugby venue with
a guy like Kevin Mirelama, who is not just New
Zealand Royalty, but he's he's International Rugby Royalty. One of
(04:39):
the nicest, nicest guys that you could ever ever meet,
unashamingly humble, you know, very very strong with family and religion.
But he'll be a superstar this afternoon for us. He
stops and talks with absolutely every man. He should be
a politicians. Come on, mate, we're running late. I've got
(05:02):
to talk to everyone.
Speaker 5 (05:02):
So I know you're right. He never turns down a
handshaker or a request for a photo. What was it
like tackling Jonah Wow?
Speaker 3 (05:11):
Okay, so I it was really interesting.
Speaker 4 (05:13):
In nineteen ninety four I played in an Ossie twenty
one side against the Kiwi twenty one side that had
Justin Marshall, Andrew Mertins, Tane Randell like it was the
next era of the Albacks, and a guy called Jonahloma
So that was pre ninety ninety five where he blew
the world away. We used to it was almost like
comedy sessions when we'd do postgame reviews after you'd played
(05:35):
a team with Jonahlomi in because we, as as Ossie
rugby players, took great delight in watching anyone in the
team get absolutely pulverized by him and the way in
which their body would contort into all these weird shapes
and sizes. So we would also be laughing on the
field like just you couldn't stop him. He was and
freak sometimes can be not a great adjective to describe someone,
(05:58):
but he was unbelievable. If you went into a laboratory
and said I need a bit of size, I need
a bit of speed, I need a bit of someone
that loves content, someone that loves running into people. Jonah
Lomi was like the perfect stereotype or proto type of
a rugby player.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
Phenomenal.
Speaker 5 (06:14):
I love that.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
Phenomenal.
Speaker 5 (06:15):
What an explanation, all right been? So how are you feeling?
Speaker 2 (06:18):
Where would you place your level of optimism about this afternoon?
Speaker 6 (06:22):
Marginally higher than when it's been for the last ten years.
I mean every time I come into it with any hope,
I end up walking away bitterly disappointed. But I think, yeah,
off the back of a really strong lines to a
pretty average lead in for the All Blacks, I mean,
if there's ever a time I feel like this is
the one.
Speaker 4 (06:41):
So yeah, optimistic. We've obviously been through a fairly long
and protracted period of non success in Australian rugby, so
we take a little bit of a delight in the
fact that there's uncomfortability in the Kiwi scene at the moment.
That second half against the spring Box recently was phenomenal
(07:02):
for the spring Box, not so much for the All Blacks.
The Wallabies had a half football against the Springboks in
Johannesburg which you got the rugby world to step up
and sit up and go Wow, this Wallaby side has
got some potential. So I think this afternoon, I don't
think we've got our stronger side. I think Will Skelton
being out is a big loss and it's a shame
that he's not available till next week. He has such
(07:23):
a presence and I think we saw the influence he
had in that line series. So I don't think we've
got our stronger side. I think it will be incredibly competitive,
but I do hope that that vulnerability. I think Gilbert
and Artica the former yes it's the former site coach
for the All Blacks who no longer is with them.
I think you will miss him because I think the
vulnerability and the skeletons and the anguish of years gone
(07:45):
by could be exposed this afternoon, Eden Park.
Speaker 5 (07:48):
How many cans of beer going the Bleislote?
Speaker 3 (07:50):
Do you know? The nor It's a tough.
Speaker 5 (07:52):
One twenty, its quickly empty.
Speaker 4 (07:56):
It's north of twenty and you need a couple of
blokes to hold it because it carries a fair bit
of weight. But it's a magnificent piece of silverware. It
means a lot between the two countries, and obviously whoever
gets it gets boasting rights. But it stops stops the
rugby nation between Australia New Zealand anytime the bledders those on.
I hope that we get to touch it or get
close to it, but you've got to earn the right
(08:18):
and the Wallabies have got to play well this afternoon.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
Man, it's been great to chat to you guys. Have
an awesome afternoon with giving me a lama. I know
you will.
Speaker 5 (08:23):
We will and enjoy the game regardless of what happens.
Speaker 4 (08:26):
Can we get a Kiwi commentator to sort of align
with us and join into a go the Wallabies chat?
Speaker 5 (08:33):
Not right now?
Speaker 3 (08:34):
Right now? Off line?
Speaker 5 (08:35):
All right, I can't have a revitation on the linel.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
Great to see your voice, bring again and Venus from
Traffic Management New Zealand.
Speaker 5 (08:45):
Great dear of your longs.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Faine, listen live
to News Talk said Be weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on Ihard Radio.
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