Full Show Podcast: 04 May 2025

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from News Talks EDB. The only place for the big names,
the big issues, the big controversies and the big conversations.
It's all on Weekend Sport with Jason Vine on your
home of Sport News Talks ed B.

Speaker 2 (00:30):
Hi Deck, you got to good afternoon. Welcome in. This
is Weekend Sport on News Talks VB for Sunday May four.
Happy birthday, Rory McElroy, Happy birthday, Paul Weiseman. I'm Jason
Pine and a McDonald's show producer. We are here until
three talking sport. The Warriors second on the NRL Ladder
after our heart stopping thirty twenty six NRL victory over

(00:52):
the Cowboys and Magic rand and Brisbane last night. Five
first half tries had the Warriors ahead twenty eight twelve
at the break before the Cowboys surge back three tries
in eight minutes. The Warriors got there three wins on
the trot and coach Rich Aeger is with us from
Brisbane after one o'clock. And I know we say it
a lot, but is it is it our year? Your

(01:16):
Warrior's calls? Welcome After one o'clock this afternoon. The Hurricanes
up to fifth on the Super Rugby ladd of thirty
five seventeen winners over the Chiefs at Sky Stadium last night.
Extraordinary game this twenty six unanswered points in the second
half of the Hurricanes four trist Balen Sullivan. He's with
us this hour to reflect on that. Has he ever

(01:36):
got four tries in the game before or preview this
afternoon's final match of round twelve as well under the
roof in Dunedin Highland. Has the Mowana Pacific a pretty
vital game this You'd have to think that whoever wins
it stays well and truly in the hunt for the
top six. Whoever doesn't has their work cut out to
be involved post the regular season. Commentator Paul Allison checking

(01:56):
in before three o'clock from Dunedin and speaking of rugby.
First up, today's Super Rugby Pacific chair Kevin Malloy is
with us to talk about the competition in general terms.
How happy is he with the way the season's playing
out so far, the style of rugby, broadcast numbers, spectator
numbers and are there any work ons that he has

(02:19):
focused on? Your feedback always welcome to when we talk
rugby other matters around Today. Liam Lawson has qualified in
fifteenth spot for tomorrow's Miami Formula One Grand Prix. Earlier
our best ever performance turned into a bit of a
night there. Unfortunately in the sprint race he crossed the
line in a career best seventh that was handed a
five second penalty after the race, so he was stripped

(02:41):
of the two points that he had earned. Going to
cover off Liam Lawson and the Miami Grand Prix after
two with a mini motorsport panel for you, Eric Thompson
and Alex Powell. Together, we've got our finalist the World
Snooker Championship. Welshman and three time former champion Mark Williams
will come up against the Chinese player Jiao Chintong in

(03:03):
the final after their respective semi final win over jud
Trump and Ronne O'Sullivan. Michael Day out of the UK
on that after two, James mcconie along in his regular
slot as well Live Sport this afternoon Round one of
the NBA Playoffs coming to a conclusion. It's a deciding
Game seven between the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles

(03:24):
Clippers in Denver. They're into the second quarter of the
Nuggets with a narrow twenty eight to twenty six league
This National Basketball League action in Palmeston North this afternoon
fourth placed one or two Jets against the Giants, who
are eleventh. That's from one thirty. In the Sevens World
Championship in Los Angeles right now, the Blackfern Sevens are through.

(03:44):
They made it three from three with a win over
Canada earlier on today, qualifying top of Group A. In
the men's comp our men have won won and lost
one and are currently in the final seconds of their
final pall match against Australia, needing to win to make
the semis. They're ahead by twenty one points to nineteen
and we have just reached full time, but the ball

(04:07):
is still in play. We'll keep you up to date
with whether New Zealand can seal that match or not.
Join us whenever you like on the show. The invitation
is there for you. O eight hundred and eighty ten
eighty is our phone number nine two nine two for
your text messages, emails and to me Jason at newstalksb
dot co dot Nz. Coming up eleven past midday.

Speaker 1 (04:26):
When it's down to the line you made a call
on eight hundred eighty ten eighty Weekend Sports with Jason
Hine News talksb SO.

Speaker 2 (04:35):
Four rounds to go in Super Rugby Pacific twenty twenty
five and all to play for all eleven teams have
either three or four games to go. All eleven remain
in contention for the playoffs. The Fiji and Drewer kept
their top six flame flickering yesterday with a last gasp
thirty six thirty three win over the Reds and Suva.

(04:57):
The table topping Chiefs has mentioned beaten for just the
third time this season, going down thirty five seventeen to
the Hurricanes and the Capitol last night, and the Brumbies
bouncing back from their defeat to the Hurricanes last weekend
to consolidate third place with a forty seventeen victory over
the Waratahs. In camera final match of the weekend this afternoon,
the Highlanders host Malwana Pacifica. A win for Maaana Pacifica

(05:20):
this afternoon would see them leap into the top six.
A hometown win for the Highlanders would keep them very
much alive as well, so there is plenty of jeopardy
and plenty to play for as we enter the home
strait of the regular season. Great to get the chance
to chat with Super Rugby Pacific chairman Kevin malloy. Kevin,
thanks for joining us on weekend Sport. Can we start

(05:41):
actually with the fact that all eleven teams are still
in finals contention? You know, real jeopardy. How important is
it that as many teams as possible remain competitive and
remain in the playoff hunt as we enter the final
month of the competition.

Speaker 3 (05:57):
Hey, look, that is that is a key part of
what we are hoping to achieve at the competition this year.
I mean, Jeopardy is so important to the integrity of
any competitions. So the fact that, as you say, we
have all the living teams in contention at this stage
is tremendous in terms of, you know, it's going to
keep fan interest. I've actually been having a little glance

(06:18):
towards the last round. I couldn't help it. And you
with lineups like Blues versus Orators and Brumbies versus Crusaders,
I can see this thing coming down to the last
week in the last six places not being sorted out
into the final round, which is fantastic.

Speaker 2 (06:33):
Lots of things I want to discuss with you. Can
we start with what's happening on the field, on the grass,
the way that the rugby is being played. How happy
are you with the rugby? That was saying every weekend.

Speaker 3 (06:44):
But we're delighted obviously it's been. At the end of
the day. The rugby that's been played is the product
that we've got. Fundamentally, if we're getting great games like
we are, that's what it's going to keep the fans interested,
keep the crowds engaged, keep viewership up for us. And so,

(07:05):
you know, the things that we've tried to work on,
the shot clocks and the pace of the game, tweaking
the off side laws ensuring that the game just moves
along at a faster pace, need to be working well
for us. And fair play to the teams and the
clubs have come to the party and the style of
the rugby that they're playing.

Speaker 2 (07:23):
I guess there's something you can't really influence too much
as you as you watch on from you know, I
guess around the boardroom table, if we want to use
a phrase like that, you can encourage teams to play
a certain way, but are you really just in their
hands as to how they decide to play their rugby.

Speaker 4 (07:41):
Yeah, we largely are.

Speaker 3 (07:42):
But I think in the meetings and the conversations we've
had with all the clubs and all the teams, everybody
buys into a style of rugby that is super rugby
and the way that they want to break themselves as teams.
And I think everybody can see that that the product
and what we're trying to do with the game. You know,
we talk about we have this purpose statement of like

(08:06):
the flame, and it's sort of getting people back interested
in the game and engaged in it. And that's got
to be about the product and the style of the
rabit that were that we're putting on. And you know,
we've had great conversations with the officials, for example, who
are very keen to ensure that that they're refereeing games
that are fast, have a pace to them, and that

(08:28):
are engaging people.

Speaker 2 (08:29):
Just on that. How happy are you with the way
games are being officiated?

Speaker 5 (08:34):
Very happy?

Speaker 3 (08:36):
It's a big part of it, isn't it. I Mean,
the referee has a massive influence in a rugby game.
So there's been a lot of dialogue with the officials
and then as I say, they've been great in terms
of their mindset and how they want to referee the
games and the type of games that they want to
be involved in themselves.

Speaker 2 (08:51):
I guess you can look at a game and say, hey,
that's a great game of rugby, but if you drill
down into some metrics around that, are you seeing stats
around ball and play times things like that that are
backing up what we're seeing on the screens and at
the games.

Speaker 3 (09:04):
Yes, we are. The stats around ball and playing and
everything surrounding that have definitely improved, and we're wondering those
quite closely all the time because that's sort of a
tangible example of improvements that are getting made. So we
are very happy with those stats.

Speaker 2 (09:19):
You and I have also spoken about TMO involvement, or
I guess as little really as as practical. Are those
numbers also heading in the right direction.

Speaker 3 (09:31):
Yeah, it's an ongoing conversation the involvement in the TMO,
and as you and I have discussed, what we've been
trying to do is limit it to the extent that
the TMO gets involved when the referee wants them to
be involved, or if there is significant foul play that
hasn't been spotted by the referee and we think that's
right in terms of the level of TMO involvement. So
we're working pretty hard to make sure the game is

(09:53):
actually officiated by the official that's on the park, and
the TMO comes in and helps when it's appropriate, but
is not inserting themselves in the game all the time.

Speaker 2 (10:03):
How are broadcast numbers for the competition that year?

Speaker 3 (10:07):
Numbers are great, really healthy. We're at twelve percent here
in New Zealand with Sky and that's the number that
was up to around eight We're at thirty percent worth
nine in Australia and I think that's probably indicative of
how much better the Aussie teams are doing this year.

Speaker 2 (10:22):
What about crowd numbers spectators turning up to games, Kevin.

Speaker 3 (10:27):
World numbers are up, they're up here on a year,
but it's one area that I think we can work
a little harder on and improve as hard as you
know competitive in these markets we're in probably tough economic
times as well. There's a number of things that we're
looking at, especially going into thinking about next year and

(10:49):
how we can drive those crowd numbers up, because yep,
they're up, but they're not at the levels we want
them to.

Speaker 2 (10:53):
Be at We've got an afternoon game this afternoon in Dunedin.
Are you keen in order to try and I guess
make games more palatable for families, for example, to have
more afternoon kickoffs next year.

Speaker 3 (11:06):
Yes, we ideally are. And one of the things that
we're doing is in previous years we've looked to get
the drawer done by the end of the year. This
year the aim is to get the drawer done by
the end of the competition, so by blooming bit till
late June. And one of the reasons we're doing that
is because we want to have early conversations with our
broadcast partners with ground availabilities and understand the need to

(11:30):
try and get those afternoon kickoffs or more of those
afternoon kickers checkoffs if we can, and even talk about
things like taking games to the provinces, things that I
think could be just make the competition that much more
fan friendly.

Speaker 2 (11:41):
And I guess in terms of the match day experience,
does that lie largely in terms of responsibility with the
franchises themselves.

Speaker 3 (11:51):
Yeah, by and large that's something that the clubs drive themselves.
We work closely with their marketing teams and I think
they have a pretty good understanding that while the game
and the rugby itself is a core product, it's an
entertainment package, and it's important that we're looking at driving
into and package for fans.

Speaker 2 (12:08):
Speaking of fan engagement, Fantasy Super Rugby has been a
new innovation to help with that. I know the numbers
that I've seen are very healthy. You might be able
to give us some indication of just how many players
there are. My team isn't doing very well, but as
Fantasy Super Rugby worked in the way that you hoped
it would.

Speaker 3 (12:25):
Yeah, I can remember you and I talking about this
last year, and it was seen to be low hanging fruit,
and that has proven to be the case. We're delighted
with it. In fact, it's well exceeded where we thought
it was going to be. We're up to the last
numbers I saw. We're just under seventy thousand in terms
of registrations. I think the six Nations had about thirty
thousand in their first year. So it's succeeded where we

(12:48):
wanted it to be, and we can see it as
an area of really potential growth for us next year.
The moment that registrations are heavily weighted towards New Zealand,
so I think we can grow them quite significantly in Ossie,
And there's a couple of things I think that we've
learned that we can tweak in terms of the nature
of the game. But it's gone really well for us,

(13:09):
and really importantly, I think it's bringing in a sort
of younger demographic for us as well and getting those
people re engaged in the game at a level that
we really.

Speaker 6 (13:19):
Need them to be.

Speaker 2 (13:20):
You mentioned crowd numbers as a work on any other
areas that you would like to see improvements in over time.

Speaker 3 (13:28):
One of the things we've talked about quite a bit
is how we keep Super Rugby and the consciousness in
the off season. It comes Finals Day, it tends to
fall off a cliff a little bit until it re
emerges again the following season, and I think it's important
that we just I think they're going to be top
of mind in the off season, but we do need
to be doing things just to keep it bubbling along.

(13:50):
And so, for example, we've talked about the fact that
there's a lot of movements and signing and squad signings
and setups in the off season, and we probably need
to do a better job of you know, we communicate
that and just continue to keep super Rubbiou, as I say,
bubbling along in people's consciousnes in the off season.

Speaker 2 (14:07):
The NRL, of course, in the middle of their very
successful Magic Round right now, sixteen of their seventeen teams
in Brisbane across this weekend. We had super Round in
Melbourne last year. Would you consider revisiting the concept of
super Round in the future.

Speaker 3 (14:21):
Yeah, absolutely, it's part of what we're talking about now
in terms of the draw. We'd very much like to
get super Around back in the mix. It's been a
number of conversations going on now with a couple of locations,
and obviously there's financial considerations and logistics considerations, but we're
working pretty hard to see if we can get a
super Round back in next season.

Speaker 2 (14:42):
Fantastic. I know that would be a popular re edition
and we know that there won't be an eleventh sorry,
our twelfth team added in twenty twenty six. Are you
still keen to look at expansion though.

Speaker 3 (14:54):
Kevin, I think you never say never on things like expansion.
We're always looking at the nature of the competition and
how it can be improved. I think also it's important
that we have as a period of consol because the
competition has sort of it's taken all sorts of iterations
in recent years. I think we need a degree of

(15:14):
stability what we are looking at actually at twenty twenty eight.
We're working quite hard with our friends from the Northern
Hemisphere at the moment and reviewing the concept of this
Will Club Cup and whether or not we can get
that up and running, because I think in terms of
where the competition goes and the iteration of it for fans,

(15:34):
a Will Club Cup would be pretty exciting. You know,
would the Crusaders knock over Munster, you know Howard lends
to go against the Highlanders.

Speaker 7 (15:43):
All of those sort of.

Speaker 3 (15:45):
Limitations would be I think of real interest for our
fans in the future.

Speaker 2 (15:49):
Absolutely agree, Well, it's an exciting competition up to this point.
As we enter the home straight, goodluck picking who's going
to be in the top site. I think our listeners
will probably have a crack at it. But Kevin, really
appreciate your time and your accessibility this afternoon. All the
best for the rest of the Super Rugby season.

Speaker 3 (16:06):
Thanks for having me on Pinny now, Thank.

Speaker 2 (16:08):
You, Kevin. Kevin Malloy, there's Super Rugby Pacific chair keen
to to pick up on anything you want to pick
up on. There your chance to react to what you heard.
They're from Kevin Malloy. I love how accessible he is
and how just how authentic he is. You know, there's
no there's no mucking about with his answers. He just
gives straight, solid, honest answers. Always enjoy chatting to Kevin.

(16:30):
Your chances to say, to pick up on anything there, oh,
eight hundred and eighty ten eighty In particular, a couple
of things. What gets you to the game? What are
the levers that Super Rugby Pacific could pull to help
get you along? Because, as Kevin said, there they're looking.
You know, one of their work ons is increasing crowd numbers.

(16:50):
So I'm keen to know from you what is most
important to you when you decide if you're going to
go along to a game or not, if you're going
to physically go to the game. Is it the time
of the game, what afternoons for example, work better for you?
Or actually are evenings better? We know evenings are better

(17:10):
for the broadcasters, but what about the fans. It has
always been generally accepted. Hasn't it that families are more
likely to go in the afternoon? How important is the
match day experience for you? The things that happen off
the grass, everything wrapped around your time at the venue.

(17:34):
Now the standard bearers recently for this have been Auckland
FC with all sorts of innovation on match day. How
important is it to you that there is more to
the game than just the game. My personal view on
this is that I'm there to watch the game, but
I know I may well be in the minority there.
It doesn't really matter to me if there's a band

(17:55):
at halftime or entertainment. My kids are a bit older now,
so I don't need face painting and things like that anymore.
But you may well have a view on that that
is contrary. And as I say, Auckland FC seem to
have struck on a wonderful formula for their match day experience.
So how important is that to you? Eight hundred and

(18:15):
eighty ten eighty and super Rounds? Where are the candidates
to host? I said earlier this year, I'd love to
see it in Fiji. Now, I know that presents its
own set of challenges, but how good would it be
to have five games in Fiji across a weekend game
on the Friday, a couple on Saturday, maybe three on
the Saturday, one or two on the Sunday. Fiji would

(18:37):
get my vote if we could make it work logistically.
But where else where else could host super Round? The
one that springs instantly to mind for me is Dunedin.
Have it early in the season around OH week for
the students. We know they all turn up to watch
the Highlanders when they first start at university in Dunedin.
There's a roof there, so where there's not a problem.

(19:00):
Or maybe Christy it's with a new stadium roof on
that as well. Where should super Round be plenty? At
cheer over, let's get chatting oh eight hundred and eighty
ten eighty ninety two ninety two. If you would prefer
to correspond by text, Hello, Murray.

Speaker 4 (19:15):
Good a piney. Listen save a spare seat next year
for fig for the soup around with you.

Speaker 2 (19:20):
I'm with you, no worries, Murray. We'll sit together on
the plane, we'll chat about possibilities, we'll get over there,
we'll have a great time and then we'll come back
slightly worse for wear.

Speaker 4 (19:29):
That'd be a great weekend. Hey, you just the fan
experience for me. I'm coming up sixty five and I'll
beginning to at eden Park. And I've been I enjoyed
at eden Park, have done for well over fifty sixty
years now. But the fandaism, I don't go much now,
and I'm really missing curtain raisers and a curtain raiser
being it could be Auckland Grammar versus Kings, or it

(19:51):
could be Takapuna Grammar versus Minove. So I'd love to
have a school boy or even girl these days curtain
raiser or a good junior curtain raiser. And I really
miss the match day program I like looking through my
program there's no such thing now any sport you go to.
I went to the New Zealand football game against New Keledona.

(20:13):
I don't know any of the New Caledonia players and
I couldn't find anything out about them because there's no
match day programs anymore. And anything anywhere I was talking
to the experience has been diluted by taking away elements
of that experience that I really embraced as part of
the day.

Speaker 2 (20:30):
Murray, I was having this very conversation about programs the
other day, and I don't want to drop names here,
but I was having a coffee and you would have
enjoyed this with John macbeth and Keith Quinn and we
sat there and we talked about that very thing. The
absence now of a match day program. I know times
have moved on, and I know the cost to do them,
but you're right, you used to. You know, if you're
watching a game, so I TH's number eleven, you look

(20:52):
down and your oh, that's new number eleven is and
so you've got their reference. There might be some you know,
some interesting facts or you know, there's photos and there
there's articles, there's goodness. I don't know, there's puzzles at
halftime if you want to do them. But I agree,
I think the match day program is a is a
is something that I'm sad that it really doesn't seem
to exist anymore.

Speaker 4 (21:11):
And the curtain raisers, yeah, look like a curtain raiser.

Speaker 2 (21:14):
Love it, yeah, love it. And look, it won't get
everybody along early, but it will get some people along early,
and it gives as you say, those first fifteen's, you know,
those players the chance perhaps to play on Eden Park
or to play on sky Stadium or wherever it might
be something they might not get the chance to ever
do again. So yep, two ticks for me are actually three.
Fiji match Day Program, curtain raiser.

Speaker 4 (21:36):
Your role banks, good on, You're very.

Speaker 2 (21:39):
Great to te to you.

Speaker 8 (21:40):
Oh.

Speaker 2 (21:40):
Eight hundred and eighty ten eighty twelve twenty eight once
be lined there if we want to jump a board
back with more of your calls after.

Speaker 1 (21:45):
This, don't get caught offside. Eight hundred eighty ten eighty
Weekend Sports with Jason Paine and GJ. Guvnerhmees New Zealand's
most trusted home builder.

Speaker 2 (21:54):
News Talks, NB twelve thirty one on News Talks dB
counties still do a program pint he says this text
it's bloody call and match day program says Emma Tippuki
Rugby Club still does them. They're a great thing. I
love amxch day program. It's something you can take away
with you as well, isn't it. I know that's not
important to everybody.

Speaker 6 (22:13):
Hello, Jerry, Yeah, I got I agree entirely with the
previous caller. Fantastic. He's born in nineteen fifty eight, so
he's a lot of us born in that year a
clear worldview, so good on him stuff Jerry, and no,
really good, really good. I get my rugby fixed at

(22:37):
my local country rugby club, where the ground is full
and it's fantastic, the be's play and the A's play.
I never go to Super Rugby. It just does my head.
But I do go to the All Blacks once a year,
but for two hundred and fifty dollars and I get
thirty minutes of tmo's advantage, forensic investigation of the last

(23:01):
five minutes of play and fifteen minutes of setting and
collapsing scrums does my head. And so for me it's yeah,
it's all those things, curt and raise, et cetera, fantastic
and afternoon rugby most certainly, but unfortunately rugby's product is
just diabolical for us old guys, where it's a whorey

(23:24):
old chest nut sitting around on a cold winter's night
watching the All Blacks. You play twohneld fifty bucks a
ticket and you just see scrums collapsing TMO sitting around
there twidlling your thumbs. It's just diabolical, And so that's
why I'll never go, never go to a Super rugby match.

(23:46):
It's bigger than just putting it on in the afternoon.
It's the product of rugby. That's why everyone goes to
the league. Yeah, at least when you're home watching Super Rugby,
you can you can, you know, go to the fridge,
get your glass of wine while they're setting scrums and
the referees playing five minutes of a hunt and going

(24:07):
back you know, you know.

Speaker 4 (24:08):
What I mean.

Speaker 2 (24:08):
I do descrumps, not collapse in club rugby, very little.

Speaker 6 (24:14):
Yeah, club rugby, there's no bullshit. It's just totally it flows.
It takes an hour and a half and it's it's fabulous. Yeah, no,
they don't.

Speaker 2 (24:24):
Yeah, maybe there's something to it. Jerry, good on you mate.
Good to have a grassroots fan on the show. You'd
be a fan of a match day program as well.
I'm sure good to chat to you, mate. Thanks for
calling in. Oh eight hundred and eighty ten eighty's our number.

Speaker 5 (24:35):
Hello LB, Hi, good afternoon, Cure.

Speaker 2 (24:38):
Luck sure cure.

Speaker 5 (24:41):
The guy from the Hurricanes last night, Dolph. I don't
think he'll be back on the end of season.

Speaker 2 (24:49):
I think you might be right. I'll be kidning the hole.
Oh yeah, it always looks worse when it happens, you know,
just incidental. I saw a replay He's planted his foot
into the turf, his foot stayed there and his knees
carried on. It's never a good look, mate, a good look.

Speaker 8 (25:07):
No.

Speaker 5 (25:08):
Ten of my friends from about out Tavern, they took
off the other morning to go and watch the NRL
in Melbourne, and it was at night. I would have
had handled it flooding and rain, and I was wondering
if they're going to take off or not, but I

(25:28):
apparently they did, and over there for about ten days.
In RL seems to be taking over our rugby because
they can play for twenty minutes for that the rest
interfere with a whistle. You know, it's very easy to watch.

(25:52):
I'm actually a cousin of Frank Endicop and I said
to him, what's the main thing you do when you play?
He says, when you put the wall on the ground
on your foot, you make eye contact to the first receiver.
It might be sort of the less like this is

(26:14):
the right, but he's the first receiver. And there's heads
of Frank. Oh Frank, the first drinks on you and
of behind him. And I said, I have a free
drink too, please, A.

Speaker 2 (26:30):
Nice one, Helbi, good stuff. Hey, look, I think the
ball and play has speeded. It has got better than rugby. Look,
I've been a rugby fan forever, and I would still
watch a rugby game ahead of a rugby league game
if I ha to choose between the two and I
for example, last night, I was at the Hurricanes game,
but if I had to choose between Hurricanes and Warriors,
two of my teams, I personally would watch the Hurricanes play.

(26:53):
That's just me. I know that I might not be
in the majority. I might be. We've all got our preferences.
But I think the ball and play has improved this year.
Listening to Kevin malloy talk about it before you know,
the stats would show that. Yes, I know that there
are stoppages. I know that the TMO, though is involved,
far less. I don't think the TMO got involved at

(27:13):
all last night in the Hurricanes Chiefs gin not that
I can remember anyway. Oh eight hundred eighty ten ideas
and I'll be good to chet you mate, hello, grunt yeah, pinte.

Speaker 9 (27:23):
Yeah, I mean more than play definitely has improved this
year with the new rules compared to last year. Okay,
league still has more ball and play time than rugby,
but rugby rugby is improving. And the one thing that
annoys me, though, is a stupid International Rugby board rule
that they can't change the rules within two years of

(27:47):
the next World Cup. So that means that unless unless
they're watching Super Rugby seeing, yes, all these new rules
have improved Super rugby, unless they change them for the
international game before the end of this year, then we'll
be unfortunately, we'll be playing the twenty seven World Cup
under the slower rules.

Speaker 2 (28:07):
Yeah, baby steps though, grant right, I mean what we
see ourselves is still we can still I think enjoy
the rule changes and the effect on the game here.
You're right, it does take. I mean often world rugby
moves at glacial speed, and the rule that you've pointed
out there about the two years, I mean it's obvious
White's there, so teams can get used to playing at
international level, obviously, But yeah, I mean one step at

(28:28):
a time, mate, I think we can still enjoy what's
happening in our own backyard.

Speaker 9 (28:31):
One year, poney, one year is close enough. One year's
plenty time do you happen to practice? Not two years?

Speaker 2 (28:37):
Fair enough, Grant. I like the way you're thinking things. Indeed,
Mus says, you're basically talking to people in the main
center's piney because the super teams don't bother coming to
us in the smaller towns. Well again, Kevin Willloy said
that must you would have heard him that he's keen
to see to see the teams take more games to
smaller centers. You'ret a fan and me you're always a
fan of you know, watching a team play somewhere outside

(29:00):
their their main center. A Patahama game day on the grass.
I know it's important to you. What it off the grass?

Speaker 10 (29:08):
Oh, the Pioneer, the Caketon was a rocking last night.
What for forty minutes anyway?

Speaker 7 (29:16):
How good? Yeah? Yeah.

Speaker 10 (29:17):
My Kief's fan mate next to me, she she wasn't
happy the I think the Kames game experience is fine.
You know they they use those stoppages well with uh
you know, your Simba cams and big you know, the
kids get into that rubbish because they do all that

(29:39):
stuff pretty well. A half times of that seo. I
feel like they overcomplicated, you know, I like the next
one day with the hit the posts, so you know,
people like those sort of skill challenges from punters out there,
but I don't think it's important. It's the product. And
I feel like so the in game experience they do
pretty good. They could do more with our alied lights.
I think you know they could, you know, because again,

(30:03):
certain people like that sort of stuff. Second, prices are
pretty reasonable. People are always going to moan about food
and bed, but that's they just don't seem to want
to really deal with that situation. And I feel like
it might be a bit of a red hearing anyway.
The they could learn not from regular league though, in

(30:23):
terms of you know how that was it. Kevin, he
was talking about the off season narratives and I think
you were talking about our super Rugby drafts. We sort
of know how they do it, right. They sort of
can keep stardier than they That would be cool. I
don't we don't want to go full NBA, full NFL,
but I feel like if it was sort of live

(30:44):
stream somewhere and coaches are on the clock and you
could see, you know them, Callum Hacken and the and
the thing, and you know that that sort of thing
would still be interesting. Off signing, off season signing narratives
because Fox League and the n RL they do it
so well. Social media is essentially free a piney, It's

(31:05):
essentially free. And Rugby is still too complacent with their position.
And we're also as fans, Kings are a bit useless
at turning up as well. I hate to say it,
but we look for excuses not to go sometimes. Feel like,
you know, I was out all day last night and

(31:25):
I was rushing around to get there last night, and
I was happy I did, but I feel like I'm
a bit of an anomaly. And there's other options for people,
but that are also programs too.

Speaker 11 (31:35):
Bro.

Speaker 10 (31:35):
Sorry, the Saints have like a digital program which is
pretty cool, QR codes when you go in there, and
you know, I'll sit down and have a look through it.
I'll scan it and have a look through that on
my phone and I got bad eyes like some of
those old boys that rag in. But you know, you
can look on your phone and at half time or
whatever and go through it and check out the players

(31:57):
and whatnot. You know, so there's options if these guys
want to do it. But you know, our super franchise,
they don't have much money. A lot of them are struggling.
So it always comes down to money at the end
of day. That day, piny, that's that year with the canes.

Speaker 2 (32:11):
We're on a Yeah, look I was like you, I was,
so I'm press last night at Padahama. Great to chat
to your made us always always enjoy your contributions, just
on the program. I still like holding a program in
my hand. I must say, look, I get the digital stuff,
and a lot of them have gone digital, haven't they
Like a Badahama just said, you scan a QR code
with your phone when you get to the venue, and

(32:32):
it can't you know, it takes you to and you
just scroll through it on your phone. And we're so
used to scrolling our phones now that it's it's not
foreign to us. But I still like the idea. I
don't know, it's very old fashioned, I know, and probably
showing my age of it here, but I like leafing
through a program. I like the smell of it, even
on you know, and you get a bit of ink
on your fingers, and I don't know, maybe I'm getting
a bit nostalgic. Good to chat to you, Padahamma. Ian

(32:55):
C switched off from going to Super Robe game five
years ago. Night games poor user experience with kids. But
I've been the four Auckland FC football games at five
o'clock over the summer. Great to take the kids.

Speaker 11 (33:07):
Ian.

Speaker 2 (33:07):
You're so right and look, Auckland FC have done a
lot of things right. One that they've got bang on
is kickoff time. Five o'clock kickoff time is an absolute
bull's eye as far as the fan experience is concerned,
and they would have had to work hard to get
that because the Australian broadcasters wouldn't have been a big
fan of a five o'clock kickoff because it's three o'clock

(33:28):
over there. They'd prefer a night game here, which at
least is the late afternoon early evening over there. Dave
says Piney. For me, it's just cost transport, parking, ticket prices,
maybe a beer and a feed. I used to go
to every Crusader's home game with my daughter, but it's
just become unaffordable. I can see the Canterbury Rams for
ten bucks in the warm. It's sad, but I'll never

(33:50):
get to sample the new stadium that my rates are
paying for. David, I hope you do get the chance.
I get it, and I think cost is a barrier
a big barrier, and as a Partahamma was just saying
that I've often said you only need one trigger not
to go. Whether it's cost, whether it's the time of
the game, whether it's the day of the game, whether

(34:10):
it's the weather, whether it's the opposition, you only need
one thing. Say you know what, I'll stay on the
couch today, I won't go. There is still nothing I
don't think like being at live sport. And if you
think of the amazing live sporting events you've been to
and the experience of being there, I would not trade

(34:32):
being at the All Whites bar Rain game for anything.
You cannot tell me that you would have got the
experience of that night watching on the couch because you
wouldn't have. Same with the Rugby World Cup Final of
twenty eleven. I wasn't there, but I can only imagine
what it must have been like there, the tension in
that crowd watching it happen right out in front of you.

(34:54):
Yes there was tension on the television, absolutely there was
for the rest of us, but being there, you cannot
replicate it. You can't sixteen to one Chris hold there
spie a line. If you want to jump on Oh
eight hundred and eighty ten eighty back at a moment, the.

Speaker 1 (35:10):
Voice of Sport on your Home of Sport. It's Weekend
Sport with Jason Vain and GJ. Gunn Homes New Zealand's
most trusted home builder News Talks.

Speaker 2 (35:19):
Evy thirteen to one From Peter, I have rugby programs
going back to the Springbok tur of nineteen sixty five.
They're a constant source of fascination to rugby fans who
visit my house. No one's ever going to retain digital copies.
Thank you, Peter. And from Simon, the North Shore Rugby
Club and Devenport put out a butte program every Saturday afternoon.
And finally from Ross Programs, Pinty Technologies moved on. You

(35:43):
can get what you need on apps now like Tribe
and club rugby websites. Thanks Ross. Yeah, I know it's
moved on, and it's a cost that perhaps not every
club or organization's going to want to wear. But I
think there's still a lot to be said for a
physical match day program.

Speaker 11 (35:59):
Hello Chris, Yeah, okoday. Yeah, I just wanted to reply
to or make and about what that guy's was born
in nineteen fifty eight. The found there all the generalization,
stereotypes and absolute bollocks. He was talking like you said,
there there weren't any TMO things last night. There weren't

(36:20):
any yellow cards or egg cards last night weather And
I can't maybe it was the one scrum mead resetting,
but when you got nearly a ton on one side
pushing against the toun on the other side, and there's
you know, just bones and sinews and things holding next together,

(36:41):
and I completely understand why they do take a bit
of time and get it right. But every now and
then there are a few, and quite a few sometimes,
but that they are very very rare. And I see
heaps and he said, another one said, don't take kids. Well,
I see heaps of kids at FMG, like at a

(37:04):
stadium and that. And you know, there's all sorts of
shades of shades of people. Last week I saw.

Speaker 7 (37:14):
You.

Speaker 11 (37:16):
For this time, I think I've seen a man and
the son and the lady who was obviously Muslim because
she had a he jubb on and they would get
they were there, and they've seen Asian people there, and
a few weeks ago I actually saw an Asian lady
who was working in the food thing. Another fellow worker

(37:39):
was Maori was explaining to her about the you know,
when you kicked the ball through the posts, you get
two more points, you know, the finer points of rugby.
So there's all sorts and traps of people there.

Speaker 2 (37:53):
Chris, look everything you've said on nodding along to absolutely,
and you're right about about I think you know, you say, oh,
it's better for families at a certain time, but I
mean the games are Fridays and Saturdays for the most part,
it's not the kids have to go to school the
next day. Yes, I know they con get a bit grizzly,
and but you know, the younger ones in particular, they
won't last the eighty minutes. I mean, would they last
the eighty minutes at five o'clock in the afternoon, two

(38:14):
o'clock in the afternoon, I don't know. That's maybe when
you get the match day entertainment. But I agree. I
think the spectacle of Super Rugby this year has been terrific.
I've loved watching it. I've watched games I wouldn't normally watch,
and man, it's my job to watch rugby. I've watched
pretty much every single game this year. And I'm loving it.

Speaker 7 (38:35):
Yeah, it's great.

Speaker 12 (38:36):
Yeah.

Speaker 11 (38:36):
And I've seen two or one or two month old
babies there. People take them, so you can take all.
It's just what your attitude and your attitude to those
guys for some reason hate rugby. I don't know why.
I actually sat next to a guy sounded like that
at the Lahaw Cup final Antiquity last year and he is, oh,

(39:00):
there's about the red cards and yellow cards and scrums collapsing.
And I don't know why. Some of these older people
and that guy is only three years older than me,
the fifty eight year old, fifty nine born fifty eight guy.
I don't know why they got this attitude and that
they just they played rugby all their life probably and

(39:22):
now they just hate it. I do not understand them.
And I don't watch. If the league is on early,
I'll watch it, but if a game games studn't it
usually at ten o'clock, I'm not going to stay up
and watch the end of that, which is close to midnight.
Did I watch turned Over after after the Canes Chiefs
game last night and watched the Warriors. That was great. Yeah,

(39:44):
I really love love I hope the Warriors do well
always do.

Speaker 2 (39:49):
Go on your Chris great great points, well made and
from a positive point of view too. Yeah, you often here,
they don't you grizzling and grumbling at the game. Why
have you come? You don't have to come. Nobody's making you,
Tony says Jason still got a season sick of the Canes.
I'll watch them live whenever I can have done so
from the start, and I don't think that'll change anytime soon.
Now and again you get rewarded with games like last night.

(40:12):
Super Rugby could look at other sports and change the
way we distribute our top players and provide a bit
more to rugby packages. Kids should all go for free
for Super games, for example. Get them in early and
you've got a fan for life. Thanks Tony Pinel went
to the Rugby World Cup semi final and final in Japan,
an amazing experience despite the result. The food and drink
reasonably priced, easy to get. Transport was also simple, even

(40:34):
going from Tokyo to Yokohama and back on the train.
Thanks very much, indeed for your causing correspondence. Back with
more in a moments seven to.

Speaker 1 (40:41):
One, analyzing every view from every angle in the sporting world,
weekends for it with Jason Hime. They call eight hundred
and eighties and eighty News Talk ZB.

Speaker 2 (40:52):
Sam on TeX's Ponty Totlly of girth you on taking
a super out of fig Not only would it economically
reward nation that's provided so much to super rugby and
international rugby in terms of passion and talent, it would
attract a more diverse fan base from both New Zealand
and Australia, more so than somewhere like to Need and We.
You'd probably just get mainly key with showing up. Thanks Sam,
good point. And I love going to watch the games,

(41:12):
says this one. But the volume of the music is
now so loud you can't follow the game. I don't
know how players can hear themselves think at times. So
I'm seriously considering whether I'll buy a membership ticket next season.
They still need to remember they're older fans. I'm a
sixty three year old female, not old at all, but
I do get your point on the music. I know
it does annoy a lot of people. Thank you for

(41:33):
all your calls and particularly your correspondent. So many texts
and so many long texts, too well thought out, really
appreciate you taking the time. After one the Warriors our.

Speaker 1 (41:43):
Years the only place to discuss the biggest sports issues
on and after fields.

Speaker 10 (41:50):
It's all on weekends.

Speaker 1 (41:51):
Forward with Jason Vade on your home of Sport.

Speaker 2 (41:56):
Or welcome in one oh seven's the time. I'm Jason Pine.
This is Weekend Sport. Any McDonald the show producer. We're
here till three warror Is this out well to start
at anyway? Rich Agar standing by to chat to us,
assistant coach with the Warriors want to win last night
thirty twenty six. They got a bit close near the end,

(42:17):
it would be fair to say, but job done for
the Warriors. Three wins on the bounds Broncos, Knights, Cowboys
for the meantime up to second on the NRL Ladder.
There are still a couple of games to go. Three
in fact, I think in magic rounds before the final
shape of the table. Titans Bulldogs ten to four this afternoon,

(42:39):
Panthers Broncos five past six, Storm Raiders. That'll be a
cracker eight twenty five to finish magic round. But as
we look at the table right now, the Warriors are
on fourteen points. They're equal top of the Bulldogs, who
have played one less game. The Storm are lurking, the

(43:00):
Raiders are lurking. But the Warriors will finish the weekend
and the top three because the Storm and Raiders both
can't get two points? Can they our? Yeah, Ken to
here your thoughts, James mcconey this hour as well, and
we'll keep an eye on live sport, including what's happening
in Game seven, the final game of the best of

(43:22):
seven series between the Denver Nuggets and the LA Clippers,
and Denver. Denver are running away with it eighty two
fifty four. They lead with five minutes to go in
the third quarter. The graphic on the screen says win
or go home. It looks as though the Los Angeles
Clippers will be going home and it'll be the Denver

(43:42):
Nuggets who advance. Will keep eyes on that for you. Your
calls are always welcome. Oh eight hundred and eighty ten
eighty ninety two, ninety two. If you would prefer to
correspond by text.

Speaker 11 (43:53):
This is it.

Speaker 13 (43:55):
This proclean not supposed to have it dropped over worries
wexi Grant stuggle. The Warriors have dune something. Have what's
an eighteen pointly just seat the great. A try saving

(44:15):
tackle from Metcalf on taw Lovey has provenibly the difference
and may those fans celebrate.

Speaker 2 (44:23):
Yeah, they celebrated indeed in a good contingent of Warriors
fans there at Magic Round. They'll be enjoying themselves today.
I think most people have gone over for the whole weekend,
haven't they, And they'll just stay there until until well,
I guess they'll just stay there until the end of today.
A Luke Metcalf masterclass. The Warriors holding on for a
thirty twenty six win over the Cowboys. Metcalf scoring two tries,

(44:46):
kicking five off his seven goals and making a try
saving tackle late in the match. So the Warriors hanging
on for a thirty twenty six win. Rich A Garp
assistant coaches with us from the airport. I know you've
got to jump on a plane quickly, Rich or shortly anyway,
So thanks for joining us quickly on the show giving
up the overnight test. How do you evaluate performance last

(45:07):
night and the win over the Cowboys?

Speaker 7 (45:09):
Yeah?

Speaker 14 (45:10):
Goodwin, really, I think you know. First off, obviously we
played some really good football in quite testing conditions, but
we faced a lot of adversity through the game. You know,
we lost obviously lost Rock Oberry, but I don't know
public people know, but Ed Coss he carried a you know,
pretty major shoulder injury with him from from ten minutes

(45:30):
into the game. Really, you know, he had a shirt
off at half time, were struggling to get his his
playing jumper back on and managed to see the eighteen
minutes out. So you know, we were very much busted
up during the game. And I think there were a
couple of big momentum calls, you know, the seven tackle
set where we feel, you know, we wanted to challenge

(45:51):
that because it was a wrong call, and there were
used a couple of opportunities in there where through a
couple of calls, and I think the opportunities for us
to kill the momentum that you know, we didn't quite
treat by hanging on to kicks and don't bear a
good side. They can put posts or they can put
points on people very very quickly, which to be dnals

(46:13):
last night. But I thought the resilience in which we
showed at the end when you know, we were under
the pump and clearly fatigued from the amount of defending.

Speaker 15 (46:20):
Do showed.

Speaker 14 (46:21):
It showed a lot of character.

Speaker 2 (46:23):
Luke Metcalf, couple of tries, five of us, even goals,
Trice iving tackle, lighting the match and now it's a
team game. But can you can talk Can you talk
about Luke Mtcalf's influence last night?

Speaker 14 (46:33):
Yeah?

Speaker 7 (46:33):
Great?

Speaker 14 (46:34):
Uh, you know, I thought we had a good platform
for him, and we've played with a lot of power
and dominance early. But I thought the way that you know,
they went after the game from an attack point of view,
executed the players really really well, and there was someone
scripted stuff and there took a fantastic short side. We
love it when Luke gets out the back of shape
and runs the ball. You feel that that's when he's

(46:56):
at the most threatening. I thought it was probably the
best forty minutes of our halves, just finding that balance
between playing on the ball and then both running and
and even a couple of opportunities that maybe we you know,
we didn't quite take. I thought he is the combination
between Chanelle and Luke, you know, certainly enabled Loop to

(47:17):
capitalize on some of the good positions that we had,
and you know, he's try saving tackle is a standout
moment in the game for us. But I also think
there were a lot of defense at the end that
you know, when we were really under the pump. We
you know, we did tosse errors and we did stop
on getting down the other end, and we needed to offel.

Speaker 16 (47:35):
But even though.

Speaker 14 (47:38):
You know, we we would had lost that momentum that
led to points, I thought we had just gradually start
to turn the tide in the last sort of ten
minutes of the game.

Speaker 2 (47:47):
How important was the bounce back after the Storm game rich,
you know, Broncos Knights, Cowboys three big wins. How important
was it to bounce back from the disappointment against the
Storm a month or so ago.

Speaker 14 (48:00):
Well, I just I just think when you have a
poor performance, it's always important, and it's tests the character.
I think the bigger bounce back for us really more
after round one, where you know, we were majorly disappointing
it over in Las Vegas, and you know, we played
a red hop manly team that day and had a
you know, fairly dominant performance. So we've done it twice
this year on the back of you, on the back

(48:24):
of our obviously our poorest performances. I do you think
it's indicatively the competition at the moment. I think, you know,
when you look around, you know, anybody can be anybody,
and it's a very very tight competition really from you know,
the first sort of fourteen places in the competition at
the moment, a couple of wins and a couple of
losses can see you drastically move up or down the table.

(48:46):
So I think, you know, in answer to your original question,
it showed that you know, we're developing group, we're evolving group.
I think we've got good, strong leadership that don't second
guess or question what we do or what we're about.
And I think we've got some young guys making the
way that there's always going to be a little bum

(49:06):
in the road, and you know that's how you manage
that and how you use those experiences to learn, you know,
which will ultimately develop it. And I think last night
we're a great example. We got the win and it
wasn't lost. But at the same time, you know, there's
a lot of learnings in that game for us about
some of the ways in which we manage parts of
the second aard.

Speaker 2 (49:28):
I know you've got a xample on a plane rich,
but just a word on the returning plays and on
rock I Berry as well. What's the situation there also
with Delan, with Roger and also with James for Sha.

Speaker 14 (49:38):
Harris, and none of those guys are too far away,
you know. I'm pretty certain that some of them don't
know if all, but some will definitely be in contention
this week. Rock Or get scans on a hamstring tomorrow
when we get back. But I feel, you know, a
seven day turnaround, whatever the result, is going.

Speaker 7 (50:00):
To be going to be tough for rock Or.

Speaker 14 (50:01):
I think we just got a stingers and toes costs
that it's a low grading and he's not going to
be able for too long. But I think the like
heard of him being available next week even without the
skuns is you know pretty much it is very very minimal.

Speaker 2 (50:15):
Congrats on the win last night, Rich to you, the
coaching staff and all the team. Have a relaxing flight home. Mate,
look forward to seeing against the Dragons next time out.

Speaker 14 (50:23):
H So thank you very much.

Speaker 2 (50:25):
Great to Chart Jason, No, thank you rich Rich. I
they're joining us from Brisbane Airport. The team just about
to jump on a flight home and they know that
at the end of the weekend they will be in
the top three in the NRL after eight games. Never
before after eight games have the Warrior has been six
and two in a season. This is officially now their

(50:45):
best ever start to an NRL season, the best ever
eight game start to an NRL season. So where might
they go from here? We can say our year, can't we?
And there's evidence to back that up from what we
saw last night? What did you make of it? Our
eight hundred and eighty ten eighty? What stood out for you?

(51:06):
And Luke Metcalf putting in one of the all time
great performances. I saw some stats earlier on today about
what he did, and these are only numbers, I know,
but they start to kind of give you an idea
of what his influence on the game was. And as
I talk about these stats, now I've got to find
these stats. Here we go. Two tries, five goals, seven

(51:28):
tackle breaks. He ran for one hundred and sixty two
meters and kicked for three hundred and eleven meters and
probably most importantly, made the vital tackle on Cowboys winger
Murray Talangy which saved a certain try that would have
leveled up the scores with a kick to come, and
what's still fifteen minutes ago. So Luke Metcalf terrific game.

(51:52):
There's been you know, there's been discussion about him, but
he's taken on that seven jersey, big jersey to fill
Seawan Johnson's jersey. He's doing it very well. In the halves.
He and Shanella Harris Tavita, they're starting to blossom, aren't
they as a halves combo? And it's it's time together,
which is clearly a massive part of this. The fact

(52:13):
that they've had the opportunity to play every game together
in the six and seven jerseys is a massive thing,
isn't it. It goes without saying it doesn't take a rocket
scientist to work out that the more time they play together,
the more cohesive the combination. So how are you feeling
our eight hundred and eighty ten eighty Anything you want
to pick up on from the game last night nine

(52:33):
two ninety two if you would prefer to chat to
us via text?

Speaker 17 (52:37):
Ellen, Hello, Yeah, hello Jason. Look, last night's game was
a real nail bite, or wasn't it? What it pointed out?
And I'm reviewing the stats from last night's game. Our
defense won that game for us without a shadow of
a doubt because if you look at the stats, they

(52:57):
actually had two hundred more run meters than US and
over two hundred post contact meters than US, and yet
with those two advantages, they still didn't make any headway.
Now they nearly did, we know that. But the defense
of the team has been magnificent so far this year,

(53:18):
and this is one I absolutely agree with Metcalf's comment
at the end of the game where he said that
it was our defense that won the game tonight for US.
Now we know he did a wonderful job of tackling,
but if you review that period sort of from halfway
through the second half till about fifteen minutes, they were

(53:41):
so far on top it was a joke. And yet
we had the fortitude to buckle down and we literally
kept them out. And they had all advantage, they had
all the possessions on and we kept them out. And
I think the defense is it's always been a key
thing in the NRL. Wayne Bennett years ago, i think,

(54:03):
said that the NRL, every team is going to score
points against you. It's very rare that you actually see
a game with zero as a score line. But he
said it means that you're going to score points, but
what you've got to do is stop them scoring against you.
And I think that's a fair summation of the NRL.

(54:24):
It's such a professional game now, things that are a
low percentage play have sort of been taken out of
the game over in Australia. It doesn't make the game worse,
it means it makes the game more intense. And yeah,
I think Luke Metcalf was definitely sort of the player

(54:47):
of the side, but the defense of our forwards in
particular was magnificent.

Speaker 2 (54:53):
Yeah, oh, Ellen, I could not agree more. And it
was I mean, without wanting to cliche it too much,
it was a game of two halves, wasn't it. Most
of our points in the first half and then we
did have to defend, But defend we did in the
second half. Yes, they scored tries, they scored you know,
they closed it up, probably more than we would have
ideally hoped. And I'm sure there was a few nails
being bitten and the coaching box and on couches around

(55:14):
the place as well near the end. But look, it's
easy to say this, but hypothetically, you know, and he
has gone by the Warriors lose that game, don't they.

Speaker 7 (55:24):
Yes.

Speaker 17 (55:25):
I think that's a fair summation. One of the things
that we've got in Barnett is we've got another We've
got another Australian Ford who has slipped into a leadership
role with the Warriors, and I think it's such a
great thing. Kevin Campion proved invaluable to the team when

(55:46):
he had his stint with us, and I think Barnette's
there's going to be another one of those. He might
be a slightly different player, but you cannot fold his
effort when he plays the game. I mean the number
of times he particularly in the first half, where he
was the third tackle and who made sure the legs
caut from underneath the ball carrier so that the ball

(56:10):
carrier had to regain his feet before he could play
the ball. It's such a small percentage play, or people
say it is, but if you put the player on
the ground, you gain a very fraction of a second
advantage out of it. And it also is discouraging for
the attacking team who are learning that you're just not

(56:35):
going to be able to bustle and hustle through, you know,
the defenders. And he was so good and his leadership,
which is clearly, just quiet, and I'll show you the
way as having a huge impact on that team. I'm
convinced of.

Speaker 2 (56:52):
It, absolutely, Ellen. Just great analysis from you, bang on.
Let's hope for many more conversations between you and I
along similar lines in the weeks here. Thanks for taking
the time to call us in eight ten eighty.

Speaker 18 (57:07):
It was a bit of a shame that the Hurricanes
and Chiefs were on at the same time.

Speaker 2 (57:11):
Yeah, I know, I know, Tim, I was like, I
was at the Hurricanes game, so I only I've watched
the replay of the Warriors. But you're right, you need yeah,
you need two sets of eyes and a couple of screens.

Speaker 7 (57:22):
Mate.

Speaker 18 (57:23):
Well, I'd probably say that the majority of Keys would
have tuned into the Warriors game. But they're both cracket
and games. I mean, I'm a chief supporter, and you know,
I think we've seen the Hurricanes now, they've really come
in to the Aird finally, especially with Sullivant who probably
needs to stay on that wing now.

Speaker 2 (57:41):
For Troy probably incredible, incredible, Yeah, and the only he
only went on because of an injury. You know, when
you when you're wearing the twenty three jersey, you think, okay,
I might get I might at twenty minutes and the
second half, I'll come on in the scenes is or
might I come on the wing?

Speaker 7 (57:53):
Whatever?

Speaker 2 (57:54):
He played seventy three minutes, came on and yeah, and
at halftime the Hurricanes hadn't scored a try, as you know,
and then four and the second half.

Speaker 18 (58:02):
Well, I'm kicking myself as a chief supporter. We should
have picked up Elevant because he played for.

Speaker 16 (58:07):
The way Getter and and whatnot.

Speaker 18 (58:09):
But it's great to see him take his opportunities.

Speaker 19 (58:13):
He's been.

Speaker 18 (58:13):
He's been on form all year, especially with what's his name.
He's been out for your guy center.

Speaker 2 (58:23):
Billy Proctor, Yeah, Billy Proctor, Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 18 (58:26):
So he's been an awesome fill in there, almost you know,
all black, you know, knocking on the door of being
all black. And I think he still is. So, you know,
just watch out for the Hurricanes. They could be pushing
for their full spook. But really what we need to
talk about is the Warriors. The last schooler alluded to
the defense, mate, I mean the Cowboys. If people have

(58:48):
watched them last week, I think they put on thirty
six points against oh I can't remember who they played,
but they they are really a sick and half team
and for the Warriors to defend like that like they
were on the mate, I mean the half, you know,
the markers were gone. I mean I think we had
lost Berry in the second half and then oh we're

(59:10):
all all over the show. But it just goes to
show that this team has the result of a top fourteen.
And then now they go to the Dragons down there
in Bull and Gold, which they should win, but who knows.
But it just goes to show how tight this competition is.
I mean, you've got the Melbourne Storm and Camp Raiders

(59:30):
playing today, so the Warriors will definitely finish or the
round a third spot. And then we've got the Raiders
at home in a couple of weeks, which is going
to be massive. It'll be a top four clash.

Speaker 2 (59:44):
Huge, yep. Huge. Resolve is such a good word. It's
such a good word, mate, that's what they have. You know,
I've sort of someone's aluded me to the fact that,
you know, last year the Warriors lost a lot of
games by that sort of you know, six seven point margin,
and already this year, the win over the Cowboys last night,
the win over the Broncos by twenty points to eighteen

(01:00:05):
as well, just too amples of that resolve that you
talk about. And well it's gee, we're all sorts of
cliches this afternoon. But defense does win championships and this
is a very good start from the Warriors this year.

Speaker 18 (01:00:16):
Exactly, and pointed just before I go, what's happening at
Go Media Mounts Smart Stadium?

Speaker 7 (01:00:21):
Mate?

Speaker 18 (01:00:21):
I mean you cut the Warriors, k see, I mean good,
they're not losing me, They're not losing.

Speaker 2 (01:00:27):
It's yeah, maybe the Blues won't have a game there, exactly.
Good on your term. Good to charity of mate, thanks
for calling in. Let's chet again soon. Eight hundred and
eighty ten eighty one, twenty six Mark you want to
you want to talk about the two pronged seven o'clock
Saturday night rugby and Warriors.

Speaker 16 (01:00:47):
Yeah, I think the Warriors games should come with a house.

Speaker 2 (01:00:52):
I think Andrew Webster said something like that afterwards, said
it's given him arp palpitations.

Speaker 16 (01:00:57):
Oh he's a great coaches. I mean, man, he's really
made a difference to the Warriors. And I think you
know the thing in the top four is it's not
by mistake and you know the way you which is
in the game plan he's got for the Warriors. It's
not a Warriors of you know, ten ten years ago,
where they're uploading and playing like Stevens Rugby. They've got
a real game plan. And I saw a stat the

(01:01:18):
other day while I was in my bets on that
the guy from Astray. He was saying that the Warriors
have the least amount of tackles in their own twenty
of any of the teams. And I mean that was
probably changed last night because you know, they had a
lot of in the last fifteen minutes a team that
was camped in there in twenty. But you know, it's
quite an interesting statistic that the Warriors have become one

(01:01:41):
of the best defensive teams, you know, probably outside the
Dogs in the competition, and they really have got a
lot of it's not just attack and it's not just defense,
it's the whole team. And you know, you've still got
Dylan Watini and RTUs to come back in the side,
and I think they're looking pretty good, to be honest.

Speaker 2 (01:01:59):
Find Oh Mark, I agree. And the thing that the
problem is that is you don't want to get too
carried away with it, but it's impossible not to So
if we just rely on numbers alone, like I said before,
it is the best ever eight game start to a season.
So it's a launching pad, a very good launching pad.
And yeah, you talk about the defense, I mean the
Bulldog The Bulldogs are the standard bearers here. They've only

(01:02:22):
considered one hundred points in seven games. The Warriors, by contrast,
one to seventy four in their eight games. But that's
better than a lot of the other teams in eight games.
The Raiders have conceded more so have the Sea Eagles,
so of the Tigers, if we look at teams in
the top eight, So defense is so important. And at
the same time, you know they're finding ways to score
tries without guys like Roger tu Vasaschek and Delan what

(01:02:44):
Teni Solesniak who are still to come back back and
add their attacking impetus.

Speaker 16 (01:02:50):
And on the Hurricanes my team, your team, Yes, you know,
I didn't really have a lot of hopes. I guess
as the Hurricanes is forty some years, you don't have
a lot of hope. But I mean, obviously, losing Jordi
and ardis huge, huge loss. The two of the best
players not in the country, not probably in the world
to lose, you know, for a team that is big.

(01:03:11):
But you know, you've got to really hand it to
the to the staff that the Hurricanes and the team.
You know, the last two games have been tremendous really
and they weren't meant to win the game. In Australia,
they weren't meant to win the game last night, Rubin
Love sounders place at number ten. Maybe he should been
playing there for a while, but you know, it's an
across the board game and I have got a glimmer

(01:03:33):
of hope that we could could get up there. And
I thought it was going to be a Chiefs Crusaders,
you know, competition this year. But now I'm trying on
the Hurricanes. Finally, I'm pretty optimistic me.

Speaker 2 (01:03:44):
Too, Mark, You've convinced me. Not that I needed any
but right I feel the same way. And interesting to
hear Clark Laidlaw say after the game last night that
Rubin Love you're right about him playing at ten. I
think he's I think he he may well have a
future there. What Clark Laidlaw says was that said was
that the most impressive thing is that Ruben Love really
wants to play first five. It seems like an odd

(01:04:07):
thing to say, but it's like the desire that he
wants to run the team around. He's played largely at
fallback for the Hurricanes and for the Lions, but he
wants to be a first five now. They've got Brett
Cameron coming back ahead of schedule. How ay godfree you
who played the first five games in the ten jumper
also returning from injury. But they're going to have to
do a bit to dislodge Rupen Love from the number

(01:04:29):
ten jersey. Callum Harkin looking good at fallback, so they
seem okay. There some good selection problems for Clark laid
Law to have in the in the remaining three games
of the regular season. They've got the buyer now and
then into the finals, which hopefully the Hurricanes will be
participants in one point thirty back in a moment, please
hold there, Frank with you right after this spear line

(01:04:51):
if you want to jump on eight hundred eighty.

Speaker 1 (01:04:53):
Ten eighty the big issues on and after fields Call
eight hundred eighty ten eighty Weekends Forward with Jason Fain
and GJ. Gunner Homes New Zealand's most trusted home Builder
News Talk.

Speaker 2 (01:05:06):
Said twenty seven to two talking Warriors, Rah on text Jason.
For me, all the things should go to the Warrior's
fitness coach. I've never seen a Warriors team so fit.
Good point you make it are, Hey, Greg.

Speaker 20 (01:05:18):
How are you doing good? I got three words for you, composure, discipline,
and depth.

Speaker 7 (01:05:29):
Good.

Speaker 2 (01:05:29):
I love those three words. They're very good words. They're
they're qualities. I'm sure a lot of teams would love
to have Greg, but you're right, they all seem to
apply to the Warriors. Composure, discipline, depth, and like I
think there was a status thing we're talking stats today
that the Warriors are the least penalized team for high shots.

(01:05:55):
I saw that stat, yes, yeah, I think it was
on the on the Maddie John Show. I think I
saw that stat. But it's yeah, it's another good indicator.

Speaker 20 (01:06:05):
So that's that obviously plays into your discipline. I've also
found that and you know, we're all always all critical
of referees against the Warriors. I've been watching quite closely
referees this year, and we seem to be getting a

(01:06:26):
fear rubber the green. You know, we always, as Warriors
fans were like, oh come on, put your whistle away,
you know, but this year it actually seems and you look.
I don't remember the guy's name we ref last night,
but if we looked at the stats for penalties, I

(01:06:47):
would probably say that both sides were pretty even. I
don't have it in front of me, but we seem
to be getting out a fair rubber. The green from
the referees. Y is also obviously helping them. I'm not

(01:07:09):
convinced on Luke Metcalf though. Really No, I don't, I don't,
I can't. I can't put my finger on it. But
I listened to the commentators, and like I listened to
last Watchden, listen to accommodators last week's game, every time
met not every time, but the majority of the time

(01:07:30):
that mest Caarf got the ball, you could read what
he was going to do. I think nine times out
of ten he dropped a player back inside. And I
just don't see the creativity in him. I'm not saying
he's a bad player, but I would like to see

(01:07:50):
to Marty Martin given a go.

Speaker 2 (01:07:55):
Yeah, he's hardly played, is he to Marty Martin? I
think he's got one appearance off the interchange bench against
the Broncos. And I think a lot of people probably
thought Greg that he would you get a crack and
a halfs this year with Sean Johnson gone, And he
played there quite a bit last year, didn't he. But
they seem to be all in on Metcalf and Harris
Tavita you know, to mighty Marson may well play a

(01:08:16):
part in the rest of the season.

Speaker 20 (01:08:19):
But this is about this is about the depth as well. See,
we do have as Metcalf get injured or Harris Tabeta
gets injured, you do have a player. The one player
that I'm also I feel he's playing out a position
but he's not. Is the winger two picky tain't.

Speaker 2 (01:08:41):
To a picker. Yes, you you can reckon he's more,
but you reckon he's more of a fullback.

Speaker 20 (01:08:45):
Well, he's such a little guy and you come up
against you know, like the Broncos winger, he's got no chance.
He just you know, And and a lot of the
lot of the other wingers in the competition are a
lot bigger than him. I mean, he plays well, but

(01:09:06):
it's sort of like, is there another option?

Speaker 2 (01:09:09):
Yeah, I like him as well. I think he's got
a lot about him, you know, He played fullback once
this year against the Broncos. Chance nikol Klukstar I think
was unavailable that game. Otherwise it's been Chance who's played
full back. But yeah, tain to Olpaki, Yeah, I think
he's He's got a lot about him and on the wing.
You know, for most of the season. You're right, he's

(01:09:30):
not the biggest bloke, big heart. Love your words though, Greg, composure, discipline, depth.
I'll let it to resolve that we got from Tim
getting some good adjectives for this team. Good to chat
to you, mate, Thanks for calling in, hey, Frank.

Speaker 21 (01:09:44):
Hi Piney. My admiration for this team is just it's
just out of this world. I would like to use
an analogy of a snowball rolling down a mountain and
as we win, and that's with that magnificent crowd behind him,

(01:10:05):
as we woul we pick up snow we picked, the
ball gets bigger and bigger and bigger until we get
to their last last few games and our ball just
smashed a lot at the top of them. Yes, that's
that's that's what ye know. I'm the one that I
don't know whether you remember, but I fly the Warriors

(01:10:26):
flag at the Papika are tennis on a Friday.

Speaker 2 (01:10:30):
Yes, Yes, remember you told me about this, Yes.

Speaker 21 (01:10:34):
And that flag has been flying for three weeks and
I think it might even fly next week.

Speaker 2 (01:10:42):
Frank, long may it fly, Long, may it fly? The
snowball that you're talking about. I mean, that's just momentum,
isn't it. That's the momentum game when.

Speaker 21 (01:10:51):
I mean it was a horrible night. I mean that
was torrential rain. And look at the crowd that they got,
and they've seen their their anthem. You you know their anthem,
don't you do?

Speaker 18 (01:11:03):
You do?

Speaker 2 (01:11:04):
I do? Yes, I know the anthem. I know that
I know the song they sing it. They sing it
upon upon a victory. And they've had plenty of chances
this year.

Speaker 21 (01:11:12):
Yeah, and I think that just lifts the team that
just and this team has got, as one of the
one of your callers said, depth, and we've got those
great our second grade players winning their grade, and that
Timara Martin, I am a little bit disappointed that he's

(01:11:33):
not been played more. But well, we've got these guys
out there. We've got Fisher, we've got two of ours
and Sheep and we've got these guns waiting in the
wings to come on, and yet we are winning with
the guys we've got mm hmm.

Speaker 2 (01:11:50):
And yeah. Look, I mean any coach will tell you, Frank,
as you know that that the biggest headache they want
is a selection headache of having too many good players
to fit in. Even last night, Sam Healy a day,
but I never heard of the guy on the change
bench and almost set up a match ceiling try with
a grubber laid on it. It's like, so it's next

(01:12:12):
man up mentality, which I just love.

Speaker 21 (01:12:15):
Yes' depth, finey and I've I've got. I really feel
that we are going places. I really do.

Speaker 2 (01:12:24):
Good to hear, Frank. May the flag fly in Papakura
many more weeks in the in the rest of the
twenty twenty five season. Great to chat to you, mate,
Thanks indeed, twenty to two Let's take a break come
back with James mcconey.

Speaker 1 (01:12:36):
One crutch Hold engaged weekends for with Jason Him and GJ.
Gunner Homes New Zealand's ice trusted Omilder News talks to.

Speaker 2 (01:12:45):
Baby one four. James mcconey, Hello.

Speaker 7 (01:12:50):
Hello, Piney, how are you very good?

Speaker 2 (01:12:53):
Thanks? There's lots to be positive about unless, of course,
you're a Chiefs fan. What happened in that second half
last night?

Speaker 7 (01:13:00):
Ah? Okay, let's rip off the bad aid. Look, I
I thought Lovell terrorists apart, but Bayle and Sullivan, no
one's singing that pony. No one singing.

Speaker 5 (01:13:14):
Apart.

Speaker 7 (01:13:15):
But the thing is, I actually think Bayln Sullivan's been
a really good player for a long time. But it's
more so they have the Hurricanes when they get together,
really just an unstoppable force they've got. You know, they
were big forwards, they're well resourced in that area, so
you know that they're going to be tough to beat
up front. And every time you go into contact, people

(01:13:38):
said TVP seems to be there trying to snatch the ball.
So that's a problem even just setting the ball up
as the opposition as fought with danger. But they were
just they were just too good. I mean, the Chiefs.
I don't want to turn from Chiefs Mona to Chiefs Mona,
but Ruben Love probably should have been been for a
deliberate knockdown when a try was about to be scored.

(01:13:59):
I agree with that, right, yeah, yeah, I mean, but
and that I'm not saying that's the turning point that
would have made a bit of difference. But I think
the way the Hurricanes played in the in the second
half just too good.

Speaker 11 (01:14:11):
Really.

Speaker 2 (01:14:12):
I think the Chiefs will still be okay. And you know,
I mean it's only one game and they're still up
in the upper echelons of the table. Yeah, I mean
they'll they'll look forward to getting Damien McKenzie back. Clayton
McMillin said after the game last night that he's on track.
I don't know what that means in terms of when,
but you know, I liked I like Josh Jacob a lot,

(01:14:34):
but there's only one d mac right, that's.

Speaker 7 (01:14:37):
Right, And I think, look, the Damien McKenzie will always
make a massive difference. Well, you know, as Chiefs fans
were always saying we miss Brody when he was out,
Brady Retaler. Now it's Brady McAllister. He's been so good
and I think not having him up front at hockey
yesterday made a big difference as well. So you know,
he's gone a mainstay this season. But I guess the

(01:15:00):
big question when you look at its overall, I think
mccains are still championship material. I thought that before at
the start of the season. You know, that pointing, and
I was a little bit skeptical about the Chiefs too.
I think we've talked about that as well. But when
you look at Higgins and Proctor and midfield, there's so
much to like about that combination. And even in just

(01:15:22):
you know, sort of two and a half games, you'd say,
Billy Procter is ahead of Rico Yowani at center right, and.

Speaker 2 (01:15:30):
Yeah, oh yeah, yeah, indeed.

Speaker 7 (01:15:33):
And then also, you know, what is love?

Speaker 2 (01:15:36):
What is love?

Speaker 16 (01:15:37):
Susy?

Speaker 7 (01:15:38):
You fullback the first five? Ohm or what is he?
I think he is a first five because he's played
that well and he's not super quick for a fullback.
So I think his future if he wants to make
the A B's at number ten, and that's where Shad
should stay.

Speaker 2 (01:15:55):
I feel like we've just got a lot bit of
a preview of a super rugby segment on the crowd
goes while there with with what is Love? I won't
be at all surprised if that turns up tomorrow night
around seven o'clock we white with bait and Breath. Now
the Warriors. The Warriors have been a few people ringing
with adjectives that I'm going to read some of them
to you. Composure, discipline, depth, resolve. I think they all apply,

(01:16:18):
don't they?

Speaker 7 (01:16:20):
Yeah, heart attack. It is like there's a lot of
things to like about the Warriors, but one of the
best things I thought was the signature game for Luke
Metcal for the signature half for the for our half back,
which is just seeing him run the game, just be
so dominant, the crispness of the passing. You know, I

(01:16:44):
switched from the Chiefs Hurricanes to the to the wires
and it was actually kind of like, I know they
were in the decline, but I went back to watch
the highlights and wow, the Warriors were impressive, just crowding
gaps like we haven't done for quite some time. Nika Halasima,
who will be in the Superstar in the making, he
made his name with some big defense last night, rather

(01:17:04):
than those sort of signature runs that he's starting to
come up with. But you know, there was one defensive
play from little team to a picky where he forced
the ball. I think that that was impressive. The effort
and the accuracy just to get that ball down made
a big difference. And you know what, I think, would

(01:17:24):
it be a party? Are we going to say it
I think so.

Speaker 2 (01:17:27):
I think we can. I think we can safely say it.
I've been saying quite often today it's our best ever
eight game start. And when you consider they had to
bounce back from the disappointment of Vegas and the shell
Ac and they got in the first half against the Storm.
The resilience, that is what I like, the fact that
they can you know, it's a long season. You are
going to suffer disappointment. They put it behind them and

(01:17:47):
moved on.

Speaker 7 (01:17:48):
Yeah, I think the Storm was the only team that
scares me. Really. I looked at that top six, top
eight even and I'd save the Storm looked like the
only team that you'd say would go to the Grand
Final and probably win it. But I think we're as
good as anyone else in the eighth I agree.

Speaker 2 (01:18:02):
Are you watching the NBA Playoffs at the moment.

Speaker 7 (01:18:05):
Yes, I am, and I just thought it's an absolute blowout,
so that even though the La Clipper, Zonna Steve Farmer
flew fans to Denver to create the wall of fans
that they have back in LA, there would have been
thirty points down for most of the second half. So yep,
it looks like the Nuggets with a big Nicole Yokich

(01:18:27):
will go through. But I was really intrigued by Lebron
James kind of humming and hiring about whether he's going
to retire or not. And that's an interesting sort of
case study. And I guess we watch the space because
I don't think he's done anything that's to prove you.
Sai'd like to get more another title, but I don't
think he's ever going to catch Jordan really in terms

(01:18:49):
of how people feel about the Goat conversation. So Lebron,
you know he's getting I think he is. He forty one.

Speaker 2 (01:18:58):
Pioneer, Yeah yeah, forty one. Yeah.

Speaker 7 (01:19:00):
I think he thinks it's old. But I was playing
someone my big sport at forty one. Admittedly it was
seven a side soccer and a little bit of over
thirty five's touch, but you know, maybe maybe that's the
end of the king.

Speaker 2 (01:19:15):
Well I'm fifty four and I feel like my best
days might still be ahead of me.

Speaker 7 (01:19:20):
Yeah, still looking pine, still trying to check away.

Speaker 2 (01:19:24):
I am, I am hey? Can we just finished with football?
Auckland FC. They lost last night. It didn't matter in
terms of their table position, but is this in any
way a red flag as we head towards the finals,
do you think, well.

Speaker 7 (01:19:38):
The reliefs, they can't really play that Western United in
the semi finals, I think, because there's no way that
they can play a team that's going to finish third.

Speaker 20 (01:19:50):
Yep.

Speaker 2 (01:19:51):
Correct, they can only meet them in the grand final. Correct, Yes,
that's right.

Speaker 7 (01:19:55):
So they can only meet them at home if we
if we meet the grand finals. So there's that look
is that they had a big blowout. I went to
training on Tuesday, I think when I saw them, and yeah,
they're definitely tied one iu. It might have even been Wednesday.
They had a few big nights. Is to say that,
so this is always going to be a blowout game.

(01:20:16):
They're running out the alcohol, let's be honest. Even Steve
Kayriker admitted that. So they can they can forget what
happened really of this weekend and just focus on what
happens next. I don't think the big concern for me
is that if if we play someone like Adelaide, I
think Adelaide are the real sort of steak in the
grass there. They could they could buy this, and so

(01:20:39):
that's really the real concern. And and of course a
bit of a longer flights over there, and but that's
how I feel that it will permis. See, don't worry,
don't panic. Hopefully we get you pony to call a
Grand final at home.

Speaker 2 (01:20:51):
Well I'm I'm certainly available if that opportunity presents itself,
looking forward to that.

Speaker 6 (01:20:56):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:20:56):
So, I mean they get the week off now the
way it works, I'm sure most people know this, but
by virtual of finishing in the top two, they get
the first week of the finals off three v six,
four v five and then the go to home and
away semis. So yeah, look, I think they'll probably use
the week to refresh a little. But I think of
anything you know, last night will probably be you know,
a not a reality check necessarily, but there certainly won't

(01:21:19):
be any complacency, now, will they exactly?

Speaker 7 (01:21:22):
I mean that they're in a good spot. They know
they've got pretty much a full team cheat to choose from,
and even some of those players like Max Master must
have missed probably five chances the other night, and I
don't think you did that again in another game. He
just knows that he's in good form but just needs
to or getting into the right places, let's we should say,

(01:21:44):
but just needs to finish those chances. So imagine if he,
you know, scored a hat trick at home, you know,
I wouldn't put it past them. And then speaking of strikers,
Chris Wood made an EPL Team of the season, so
that's pretty good for you know, New Zealand as well.

Speaker 2 (01:22:00):
Absolutely right, what's love got to do with it? James?

Speaker 7 (01:22:04):
Well, everything really, you know, you can't hurry love though, just.

Speaker 2 (01:22:09):
At the way, love our chats, mate, Love our chats.
James mcconey, Craig goes Wild, alternative commentary, Collective and Sunday
Afternoons here on News Talk ted B sevent to two.

Speaker 1 (01:22:21):
Breaking down the Hail Mary's and the epic fails weekend
sport with Jason Vine. News Talk ZENB.

Speaker 2 (01:22:30):
Four to two. After the news at to Motor Sport,
Liam Lawson was well in line for his first points
of the season in Miami overnight, unfortunately stripped of the
points he thought he had in the sprint race, judged
to have been at fault for an incident with Aston
Martin's Fernando Alonzo. So how are we feeling about Liam

(01:22:51):
Lawson and his progress? A couple of pretty astute motorsport writers,
Eric Thompson and Alex Powell. We'll get you to the
World Snooker Champs and to Dunedin to preview the Highlanders
against Mowa PACIFICA.

Speaker 1 (01:23:04):
The only place to discuss them the biggest sports issues
on and after fields. It's all on Weekend Sport with
Jason Vaine on your home of Sport US.

Speaker 2 (01:23:17):
Well, welcome into the show. Welcome back to the show
two seven. I'm Jason Pine. This is Weekend Sport a
McDonald looking after all the far more serious things while
we just talk about a sport motorsport shortly, heartbreak for
Liam Lawson. He's been stripped of his points finish in
Formula one's Miami Grand Prix sprint race. He was seventh
across the line to score two points, but then handed

(01:23:40):
a five second penalty. He reckons he wasn't to blame.
What do we make of all? We've assembled a mini
motorsport panel, well mini in number, but certainly not in stature.
Alex Powell and Eric Thompson to join us shortly to
talk through this, prospects for the main race tomorrow which
Liam Lawson has qualified fifteenth for and is he going faster?

(01:24:01):
Is he getting the hang? Of this, Liam Lawson, so
Motorsport to kick us off this hour. Then we'll get
you to the UK where we've got our finalists for
the World Snooker Championship twenty twenty five. Ronnie O'Sullivan just
collapsing and rather spectacular and unfortunate fashion, going down seventeen

(01:24:22):
frames to seven with a session to spare against the
Chinese player Jao Shintong. He will face Mark Williams, the
Welshman three time former champion who got past jug Trump
in a classic seventeen frames to fourteen, and the other
Seemi this morning. Michael Day out of the UK on
that and then we'll get you to Dunedin under the
roof this afternoon. Some Sunday afternoons, Super Rugby, Goldsport and iHeartRadio.

(01:24:46):
We have the call for you from three thirty five.
Paul Allison, Paul Miller, Mark Ranby, what a lineup. Paul
Allison going to chat to us about that game before
three o'clock. We'll keep eyes on Live Sport for you.
We'll take your calls on eight hundred and eighty ten
eighty or nine two ninety two on text. Anything you
want to get off your chest or anything that you
hear that that you know requires an opinion from you.

(01:25:09):
We're quite happy for you to do that. But with
a time approaching two nine, as we always do, let's
get you across some of the stuff that's happened outside
of your awareness. You can't keep your eyes on everything.
We know that in case you missed it. Starting with
a very happy twenty first birthday for Newcastle knightstar Fletcher Sharp.

(01:25:29):
Now Sharp comes across the poet, keeps it going to
best on one.

Speaker 1 (01:25:34):
Tackle there gives it back to Fletcher Sharp.

Speaker 13 (01:25:37):
He'll weave his way all the way to a twenty
first birthday hat trick.

Speaker 2 (01:25:44):
That's how you celebrate. Pumps it into the stairs, Lecher Sharp.

Speaker 7 (01:25:48):
Here what on?

Speaker 2 (01:25:49):
Fletcher Sharp leading the Knights to a much needed thirty
points to four went over the rabbit oas meantime, an
impressive performance from the Tigers to beat the Dragons. The
Tigers are shifting around to the left. Louise with a ball,
they're going to run it.

Speaker 7 (01:26:02):
Here's Galvin now puller, that's that big three out to do.

Speaker 15 (01:26:05):
He stayed to Dooey tix it up Baker.

Speaker 4 (01:26:10):
The Tigers they moved late.

Speaker 2 (01:26:14):
The pig ups all got involved and the result is
a try thirty four to twenty eight. The final score
there to Super Rugby. The Brumbies showing their class over
the Warror Tarzan camera ed.

Speaker 13 (01:26:26):
Man, I'm toes in the handles for the best arts
Hugy on the ground for ten Edmund Rigel the arts
met on the field.

Speaker 2 (01:26:35):
The Waters want a scene with a.

Speaker 13 (01:26:38):
Balling ham and doesn't hit space Excoosy.

Speaker 2 (01:26:41):
Sitting a final score of forty points to seventeen, keeping
the Brumbies firmly in the top three and a football
and impressive come from behind when for Bournemouth over Arsenal
took the tin and he's tapping air and it's touching.
There was Anna.

Speaker 13 (01:26:59):
Nelson goalkeeper muggled on his online I'm boman to term
this game one it's had and maybe on their rasid.

Speaker 2 (01:27:08):
I first haven't win at the Everts and they were
and Western United have undone Auckland FC in their final
game of the A Leagues regular season.

Speaker 13 (01:27:18):
This what's sailor natas.

Speaker 2 (01:27:23):
Least didn't know that.

Speaker 13 (01:27:26):
The Green and Black I'm gonna win on the final
DAYNAS season and name I get a player home.

Speaker 20 (01:27:33):
Final next weekend.

Speaker 1 (01:27:35):
Analyzing every view from every angle in the Sporting World
Weekend Sport with Jason Pine.

Speaker 7 (01:27:41):
They call.

Speaker 1 (01:27:43):
Us talks Envy.

Speaker 2 (01:27:45):
It is coming up. Twelve minutes past two. Liam Lawson's
been handled a five second time penalty and has therefore
lost his points finish from Formula one's Miami Grand Prix
sprint race. After qualifying fourteenth, Lawson look to have finished
seventh in the eighteen lap affair shortened by one lap
due to rain, but the key we is judged to
have been at fault for an incident with Aston Martin's

(01:28:07):
Fernando Alonso, who crashed in the final lapse of the race. Now,
Lawson himself didn't believe that he was at fault for
the incident. He spoke about it shortly after the finish
of the sprint race.

Speaker 8 (01:28:22):
He came out on Cole tires and I'd done lap,
so I was trying to get by him early in
the lap. Made sure you my wheel was ahead at
the apex, wouldn't try and overtake, and I feel I
did that and then I got some squeezed off, so
obviously not my intention, but I do feel like my
wheels ahead.

Speaker 2 (01:28:36):
So seventh in the sprint would have netted laws and
two points and betters his ninth placings from Grand Prix
and Singapore in twenty twenty three and Austin and Brazil
last year. But not to be He will start fifteenth
meantime in tomorrow's main race after being eliminated in the
second session of qualifying for the second consecutive day. Let's
talk some motorsport and two of my favorite motorsport writers

(01:28:59):
have assembled. I've summoned them and I have answered the call.
You can read them both at enzidherld dot co dot MZ.
Eric Thompson and Alex Powell. Alex, can we start with you?
What happened that led to Liam Lawson being given the
time penalty?

Speaker 22 (01:29:14):
Afternoon piney hope you are mate.

Speaker 19 (01:29:15):
Yeah.

Speaker 22 (01:29:15):
It's a bit of a funny one, isn't it, Because
I mean, you look at the Stewart's official ruling. They
considered that Lawson was ahead at turn twelve. I think
if you watch the replays you see that. But because
Alonso was a head at turn eleven, he was the
sort of the lead car and because of that, Lawson
was in the wrong for forcing him off the track,
and so.

Speaker 2 (01:29:35):
It was the correct decision that was handed out. Eric Thompson,
welcome to you. You agree with that that it was
correct of the officials to hand laws in the time penalty.

Speaker 19 (01:29:45):
I mean I never really, honestly, Piney and Hi Alex
never really quite understand some of the machinations of the officials.
I mean, as Alex said, you know, like Alonso was
deemed to be a head in turn eleven and then
to use that as some sort of metric to pass
down a ruling for the following corner. I just thought

(01:30:05):
it was a bit of But I mean, Lim and
Alonzo had a bit of history, have a bit of
will to will Argibarji.

Speaker 14 (01:30:15):
But I mean I think.

Speaker 9 (01:30:17):
It's a bit harsh.

Speaker 19 (01:30:18):
But you know something about officials are sort of looking
at things and warning things, and you know, going back
to the previous corner, I find that very odd.

Speaker 2 (01:30:29):
All right, well, even putting that to one side, that
happened after the race had finished, Alex, how much confidence
will Liam Lawson take from the fact that he actually
drove the car pretty well and pretty fast during the
sprint race.

Speaker 22 (01:30:41):
I mean, I hope he takes a lot of confidence
from it, because he needs it. At the moment. You
look at how difficult this Miami track is to actually
overtake on. Liam Lawson passed five cars on the opening
of app alone, Like, that's not easy to do. He's
going to be starting a bit further back than he was.
I mean, he's starting fifteenth compared to fourteenth, so it's
not too much. But if there's rain then I think
it really will bring him into it. But I mean,

(01:31:02):
at this point in the season, where so many things
have gone wrong for him, you just don't know.

Speaker 2 (01:31:07):
Are you seeing improvements in Liam's driving?

Speaker 19 (01:31:12):
Yeah, Beck, Alex, I'm saying and even in Liam's post
race Chaddy just said something just that things just opened
up for me and he went for it. And sometimes
that just happens in sort of motorsport. The thing is
where you just see this gap through everybody else that
hasn't launched off the line as well as you have.

(01:31:32):
And he hooked the car up really really well and
drove really well and to finish, you know, we'll think
he'll take a lot of confidence from finishing, you know
in seventh. You know, despite his penalty, he did finish
like on the track in seventh, so and he was

(01:31:52):
on par with his teammate and you know. That's the
thing is you and I have talked about Piney that
is that the only person you really want to beat
in a race is your teammate, and he managed to
do that. Tomorrow night's race feature race loads more distance
and he's starting, you know, just being's pretty much similar

(01:32:12):
to where he started in the sprint race. He'll have
a lot more time to manage the race and hopefully
get through. And I think if it rains, that'll change
the whole guy. Okay, rain didn't the sprint race, but
it'll change the dynamics of it quite a bit. So
I reckon he'll go.

Speaker 2 (01:32:30):
Okay, Alex, Are you seeing improvements? So he's been in
the racing balls car for what three or four Grand Prix?
Now are you seeing improvements? Are you seeing a lift
in confidence from Liam Lawson?

Speaker 22 (01:32:42):
Confidence is hard to say because you know, we don't
really get to speak to Liam during a Grand Prix weekend.
But in terms of the way he's been driving, if
you watch that practice session, remember this was the only
practice session that the drivers actually get for the weekend,
but every lap he bettered his last lap, So it
is a track he's still learning. Remember, like the tricky
part of this first part of the season was there
are so many tracks that Liam just hadn't driven on before.

(01:33:02):
You So you think of Melbourne, you think of Shanghai,
and those were the two that he drove for Red
but before he was unfortunately moved back to racing Wars,
but those were the ones he'd never driven on before.
And then Miami's a similar one. So if that sprint
race just turns out to be another learning experience for him,
I think it will actually, as Eric pointed, to hold
him in good stead for a longer race.

Speaker 2 (01:33:22):
Can I start with you, Alex, at what point does
it like he just needs points on the board, right,
and these would have been points on the board for him.
Will it be, you know, something that just sits on
his shoulder there until he actually finally gets some points
on the board.

Speaker 22 (01:33:36):
I think absolutely, Like every driver wants to be scoring points.
I also think a lot is being made of the
fact that this car is not scoring points because of
how well his teammatee Isaac Hadjar is doing. Let's not
forget that this Racing Bolls team and this sort of
car set up only finished eight out of ten in
the Constructor's championship last year, Like, it's not a car
that will consistently challenge for points that will get the
odd result. But I think if you're going to judge

(01:33:57):
Liam Lawson based on scoring points every week, and then
you are giving him or putting him on a bit
of a hiding to nothing.

Speaker 2 (01:34:04):
So what should our realistic expectations then, Erica are we
are we in a situation where we should just accept
that Liam Lawson's going to finish in the teams most
of the time.

Speaker 19 (01:34:15):
Yeah, he's And to Alex's point, absolutely right. The car
is not a rocket ship. It really isn't a race
winning car, but it doesn't mean that, you know, if
all of the cards fall the right way, that you
can't actually end up in the top ten. And Liam
has scored points in Formula One, you know, it's not

(01:34:36):
as if he doesn't know how to score points. Like
last year he proved he can score points. So I
just think it's a bit like the tracks. He's not
familiar with street circuit. Basically they're racing in a car park,
which is you know, for anybody it's quite hard. But
I think as the season progresses, and I think if
it gets towards the summer break, the European summer break,

(01:34:58):
he will have a few points, and once he starts
getting some points, I think consistently, if he can finish
between eighth and say twelve consistently, the season would be
quite a good result.

Speaker 2 (01:35:10):
I think for Liam, he tell you what if you
offered If you offered Liam, and this is hypothetical, if
you offered Liam points tomorrow morning or are better finished
than Handjar, which one do you think he would take?

Speaker 19 (01:35:23):
I think a better result than Hadjar. Having been in
competitive motorsport in my youth for many years, the thing
is if you can just stay, if you can get
ahead of your teammate, it's confident building, it's you know,
it just bodes well. So I mean, I don't know
that that would be my call, if you can just
finish again a headger Alex.

Speaker 2 (01:35:41):
Do you think Liam Lawson's a better driver than Isaac
Hadjar and what you've seen?

Speaker 22 (01:35:45):
Yeah, only because I've seen a lot more of Liam
than I have seen of Isaac Hadjer. But I think
the confidence really is as a shit like we know,
like remember in Bahrain he did beat Hadjar on track,
but it was a couple of penalties that really put
him back. So it's not as though Hajjar is just
completely blowing him out of the water. It's just that
Haggi has had a longer preseason in this car than
what Liam Lawson's had and it will taken time to

(01:36:07):
catch up. But it's just how much time he actually gets.

Speaker 2 (01:36:10):
How's Yuki Sonoda going Alex in the in the Red
Bull car? Not flash?

Speaker 22 (01:36:14):
He scored points? What a couple of races ago he
got ninth, but then he's had a DNF. He's at
a twelfth. He qualified in the bottom five in the
sprint race, which he was upgraded to. I think he
got a points finish after all the just qualifications were
put in, but he's not exactly pulling up trees either.
I think that Red Bull car continues to be problematic
for anyone who's not called Maxis Stappin.

Speaker 2 (01:36:34):
You'd agree, eat and look. We talked about the Constructors
Championship and how important it is, and that's why they
made the change from Lawston to Sonoda. As Alex said,
he's not ready getting too many points either. Do we
just have to again accept that Maxim Steppin's a bit
of a genius and not too many others can drive
this car.

Speaker 19 (01:36:51):
Oh, I think he's an absolute magician. Max to staffin
you know that that pole rap he did for the
main race, for the feature race was just like like
how against sort of the two McClaren's and he was
just he just seems to pull something out of the
bag when you just don't expect it. And you know,
Yiki Sonodo's like Alix Sairs, you know, has picked up

(01:37:13):
the odd points so far, but there's a listening. There
are headstones in the graveyard of teammates to Max for
Stapen in that car. It's just, you know, it's just
weird that car.

Speaker 2 (01:37:28):
Alex does I feel to you like the pressure has
come off Liam Lawson it's probably his sole equition. He's
not in the Red Bull. But do you feel like
there's toll like quite a harsh glare on him or not?

Speaker 19 (01:37:39):
Absolutely.

Speaker 22 (01:37:39):
I think any driver in those two Red Bull teams
will have pressure on them because the goal is to
get into Red Bull. Let's not forget Red Bulls driving
or the future of Red Bulls driving on It is
by no means secure. There's doubts or speculation that makes
for stapp And might actually call it and say he's
had enough, he's just had his first child. Might he
want to step away? And then Sonoda might leave as
well next year, given that he's only with the team

(01:38:01):
because Honda, the engine supplier, have basically paid ten or
sorry inn eight figure something get them in there. So
when they leave next year, you could be looking at
a space where there are two sets available at Red
Bull and if they are using that junior team the
way it should be used, then those two cars would
be the front runners to replace them. Whether or not,
that's how it will go.

Speaker 2 (01:38:20):
As to be seen on the grid of Miami et Lando,
Norris is second on the grid, has McLaren team made,
Oscar Pastree fourth? Are the McLaren's still the fastest cars?

Speaker 14 (01:38:34):
Yeah?

Speaker 19 (01:38:34):
Yeah, I'm they're the benchmark. I mean, you know, like
looking at the history of Formula one is you know,
some teams just have a time of dominance, and the
McLaren so far this year have really come into their
four And at the moment, I think it's quite interesting
watching how Norris and Pastry are not, you know, they're

(01:38:55):
not hunting each other off, you know, which I'm finding
really interesting because normally at that level and history. Look
at some of the battles between teammates and championship when
Formula One teams, there's always argie bargi. There's always sort
of just gonna punt each other off and drive into everything.
And I think, I don't know how Zach Brown is
doing it, but he's managing those two young guys extraordinarily well.

(01:39:19):
And I think either one of those guys, well, they'll
win the Manufacturer's Championship without without a doubt. This year
be interesting to see who wins the Driver's Championship though.

Speaker 2 (01:39:28):
All right, a prediction from you both to finish. Liam
Lawson starts fifteenth on the grid, Alex, I got to
you first, what's a good finish and where do you
think he'll finish?

Speaker 22 (01:39:38):
I think anything and from tenth upwards would be a
great finish. I mean, I'll nail my cards for the
master there and think with a better weather and a
bit of a clever strategy, he'll get tenth, tenth.

Speaker 2 (01:39:49):
There You go? All right? Et for you?

Speaker 20 (01:39:51):
Yeah, pretty similar.

Speaker 19 (01:39:52):
I reckon ninth or tenth if they get the strategy
right for him, because sometimes racing bills haven't quite got
the strategy right with Liam you know, they've rolled the
dice a couple of times in it and it hasn't worked.
So I hope hopefully if the weather plays into the
strategy and they roll the dice and you know double

(01:40:12):
six comes up, I reckon he could easily get into
the points.

Speaker 2 (01:40:16):
All right, A friendly time to watch the race. I
think about eight o'clock tomorrow morning it gets under waste,
so breakfast time formula one. Eric Thompson, Alex Powell, thank
you so much for both or both of you for
joining us and lending us your expertise.

Speaker 19 (01:40:28):
Cheers bo boys A please your pony.

Speaker 2 (01:40:29):
Good on you guys. Eric Thompson and Alex Powell read
them both at inzidherld dot co dot NZ. It is
two twenty four year racetime. Eight o'clock tomorrow morning is
when they'll go, Liam Lawson, we'll start from fifteenth on
the grid and' sap we can make our way through
the field. Let's say for a bit of rain from
what the boys for saying, that might help them, and
who knows those first points might be in the offing
in Miami tomorrow morning around breakfast time New Zealand time

(01:40:53):
to twenty four Let's take a break then with a
head off to the UK. The World Snooker Championship is on.
One game to go, one match to go the final?
How's it going to shape up? We'll get you across
to the UK right after this.

Speaker 1 (01:41:06):
You be the TMO. Have your say on eight hundred
and eighty ten eighty Weekend Sport with Jason him and GJ. Gardnerholmes,
New Zealand's most trusted home builder, News Talks B.

Speaker 2 (01:41:17):
Two twenty seven on News Talks AB and Weekend Sport
before three will get you to Dunedin where this afternoon
Round twelve of Super Abi Pacific has its conclusion. Pretty
important match Highlanders against Mowana pacifica a rare Sunday afternoon game.
Paul Allison, Paul Miller and Mark Ramby have to call
for you from three thirty five on Gold Sport and iHeartRadio.
We'll preview it with Paul Allison before three o'clock. But

(01:41:40):
to the UK where we've got our finalists at the
World Snooker Championship. Welshman and three time former champion Mark
Williams and twenty nineteen champion and world number one Englishman
Judd Trump played out an epic semi final this morning,
with Williams eventually winning seventeen frames to fourteen. Because many
photographs as your wanders all.

Speaker 4 (01:42:06):
Another, Sam said, remarkable, he would be tearing on top
of the world.

Speaker 13 (01:42:22):
Us Jeff to see judge conduct the lection Mike Williams
because he was just bostanding the world number one.

Speaker 16 (01:42:31):
Couldn't do much about this.

Speaker 2 (01:42:34):
We have to play Mike Williams, as Robert manstin. There
you go, Mark Williams into the final where he will
face Chinese player Jao Hintong after he beat Ronnie O'Sullivan
seventeen frames to seven with a session to spare in
their semi final. Let's welcome back to news Talks Ed B.
Michael Day, chief snooker writer for Totally Snooker. Michael, thanks

(01:42:57):
for joining us for a second weekend in a row.
Let's start with the semifinal between Williams and Trump. Tell
us about the swings and the roundabouts of what looked
like an epic semi final between these two.

Speaker 15 (01:43:10):
Yeah, thanks for having me back on Jason. Yeah, it
was quite a remarkable semifinal.

Speaker 11 (01:43:14):
Really.

Speaker 15 (01:43:15):
Going into the match, Trump hold a quite a significant
headshead advantage over Williams from their previous encounters, and Trump
earlier on in the season beat Williams ten nine on
the final black in the Saudi Arabia Masters Final, so
there's quite a bit of history between the two. Judd
took an early lead in the match. He won the
first session five to three, extended lead to seventh three,

(01:43:35):
so had a four frame buffer. But then Williams was
really strong in the second. The back end of the
second session he won five at the last six frames
to the level up at eight all. He then took
an advantage in the third session. He ended the session
I think it was thirteen eleven up, managed to then
extend that buffer to fifteen eleven, got it to sixteen twelve.
She was on the hill and a little bit of

(01:43:57):
a blip. Trump come back he won two frames, but
Williams finished in style with a break of one hundred
and twenty three to win seventeen fourteen. And it really
was a fantastic match.

Speaker 2 (01:44:07):
Tell us about Williams fifty years old now, so hope
for us older guard Michael not putting you onto their
brecket of course, but I mean that's quite old, isn't it.
For a world Championship finalist.

Speaker 15 (01:44:24):
He is the oldest crucible finist of all time, so
he's already made history. Of course, if he was to
win the event, he would be the oldest world champion
of all time. Currently Ronnie O'Sullivan holds that record. Ronnie
was forty six I think when he won the tournament
in twenty twenty two, three years ago. So Williams would
completely smash that record. If he was to win the

(01:44:45):
final as well, he'd be the oldest ranking event champion
in professional snuker history as well. And it's a few
sort of poetic examples for the final. I mean, if
Williams was to become the oldest ranking event champion, he
would overtake Ray Riardon's records, so obviously a fellow Welshman
who passed away several months ago. So if Williams was
to beat all these records, you know, it does seem

(01:45:08):
very apt that he sort of does this now. But
Williams is a bit like a fine wine really. He's
already come into the event as the world number six,
so he's right at the top echelons of the sports
still and he's just going to go even further. Reaching
the final regardless of what happens.

Speaker 2 (01:45:23):
Did I read a piece you write that talked about
his ongoing concerns with eyesight issues. He's clearly overcome those.

Speaker 15 (01:45:33):
Yeah, it's very bizarre because coming into the event, nobody
was talking about Mark sort of being a contender for
the title. The event before the World Championship was a
Tour Championship. He lost first round ten to three to
Dingen WII, and he'd been talking about is sight issue,
saying that he'd been seen like four balls at a time,
sort of bird vision, And he actually said that, you know,

(01:45:55):
whoever qualified with the crucill will be hoping to draw
him in the first round. So I don't doubt that
he's got ies sight issues, but perhaps there's an element
of kidology in that. I mean, you know, he's certainly
blamed very well for someone who's seen four balls at
a time exce. Actually, I understand that he's got an
appointment in June to talk about like laser eye surgery,

(01:46:19):
and in his postmatch interview tonight, he's been talking about
whether or not to cancel that because he doesn't seem
to be doing too badly as it is, So we'll.

Speaker 2 (01:46:26):
See what happens. To with the summer, all right, So
he's into the final Mark Williams and he will face
Jiao Shintong, who beat Ronnie O'Sullivan seventeen to seven with
a session to spare in the first seam. He want
to talk a bit about Ronnie O'Sullivan in a moment,
but Jao shin Tong tell us a bit about him.

Speaker 15 (01:46:46):
Incredible story. Incredible story. Now, now, Jiao was he's been
around for several years. He's been part of this convey
about of young Chinese talent. He actually his big breakthrough
was winning the UK Championship in twenty twenty one. He
beat Luca Brissell in the final. He then won a
ranking events soon after that. UK Championship is the second

(01:47:08):
biggest event on the circuit by the way, so that
was a really big tour for him to win. But
he was part of the match fixing scandal that rocked
the sport back in twenty twenty three. Didn't actually fix
matches in south but he was involved with players who did.
So he served the ban, a two year ban through
sort of like sort of like guilty admission and early

(01:47:31):
please and things like that. So he's actually come back
to the circuit. Back in September, he played on the
Amateur Tour. He's won his tour card back, but that
actually doesn't activate until next season, so he's actually competing
in this event as an invited amateur, which is quite
remarkable to think that someone without a TORK card can
get to the final, but quite incredible story. He's actually

(01:47:51):
coming through the very first qualifying round, so even before
the TV cameras at the Crucibil, he's won four qualifiers
and to be honest, he's been comfortable in pretty much
all his games, even against Ronnie. Incredible story. Only the
second Chinese player ever to reach the final, and he's
got every chance of lifting the trophy over the next
couple of days.

Speaker 2 (01:48:11):
I was watching a large part of the semi final
against Rodnego, O'Sullivan and Jaoshin Tong. It sounds like a
silly thing to say, Michael, but he's just such a
lovely player to watch, isn't he. Just the way he
moves around the table, the way he plays as has shot.
He's a really quite esthetically pleasing snooker player, isn't he?

Speaker 9 (01:48:31):
He?

Speaker 20 (01:48:31):
Certainly is.

Speaker 15 (01:48:32):
He definitely falls in the bracket of a naturally gifted player.
He makes the game look so simple. He's a fairly
sort of pacy player as well. He plays aggressive shots,
so it's very you know, I pleasing for the fans.
And of course there is this backstory that he has
been banned, but I think a lot of fans are
very happy to see him back, you know and performing.

(01:48:53):
This is what we've been hoped to, you know, hoping
several years ago when he burst onto the scene. And
this is only the third time he's been at the Crucible.
He'd only won one match out here for I think
was back in twenty twenty two. So incredible run and
as you say, he really is a fantastic player to watch.

Speaker 2 (01:49:11):
A lot of talk about Ronnie O'Sullivan and his I
guess you'd call it a capitulation in this semi final,
but he changed parts.

Speaker 11 (01:49:21):
Of us Q.

Speaker 2 (01:49:21):
Can you tell us about this, Michael.

Speaker 15 (01:49:25):
Yeah, remarkable story, but it's kind of part of the course.
With Ronnie obviously coming to the event. He not played
for three months a tournament start of January, the Championship League.
He deliberately smashed this cup in frustration and left the
event with one match still to play. She's not played
on a circus since then come back to the World
Championship using a new queue, so a completely different brand

(01:49:48):
to what he was using before. He was using the
titanium Farrell. So titanium is quite a new sort of
thing for snooker players that we're seeing a lot of
the top professionals turning over to it. It's a very
different material to brass, which is what the Farrells are
traditionally made of in terms of snooker ques. So Ronnie
had been using that throughout the tournament and Ronnie did

(01:50:09):
get to the semifinals. He played some good stuff in
the balls, but he never really looked comfortable his long game.
His pubil wasn't Ronnie o soulo an esque. And after
the first session of his semi final with Joo, he
took a really sort of drastic action and went to
visit a Q doctor in Sheffield to change the ferul
from titanium to brass, which I know a lot of

(01:50:31):
professionals I know, Neil Robertson was one who he posted
on social media today saying what a crazy decision that was,
and he just sort of come and glued n'tee in
the second sessions out played fantastic. Ronnie struggled and it
was kind of a perfect storm and really that was
the session that did the damage and it was too
big of a mountain to climb for him to beat Shoo.

Speaker 2 (01:50:52):
What does the future hold in for Ronnie O'Sullivan? Is
there any way to predict that?

Speaker 15 (01:50:57):
Michael's you could with Ronnie?

Speaker 2 (01:51:01):
You just don't know.

Speaker 15 (01:51:02):
I mean, all bets are off the table with Ronnie,
he did say. I mean he was very gracious when
he lost the match. I know he's very fond of
show and I believe they practiced together. He did say
afterwards that he'll be back, he'll be stronger next season.
Ronnie loves snooker. I know all the things and rhetoric
and everything he says, Ronnie loves snooker. It will be

(01:51:25):
a big disappointing to him not winning an eighth to
world time because it's the only box he you know,
really would love to tick still and he's done everything
else in the sport. I think he'll be back, but
it's just going to get tougher and tougher for him
because you've got new players coming through. Ronnie throughout the
tournament was really sort of down be about this game.
His performance is saying he just doesn't feel great. And

(01:51:49):
you know, Ronnie does need to feel confident in this
game because he's a perfectionist.

Speaker 20 (01:51:53):
He'll come back.

Speaker 15 (01:51:54):
We see what I mean. Last season, Ronnie won five tournaments.
This season he hasn't even got to one final. So
you know, Ronnie's career is full of ups and downs.
But we'll see Ronnie back, and it wouldn't be a
surprise if we see him lifting the biggest trophies in
the sport again.

Speaker 2 (01:52:09):
All right, let's finish with the final. Jaochintong against Mark Williams.
What's your prediction about how this might play out.

Speaker 15 (01:52:17):
I think this is fascinating. It's the first ever actually
crucible final with two left handers, so there's a little
bit of history there as well. For me, it's a
coin flip, it really is. I think. Obviously you've got
the youth of Jaosing Tong, first ever final, Mark Williams
experience fifty years old, its fifth final. For me, the
early session will be very very interesting Day one. Jaosing

(01:52:41):
Tong has come through the tournament pretty much without much
pressure at all. I mean this first round gave me
one ten to four thirteen ten to thirteen to five,
and he beat Ronnie or seven with a session to spare,
so he's come through really sort of comfortably. Whereas Mark Williams,
he was in the quarter finals against joh Niggins. He
was one ball away from defeat. Let's not forget deciding
framing John Higgins Rattle with the blue so Mark Williams

(01:53:03):
could have been at home days ago. So I think
for Joo the test will be if he goes a
few frames behind to Mark Williams. If he does, the
pressure may be too much and Mark Williams maybe too
wily to let him back in the game. I think
the first d is really important. They play seventeen frames.
I think Joo needs to be in front personally from

(01:53:26):
win match. But I've just got a feeling Williams is
going to do it. I think his name's on the trophy.
What we've seen throughout the tournament, He's been in really
close matches. But as I say, it is a coin flip,
and I just hope it goes all the way seventeen
or and we have an absolute twitch fest and the decider.

Speaker 2 (01:53:43):
Absolutely a fast and adding final and prospect well on
behalf of everybody in their fifties. I would like to
say that I'm behind the Welshman Mark Williams, but I
just can't wait to see how it all plays out. Michael.
Great to get your expertise. Thanks so much for joining
us across New Zealand. We'll look forward to a fast
and adding finally ahead.

Speaker 15 (01:53:59):
Thank you Jason, it's been a pleasure.

Speaker 2 (01:54:01):
Been great to have you on, Michael. Thanks. Indeed there
is Michael Day, chief snooker writer for Total Snookered. So
our twenty twenty five World Snooker Championship final Welshman three
time former champion Mark Williams and Chinese player Jao Shintong
best of thirty five frames, so over a couple of days.
It starts tonight, New Zealand time coming up nineteen away

(01:54:25):
from three. We've got the rare site of Sunday afternoon
Super Rugby today, the Highlanders up against Mowana Pacifica at
Forsyth Bar Stadium in Dunedin. A three point thirty five
kickoff on that one. You can air four commentary on
Gold Sport and iHeartRadio with Paul Allison, Paul Miller and
Mark Ranby will get you to Dunedin shortly. Is this

(01:54:45):
a bit of a lance last chance saloon situation in
particular for the Highlanders, who, if they are going to
be in the top six, really need to get a
riggle on seventeen points currently five points only outside the
top six, but only the three wins in their ten
matches so far, Maea Pacifica a place ahead and knowing

(01:55:05):
that if they win this afternoon they will jump ahead
of the Blues and into the top six with three
games to go. So an enthralling, enticing game and prospect
will preview for you shortly here on Weekend Sport.

Speaker 1 (01:55:19):
It's more than just a game. Weekend Sport It with
Jason Tyne and GJ. Gunnomes, New Zealand's.

Speaker 23 (01:55:26):
Most trusted home builder news Dogs NB two forty five
fifty minutes away from kickoff between the Highlanders and Wana
Pacifica under the roof at forsyde Bar Stadium and Dneed
and Paul Allison, Paul Miller, Mark Ramby have the call
for you on Gold Sport and iHeartRadio.

Speaker 2 (01:55:41):
Paul Allison's got to the ground early to have a
chat to us. How big a game is this? First
of all, Paul for the Highlanders as they try to
cling on to what looked like increasingly slim hopes of
making the six.

Speaker 12 (01:55:52):
Yeah, it's pretty slim, isn't it. Piney Yah, good afternoon.
I'm always here at this time. I'm having to escape
central Otage to get rid of the duck shooting season
that's in full flight down in the Deep South at
the moment. Yeah, it's a really important game for the
Highland on a number of fronts. Yes, to keep their
slim slim playoff hopes alive, but also to get some
confidence back in this side, which, as we know, they

(01:56:14):
always scrap away. They started the season really really well,
got that early loss to the Waratars, which I think
didn't did their chance of somewhat of making the top six.
When we look back on reflection, it was the last
minute points that were scored by the Warratars that got
them across across the line to win that one. And
then the Highlanders came home and beat the Blues and
then beat Moana Pasifica and could have beaten the Hurricanes.

(01:56:34):
There was a bit of controversy in the last couple
of minutes in that match as well, and they could
have started I mean I know it's all about if,
butts and maybes, but they could have started with four
wins and if they had have done that with the
side that they had, I.

Speaker 2 (01:56:45):
Think they would have said a really good platform.

Speaker 12 (01:56:47):
But then they suffered some injuries as well to some
of their real key star attacking outside backs likes of
Joan and Ariki, Caleb Tangatow, Finn Hurley. These guys have
been on the bench in the last few weeks, so
they've had to go deeper into the squad and some
of the replacement players just don't have that same ex
factor to finish off as what they've been in the past.
And then they've lost one of their co captain early
in the season. He's back today in Hugh Renton. So

(01:57:09):
they don't have the depth of other teams in this competition,
so they've had to scrap away. So it's important for
them to get a win to get their confidence back
and maybe just to keep their hopes alive. And then
Mowana Pacifica, on the other hand, they've never actually beaten
the Highlanders, They've beaten just about everybody else. They've beaten
the Warratars, the Brumbies, the Reds, the Force, the Fiji
and Drewer, the Hurricanes a couple of times and the
Crusaders earlier this year. There's only a couple of teams

(01:57:30):
in this whole competition they haven't beaten, which is the Blues,
the Chiefs and the Highlanders, and they would dearly love
to do that in what is going to be really
sunny conditions under the roof here in Dunedin today, So
it's a really interesting prospect. Mohana PACIFICA well, they've never
made the playoffs in their history either. They've had four
wins this year eleven in total in their fourth seasons
that they've been playing Super Rugby, so this is by

(01:57:52):
far and away their best of it. And you already
see the fingerprints that Julian Savia along with Ardie Savia
have had this year. But then they've bought in a
couple of real stars like Sir Patrick Pallegrini who's just
made a real impact although he's on the bench today.
And also you look at someone likes of Kieren Tomoflau
on the left wing, only twenty one years of age,
so they've got some.

Speaker 2 (01:58:12):
Star power as well.

Speaker 12 (01:58:13):
But to answer your question, it's taken me a long time.
It's a really important one for the Hardlers today all.

Speaker 2 (01:58:18):
Right, can ask you about a couple of players. One
is Fabian Holland. There's been a lot of talk about
this kid for a while locking the scrum for the Highlanders.
He's played pretty much every match, in fact, started ten
of the eleven and will again today. What have you
made of his trajectory and do you think he'll be
in All Black sometime soon?

Speaker 12 (01:58:33):
Yeah, I don't think there's too much doubt if he
can stay injury free. He's got all the trappings, all
the skills and you know, all the pedigree to be
able to do that. He's come to New Zealand at
age sixteen just to play rugby from Holland went to
christ Church Boys High and now he's played thirty games
for the Hardlers at the tender age of twenty two.
And I think he would have been locked out earlier

(01:58:53):
if eligibility rules had have been able to see him
in consideration for selection. So I don't think he's too
far away.

Speaker 2 (01:59:00):
He's a really good worker.

Speaker 12 (01:59:01):
He made that All Black fifteen at the end of
last year, made the New Zealand Under twenties back in
twenty twenty one and he's been playing first class rugby
and New Zealand since that time as well. So he
is someone who I think we could see a lot
more of in the Black Jersey once he gets selected.
How far away is it, I'd say it's either this
year or next year.

Speaker 2 (01:59:19):
All right. And the other one I want to ask
about is Timothy Tavatava Nawai, who's one of only two
players that I can find New Zealand based players who
started every single game of the season. Rico Yowani at
the Blues is the other one. He started mainly at
second five, although he has been shuffled out to the wing,
both wings. Actually on occasion, second five is his best position,
isn't it.

Speaker 12 (01:59:40):
Look he's the sort of guy that can do things
on a rugby paddock that a lot of players can't.
And I remember speaking to Ben Smith at the end
of last year, who's one of the assistant coaches for
the Highlanders, and he said to me exactly that. He said,
he's the sort of guy that can do things that
other players can't, particularly at round the breakdown and the turnover.
He's got that low body position. He's very strong, he
busts the tackles, certainly in the Highlanders. I think his

(02:00:03):
best position is the number twelve and you're dead right.
He's been there every game this year, apart from the
Reds where he started on the left wing, and then
last week against the Crusaders where he's on the right wing.
And that's probably been a reflection also of the lack
of midfielders that the Harden has had. Because he is
a player, you get him into the action given the ball,
he is very very powerful, He's very very strong. He's
also very good out wide as well, so in an

(02:00:25):
all Black side. If you were looking to consider him
as a member of a squad somewhere, well, he'd have
to be a consideration for one of those bench players
that's got that versatility that can play midfield or outside backs.
I mean he's come down after playing for the Minor Pacificate.
He had twenty games for them and scored seven tries
and now he's made his home in the Deep South

(02:00:45):
and he's been given the responsibility of co captain this
year and with Hugh Renton out he's had to shoulder
most of that captaincy ability right throughout the season and
as you say, he's been out there for eighty minutes
in each game, and you just wonder whether or not
he's really looking forward to a break because the Hidlens
get one next week and they'll need one with what
they've got coming up in the final three weeks for them,
because they've got Hurricay Crusaders away and then the Chiefs

(02:01:09):
at home. Moana pacifica not much easier. They've got the
Blues at home and then the Chiefs and Hurricanes away,
So it's a very very difficult back end for both
of these two teams in Super Rugby Pacific.

Speaker 2 (02:01:20):
All right, Paul, just to finish, how do you see
it playing out this afternoon? And when for a t
when for a try fairs? Are we forty five thirty
seven here or something like that?

Speaker 12 (02:01:27):
Well, I look at the scores over the period of
time that these two teams have played each other. They've
played each other five times, and the lowest score the
Haardlers have had is twenty eight points and the Mowanna
Pacific has always had seventeen. So I reckon we might
be ahead of twenty eight and a head of seventeen,
So I'm going to go more than a fifty point
match in total scored here today. The conditions as we

(02:01:50):
know are always great, but with the sun shining and
it's a rare opportunity first time. First time this season
the Highlanders at home have had a new Zealand referee,
Paul Williams. I mean they've had to sort of adapt
to the Australian refs at home. Well, yeah, so that's
an interesting little stat. Now considering the be at home
for what is their sixth game.

Speaker 2 (02:02:09):
Well, I hope it is a fifty pointer plus. Fore
you to call, Paul, look forward to you and your
two co commentator's former all backs Porm Miller and Mark
Ramby bringing us the call. Thanks for joining us on
weekend sport call well this afternoon.

Speaker 12 (02:02:21):
Thanks baronet. You enjoy your weekend what's left of it
and I'll send the duck up to you if you
need one.

Speaker 2 (02:02:26):
Okay, well, don't make it a priority, Paul. Thanks mate.
Paul Ellison there your lead commentator on Goldsport and iHeartRadio
three thirty five. This afternoon hear him alongside Paul Miller
and Mark Ramby as the Highlanders take on One in Pacifica,
the final match of Round twelve of Super Rugby Pacific
eight Away from three News Talks, heb.

Speaker 1 (02:02:46):
The scoop from the track, fields and and the court
on your home of Sorts Weekend Sport with Jason vine.

Speaker 2 (02:02:52):
Us Talks B five to three. Final word today comes
on email from Glenn Hi, Jason Luke Metcalf. Unfair to
single out anyone, but this was a performance where one
player to find the team's performance. They've gone from being
a hard watch to a must watch. And then there
was the crowd as near as a Premier League atmosphere
as you can get the scenes at the end of

(02:03:13):
the game. What sport is all about. And no team
in the NRL has more passionate and devoted fans than
the Warriors. This is our year. Thanks indeed, Glenn good
way to finish the show. Thank you for listening in
this afternoon. Thank you for contributing if that's what you
chose to do. Huge thanks to Annie McDonald for producing
the show. We are back tomorrow night on Sports Talk

(02:03:34):
to beverage with you after three o'clock with the Weekend
Collective taking us out today. Well, it's New Zealand Music Month,
so I get the felling Andy and I will choose
mainly New Zealand songs as our exit songs over the
month of May. That's certainly what I've done today. Shehad
is where I've landed for no real reason other than
I like the song a lot. It's called One will

(02:03:55):
Hear the Other. Hope you enjoyed the last minute or
so of it. We'll see tomorrow night five.

Speaker 20 (02:03:59):
An out.

Speaker 1 (02:04:43):
For more from Weekends Sport with Jason Fine. Listen live
to news talks it Be Weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.

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