Full Show Podcast: 05 September 2026

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport Podcast with Jason Pine
from Newstalk ZB.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
The only place.

Speaker 1 (00:15):
For the big names, the big issues, the big controversies
and the big conversations. It's all on Weekend Sport with
Jason Pine and the Volkswagen Amarok V6 on Newstalk ZB,
your home of sport.

Speaker 3 (00:30):
Hi there, Kia ora, good afternoon. Welcome in. This is
Weekend Sport on Newstalk ZB for Saturday, September 5th. Happy
73rd birthday to legendary All Blacks number eight Murray Meckstead.
Happy 48th to one of our best ever lock forwards,
Chris Jack. I'm Jason Pines, show producer Andy McDonald. We
are here until three. Just a word on what is

(00:50):
on the show after one. I'm sure you've picked up
on this this morning. Sky facing criticism today after they
interrupted one of the most poignant sporting moments of the
year last night with commercials. Coverage of the NRL game
between the Rabbitohs and the Roosters last night cut to
ads just as Jai Arrow, whose battle with MND has
made global headlines, was walking out for his 100th and

(01:12):
final game for the Rabbitohs. And when coverage returned, he
was out on the field. A decent chunk of that
walkout was missed. How did it happen? Gary Burchett is
head of sport content at Sky. He is on the
show after one o'clock to explain what happened. Rugby's greatest rivalry, delicately, tantalisingly,

(01:33):
beautifully poised. One test each. The third test tomorrow morning
in Soweto. Full commentary from three here on Newstalk ZB.
Springboks legend Nass Borta. Leads us off today. Former All
Blacks halfback Justin Marshall is on the show. Plenty of
time for your calls as well. Lines open immediately actually
on the All Blacks and we'll get you inside the
Black Ferns camp as they prepare for their historic first

(01:56):
ever meeting with the Springbok women on South African soil.
And of course we haven't forgotten the Warriors. 24th and
final regular season game for the Warriors this season. This
afternoon they take on the Sea Eagles from five at
Go Media. Club legend. Clinton Torpey is with us after too. Man,
he was some player for the Warriors. Up there with

(02:19):
the best centres in the world in the early 2000s.
He's on the show and we'll take some calls on
the Warriors too. You can get in touch with us
at any time. There's a whole heap of live sport
to cover off as well. I'm not going to go
through it now, but we will keep you up to
date with NPC, Farah Palmer Cup, Heartland Championship, the Warriors
Women and the domestic football finals in Christchurch.

Speaker 4 (02:39):
All of that.

Speaker 3 (02:41):
To come but call the show whenever you like 0800
8010 80 get you through on the phone 9292 for
your text messages jason at newstalkzb.co.nz for your emails coming
up 10 past midday the.

Speaker 1 (02:52):
Scoreboard only tells half the story piney tells the rest
weekend sport with jason pine and the volkswagen amarok v6
uncompromised capability premium comfort newstalkzb.

Speaker 3 (03:05):
Few people understand the rugby relationship between South Africa and
New Zealand quite like our lead-off guest today.

Speaker 5 (03:12):
So they are going to try for the steamroller.

Speaker 3 (03:26):
It's Borta, no running wide and threw it under the bar.
Nice Borta.

Speaker 6 (03:31):
Looking for support. He's got it from Henny Becker. Just
10 metres out.

Speaker 4 (03:35):
Down and up.

Speaker 6 (03:35):
The referee was involved. It's back for the drop kick
from Borta. And that's the first points on the board
and Borta has done it again.

Speaker 3 (03:43):
Nass Borta, one of the truly great Springbok fly halves.
He earned 28 test caps for South Africa, captained Northern
Transvaal for more than a decade and was at the
heart of some extraordinary moments in the history of this rivalry.
He was there. for the deeply controversial 1981 Springbok Tour
of New Zealand when rugby became the centre of a

(04:05):
much wider political and social confrontation. Five years later, he
played against the New Zealand Cavaliers when the unofficial All
Blacks side toured South Africa. And then in 1992, he
was part of the Springbok team that returned to official
international rugby and played against the All Blacks at Alice Park.
Now more than three decades later, South Africa and New

(04:26):
Zealand once again locked in one of the great test series,
one apiece. heading into tomorrow morning's third test in Soweto.
Nas Porter joins us from his home in the United States. Nas,
great to get the chance to chat to you. Let's
start with the present before we look back on your
career and your clashes with the All Blacks. South Africa
and New Zealand locked at one test each. How have

(04:49):
you been viewing this series after the first two tests?
And what are your thoughts about where the third test
might be won or lost?

Speaker 7 (04:57):
To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised with the first two.
I thought New Zealand really played according to their strengths,
playing it through their hands quite wide in the first
one and put South Africa for once under pressure because
you could see in the last 15 minutes it was

(05:17):
a different Springbok side. I think they struggled a little bit.
But then the second test, I thought that New Zealand
might go in with, let's say, the same mentality. And
then suddenly, the first half, they were trying to play
a kicking game that I didn't really understand. It was
more giving ball away instead of being very tactical and

(05:41):
use that to their advantage by putting the spring box
under pressure again. I never got that feeling. And then
in the last 15 minutes, they actually got it together again.
They scored some very nice tries. But I thought at
one stage, they not... they're not going to get close
enough to actually sneak that second one. And I think

(06:05):
after two, we're sitting in a pretty situation where we've
seen some of New Zealand's brilliance. We've seen the first
half of the second test in Africa really playing, I think,
very controlled rugby, making less mistakes than in the first one.

(06:25):
And now we're looking at the third one, But there's
only one question that I still raise is, is the
Type 5 of New Zealand strong enough to just match
South Africa up front? Because you've heard and I've heard, okay?
And we're going a little bit beyond speculation. You know

(06:48):
and I know that's quite dangerous, okay? And I don't
like to do that. And we're not in the inner
circles to see how that train works what they plan,
how players' performance. We don't know that. We're on the outside.
And I think we're looking for a serious third test

(07:08):
because it's like two boxes. I think the first six
rounds is done now. Now somebody needs to go for
the knockout now because if you can get the edge now,
coming to Baltimore is going to be you need to
catch up. or you're going to lose.

Speaker 3 (07:26):
Well, let's continue with that boxing analogy then, Nars. Who
has the capacity more so of these two sides to
land those blows in this third test that will give
them the advantage?

Speaker 7 (07:38):
Okay, let's stick to New Zealand first, okay? Saying that
you've got a black jersey, so we'll stick to that.
I believe they shouldn't deviate too much of what they
did in the first test. That was really well played
by New Zealand. Forget that South Africa dominated a little

(08:00):
bit in the phases. The way they played, they played
the ball so quickly away from the contact point that
you could see, even with the South African rush defence,
they sort of outsmarted. I don't know if you can
recall in the last 10 minutes, even in the second test,
they created their own space by playing a lot deeper defensively.

(08:22):
They had the first line of attackers and then they
had quite a deep second line of defence. And as
soon as they felt the pressure on the first line,
they sort of played it quite deep. And I always say,
if you feel pressure, just create your own space for
a fly-off. If you feel the guys in your face
the whole time, just go a yard deeper. That's as

(08:45):
simple as that. Instead of trying to take people on,
trying to play the rash part. So I don't think
New Zealand needs to I deviate too much of the
first test mentality, the way that I played it. Played
exceptional hand skills. I love that. But we always know
that that is one thing New Zealand can do. In

(09:08):
the last two years, there were a number of question marks.
And I'm going to take you through that because that's
bringing me closer to my answer is that How many
times in the last two years, and you can't put
that blame on the coaching, okay, is how many times
did your forwards knock the ball on? Just from a
scrum off, passing to a forward, he just knocked it on.

(09:31):
Then in the contact situation, he just lost the ball.
The 50-50 passes never stuck. Now the question is, was
the 50-50 pass on or wasn't it on? So now suddenly,
I think Dave Rennie did something He put a lot
of discipline. And discipline doesn't mean fighting. Forget that. Discipline

(09:53):
means if the right pass is on, you do the
right pass. And I think that's the big difference for
me from what we've seen in the last two years.
And suddenly, because if you think you only had July.
he only had July to figure things out and he
really had a great first test against South Africa and

(10:13):
I thought if New Zealand played a little bit different
in the first half, in the second test it might
have been a different ball game But as you know
and I know, under pressure, you make some silly decision-making.
And I think that cost him. Now, let's go to
the box now. The box believe they've got the back
of forwards. They can scrum well. But the thing is,

(10:37):
where the box need to adapt a little bit, it's
fine to scrum the guy. And I think we've also
realised with the referee, but saying, if the ball is
at the feet of the number eight, you play. Even
if it's going down in the front, you play. And
I actually like that. Yes, it's maybe not to the
advantage of the dominant scrum, but I actually like that

(10:59):
because the ball is out. And let's be honest, at
a lower level, scrums is actually quite a dangerous contact point.
That's why I always say, if a scrum feels pressure,
if a player feels pressure, break up. Because there's nothing
really that can happen if you break up. But they

(11:20):
tend to penalise that more than going down we're going
down in the scrum and it's quite dangerous for me
so I always feel the safer way is going up
okay but okay so we've seen so the question now
is are the box going to be allowed to be
dominant in the scrum because if the ball is at

(11:44):
the number 8 speed and the ref said let's play
then it doesn't help if you scrum if the front
throws down where you're actually going. And we saw also
in the first test, I didn't see too much about
the midfield of South Africa. They played all well. Let's
be fair, both teams were two internationals. Nobody really played badly.

Speaker 2 (12:08):
Nobody.

Speaker 7 (12:08):
But I didn't feel our midfield did a great job
in the first test. In the second test, It was
a new dynamic. They really played well. D'Alende and Krill,
they really played. But that's the direct game. That's the
way we play. You guys don't play the direct game.
Jordy Barrett, he likes the contact. He doesn't shy away.

(12:32):
But the hands is actually more the thing. With the
rush defence, if you get it wider, then there's definitely
space on the outside. The thing that I felt is,
In the second test, New Zealand thought by breaking the
advantage line, let's use the grubber. But the grubber means
it's a one-two bounce up in your own hands and

(12:54):
you keep playing. Those grubbers were like 10, 15 metres. Now,
that's not a grubber. That's not a ball that you
can retain.

Speaker 3 (13:01):
Amazing piece of analysis there, Nas. In your latest drop-in
podcast episode, you addressed the late changes that Rassi Erasmus
made to his side in the second test. There was
the change he made the day before the game and
then the front row change he made an hour before kick-off.
You made the point that you're okay with it. It's
inside the rules. Can you just expand on your thinking

(13:23):
with regard to Rassi's tactics in that sense?

Speaker 7 (13:27):
Okay, let's say we play the two coaches. You're coaching
the All Blacks, I'm coaching the Springboks. Does it really
help me to know who's playing on the weekend? We've
seen these guys. We've got guys analysing every single player
in detail. The guy that I saw in July for

(13:49):
the first time, because I'm missing a little bit of
Super Rugby, Ruben Laufer, I think he's absolutely fantastic. He's
really a great flyer. Roy Gard, we know. He's just
a great scrummer. So your halfbacks... that I felt was
a problem in the last two years because they couldn't
decide who's the better tech. Now you've got two great techs.

(14:12):
We've got three, but you've got two, okay? But I mean,
in two countries, we've got five great flyers, you know? Well,
I think we need to feel good about it. So
that's where, can you really analyze? I always say, let's
take a line out. Doesn't matter if you know the course.

(14:32):
It doesn't matter if you know the course. If I
throw it correctly and my guy jumps, you're never going
to get to the ball. Let's be fair now. If
you scrum well and I scrum well and the scrum
is going straight, not walking around, just going straight, then

(14:54):
that's the only aspect in rugby where you can actually
bully me because you're stronger than me. That's the only one. See,
if you take, let's say a ruck situation or whatever, okay?
You can't bully me unless you're not part of the ruck.
You run in from the back and hit me with
the shoulder. That's not bullying. That's playing outside the laws.

(15:20):
I'm not too fond of that, okay? So where's the
only situation? A fantastic tackle. We actually lost Joachim Janssen
during the week, okay? And if you can recall the
tackle on Wayne Cottrell, that was one heavy tackle. See,

(15:40):
that's a situation. But that's a one-on-one situation how many
times in a game. Maybe once, twice, maximum four or
five times where one tackle can actually dominate a player.
But the scrum is the only thing. So, South Africa
needs to be very careful and they need to read
the ref very quickly. how he's going to handle it.

(16:02):
If they feel, okay, he's not going to allow them
to keep scrumming, then just put the pressure on and
get wide. And don't keep scrumming because then your loose
forwards stay tight and the All Blacks with their hands
is going to beat us on the outside.

Speaker 3 (16:18):
What is it about this rivalry, Nas, over here in
New Zealand, it's all anybody is talking about. I'm sure
it's the same in South Africa. What is it about
this rivalry between the Springboks and the All Blacks that
gets our blood pumping so much?

Speaker 7 (16:34):
I believe it's, you guys feel it's like a religion, okay?
I need to be extremely careful how I'm going to
to let this come out, okay? If you take New Zealand,
fantastic country, small country. How many ships? What's it, 30 million, whatever?

(17:01):
I don't know, okay? Luckily, no snakes. That's the one
thing I loved about New Zealand. There's no snakes, okay?
What else? Give me what else are you giving the world?
You're giving him the All Blacks.

Speaker 4 (17:17):
Rugby, yes, rugby.

Speaker 7 (17:18):
Yes, you're giving them netball, you're giving them cricket, but
what are you actually giving the world that every news
broadcaster can talk about? The All Blacks, okay? Now, South Africa,
they're in a difficult situation at the moment. You know,
there's a little bit of a political turmoil. There's that

(17:40):
jobs is not really all that great and, and, and, and.
So what do people have? They have the Springbok. And
I think, you know, apart from starting in 1921, again,
it's only a rumour that I was there. I wasn't there, okay?
It's only a rumour, okay? But if you take 1921

(18:02):
and then, as I said on a couple of occasions,
it's quite nice to say I played curtain races for
the 70 All Blacks as an under-13 provincial rugby player.
Then as an under-20 player, I played curtain raisers for
Andy Leslie. And you know, I don't know if you know,

(18:24):
Andy Leslie was also your softball captain. I played against
him that November in 1976 for my province.

Speaker 4 (18:32):
Okay.

Speaker 7 (18:33):
And then I played him. Okay. And you don't want
to talk about this one, the Cavaliers.

Speaker 4 (18:37):
Okay.

Speaker 8 (18:38):
I know.

Speaker 7 (18:38):
But we made sure that you won the World Cup
in 87 by preparing your team to the fullest.

Speaker 9 (18:44):
Okay.

Speaker 7 (18:46):
I know you guys don't want to hear it, but
it's true. Because what happened in France in the end
of 86? Lost both. Who got reinstated?

Speaker 4 (18:56):
Everyone.

Speaker 7 (18:58):
So let's leave that there. And then I was extremely
fortunate to play against them in 92. And we all talk,
and I know this is a little bit tongue-in-cheek, we
all talk about Japan beating South Africa as the biggest
upset ever. We were that close, that close. We lost

(19:19):
the ball going over the line in 92 to upset
the All Blacks. That, according to me, would have been
the biggest shock in world rugby history.

Speaker 3 (19:31):
Oh, Nass, what a delight to chat to you. Just
before you go, I know you're based in the US now. Baltimore,
I think it's a two and a half hour flight
or thereabouts from where you are in Kansas. Are you
going to be in Baltimore next weekend for the fourth test?

Speaker 7 (19:47):
Yeah, we're going to. There's a number of South Africans
that will go. So we're looking forward to that. But
it depends. on the third test because the last one
is now so important. It's either going to be a
draw unless we have a draw on Saturday. Imagine that one.

(20:10):
Imagine that one. then everything is on Baltimore. So whoever wins,
the other one needs to make sure they win. So
it's a 2-2. If there's a draw, then that is
the ultimate, okay? Because somebody needs to take a win here.
So I'm just very fortunate that we're going to be

(20:35):
part of this big occasion. And you spoke about the rivalries.
As I said, from 1921. Any South African. I was
actually a little bit more into baseball than rugby.

Speaker 2 (20:48):
Okay.

Speaker 7 (20:49):
But when I got really into rugby as such, I
had two things that I would have loved to. Okay.
Is to play the British and Irish Lions. I was
fortunate enough to do that in 1980. And then tour
New Zealand in New Zealand. Because I think if there's
two countries you would love to tour, it's As a player.

(21:11):
New Zealand is the one. And I think South Africa
is the other one. Seriously, I think those two countries,
you just love touring. France is totally a different experience.
Europe or the four nations, totally a different experience. But
I think those two countries. And then just a final
word on announcing the team. Any international player should be

(21:37):
good enough that even if they make 15 chances before
the kick-off, they should be able to adapt and play
whoever is on the other side.

Speaker 3 (21:47):
Nass, you've given us unbelievable analysis today. You're fondly remembered
here in New Zealand. I was at Athletic Park in 1981, actually,
when you scored 20 points as the Springboks beat the
All Blacks 24-12 that day. Thank you so much for
joining us across New Zealand. Enjoy the third test and
the fourth test in Baltimore where you'll be present. Thanks

(22:09):
again for your time this afternoon.

Speaker 7 (22:11):
You're more than welcome.

Speaker 3 (22:12):
Thanks, Nass. Nass, Borta there, the one and only.

Speaker 4 (22:15):
Jeepers.

Speaker 3 (22:16):
What about some of the analysis he had there? Lines
open on the All Blacks, 0800 80 10 80. Make
no mistake, this is the series decider. I know there's
a fourth test next weekend. We just talked about it.
It's in Baltimore, but it's always felt like an add-on,
a commercial add-on, the fourth test. It's a neutral venue. It's,

(22:41):
as I say, it just has always felt like an extra.
Whoever wins tomorrow morning, will have won two of the
three test matches in South Africa and I think can
say we have won the series, the South African segment
of it anyway. I know the trophy will go to
Baltimore and if it's two all after the fourth test,

(23:03):
they'll split it in half and take a half each.
But if the All Blacks win tomorrow morning, I think
this 24 hours from now, we're talking about a series
win in South Africa. just as we would have been
in 1996. Keys for the All Blacks. Start better. In

(23:25):
both tests so far, they have been second best from
the opening whistle. It didn't matter too much in the
first test, but it was obvious in that game that
South Africa came out better. Last weekend, the ABs were
behind 7-0 after three minutes. They never led the game.
In fact, of five tests so far under Dave Rennie,

(23:46):
The All Blacks have only scored the first points once.
Just the once. That was against Ireland at Eden Park.
So starting better has to be a bit of a
work on. Use altitude to your advantage, I would say.
The All Blacks are fitter than the Springboks. That's become obvious.
And when they met at altitude in the first test,

(24:07):
it was the All Blacks who finished much stronger. Run
them around. Thankfully, running the opposition around is part of
the All Blacks' game plan. They want to get the
ball wide. They want to play with optimism. And that'll
work at altitude. I honestly believe playing at altitude suits

(24:27):
the All Blacks more than the Springboks. Got to be
good at set-piece time. In the first test, the scrum
under major pressure. Last weekend, it was the line-out. Hopefully...
with the benefit of those two test matches under their
collective belts, both will function well tomorrow. Massive test match
for Asafo Amoa. The chance to start a test for

(24:51):
the first time this season and just his seventh start
in 29 test matches. He has the chance to bring
that power game of his, that undisputed power that he has,
into the game from the start. It's a big call
from Dave Rooney, a really big call To leave Cody
Taylor out, this test centurion, this tremendously experienced front row forward,

(25:16):
not only out of the starting side, but out of
the 23 altogether. Big call. But it is a chance
for Asaf Wamua to stake his claim for that number
two jersey. He starts for the Hurricanes. He's been used
largely as an impact player for the All Blacks. I
think today or tomorrow morning is a massive chance. for Asafo-Wamua.

(25:41):
We can win this game. We can absolutely win this game.
Combine the best parts from the first two test matches
and we can absolutely win it. They'll be good too.
Of course they will. But it is not beyond the
realms of possibility that the All Blacks win this test
series tomorrow morning at Soweto. And if you want to

(26:06):
call it a four test series, then they by winning tomorrow,
deny South Africa the chance to win the series. Lines
open 0800 80 1080. We're not talking All Blacks for
that long today. We'll have a good dissection of the
game tomorrow after it's played out, of course. But if
you want to talk All Blacks, you got till one o'clock, really.
0800 80 1080, 27 to one. Back with your calls

(26:27):
after this.

Speaker 1 (26:28):
Big calls, big moments. Weekend Sport with Jason Pine and
the Volkswagen Amarok V6. On sale now.

Speaker 4 (26:35):
Newstalk ZB.

Speaker 3 (26:36):
12.36 here on Newstalk ZB as we count down towards
test number three tomorrow morning, Soweto. Ten past three is
kick-off time, our build-up from around 2.45 with Elliot Smith
and Gregor Paul in Soweto. Fiona on email, Jason, apparently
we're going to win 17-0. Well, that's according to a
dream I had last night, says Fiona. She goes on

(27:00):
to say, my 72-year-old husband was playing for the All
Blacks and he was on line-out duty. and we were sorted.
So there you go. You heard it here first. Thank you, Fiona. Look,
dreams can be the precursor to actual events. 17-0, you say.
I'm going to keep your email, and we can refer
back to it tomorrow. Hello, Dave.

Speaker 10 (27:18):
Oh, yeah, look, we've got a perfect record, 2-2. We've
just got to kick to the corner and throw to
number two in the line-out, at the front of the line-out,
and you'll get the ball back easily and kick to
the corner because the ball, as you said, travels a lot.

Speaker 11 (27:35):
Further in the lineup and run them record because they'll
gasp for air. They were running short of air, especially there.
And their record is, their all-back record is perfect there.
And you've got two good referees. You've got Angus Gardner
on the sideline and you've got the Georgia referee. So
they won't be taking away any funny business in the

(27:56):
scrum with Angus Gardner on the sideline.

Speaker 2 (27:59):
So they're trying.

Speaker 10 (27:59):
And they will have a word to the referees on this.

Speaker 3 (28:04):
Yeah, a lot of positive points there, Dave. A lot
of positive points. You're right, we've never lost at this venue.
It's a small sample size, as you say. Just the
two test matches there, but it's been a happy hunting
ground up until now. Yeah, Nika Amashikele is the referee.
He was supposed to ref last week, wasn't he? But
he got ill, and so Angus Gardner took over. Amashikele

(28:27):
will assume charge of this test. He's... He can be
a bit difficult to fathom sometimes. Sometimes games with Amishu
Kelly on the whistle can become a little bit of
a lottery. But I hope he has a brilliant test match,

(28:47):
as we always do with our referees. We hope that
they don't have a starring role, you might say. And
that at this time tomorrow, we're not talking about the
referee and we're talking about whatever happens on the field. Spearline,
if you want to jump aboard, a couple of texts
on Cody Taylor. Piney, I'm not sure about leaving Cody
Taylor out, says Dave. He does so much around the

(29:09):
paddock and off the ball. His leadership qualities are unequalled.
And when the going gets really tough, he's the one
the team look to. I've never seen him take a
backward step. And he's an all-around good man. I just
hope it's because he's given so much already this year.
And they're conserving one of their best assets. Thanks, Dave.

(29:31):
Sharon on Cody Taylor. It's not about experience. It's primarily
about form. And Cody has been on decline for quite
some time. He probably won't be our number one hooker
for the World Cup, says Sharon. Rennie and co have
been a bit slow to make this change. Yeah, I
don't know. I'm a big fan of Cody Taylor. Probably

(29:55):
for the reasons that Dave outlined as much as his
ability as a hooker. He's a tremendous hooker. I think,
you know, there's perhaps... a little less gas in the
tank than there was. But I don't think Cody Taylor's
position in the All Black squad has ever been under
question in terms of the wider squad. You look at

(30:15):
the test matches this year. Dave Rennie has started Cody
Taylor in all of them. France, Italy and Ireland back
in July. And the first test in Johannesburg, second test
in Cape Town, five, all five tests. Cody Taylor has
been the starting hooker. He hasn't lost faith in him.
That's why I find it such an interesting decision. And

(30:38):
maybe it is because they're looking at these GPS numbers
and said, OK, well, he's had a lot of rugby,
like Fabian Holland. I don't think there's any doubt he's
been tremendous on this tour, but he'll come off the
bench in this one. Asafa, one more. Samusoni, Tokiahu, big
test matches for those two. Hey, Charlie, how are you?

Speaker 9 (30:58):
Good.

Speaker 12 (30:58):
How are you doing, Jason?

Speaker 3 (30:59):
Very good, Charlie.

Speaker 8 (31:02):
Yeah, I like the two decisions, obviously, coming from Wellington.
For me, the two form hookers after the Super Rugby
were not Cody Taylor. And I thought that Amu and
Takeo probably were one, too. So I was surprised when
he went back to Cody, even though he's got experience.
I don't think he's been fabulous. He's been steady. And

(31:25):
I'm extremely happy for Asafa. It's obviously a big chance
for him, big challenge. But he deserves his crack, absolutely.
Same with Lakai. I don't know why, for me, every
time he's been playing, he's been absolutely nailing it. And
I don't think that's just because he's coming off the bench.
I think he's just had a great year and he's
carried it on. So he deserves his place. My big concern,

(31:49):
and I still think it's potentially a little bit of
Rennie's blind spot, is Luke Jacobson. And I just, I
don't quite understand this massive faith that he's put in him,
apart from him being a good man and him doing
it for the Chiefs. I just don't see it. I
thought he was poor in the last game. He was
pulled off. And I thought Parker played better than him

(32:11):
last game. And I thought he might keep Parker on
and give Lucas a spell off. But obviously, that's not the.

Speaker 2 (32:18):
Way he sees it.

Speaker 3 (32:20):
I'll be very interested to see what they do off
the bench, Charlie. They've got Wallace Sotiti on there and
Fabian Holland. We know Tupou Vahie can play in the
loose forward. So if they wanted to, for example, they
could bring Holland on and move Tupou Vahie to six,
maybe Lakai to seven. We know he can play seven
and number eight. On Peter Lakai, I think he has

(32:42):
been really, really good in whatever role has been asked
of him this year. Sometimes, I think there's one test
or one game, he only came on for, well, the
last five minutes. The first test in Joburg, he came
on for the last five minutes, but still made an impact.
You know, I think he has been one of the
best All Blacks this year, and I'm pleased to see
him start. Yeah, I think there's still some contestable places

(33:05):
in that 6-7-8 mix. Probably 6-7 more than Artie Savia
at 8, but yeah, it's a good point you make.
I'll be interested to see what they do around their
replacements this year. early tomorrow morning.

Speaker 8 (33:17):
Yeah, I mean, I'm flabbergasted how bad the line-out's been.
And I don't really understand the line-out and the high
ball and the restarts have been poor. It makes you
wonder what the executive practice during the week, because I
thought that as a second rower, that would be the
three things you'd probably practice most. But so that's got

(33:37):
to be better. If we get better, the scrum looks okay.
And I think the first test was a degree issue.
And I think because he was injured and I think
the scrum's fine, but we have to nail those line
outs because for me, line outs are worse than scrums
because if line outs are bad, they just keep the
touch and they know they've got a crack at it.
And so we have to sort that out first up tomorrow.

Speaker 2 (33:57):
That's going to be crucial.

Speaker 3 (33:58):
Good man, Charlie. Good analysis as always from you, mate.
Thanks for calling in.

Speaker 4 (34:02):
Oh, 800-80-10-80.

Speaker 3 (34:02):
Matt, got to hold you there, mate. Got to get
a break away. Just on the lineouts, the other problem
when your lineout's not functioning is that it ceases to
become an attacking weapon. You know, you think about kicking
for the line, and if your lineout's going well, then
they won't contest. They'll just sit up and be ready
to defend the lineout drive. A couple of times last
week when the All Blacks kicked for the corner, the

(34:23):
South Africans sensed some vulnerability there and contested. And I
think on at least one occasion anyway, they prevented us
from getting the ball in an attacking position. Got to
get the line out right. And defensively too. You know,
you have to obviously defend at line out time. But
when it's our throw, as Charlie just said, they'll kick
for the corners. Even if it's not a penalty, they'll

(34:44):
kick for the corners and back themselves to attack our
defensive line out as well. Big, big, big test match
for Asafo Amoa. Matt, with you after this. 0800 80
1080 16 to 1.

Speaker 1 (34:56):
Sport doesn't stop at the full-time whistle. Weekend Sport with
Jason Pine and the Volkswagen Amarok V6.

Speaker 4 (35:03):
Uncompromised capability. Premium comfort. Call 0800 80 1080. Newstalk ZB.

Speaker 3 (35:08):
13 to 1. Just to note that after 1 o'clock,
Gary Burchett, head of sport content at Sky Sport, is
going to join us. You may or may not have
caught up with what happened last night in the Rabbitohs
Roosters game, where, as Jai Arrow, was walking out for
his ceremonial final game in a Rabbitohs jersey. Of course,
he's been suffering from motor neuron disease or afflicted with

(35:31):
motor neuron disease. Sky Sport cut away to ads rather
than having Jai Arrows walk out. What happened? It's caused
major backlash. Gary Birchett, the head of Sky Sport's sport content,
is going to join us after one to explain it. G'day, Matt.
Thanks for holding.

Speaker 4 (35:48):
G'day.

Speaker 13 (35:49):
How's it going?

Speaker 2 (35:49):
Good, Matt.

Speaker 4 (35:50):
Good.

Speaker 3 (35:50):
Thanks, mate.

Speaker 2 (35:51):
Good, yeah, so I think they've just gone for the replacement,
the hooker, for the line-out, say, and also that guy's
not a bad guy with ball in hand as well.

Speaker 14 (36:01):
Omoa?

Speaker 4 (36:03):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (36:04):
Yeah, you're right there. Yeah, the thigh's on the man.

Speaker 2 (36:07):
Yeah, he's pretty good with ball in hand, good defence,
and maybe there's a bit of problems with the line-out.
We already know there is. Is it the throw? That's
not quite right.

Speaker 3 (36:19):
Yeah, I mean, I know you talk about Omua, and
when you talk about Asafo Omua, the thing you immediately
gravitate to is what you've just said, Matt, is he's
amazing in the loose. You know, get the ball, he
runs over top of players, gets over the advantage line.
But as a hooker, core role, eh? Get the ball
in the line-out. If your line-out accuracy is suboptimal, then

(36:39):
you're always going to be in question as a rugby hooker.
You are.

Speaker 8 (36:43):
100%.

Speaker 2 (36:45):
Got to get that right.

Speaker 3 (36:46):
If we lose the line-out, game over. I think you've
nailed it, Matt. I think you've encapsulated it in that
one sentence. I think you're bang on. If the All
Blacks can win all of their own lineouts, then I
think they'll go a long, long way to winning the game. Yes,
of course, South Africa have got a good lineout too.
And if they kick for the corners and set up

(37:07):
that lineout drive, they are going to be hard to stop.
Jason Ryan would have been working on the rolling ball defence,
I'm sure of it. But you're bang on, Matt. If
you win the lineout war, or at least are equal
in that lineout war, then you go a long way
towards winning the game. Thanks for your call, mate. 10
to 1. A few texts here. What does Rico Ioane
need to do to get a look in? Jack asks.

(37:31):
For mine, Anton Leonard-Brown doesn't add scoring punch from the bench. Jack,
I think Dave Rennie will know. Dave Rennie was asked
about this and the reason they've picked Anton Leonard-Brown over
Rico Ioane is for his defence. He was asked that
direct question and he said Anton's defence is better and
I think he also said He's got a better work ethic.
That doesn't mean Rico Ioane doesn't work hard, but I

(37:54):
think they really like what Anton Leonard-Brown brings. Myself, I
can see the attraction in having Rico there. He covers
the outside backs and centre. I would also have loved
to have seen Tamothi Tavatava-Nawai given a chance, just to see.
He hasn't really got too many opportunities on this tour.

(38:16):
I think he's played in what, two games?

Speaker 9 (38:18):
Yes.

Speaker 3 (38:19):
From memory, he's hardly played. Just going to bring up
the stats here now. He had 16 minutes in the
game against the Bulls, 17 minutes against the Sharks, and
then 64 minutes against the Lions. So hasn't ever really
been in and around the test picture. But I would
have liked to have seen Timothi Tavatava-Narwai let off the leash.

(38:45):
I guess that may happen later in the year. Pointy,
you've mentioned Asafo-Wamua's opportunity to stamp his mark, says Gunner.
The other player who I think is the future eight
in the making is Peter Larkai. To me, he's got
an old head, experience on young shoulders, unbelievable work rate,
aggressive on D, runs lovely lines, really looking forward to

(39:07):
his performance. Like you, I believe the test tomorrow is
do or die. All Blacks by eight, says Gunner. or
Blacks by 8. There must be a Magpies rugby Facebook
group or WhatsApp group that have just decided to all
remind me of where the Hawke's Bay Magpies are on

(39:27):
the NPC ladder. Yes, I did see that they won
last night. I saw that. I've had it pointed out
to me by a number of people. So well done
to the Magpies. I watched the game, actually, or large
parts of it. I thought Otago were going to turn
them over. But no, they came from behind and won
the game. Harry Godfrey, front and centre. Eight away from one.

(39:52):
Newstalk ZB back in a moment.

Speaker 1 (39:54):
The biggest names in sport are here. Weekend Sport with
Jason Fine. Newstalk ZB.

Speaker 3 (40:00):
Coming up, four and a half to one. A couple
of texts to mop up. Piney, this is a four-test series,
says Anthony. If you want these players to stay in
New Zealand and play for the All Blacks, then New
Zealand rugby needs the money. It's reality. Go to the
US and beat South Africa after we win tonight. Yeah,
good on you, Anthony. Look, I know.

Speaker 4 (40:19):
I know.

Speaker 3 (40:21):
Absolutely aware of the commercial reality of all of this.
I still say that if we win tomorrow morning, we
win the series. In inverted commas, you can't see me
putting up my fingers for inverted commas on the radio,
but you know what I mean. Thanks for your text, Anthony. Jason,
totally agree. Says Tony, the All Blacks can win tomorrow.
The changes that have been made is a lesson from
both previous tests, especially the last 20 minutes of the

(40:43):
second one. The All Blacks have decided to go full
throttle with the inclusion of Lakai and Omoa. Derry will
also add some bulk without losing full mobility. It's great
to see a coach demanding the best from his players
and having the confidence to make changes tomorrow. with the
playing group that we have. It's horses for courses, All
Blacks by eight. And, says Tony, a shout out to

(41:04):
syncing up the radio commentary with the TV. I tried
it last week and totally loved it. It's a very
good idea, Tony. Very good idea. Elliot Smith and Gregor
Paul have the call. Gary Burchett from Sky Sport after one.

Speaker 1 (41:17):
The only place to discuss the biggest sports issues on.

Speaker 7 (41:22):
And off the field.

Speaker 3 (41:23):
107, welcome in. This is Weekend Sport on Newstalk ZB.
An hour from now, Clinton Torpey, Warriors legend, ahead of
the final game of the regular season this afternoon. Can

(41:43):
the Warriors do what Clinton Torpey and the 0-2 side
did and win the minor premiership? All will be revealed
over the next couple of days. Justin Marshall on the
show this hour as well as we head back to
South Africa for the third test in rugby's greatest rivalry.
But to start this hour... Sky TV facing criticism today

(42:04):
after it interrupted one of the most poignant sporting moments
of the year with commercials last night. Coverage of the
NRL game between the Rabbitohs and the Roosters cut to
commercials just as Jai Arrow, whose battle with motor neuron
disease has made global headlines, walked out for his 100th
and final game for the Rabbitohs. When coverage returned... Arrow

(42:29):
was already out on the field. So what happened? Gary
Burchett is Head of Sport Content at Sky TV and
joins us. Gary, thanks for fronting up. How did this happen?

Speaker 4 (42:43):
Jason, good afternoon.

Speaker 15 (42:44):
Thanks for the invitation and thank you for asking that question.
I guess before I explain how it happened, I think
it's probably important to start with the apology. We got
this badly wrong last night and we're deeply sorry. You know,
we knew the significance of Jai's walkout and we knew
what that moment was to Jai and his family and

(43:05):
his teammates and fans of the NRL. And simply, we
should have shown that moment in full, live. Like, that's
the obligation that we have to our customers and to
fans of rugby league. You know, and I'm also very
conscious that for those people and their families who face
the daily realities and challenges of motor neurone disease, Because

(43:28):
that story resonates and goes well beyond the trade itself, right?
So we let them down too. In terms of what happened,
as those who watched would have seen that the Titans
and the Dolphins match ran over, which led to the
host broadcaster Fox at the time switching to the tunnel
of the Rabbitohs and the Roosters.

Speaker 4 (43:50):
And that led to a.

Speaker 15 (43:51):
Scheduling error, which meant that an advertisement played out during
Jai's walkout. So, I mean, that's the straightforward explanation, not
hiding behind it. We, yeah, we missed an incredibly important
moment and that simply just was not good enough.

Speaker 3 (44:08):
So is there a person there making that decision, Gary?
Is this an automated thing that happens that ads play,
you know, in the few minutes before kickoff or is
a person sitting there making the physical decision to go
to an ad break at that time?

Speaker 4 (44:25):
No, there's a human being instead of human beings that
make these decisions.

Speaker 15 (44:28):
You know, we have an incredibly experienced crew and they
do make a raft of live editorial and programming decisions
every day. You know, and inevitably, given the volume of
sport that Sky has, you know, sport moves pretty quickly.
So what we are doing is reviewing, I guess, how
those decisions and those safeguards worked or did not work

(44:48):
in this instance and and what needs to change. But,
you know, we do, and I know that our job
is to recognise the moments that matter. And this was
unquestionably one of those moments. And we missed it, and
it hurts.

Speaker 3 (45:04):
Should there be greater editorial discretion around advertising when something
significant like this is happening?

Speaker 4 (45:13):
Yes.

Speaker 15 (45:14):
And that's something that, absolutely, it will be part of
what we look at. Commercial commitments are part of broadcasting sport.
They help finance our productions. They help Sky to acquire
the sports. But they can't exist in isolation from what's
actually unfolding because ultimately good sports broadcast requires judgment, good judgment.

(45:39):
I tell my team all the time on air, talk
to your pitchers, stay with the pitchers. And sometimes the
most important thing you can do is to stay with
the pitchers.

Speaker 4 (45:49):
Own the moment. Let that moment.

Speaker 15 (45:50):
Breathe and allow the audience to experience it. And Jai's
walk out was exactly that sort of moment.

Speaker 3 (45:59):
As you say, there are commercial imperatives here as well. Look,
would a person, that human being, be thinking, I need
to play these ads, otherwise I'm going to get in trouble? Because,
you know, you've got to, as you say, fulfill your
commercial commitments. Would that have been what was going through
that person's mind, that they thought, I've got to get
these ads out before kickoff in this game?

Speaker 4 (46:18):
That is a consideration, yeah.

Speaker 15 (46:20):
And we can completely understand why the betting advertisement, you know,
was jarring to a nation. But I think that failure
is more fundamental than the type of advertisement. You know,
no advertisement should have interrupted that moment, regardless of the category.
You know, Jai's walkout, Jason, should have been shown in full.

(46:43):
That's what we got wrong. Simple as that.

Speaker 3 (46:46):
How robust has the reaction from your customers been?

Speaker 15 (46:50):
Oh, I think you can imagine how colourful and upset and,
you know, points downright disgusted some people have been. And
when you look at, you know, you look what happened
on that screen and what unfolded, we can completely understand
why someone would feel that way. But there was no
conscious decision from Sky to put an advertisement ahead of

(47:12):
Gyarro That was not our intention.

Speaker 4 (47:14):
That resulted from a scheduling error, from a match overrunning.

Speaker 15 (47:18):
But I don't know, somehow that distinction doesn't, it doesn't
make it better for the customer sitting at home. You know,
they expected us to recognise and preserve and to shine.

Speaker 4 (47:30):
A light, you know, on a moment that truly transcended
rugby league and we didn't. So, you know, yeah, our
customers trust us to bring the moments that matter in sport.
And we just fell short of that standard last night.

Speaker 3 (47:45):
Are you confident you can put measures in place to
avoid this happening again?

Speaker 14 (47:51):
Yep.

Speaker 15 (47:52):
First thing we have to do is to properly establish
what happened. And we need to take that seriously. And
then we have to look at the editorial decision-making and
then those processes around advertising, when schedules move, and whether
our people have everything they need to to protect significant
live moments. You know, I'm now sparing a thought for

(48:13):
that individual and hoping that they're okay because there is
a human being involved and they probably feel pretty sore
right now.

Speaker 4 (48:21):
And human beings make mistakes. I've made mistakes. We'll all
make mistakes. Sky will make mistakes in the future.

Speaker 15 (48:28):
I've worked in this game long enough to know that
the perfect broadcast and perfect program doesn't exist. So I
have to feel for my fellow human beings and have
compassion that someone's hurting right now It was a.

Speaker 4 (48:39):
Deeply emotional moment.

Speaker 15 (48:40):
You know, you've got a guy who's shown extraordinary courage,
you know, since his whole MND diagnosis. And people wanted
to experience that moment with Jai. You know, his family,
the rugby league community, New Zealanders. We at Sky, well,
we had that privilege of bringing it to them. And
we didn't show up properly.

Speaker 4 (49:01):
So, yeah, sure. We understand why people have let us
know very clearly how they feel. And that's fair.

Speaker 3 (49:07):
Last week, viewers on Sky Sport Now were unable to
watch an All Blacks game in South Africa and were
shown cycling instead. This is a different issue, I know.
But what happened there?

Speaker 15 (49:19):
Look, that was a separate technical issue affecting the Sky
Sport Now customers. yeah, that experience for those customers wasn't
good enough.

Speaker 4 (49:29):
Yeah, we apologise. We treated it very, very seriously.

Speaker 15 (49:32):
There's been a monumental effort by our teams here and
abroad with our partners and vendors to ensure that is
not repeated.

Speaker 4 (49:41):
I'm not going to give you a technical explanation today.

Speaker 15 (49:45):
But the simple point is that people who expected to
watch the All Blacks were unable to do so properly.

Speaker 4 (49:51):
We appreciate how frustrating that was.

Speaker 15 (49:55):
Credibility matters enormously to me.

Speaker 4 (49:57):
It matters importantly to Sky.

Speaker 15 (49:59):
Ultimately, we've got to earn it through what people experience
when they turn our products on. And it's something that
we take incredibly seriously.

Speaker 3 (50:10):
Well, you've certainly come on air today and owned Sky.
The problem, Gary. What is your message to your subscriber base,
sports fans who rely on you for moments like this?

Speaker 15 (50:26):
Believe in a broadcaster that is truly passionate about sport.
Recognise that mistakes are made. We're owning this mistake. But
we're also very proud of the sport and the stories
and the characters that we tell.

Speaker 4 (50:42):
You know, like.

Speaker 15 (50:44):
I want our customers this afternoon at 2.15 to tune
on and, you know, to watch, you know, Laura McGoldrick
and Sean Johnson, Roger Tuivasa-Shek, as we bring coverage of
the NRL women and the NRL men since it's an
important time for the WAs as they look to secure

(51:04):
the minor premiership this weekend and then dare to dream big.

Speaker 4 (51:09):
You know, and get up early at two o'clock. Come
with us on the journey for the All Blacks.

Speaker 15 (51:13):
You know, come to Soweto as the All Blacks look
to do something historic and take a lead in a
really defining rivalry in rugby.

Speaker 4 (51:21):
You know, it's a big 24 hours.

Speaker 15 (51:24):
For New Zealand sports fans, and we really hope plenty
of people join us and trust us for it.

Speaker 3 (51:28):
Well, I'm sure that they will. Again, Gary, thank you
for front-footing this on ZB this afternoon. Appreciate your time.
Here's to an exciting 24 hours or so ahead and
a trouble-free 24 hours ahead. Thanks again for coming on
the show this afternoon.

Speaker 4 (51:43):
It's my pleasure, Jason. Thank you.

Speaker 3 (51:44):
Thank you, Gary. That's Gary Burchett. He is Head of
Sport Content at Sky Sport. Here's what I heard there
from Gary Burchett. A very full and frank apology. He
didn't try to justify anything that had happened, didn't try
to brush it under the carpet. A large part of

(52:06):
that interview with Gary was Gary Burchett owning what happened.
He kept on coming back to it. It wasn't good enough.
We're not happy. We apologise for what happened. He didn't
try to deflect at all. A mistake was made last night,
a really bad mistake. And he didn't say it, but

(52:29):
I am almost certain that Gary Burchett has given the
message to some of his senior leaders in no uncertain terms.
There will be some robust discussions that would have happened
in the time since last night, and they will continue,
I'm sure, for the front part of the week ahead.

(52:53):
It's only a disaster if you don't learn from it.
It's a mistake, a bad mistake, but that was a
senior executive owning a mistake that he wasn't to blame for,
but is responsible for. Newstalk ZB 119, this is Weekend Sport.
We're back in a moment. You know, in sport, the
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(53:15):
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(53:59):
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From brilliant victories to baffling selections, it's all fair game
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Speaker 4 (54:20):
Newstalk ZB.

Speaker 3 (54:22):
1.23. Let's get you back to rugby's greatest rivalry. Marshall
gets away from him.

Speaker 16 (54:27):
This is dangerous for New Zealand. Look at the agility
of Marshall and then Robin Brooke. And this will be
a try for Ian Jones.

Speaker 3 (54:34):
No, it won't.

Speaker 16 (54:35):
It's a try for Jeff Wilson. And it's that man,
Justin Marshall, the scrum half, who's creating all sorts of
problems for South Africa.

Speaker 3 (54:45):
Yeah, 81 tests, former All Blacks halfback Justin Marshall is
with us. I know there's a fourth test coming up
in Baltimore next week, Justin, but this has the feel,
for me anyway, of a decider. How does it feel
to you?

Speaker 4 (54:59):
Oh, mate, it absolutely feels that way.

Speaker 17 (55:01):
Look, obviously, the first two tests have delivered in spades.
Both of them had drama. Both of them had excitement.
And they were real genuine contests.

Speaker 4 (55:12):
You know, one all.

Speaker 17 (55:13):
And now we go to, yeah, what they call Soccer
City here.

Speaker 4 (55:17):
Huge crowd.

Speaker 17 (55:18):
And absolutely, look, at the end of the day, If
the All Blacks could walk away from South Africa with
two wins on their soil, you know, Baltimore would be
massively important and it's a series that the All Blacks
would be desperate to win. But to beat the world champions,
back-to-back world champions on their own soil, given circumstances that,

(55:40):
It happened at the start of the year, new coach,
new set-up and everything. It would be one of the
biggest wins, I think, that the All Blacks have had
in a very long time and would be a significant one.

Speaker 3 (55:51):
Let's look at the changes that Dave Rooney has made
to the All Blacks side for this one. Asafo Amor
comes in to start at hooker, Samasoni Tokayahua on the bench,
Cody Taylor won't play any part. Sam Dowery comes into
the second row with Fabian Holland moving to the bench
and Peter Larkai starts at blindside. What do you make
of those changes? in the forwards by Dave Rennie?

Speaker 4 (56:13):
Well, I guess, you know, obviously he's looking for some
fresh legs.

Speaker 17 (56:16):
You know, this has been an arduous tour, no doubt
about it, and it has been massively combative. The physicality's
been very evident, and it takes its toll. Like, when
you think about the Fabian Holland thing, which many probably
is one of the big decisions that Dave Rennie has made,
You have to say he went in here with basically

(56:38):
no minutes behind him. Coming into South Africa and performing
the way that he has, he's probably been the standout
or one of the standout players on the tour. But
that was always going to take its toll on a
guy that hasn't played a lot of rugby recently. So
perhaps that's just to freshen up from him, bring him.

Speaker 4 (56:58):
Off the bench.

Speaker 17 (56:59):
And it creates a slightly different look to that second
row as well as... a different look to the back row. So,
you know, all I've talked about, though, at the end
of the day is the fact that they've always wanted
height in their line-out and they've been very adamant on
that and that's why they wanted to move Tupu Vai
to the side of the scrub to give them that

(57:19):
ability to make sure that they have line-out height across
the board. That was slightly dysfunctional last weekend. It wasn't terrible,
but they did have some clunkiness in their line-out. So
hopefully the changes that they've made are possibly a reaction
to that. And they feel that they, even though we
haven't got all those forwards, when you look at that

(57:40):
loose forward back row, combination that's not really adding to
our line-out. But obviously there's something they see there by
bringing Sam Dowery in to that mix that really helps it.
So that's that change. And then obviously a lot of
people have been really impressed with the way that Safa
Omoa has played coming off the bench. And again, I
think that's just looking for somebody that's going to be

(58:04):
slightly fresher. Cody Taylor's played a lot of minutes on
this tour. to just give us some more oomph in
that front row.

Speaker 3 (58:11):
By contrast, no changes in the backs and no changes
in the back reserves either. Did you think Dave Rooney
might tinker particularly with his backline reserves?

Speaker 4 (58:22):
Yeah, I did actually, to be perfectly honest.

Speaker 17 (58:24):
Look, particularly if the All Blacks get into a situation
like last weekend when they needed to chase the game,
And I think there's been a little bit of chat
around and I'm kind of on the same page with
this around the form of Rico Iowani, who has, as
all of the counts as well, been very, very good
in camp. Coming back from Leinster seems like he's just

(58:46):
a different man, playing probably his best rugby.

Speaker 4 (58:49):
At the moment.

Speaker 17 (58:51):
Whether or not having him coming onto the bench could
have just provided something different when you're chasing the game.
You know, like I've used Anton Leonard-Brown quite regularly to
come on, but we've got enough punch in the midfield.
It's like if we have to move some players around,
we've got the ability to do that.

Speaker 4 (59:10):
And bring in Rico on.

Speaker 17 (59:11):
He can play centre, he can play wing, perhaps a
Tava Tava Ngaiwai who can... again play 12, 13, he
can play winger as well. When you're needing just something
completely different that the Springboks haven't seen in the first
two tests, just to freshen up the fact that if
we have to chase the game, can those players provide that?
But no, you're right, they've gone for... the same players,

(59:34):
which haven't let anybody down. Anton hasn't let anybody down,
Josh Morby hasn't let anybody down, but it's the same
picture for the All Blacks. And mate, I'm just thinking,
you know, for the Springboks, sorry, and I'm just thinking, okay, well,
did we want to really show something different, particularly when
we are under pressure or having to chase the game?

(59:55):
But obviously they feel secure in those players and so they've,
stuck with consistency and belief, really.

Speaker 3 (01:00:03):
Justin, where do the big improvements have to come? What
do the All Blacks need to do better compared to
what they did in the second test in Cape Town?

Speaker 17 (01:00:11):
Extricate errors, just be more accurate. The weekend, they were,
to a degree, the architect of their own demise. They
started poorly. They allowed the spring box into the game early,
and that was through their own errors, you know.

Speaker 4 (01:00:25):
Poor decisions off some of their kick-offs.

Speaker 17 (01:00:28):
I know we dropped one kick-off after scoring points in
the very first kick-off of the game. Geordie Barrett just
kicked it out and only gained about 10 metres and
all of a sudden we're under the pump. I think
they'll look at some of the decisions and the errors
that they made in that game that cost them pressure
and then eventually cost them points. If they can extricate
them from the game, I feel we're the better side

(01:00:51):
over the two Test matches overall. We've scored nine tries
against the Springboks, against their blitz defence.

Speaker 4 (01:00:57):
So we are more than capable of opening them up.
That's just the tries.

Speaker 17 (01:01:01):
Equally, there's been a serious amount of line breaks, which
haven't resulted in tries, but have put the Springboks under
massive pressure. The only reason that we bring the Springboks
back into the game was just by making some poor decisions.
And some of those decisions in the Cape Town Test
breakdown where player looked a little indecisive, whereas at Alice Park,

(01:01:22):
particularly in the second half, just looked decisive. When you're indecisive,
it meant that our cleaners got to the ball late
and we conceded turnovers at the breakdown, which again got
the Springboks into the game. And the other side of
it is you make errors against the Springboks, you invite
them into their wheelhouse and their wheelhouse is scrum and line-out.
So take them out of the game And I feel,

(01:01:45):
like I said, over this series, we have been the
better side and I'm confident we'll win this game.

Speaker 3 (01:01:50):
Back to altitude as well. And there's been a lot
of talk about playing at altitude, but does playing at
altitude actually suit the All Blacks better than the Springboks?

Speaker 17 (01:02:01):
Yeah, great question, mate. I certainly feel that the All
Blacks are a fitter side. You know, there's no doubt
about it. Like you saw that in Cape Town. Once
they sort of finally... recognised their desperation and decided to
move the ball around a bit from side to side.
They had the spring box, you know, really moving and

(01:02:22):
moving defensively. And you could see the fatigue in the
spring box equally at Alice Park in the second half there.
There's been a lot of hands-on hips. At the end
of the day, they are not a young side, the
Springboks side. They are a massively experienced side. Centurions across
the park, across the back line and the forward pack.
But that doesn't happen when you're 23 or 24. That

(01:02:44):
means you're into your 30s, early 30s. So you don't
have the lungs of some of the younger players. The
All Blacks certainly have... I feel a real advantage there
and I feel we're a fitter side. They're obviously very,
very confident in the fact that altitude for them is
not a problem and they are a fitter side and
they can handle it because they decided to stay in

(01:03:04):
Cape Town until Wednesday. And the sort of rule of
thumb is for altitude. you know, minimum kind of five
days to get yourself right. So they obviously believe that
that's not a problem for them, that the altitude will
be more of a problem for the Springboks than them.

Speaker 4 (01:03:18):
So they're backing themselves in that regard.

Speaker 3 (01:03:20):
Yeah, fascinating little sideline to the whole thing. Just to finish, Marcy,
being back in South Africa for you personally and being
there for a prolonged period while this tour has been
going on, how much does that bring back memories for
you of the 1995 Rugby World Cup obviously, but also
that historic series win over South Africa in 1996.

Speaker 4 (01:03:40):
Incredible memories.

Speaker 17 (01:03:43):
And being here and being a part of this tour
again in a different capacity, not with the boots on
and seeing what the supporters went through in 1996, the
media and the South African public, because you're intermingled with that.
As a player, you're quite separated from it. But It's
just been just such a breath of fresh air to

(01:04:05):
see this old school tour come back and the All
Blacks get to the provinces, allow people that love and
admire the All Blacks here in this country, because there's
a massive amount of respect, to actually make it tangible
that they can touch the All Blacks. And a lot
of them haven't got the ability to go to where
the big test match venues are to see the All Blacks.

(01:04:25):
So to have them in the provinces and You know,
in Durban and again in Cape Town and playing against
those sides is what rugby is all about because it
makes it real for people. And it doesn't mean that
they're only always having to watch them on TV. And
to see the reaction of everybody here in South Africa
to have the All Blacks in this country for this
amount of time. the way that they've embraced it has

(01:04:49):
just been, you know, real satisfying and it made me
recognise what we did in 1996. To have to try
and win here, their passion for rugby is incredible. It's
closest to our country that I've ever seen and they,
matter of fact, They want to completely annihilate us on
the field, but they absolutely love us off the field.

(01:05:11):
And that's just been so evident on this tour so far.

Speaker 4 (01:05:14):
It's been brilliant.

Speaker 10 (01:05:15):
Amazing.

Speaker 3 (01:05:16):
Amazing stuff. Looking forward to your coverage alongside your old mate,
Jeff Wilson. Of course, Jeff McTainch on the mic for
Sky Sport. Thanks for joining us as always, Marshy. Really
appreciate your time.

Speaker 4 (01:05:24):
Thanks for having me as always. Cheers.

Speaker 3 (01:05:26):
Good on you, mate. That's Justin Marshall joining us out
of South Africa. We have full live commentary on Newstalk ZB,
of course, as well from just after three o'clock, Elliot Smith.
and Gregor Paul. Staying in South Africa, history is going
to be made in the early game. The Black Ferns
taking on the Springbok Women for the first time on
South African soil. That game kicks off at the same venue,

(01:05:49):
11.30 tonight, New Zealand time. Let's bring in Black Ferns
front rower, Madison Robinson. Maddy, great to get the chance
to chat to you. This is your first year in
the Black Ferns and you've played four tests so far.
How are you adjusting to life in the Black Ferns
and the national team environment?

Speaker 9 (01:06:07):
I'm loving it.

Speaker 18 (01:06:09):
It's so cool, the transition to training full-time and the
fact that this is my job now is unbelievable.

Speaker 9 (01:06:15):
It's pretty cool.

Speaker 3 (01:06:16):
How have you been welcomed in? Because You know, there's
some serious experience in this Black Ferns team. What's it
been like integrating into the team?

Speaker 4 (01:06:24):
Amazing.

Speaker 9 (01:06:26):
Everyone here just wants everyone to be better.

Speaker 18 (01:06:28):
So the way that people go out of their way
to make sure that, you know, you're caught up on
everything or little extras that, you know, they want you
to keep up with or that you need to do.

Speaker 9 (01:06:38):
Everyone's just chasing great here. And it's really cool.

Speaker 3 (01:06:41):
So you've played four Test matches now all off the bench.
Are you starting to feel at home in Test rugby now?

Speaker 9 (01:06:48):
Yeah, definitely.

Speaker 18 (01:06:48):
It's always going to be, I think, nerves and anything
around that, but it's definitely something that you grow in
confidence with, for sure.

Speaker 3 (01:06:58):
Let's look at tonight. Pretty special occasion in coming. A
first ever test between the Black Ferns and South Africa
on South African soil. How's the build-up been, Maddy, and
how special does it feel internally to be part of
something historic like this?

Speaker 9 (01:07:14):
So special. Such a historic moment, I think.

Speaker 18 (01:07:17):
You know, everyone you speak to just highlights how cool
it is and just feel so grateful to be a
part of this. You can feel the energy and it's just, yeah,
it's really cool to be a part of.

Speaker 3 (01:07:26):
Yeah, going to be a big crowd incoming as well
because it's part of a doubleheader. The All Blacks and
Springboks will follow your game. Have you thought about what
it's going to be like out there with such a
big crowd and whether you'll have to consciously block that
out and focus on the job once you get on?

Speaker 18 (01:07:42):
Yeah, I guess like we're expecting a lot of noise.
This country loves rugby and we know that, but I
think rugby is such a special game that you kind
of have to lock in and focus on what's in
front of you.

Speaker 9 (01:07:56):
So it kind of does that job for you a
little bit.

Speaker 3 (01:07:58):
If we know anything about South African rugby, be it
male or female, it's that they're going to bring a
huge physical challenge. Is that something that you are personally
looking forward to, the opportunity to test yourself physically physically?
against a team that's really going to want to take
you on?

Speaker 9 (01:08:13):
Yeah, definitely.

Speaker 18 (01:08:14):
I think that, yeah, we know that they're a physical
side and we respect that. But I think it's such
a cool opportunity for us to, you know, have a
go against it and, yeah, make sure that we're ticking
those boxes and chopping.

Speaker 3 (01:08:30):
How do you prepare yourself for the physicality of it, Maddy?
Do you do like a post-training? I know you can't
totally replicate it, can you? But have you been putting
in some sort of physical reps on one another in
the build-up to this game?

Speaker 2 (01:08:43):
Yes, yeah.

Speaker 18 (01:08:46):
I feel like you run trains pretty physical here as well,
so it's definitely up to yesterday.

Speaker 9 (01:08:50):
But, I mean, our front row is, I would say,
a pretty physical group. So we've been making sure we
run into those shoulders.

Speaker 18 (01:08:58):
And then Simon Kneebone, our coach, has really been drilling
into us, the importance and effort that we're going to
need to take on this team.

Speaker 3 (01:09:08):
How much of the build-up to this game has been
about what South Africa will bring? And conversely, how much
has been about really just focusing on continuing to evolve
what the Black Ferns are all about?

Speaker 18 (01:09:21):
I think our base is always going to be our
game and our brand. We always want to be physically
dominant and relentless in whatever team we're against in that sense. Yeah,
South Africa is obviously going to be physical, but that's
not going to change our goals going into it.

Speaker 3 (01:09:42):
Whitney Hanson, of course, brand new head coach, well, this
year anyway, new head coach for 2026. Can you feel
a Black Fern's identity developing with Whitney Hanson as head coach?

Speaker 9 (01:09:55):
Yeah, definitely.

Speaker 18 (01:09:55):
I think my personal relationship with Whit is, I couldn't
speak more highly of her. She is just such an
amazing person and makes every person feel so individually, like, special. And,
you know, she can help you, remind you of your
strengths every day, but will also challenge you.

Speaker 9 (01:10:13):
And she's doing that for one player.

Speaker 18 (01:10:15):
She's doing it across the whole team, and it's a
pretty cool environment to be a part of.

Speaker 3 (01:10:18):
And you personally, Matty, you've been one of the up
and coming front rowers on the Black Ferns radar for
a couple of years now. It always seemed likely you
were going to make your way into the Black Ferns.
Now that you're there, what's it like? Are you used
to it now or is it still a little bit
of a pinch me moment for you at times?

Speaker 18 (01:10:35):
I think a huge pinch me moment, like every day
we've just been here and gone, oh my gosh, we're
in South Africa or like telling people my job now
as a rugby player is just, it's pretty cool.

Speaker 9 (01:10:46):
Um, we got to do a safari on our day off.
Like what kind of job is that? You know?

Speaker 18 (01:10:52):
Um, But yeah, no, it's definitely a pinch me moment
every day, especially when we're around amazing places like this.

Speaker 3 (01:10:59):
And you're at altitude, of course. I don't know what
it's like to exercise at altitude, but they say it's
a bit harder. Have you had the opportunity to adjust
to what it'll be like playing in the thinner air
of altitude in Soweto?

Speaker 9 (01:11:12):
Yeah, I think so.

Speaker 18 (01:11:13):
Yeah, it was definitely a challenge when we first got here,
but yeah, it's definitely needed and it's getting easier, but.

Speaker 9 (01:11:21):
It's definitely a wee bit of a wake up.

Speaker 18 (01:11:25):
A lot of breathing going on, chapped lips and constant,
I wish I could train with a camelback on or
something like that.

Speaker 9 (01:11:31):
Just need constant water.

Speaker 4 (01:11:33):
Brilliant.

Speaker 3 (01:11:34):
Just to finish, obviously, this is part of a doubleheader.
After your game, it's the All Blacks against the Springboks.
Is that a bit of extra motivation? Do you kind
of want to come off with bragging rights and set
the stage for the All Blacks to follow you?

Speaker 9 (01:11:47):
I mean, a win would be a win, wouldn't it?
But that'd be pretty cool to have the first one
as well.

Speaker 18 (01:11:52):
Not extra pressure, but definitely good to walk away with.

Speaker 3 (01:11:57):
Well, we're all looking forward to seeing how it goes.
A late night for a lot of people here in
New Zealand. 11.30 kick-off tonight for us. Maddy, all the
best in this historic match to you and to the
Black Ferns. Really appreciate you taking the time for a chat.

Speaker 9 (01:12:09):
Thank you so much.

Speaker 3 (01:12:10):
Thanks, Maddy. Maddy Robinson there. She'll come off the bench
for the Black Ferns in this historic game tonight against
the Springbok women. First time the two teams have met
on South African soil. 11.30 tonight, and yes.
We have commentary of this game as well on Newstalk
ZB Sport. Find that on your iHeartRadio app if you
want to tune in for the first game in this doubleheader,

(01:12:32):
Black Ferns against South Africa. 19 away from two, we'll
cross the Tasman, catch up with our Australian correspondent, Adam Peacock,
when we come back.

Speaker 1 (01:12:40):
Call it how you see it on 0800 80 1080.
Weekend Sport with Jason Pine and the Volkswagen Amarok V6.
On sale now. Newstalk ZB.

Speaker 3 (01:12:51):
Coming up, quarter to two, just updating you on a
bit of live sport. The Kate Sheppard Cup final under
the roof at One New Zealand Stadium at Takaha in Christchurch.
This is our domestic women's knockout competition final. Cashmere Tech
up against Eastern Suburbs, 1-1, approaching half-time. The Chatham Cup
final will follow from four o'clock this afternoon. Cashmere Technicolor

(01:13:14):
in that one as well, up against Fensibles United, who
are taking part in the Chatham Cup final this for
the very first time. Let's get you across the Tasman.
Our Australian correspondent on Saturday afternoons is Adam Peacock, who
joins us now. Adam, thanks for your time. Amazing scenes
at Allianz Stadium last night with Jai Arrow taking the
field for the 100th and final time for the Rabbitohs,

(01:13:36):
of course, having been afflicted by motor neuron disease. This
just felt a lot bigger than sport, didn't it?

Speaker 13 (01:13:44):
Yeah, was pioneered so good out of something so horrible
that they can give him a moment and his family,
more importantly, a moment like that when for the last
six to 12 months, it's all been bad days after
bad days in terms of what's expected of his future
or what's going to be expected of his future. So

(01:14:05):
to celebrate something like that and to have the whole
game united, take something special for South and the Roosters
to get on the same page, but they managed to
achieve it for the first time in a long time. So, yeah,
just a fitting tribute with him there and taking it
all in. And he's saying that I'm going to be
around for the next 50 years and I'm going to
do a Stephen Hawking, basically. I'm going to live with

(01:14:27):
this thing and get through it.

Speaker 3 (01:14:30):
Good man. Yeah, look, I know there's a few stiff
upper lips around the rugby league community, but even, I
don't know, the hardest of men when Jai Arrow gave
Wayne Bennett a hug when he came off. And Wayne
Bennett himself, I mean, he might have been a bit misty-eyed,
I think.

Speaker 19 (01:14:49):
Yeah, and he's been at the forefront of this.

Speaker 13 (01:14:51):
Wayne's got a couple of kids who have met some
huge challenges in their life to just be there and exist.
So he's got that heart. Even though you wouldn't think
it sometimes, Wayne Bennett, when he talks, he's got a
heart full of empathy. So he was a big reason

(01:15:11):
why something like that happened.

Speaker 3 (01:15:13):
Rabideau's doing a good job on the field as well,
putting 50 on the roosters and pretty much locking in
sixth place, which will give them a home final in
week one. Let's go to the US Tennis Open. Dane
Sweeney threw to the third round of the men's singles.
He's 123rd in the world. He beat world number 13,
Lorenzo Massetti, in the second round. I will freely admit, Adam,
I have not heard of Dane Sweeney. Can you tell

(01:15:34):
us a bit about him?

Speaker 19 (01:15:35):
Yeah, he's a little bloke who's just doing his best
basically he's 170 centimetres tall he moves so quick you
have to when you're that height but he doesn't have
those big levers or big weapons like it's the land
of the giants tennis it's the average height of 6'3
6'4 these days but no he got.

Speaker 13 (01:15:53):
A wild card actually it was down to him and
Chris O'Connell to get the last wild card um tennis
Australia get a wild card because the ones that host
the Grand Slam share them amongst themselves which I don't
feel too easy about but anyway um Dane, yeah, never
been to a Grand Slam like this before, overseas, and
performed like this. So he's in the pocket for an

(01:16:16):
Aussie $ 1, 000, which is good for him. Obviously, he'll get
taxed at the eyeballs, but he's managed to get himself
his best at a payday and give himself a chance
to get into the second week.

Speaker 2 (01:16:25):
It's a great story.

Speaker 3 (01:16:26):
Sixth seeded Aussie, though, Alex Demeneur, who I guess we
all look at and say, well, he's the one who's
going to go the deepest. He lost in straight sets
in the second round.

Speaker 13 (01:16:34):
Yeah, this was a shocker for him. He, yeah, against
Van der Zandtrop, the Dutchman, who's a good player on
his day. It's a top 10 win. But, no, Demon's
had a weird year. He's most inconsistent year by a long,
long way. Usually, he's just so consistent. He'll get to
the second week. He'll win some events. He's won the
odd event. But, yeah, he's been a bit all over

(01:16:58):
the shop. So, I think he's doing a bit of
soul-searching about what he's trying to be, and I've heard
that he's trying to be this power hitter, introduce power
to his game, but that's not his game. His strength
got him to where he is, and that's his speed
and his accuracy. So, yeah, he's got some thinking to do,
I think.

Speaker 3 (01:17:15):
And to rugby, where the Wallabies tomorrow morning take on
Argentina for the second week in a row, Leskis has
this team on a three-game winning streak. Wins over Japan twice,
and then 27-21 over Argentina last week. He's going all right.
Can he make it four on the bounce tomorrow?

Speaker 13 (01:17:31):
Yeah, look, it's the best possible start he could have
got off to. It would have raised questions the other
way if he didn't, especially those two games against Japan. But,
I mean, they snuck home in that first one, they
were dominant in the second, and they were good last week.
As you know, Argentina, not the easiest away trip. So
back-to-back is an ask. This is the scene of... Remember

(01:17:52):
that game two years ago when they jumped out to
a 20-0 lead or something and then they ended up
getting beat 67-27?

Speaker 3 (01:17:59):
Yes, I do.

Speaker 13 (01:18:01):
It's the same venue. And I think the fly half,
Ben Donaldson, that was the last game he started for
the Wallabies at fly half. So hopefully, yeah, hopefully Hex
can be overcome. I think they're in a pretty good spot,
but it's hard to tell with Argentina sometimes because... I
get the feeling this isn't the greatest version, but still
very hard to beat at home and won't be an

(01:18:21):
easy task. Kis made, I think he's made 14 changes
to the squad. Overall, he told his entire front row
from last week to have a week off, not even
in the squad. So yeah, he's rung in the changes
and relying on his depth.

Speaker 3 (01:18:36):
Well, looking forward to seeing the Wallabies up against the
All Blacks a bit later on in the year. Lots
happening as always, as I say, Adam, on your side
of the Tasman. Thanks for keeping us updated, mate. We'll
chat again next Saturday.

Speaker 2 (01:18:47):
Cheers, buddy. Have a good one.

Speaker 3 (01:18:48):
You have a good one too, Adam. Adam Peacock, our
regular Australian correspondent here on Weekend Sport. 10 to 2,
back in a moment.

Speaker 1 (01:18:56):
Calls on your home of sport. Weekend Sport with Jason Fine.
News Talk ZB.

Speaker 3 (01:19:02):
Six and a half away from two. After two o'clock,
Clinton Torpy is on the show. I was looking back
at 2002 and the only other Warriors side to have
won the minor premiership. And you look at that team.
And it is an absolute roll call of some of
the great Warriors players. You forget how good that team
was back in 2002. I'll bring this up with Clinton Torpey,

(01:19:28):
but listen to this. Ivan Cleary, Ali Lawatiti, Stacey Jones,
Mark Tukey, Arwen Goodenbill, Jerry Siu-Siu, Wairangi Kopu, Kevin Campion,
Lance Hoheia, Logan Swan, Henry Fa'afili, Monty Beetham. that's just
some of that squad from 2002. Those are Warriors icons,

(01:19:49):
coached by another Warriors icon, Daniel Anderson. No wonder they
did so well. So Clinton Torpey going to join us.
Does watching the team of 2026 bring back some memories
for him of 2002, where the team not only won
the minor premiership, but went all the way to the
grand final before being beaten by in the final game

(01:20:09):
of that season. What's he seeing from the 2026 side,
and does he feel as though emulation is in our future?
Of course, the Warriors this afternoon take on the Manly
Sea Eagles at Go Media Stadium. Now, I'm sure you
know the equation here, but just in case you don't,
here is where we are. The Warriors and the Panthers

(01:20:30):
are even on points. They've got one game to play.
The Warriors, as I say, play the Sea Eagles this afternoon.
The Sea Eagles are ninth on the table. They can't
make the top eight, so they've got nothing to play
for apart from pride. Tomorrow, the Panthers will play the
West Tigers. The Tigers are currently 15th on the NRL ladder,

(01:20:52):
clearly can't make the eight, and themselves are playing to salvage,
I guess, something from their season. You'd have to think
that the Panthers are firm favourites to beat the Tigers,
and the Warriors would be warm favourites to beat the
Sea Eagles. If both of these two teams win, if
the Warriors beat Manly this afternoon and the Panthers beat

(01:21:15):
the Tigers, then we just have to look at the
winning margins because the two teams will be tied on
points and it'll come down to points differential. The difference
between the number of points you've scored and the number
of points you've conceded. At the moment, the Warriors' points
differential is plus 309. The Panthers, plus 309. 308. So

(01:21:39):
it's pretty easy to work it out. The Warriors winning
margin has to be the same or better than the
winning margin of the Panthers. That's pretty much the size
of it. And there's nothing really the Warriors can do
about the Panthers game. All they can do is go
out and beat Manly later on today and then sit

(01:21:59):
back and see what happens tomorrow. And you know what?
It doesn't really matter if they don't win the minor premiership.
A top two place is always the goal because it
gives you that home advantage next week in week one
of the finals, a week off if you win that,
and then one home game away from the grand final
is where you find yourself. Exciting times. Clinton Torpy after
the news at two.

Speaker 1 (01:22:22):
The only place to discuss the biggest sports issues on
and off the field. It's all on Weekend Sport with
Jason Pine and the Volkswagen Amarok V6 on Newstalk ZB,
your home of sport.

Speaker 3 (01:22:38):
207, welcome into the show. This is Weekend Sport on
Newstalk ZB. Until three, I'm Jason Pine. Andy McDonald is
show producer. It's Cup final day in Christchurch. Our domestic
football competitions, the Knockout Cups, the Kate Sheppard Cup, the
women's competition, locked up at one all at halftime between
Cashmere Tech, of Christchurch and eastern suburbs of Auckland. Four

(01:23:01):
o'clock this afternoon, the Chatham Cup final. Same venue. It's
free entry there under the roof as well at One
New Zealand Stadium at Tekaha. Cashmere Tech are in the
men's final as well. They've won it four times before.
Up against Fenceables United, who have never even made a final,
let alone won the Chatham Cup. Their coach is Rhys Rooker.

(01:23:21):
He's going to join us before 3 o'clock. Clinton Torpey
shortly talking Warriors. We'll open the lines on the WAS
as well, 5 o'clock this afternoon. It'll be sold out
again at Go Media for the Warriors against the Seagulls
to complete the regular season. We'll also give you the chance,
as we always do on a Saturday afternoon, to play

(01:23:42):
a sporting chance with the TAB, a $ 150 bonus bet
up for grabs today. If you can get through as
Caller 5, we'll give you three options. You choose one,
we'll place the bet. If it comes in, you take
the winnings. Simple as that. A sporting chance at some
stage over the next 45 minutes or so. But before
we do any of that, let's catch you up on
some of the things that you may have missed over

(01:24:03):
the last little while. There's been a bit of sport
going on, of course. Pretty busy time of the year.
In case you missed it, starting in the Premier League, Liverpool.

Speaker 4 (01:24:13):
Liverpool.

Speaker 3 (01:24:14):
And finally, that's my team, put themselves into the winner's column.
Another searching ball for Isak. The goalkeeper came out and
is caught out as Isak scores for the second time
in three minutes.

Speaker 16 (01:24:27):
Again, Gatpo centrally involved and Liverpool cruising early on at
Portman Road.

Speaker 3 (01:24:34):
Liverpool beating Ipswich Town 2-0. In the NPC, the Magpies
used their get-out-of-jail-free card last night. I'll go back the
other way. Just getting a little bit tangled up. And
now some space, but Godfrey.

Speaker 20 (01:24:48):
Shows the ball.

Speaker 3 (01:24:48):
Oh, that is sensational.

Speaker 4 (01:24:50):
Harry Godfrey.

Speaker 3 (01:24:56):
And that might just do.

Speaker 7 (01:24:58):
It for Hawke's Bay.

Speaker 3 (01:25:00):
Yeah, Harry Godfrey the standout as the Magpies came back
from 24 points to 7 down to beat Otago 35-24
and remain undefeated through six rounds in the NRL. The
Dolphins locked themselves into third spot on the ladder. So
here they go again. It's the hammer through the middle.

Speaker 6 (01:25:19):
Tabuai Fido comes to Kenny and goes straight past.

Speaker 16 (01:25:25):
Tabuai Fido says, I've got two.

Speaker 3 (01:25:28):
It was an all-plane sailing for the Dolphins. They won
24-20 over the Titans, a seventh straight victory. And in
Jai Arrow's 100th, the Bunnies made it a night to remember,
putting 50 on the Roosters.

Speaker 16 (01:25:43):
Contola sharp play of the ball.

Speaker 6 (01:25:44):
Brandon Smith thought he was going to get there.

Speaker 16 (01:25:47):
He goes there a second time, and it's a try.

Speaker 3 (01:25:51):
And 50 now.

Speaker 12 (01:25:52):
50.

Speaker 3 (01:25:53):
He's very much.

Speaker 16 (01:25:55):
There for the taking.

Speaker 3 (01:25:57):
Brandon Smith, he'll love that.

Speaker 1 (01:25:59):
The biggest names in sport talk to Piney. Weekend Sport
with Jason Pine and the Volkswagen Amarok V6.

Speaker 4 (01:26:07):
Power and comfort combined. On sale now. Newstalk ZB.

Speaker 3 (01:26:11):
Ten past two, the Warriors have the chance to make
some NRL history this weekend. If they beat Manly this
afternoon by a bigger margin than Penrith beat the Tigers tomorrow,
the Warriors will claim the minor premiership for just the
second time, emulating the 2002 side, which went all the
way to the grand final. Let's bring in a genuine

(01:26:33):
Warriors legend. Clinton Torpey was a huge part of that
2002 side. He played 26 of the side's 27 games
that season and topped the try scoring list with 18,
including an iconic try in the preliminary final against Cronulla,
which propelled the Warriors to their first ever grand final.

Speaker 4 (01:26:54):
Now it's gone from Jones. And oh!

Speaker 3 (01:26:56):
A real good catch and pass by Cleary. He's given
him a chance, the Warriors.

Speaker 7 (01:27:01):
Torpey! Torpey will make it!

Speaker 4 (01:27:04):
Torpey! Did he land on the line? I fancy that
he has.

Speaker 3 (01:27:09):
This will be a try. Across eight seasons at the Warriors,
he played 129 NRL games, scoring 57 tries, the eighth
most by any Warrior in their history. He also had
time with the Leeds Rhinos and the Gold Coast Titans
and played 22 times for the Kiwis, twice scoring a
hat-trick of tries against Australia in 2003 and again in 2005.

(01:27:31):
He was, without a doubt, one of the best centres ever.
in the world. Clinton Torpy is with us. Great to
get the chance to chat to you this afternoon, Clinton.
As you've watched the Warriors in 2026, how much has
it brought back memories of 2002 for you?

Speaker 21 (01:27:51):
Oh, look, yeah, that intro too, you just, you know,
made my head even bigger. I usually can't get into hats,
but now I definitely won't be able to get into hats.
But look, on a serious note, watching this outfit, on
and off the field, what they've been able to create

(01:28:12):
in terms of successes, the momentum. It's awesome to watch
as a supporter and as an ex-player. It doesn't bring
up any memories of what we created by any means,
but it's just exciting to know that consistency and the
Warriors in the same conversation is just a beautiful thing

(01:28:35):
to be proud of. I think even in my era
when we had some successes, we probably didn't have the
consistency that these boys have been able to produce. over, what,
20-plus games. And that's a huge feat in itself to
be the best defensive, the best attacking by one point,

(01:29:00):
if my stats tell me right. And their completions are
the highest of any team. And I'd say probably the
fastest modern era of NRL, I think that speaks for itself.

Speaker 3 (01:29:13):
Yeah, you've nailed it with the consistency. That, I think,
is the hallmark of this side. And of course, any
team that's at the top of the table is going
to have to produce that consistency. What parts of the
game specifically, Clinton, have you enjoyed watching from the Warriors?

Speaker 21 (01:29:29):
Oh, just the ferocity, you know, the way that they're
just bashing teams apart. The physicality, the way they're consistently
holding that level of standards. I only got to think
back to the Penrith Panthers. Nobody does that to the
Penrith Panthers. The way we go with physical, no one

(01:29:52):
drives tall back. No one holds their back five in
their own 20, let alone 30. And that just signified
their standing in the top four. And I think, you know,
as an ex-player, you watch that and you see how
those battle of attrition come down to the physicality and

(01:30:15):
being able to maintain that physicality for the 80 minutes.
And they did not let off. And I know there
might have been a score, a couple of tries scored late,
but that was no way an indication of how that
game really was if we were, you know, the ones
that know and love their rugby leagues. I was just

(01:30:37):
admiring the way they held their own and they continue
to do it each week.

Speaker 3 (01:30:42):
There have been a lot of standout performers. One player, though,
turning a lot of heads is Leka Halasima. What have
you made of his development? And does he remind you
a little bit of Ali Lawatiti?

Speaker 21 (01:30:55):
Yeah, look, I almost think he's one in his own.
Ali seemed like he had and I'm not taking away
anything from Ali because Ali was probably, in my eyes,
one of the best players I've ever got to play with.
But Lekker's kind of, he's got pretty much everything. You know,
he's explosive, he's powerful, he's fast, he's strong, he's, you know,

(01:31:20):
he's tall and he's got a body built for, you know,
both sides of the pack, you know, the forwards and
the outside backs. And I think you know, seeing him
play in the centres is very exciting. And, you know,
some of the players, the centres that he's come up against,

(01:31:41):
they're top tier, they're world-class centres and he's, they're nervous
and they're trying to put some shots on him and
he's just flicking them off like they're, you know, little kids.

Speaker 3 (01:31:52):
Yep.

Speaker 21 (01:31:54):
And just seeing him grow in confidence and, be a
standout for the place. We all knew that he was
a unique specimen, but coming in and hold a position
that he's not familiar with and make it his own
in this point in time in their team wouldn't be

(01:32:14):
an easy thing to do, but the way Webby has
created a system, a structure that fits the mould of
every single athlete that's in their team, they centre Joel
and buy-in and that next mentality is next man up
mentality has been a, you know, some do behold, you think,

(01:32:35):
you know, what are we at the third or fourth
string half? And it's nice to have the combination of
chance and all those boys come back to the fold and,
you know, at the right time. So no, it's exciting
times leading into what will be the business end of
the season.

Speaker 3 (01:32:53):
Absolutely right.

Speaker 7 (01:32:53):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:32:54):
That next man up mentality is, Another hallmark of this team,
isn't it, Clinton? You know, you look at the guys
who have had to step up, and as you say, yeah,
I don't know how many halfbacks they've used this year,
but they all seem capable of slotting in. What's it
like in a playing group when, you know, you have
key players go down injured? How do you wrap the
support around the bloke coming in and make sure that
they immediately feel at home in first grade?

Speaker 21 (01:33:17):
I think what's been good, I think the whole cultural
of it all, you've got to think of the pathways
that they've got in place, so the system, so having
the team in the New South Wales Cup and, you know,
the younger grades below that, having them, you know, being
a part of playing against men, so there'll be ex-NRL

(01:33:37):
players down in the New South Wales Cup, so I
think a lot of times we see what's happening around
the top but not really behind the scenes or down
below where A lot of these boys are, you know,
learning their craft. You've got to look at the Jet
Clearies and everything else. Those kinds of guys didn't just
turn up here and now they've slotted into, you know,
NRL straight away. They've been crafting out. Tanner Boyd is

(01:34:00):
another one when I think of halves. You know, they
were applying their trade in the New South Wales Cup and,
you know, a standard that's, you know, got a lot of,
like I said, ex-players playing in there or current extended
players of a 30-man squad. playing in what's considered one
of the highest level of footy. So when those boys

(01:34:21):
are playing good footy down there and they're buying in
and they're coming into the same systems, it's from the
top to the bottom and the bottom to the top,
it's almost seamless when they come in and they're playing.
It's just finding their confidence within themselves to, you know,
try and tell a 100 or 300 game player like,
you know, Fisher, to get over here and get over

(01:34:43):
there and I need you to drop under me and
all this sort of stuff. You know, that's not an
easy thing to do as a young kid trying to
tell men who are internationals, men who have won championships,
where to go and how to be on the field.
And if you can own that space and be confident
in it, I think that sort of is another battle
in itself. But what Webby has done, and I tend

(01:35:06):
to hear it quite a lot, and even with us
old boys being back here, Over the last few days
and watching the captains run, these boys have a lot
of faith and love for Webby. And I know that
it's mutual. And that's why these boys are going out
there to die and battle for not just Webby, but
the team and the club and what it stands for.

Speaker 3 (01:35:27):
That's great insight. That 2002 sidemount, I look at the
names in that team as well as you. I mean,
listen to this. Ivan Cleary, Ali Lawatiti, Stacey Jones, Mark Tukey,
Arwen Gutenbeil, Gerry Siusi, Wairangi Korpu, Kevin Campion, Lance O'Hire,
Logan Swan, Henry Fa'afili, Monty Beetham, I could go on.
Coached by Daniel Anderson. What was it like playing in

(01:35:48):
a team like that?

Speaker 21 (01:35:50):
Look, it honestly was like going to your local park
or your playground and you're going with your kids because
there was, you know, that banter, but there was also
a fun element to it. And, you know, Daniel Anderson
had a knack for being so creative that it allowed

(01:36:14):
us to be expressive and in games like con games
and you know conditioning wasn't like you'll get around the
track and you're running you know 1k under this time
and you know we found different ways that we're able
to evolve the conditioning 1k run so to speak and
you know we're offloading at will and having fun with

(01:36:34):
it and so when you think about that in the
context of what you see on the field the finished
product and sometimes it's messy and it's chaotic but You know,
that's the rips we were doing, whether as a kid,
but when we got into that professional environment, Daniel was
able to nurture that and mold that to be a
bit more sharper and be a bit more cleaner. Whereas
if we were coming straight from the streets and, you know,

(01:36:57):
we were doing it with our uncles or our friends
and family in the backyard, it was all over the place.
You know, you're throwing it all over. You're pulling it
out of your ass and all this kind of jazz.

Speaker 12 (01:37:06):
Yeah.

Speaker 7 (01:37:08):
Yeah.

Speaker 21 (01:37:09):
In those environments with Daniel Anderson, he was able to
get the best out of us and mould it into,
you know, a cleaner product.

Speaker 3 (01:37:15):
All right, just to finish then, you reckon the Warriors
of 2026 can emulate you and that O2 side and
go to the grand final? Who knows? Maybe go one better,
win a grand final this year.

Speaker 21 (01:37:27):
Yeah, look, I'm only thinking, like, I know everyone's going
one week at a time and da-da-da, this and that,
but I have every faith in these guys because... A
lot of boys and a lot of public people and
people who know their footy, they're only going to beat themselves.
The only thing that might be of difference is matching

(01:37:49):
up against a team that's played in Grand Finals. That's
probably been the undoing of us when we were in 2002.
I think we might have had one player who had
been in the Grand Final and that might have been
Kevin Campion at the time. I don't think Ivan Cleary
had played in the Grand Finals. So we're overhauled in
the atmosphere. So I think we had set goals to

(01:38:10):
make the grand final. And, you know, from a psychological standpoint,
you're like, man, we made the grand final. But obviously
you always want to win it. But we were just
happy to be. I know that for me, for myself personally,
I was happy to be there in it. Before, you know,
80 minutes was over and we thought if we got
the shot again, we would come back and really do it.
And we were nearly there in 2003, but we never

(01:38:32):
got to do that ever again. And that's... probably a
sad sort of reflection. But you think about these guys now,
they've earned every right to be there. And I know
they've got a long way to go, but I'm thinking
they're going to take this. And it's our year. And
I'm proud to say it because they've earned their right
to say where and what they can be.

Speaker 3 (01:38:54):
Clinton, what a delight to chat to you, mate, to
reminisce a little bit, to talk about the current team.
I can hear the excitement in your voice as the
excitement exists across the growing Warriors fan base. Thanks for
taking the time for a chat today, mate. All the best.
And yeah, we all look forward to seeing what happens
over the next month or so.

Speaker 21 (01:39:10):
No worries, Jase. Thanks. It was my pleasure. Up the wars.

Speaker 3 (01:39:13):
Up the wars.

Speaker 1 (01:39:15):
Amazing.

Speaker 3 (01:39:15):
Thanks, Clinton. Clinton Torpy, what a player he was. Just
in the preparation for that interview, I was watching a
few of his highlights. Man, you forget. Well, you don't forget. Just,
he was magnificent in that team. Isn't it great to
hear from some of these players who have been there
and done that? I must be so proud watching the
team of 2026. 224, let's open the lines on the Warriors.

(01:39:37):
0800 80 10 80. But Baden has pointed out, I
said before the break, or before the news at two,
that it didn't really matter if the Warriors won the
minor premiership or not. Second place still achieved the same aim.
Baden has quite correctly pointed out that we need to
win the minor premiership so that we play the understrength roosters.

(01:39:57):
rather than the Dolphins who were on a charge and
beat us in their last game. Let the Panthers play them.
It's a very good point, Baden. You're right. If you
had your choice between the Dolphins who have won seven
in a row now and the Roosters who have kind
of stumbled over the last little while, yes, you'd take
the Roosters. So in order to play the Roosters, the
Warriors have to win the minor premiership because one plays

(01:40:19):
four and two plays three in week one of the finals. Therefore,
The Roosters are locked into fourth place. The Dolphins are
locked into third place. It's just for the Warriors and
the Panthers to sort themselves out now, one and two. Frank,
how are you feeling?

Speaker 21 (01:40:36):
Elated.

Speaker 14 (01:40:38):
The expectation is... I'll start off with an analogy. We've
got a Warriors juggernaut carrying a load of swallows ready
to roll over those flock of sea eagles.

Speaker 3 (01:40:53):
Love that, Frank.

Speaker 14 (01:40:55):
Now, what a feast of sport we've got this weekend, Piney.
I mean, I was just so excited about it. This feast,
we've got the entree, which is, I would say, Lawson
driving in that second Red Bull car. He's got a
much faster car. He's looking great. He was seventh the

(01:41:16):
last time. I think he'll go very, very well. That's
the entree. We've got a main course. Now, that main course...
It's a bit more than the All Spare Ribs. Man,
it's Springboks and All Blacks. I would give the All
Blacks a win here. The last game, I thought the

(01:41:36):
All Blacks were possibly 55% against 45%. Slightly better. A
little bit more speedy getting the ball out of the
wings and so on. I think they can run at
the higher belt. I think they can run the Springboks around,
but Oh, it's going to be a fascinating game. But
then we come to dessert. Oh, man, this ain't just Pavlovla, man.

(01:42:00):
This is Warriors. And as I say, we need our
truck to keep carrying on because we can't afford to
lose this one because we don't want to hit that
first semifinal with a loss. And I really do. I
think the boys, I think they're ready for this. And
I just... I'll be watching it with a friend of mine,

(01:42:23):
and he's been following the Warriors a lot longer than
I have. And believe me, I think we're going to
have a very good evening.

Speaker 3 (01:42:33):
I think I know the answer to this question, Frank,
but let me ask you this. If you had the choice,
and this is hypothetical, if you had the choice between
the Warriors winning the minor premiership and the All Blacks
beating South Africa tomorrow morning, which of those two would
you choose?

Speaker 21 (01:42:47):
Warriors....

Speaker 14 (01:42:49):
I'm all the way with the Warriors.

Speaker 12 (01:42:52):
Don't get me wrong.

Speaker 14 (01:42:53):
I mean, I've been an all-black supporter, but the Warriors
have just got me this year. They've just, yeah, man,
they've got it.

Speaker 3 (01:43:03):
Love it, Frank. I've enjoyed chatting to you about the
Warriors during the regular season. The next time we chat,
we'll be past the regular season and into the final series, mate.
Keep calling. I love your swallow analogies every week. It's
good riding this journey with you. 228 it is, 0800
80 1080. We can talk some Warriors for a little while.

(01:43:24):
We've got to get to a couple of other things,
but lines are open on the Warriors. 0800 80 1080. Manly,
the opposition this afternoon. Does it matter that the Warriors
might not win the minor premiership? How big a thing
is the fact that they will take on the Dolphins.

(01:43:46):
If they finish second, the Dolphins are hot. Seven wins
in a row. It won't eliminate the Warriors, even if
they were to lose next week. Finishing in the top
four gives you the extra life. And you know what?
I don't want to jinx this, but Dolphins, Schmolfins, anyone
can come to GoMedia if they want to. Come and
have a crack at us. 228, back in a mo'..

Speaker 1 (01:44:09):
From grassroots to the grandstand, we can sport with Jason
Pine and the Volkswagen Amarok V6. Power and comfort combined.
On sale now. Call 0800 80 1080. Newstalk ZB.

Speaker 3 (01:44:21):
2.31, Talking Warriors. G'day, Paul.

Speaker 12 (01:44:24):
Oh, good afternoon, Piney. Just arrived in Auckland and heading
to the stadium. It's a beautiful day here in the
City of Sales, which I'm hoping won't turn into the
City of Fails tonight, mate.

Speaker 3 (01:44:39):
I can't see it happening. I know Manly want to
finish strongly, but can you see a scenario under which
the Seagulls beat the Warriors today?

Speaker 12 (01:44:47):
Yeah, I can, mate. I mean, I was confident last
week with Newcastle. And then, you know, 20 minutes into
the game, I'm going, what the heck is going on here?
But they want a slow start. And I'm really expecting
the Warriors today to make a statement to what's coming up,
you know, in the final series. I really want them
to make a statement today. and just deal to the

(01:45:09):
Sea Eagles tonight, send them home packing.

Speaker 3 (01:45:12):
I know you've, um, you would have seen the team
news with, uh, Leka Halasima, a late withdrawal, bit of
a reshuffle in the back line and Wade Egan being
given this game off, Kirk Hapel not on the side.
You still feel confident enough? I mean, we shouldn't really
talk about the depth of the Warriors because they've showed
it all year, haven't they? It's still a pretty decent side.
You're not worried by the, the players who aren't there today?

Speaker 12 (01:45:30):
No, not at all. No, as you said, we've seen,
we've seen already the depth that's come through. You know, we,
down to our fifth halfback, you know, with Jet Clary
last week. So I'm confident. The only way the Warriors
will lose, and I've said it before, is that they'll
beat themselves tonight. But if you want to win this competition,

(01:45:51):
you know, you need to come out of the blocks
100 miles an hour and dominate. You know, and we
saw the Roosters try that last night, but unfortunately, you know,
the Rabideaus all class and Luttrell back. But I'm really
looking forward to tonight and going to watch the woman
first up and see how they go. I just think,

(01:46:13):
if I can just quickly comment on the woman, I
just think they're struggling in their halves. This Patricia Malialepo,
she's come from number nine, a hawker, and now they're
throwing her at number seven. I just don't think that
she's up to it, especially if you look at the
Australian girls, you know, born and bred legies with that
league IQ and the halves position. I'm not having a

(01:46:36):
go at her, but Yeah, she struggles there. Anyway, mate,
so I'm going to get there shortly and watch the
woman and soak it up, mate. Yeah, it should be
a good night.

Speaker 3 (01:46:44):
Good man, Paul. Good to chat to you as always, mate.
Enjoy your day. Drive safely home. Let's chat again soon.

Speaker 2 (01:46:49):
Alan, hi.

Speaker 20 (01:46:51):
Yeah, g'day, Jason. The call had just gone. It stole
my thunder a little bit. I read that Webster was
not happy with the game that was played last week,
the way they played it. And leaking too many points
would have been top of his agenda without question. Like Paul,

(01:47:13):
I think it was, I want them to make a
real statement tonight. And if they can't, I'm going to
be really worried because not letting points in is equally
as important as scoring them. And finals are a different
kettle of fish from the first 27 rounds, if you like.

(01:47:34):
The intensity goes up another level. And Webster knows after
that game against Newcastle that we were a bit loose.

Speaker 13 (01:47:43):
In that game.

Speaker 20 (01:47:44):
And when you consider that it was 12 that they
were playing against and they really only won by, what,
14 points, I think.

Speaker 4 (01:47:53):
Yep.

Speaker 20 (01:47:53):
I can imagine Andrew Webster being very nonplussed because he,
of all people, will know what's required to get a
win in the final series. How many years was he
with Penrith? I think one or two championships. Given that,

(01:48:15):
I think we have got the team, but they have
got to play absolutely top of their ability and even
bring a little more inspiration 100%. which is a term
I hate but it does adequately describe somebody playing a
little bit out of their skin to normal because that's

(01:48:35):
what's going to be needed and I think they have
got it but it's an attitude thing from now on
without question.

Speaker 3 (01:48:44):
You're right to land on the defence, Alan. It's such
a salient point. And I'm sure Andrew Webster has delivered
that message internally, as he did in the media last week.
He wasn't happy.

Speaker 4 (01:48:52):
You're right.

Speaker 3 (01:48:53):
And they had that period. They played the Titans, the
Panthers and the Broncos. They won those three games and
conceded in total just 24 points in those games. 32
against the Knights last week. And as Paul pointed out,
the start was quite jarring, wasn't it? Let's hope for
better this afternoon. Good to hear from you, Alan. How

(01:49:14):
are you, Tim?

Speaker 2 (01:49:15):
Yeah, not too bad, Piney.

Speaker 10 (01:49:17):
I reckon the Warriors will have a whirlwind tonight because
all the Fathers will be happy because it's Father's Day
as well.

Speaker 3 (01:49:24):
Yes, you make a very good point, Tim. What better
way to usher in Father's Day than to have a
Warriors win on Father's Day Eve?

Speaker 8 (01:49:33):
Yes.

Speaker 3 (01:49:34):
All right, so that's it? You're confident? I mean, there's
probably a couple of dads in the Sea Eagles as well,
to be fair.

Speaker 2 (01:49:42):
Yeah, you will be, yes.

Speaker 3 (01:49:44):
All right. We'll go with the Father's Day prediction, Tim.
I love it. I love it. Good man. Five o'clock
this afternoon. Go Media Stadium. Warriors against the Sea Eagles.
If they win by more than the Panthers beat the
Tigers tomorrow, the Warriors are minor premiers. If the winning
margin of the Panthers over the Tigers is greater than

(01:50:06):
that of the Warriors over the Sea Eagles, or if
the Warriors were to lose this afternoon, God forbid, The
Panthers would be my own premiers. Let's have a chat
about this tomorrow once it's all played out, eh? 23
away from three. Let's play a sporting chance. With the TAB,
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(01:50:27):
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Speaker 4 (01:50:37):
Hear what matters in sport.

Speaker 1 (01:50:39):
Weekend sport with Jason Vine and the Volkswagen Albaroc V6.
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Speaker 4 (01:50:52):
Thanks to TAB.

Speaker 3 (01:50:54):
Yes, it is. 19 to 3. How are you, Mike?

Speaker 4 (01:50:57):
I'm good, thank you.

Speaker 3 (01:51:00):
That's the story. I'm going to give you three options.
You just have to listen to the three options and
choose one at the end. Pretty simple from your side. Mike,
you ready to go?

Speaker 2 (01:51:08):
Yeah, all good.

Speaker 3 (01:51:10):
Okay, short evens and long. Your short bet, the, don't
you dare say it special, Warriors Sea Eagles, winning margin,
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You would win $ 165. Bearing in mind they've won their
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(01:51:32):
that's your short bet. Evens, the it's not a matter
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(01:51:52):
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by 13-plus to win $ 165. Will Jordan to score the first,

(01:52:13):
the second, or the third try to win $ 405. Amy
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win $ 3, 000. What are you going to go with?

Speaker 11 (01:52:23):
Definitely even.

Speaker 17 (01:52:25):
Definitely.

Speaker 2 (01:52:26):
Yep.

Speaker 4 (01:52:27):
Yeah, Will Jordan.

Speaker 3 (01:52:28):
Yeah, Will Jordan. I like that. I like that bet, actually.
I think that's... That's very attractive. So Will Jordan to
score the first, second or third try of the test
and you would win $ 405. You happy to lock that in?

Speaker 10 (01:52:39):
Yeah, definitely lock it in.

Speaker 8 (01:52:41):
Just a quick question.

Speaker 11 (01:52:43):
If you get the first, second and third, do I.

Speaker 3 (01:52:44):
Get a multiplayer? Just behave yourself, Mike. Just behave yourself.
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(01:53:07):
Thanks to our mates at the TAB. As always, bet responsibly.
Top man, Mike. Good to have you on the show. 17-3,
our domestic football knockout cups have their climax this afternoon
under the roof in Christchurch. The Chatham Cup final at
four o'clock this afternoon. Four-time winners Cashmere Technical up against
Fenceables United looking for their first ever Chatham Cup win.

(01:53:28):
Fenceables were formed in 1996 following the merger of Howick
and Pakuranga Town. They've never before made the Chatham Cup final,
let alone won the Chatham Cup. Their head coach is
Rhys Rooker, who joins us ahead of the game. How's
the week been, Rhys, as you prepare your team for
the club's first ever Chatham Cup final?

Speaker 2 (01:53:50):
It started off a little bit disappointing.

Speaker 22 (01:53:53):
We just missed out on National League by goal difference. So, yeah,
not ideal with the league. But, you know, at least
we've got something pretty special to look forward to, to
get over that disappointment pretty quickly. So disappointment followed by

(01:54:14):
excitement pretty quickly after that.

Speaker 4 (01:54:15):
All right.

Speaker 3 (01:54:15):
So as you've prepared the team this week, have you
tried to keep it like a normal week? Have you
done the same things to a large degree or have
you actually tried to embrace the fact that this is
something a bit special?

Speaker 22 (01:54:32):
Nah, we've been pretty consistent with how we have been
all year. We understand that we're very new to this
kind of occasion so I was lucky enough to win
it as a player in 2015 and I know that
we have to be really calm and it's a cliche

(01:54:52):
to kind of just approach it like it's any other
game but it's true and within an experienced group, like,
that's kind of just the messaging. It's like it's just
another weekend.

Speaker 3 (01:55:05):
At what point during your Chatham Cup run did you
start thinking, we could actually go quite deep here?

Speaker 2 (01:55:14):
I mean, we managed to get over the line against
Bourke and head away quite early on.

Speaker 22 (01:55:21):
I think that was round of 16, maybe, or maybe
even before that. And they were on a I mean,
they went undefeated in the league and were just, like,
blowing everyone away. And for us to do that away
against them at their place.

Speaker 2 (01:55:35):
Was, like, that gave us a bit of belief, yeah.

Speaker 22 (01:55:38):
And then the Auckland City one, we had a lot
of our senior players out and we played, yeah, a
really young team against Auckland City and they had all
their best players back from our pro league. So that
one as well, and we won it in really dramatic fashion.
So after that, it was like, yeah, I mean, we

(01:56:02):
could go on to the final, and we have, so yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:56:05):
Tell us about the drama in the quarterfinal against Auckland City. What,
late winner was it?

Speaker 2 (01:56:10):
No, it was, well, kind of.

Speaker 22 (01:56:12):
We went 2-0 up, and then after halftime, they scored
two minutes, oh, within the space of two minutes of
each other in like the 65th minute or something and
it just kind of had that feeling of like oh
here we go like Auckland City mentality we're potentially going
to get rolled over and then and then we scored
one in like the 85th minute but the real drama

(01:56:35):
was at the end like in the 96th we gave
away a penalty and our goalkeeper saved it so it
was pretty emotional.

Speaker 3 (01:56:42):
Yeah, magic of the Cup, eh? Magic of the Cup.
And then in the semi-final, Nelson Suburbs 3-0. I know
you scored very, very early. That seems comfortable, 3-0. Was
that a comfortable win for you?

Speaker 22 (01:56:53):
I mean this with no disrespect, but it did have
a sense of comfort about it. We got really lucky
by getting a home draw. I feel like if we
played down there, they've beaten some massive teams there. at
their place so I think if it was down there
it would have been a completely different story but yeah
I'm not going to lie like we were quite comfortable
in that game and like you said the early goal

(01:57:16):
and like I think we scored the second in the
eighth minute maybe so we kind of had control of
the game throughout yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:57:22):
You mentioned before Reesha won the cup as a player
with Eastern Suburbs in 2015 how much have you drawn
on that experience as you've guided your side in the
cup competition this year and in particular in your messaging
to them this week?

Speaker 22 (01:57:36):
I've actually got a really bad memory, so I don't
remember too much of it, but we were lucky enough
to have some really experienced boys that had played in
cup finals around the world. And yeah, I remember the
kind of Kiwi contingent in the team.

Speaker 2 (01:57:56):
Were getting a bit excited in the warm-up and.

Speaker 22 (01:57:59):
Then, yeah, those experienced players and the coach actually pulled
us in and just said that we need to relax.

Speaker 2 (01:58:05):
It's It's getting too, yeah, too emotional.

Speaker 22 (01:58:10):
And then we kind of reset and we're calm and
then I think that kind of mental approach really helps.

Speaker 3 (01:58:16):
So Fenceables have never played in a Chatham Cup final.
Is there anybody in your squad who has played in
a final with another club previously?

Speaker 2 (01:58:23):
No, no.

Speaker 3 (01:58:24):
So it's new to everybody. This is a new frontier
to everybody. Tell us a bit about your team. You
mentioned there are some younger players. What is the mix
in your team of youth and experience?

Speaker 22 (01:58:35):
Yeah, so we've got a really, really strong youth at
our club. I'd say in terms of results, it's probably
the strongest in the country. So it's only right that
we feed those ones into the first team, and I've
done that for the last three years that I've been there.

(01:58:56):
So that would make up for... Academy products would make
up for about half of the squad. And then the
rest is.

Speaker 2 (01:59:04):
Yeah, we've been.

Speaker 22 (01:59:05):
really lucky with our recruitment. We got it pretty spot on.
We've got two Japanese boys, Chilean, one boy from England,
and a South African boy as well. It's a nice
mix of youth and legs and then some experience. Really,

(01:59:32):
really good players.

Speaker 2 (01:59:35):
It's been good, mate.

Speaker 3 (01:59:36):
What's your coaching philosophy? How do you encourage your teams
to play?

Speaker 22 (01:59:41):
I like to play on the front foot. I like
to get after teams. We kind of tweaked that in
the Nelson game just because they had a very unique
formation but outside of that.

Speaker 2 (01:59:52):
We're very without the ball.

Speaker 22 (01:59:56):
We like to press high and be aggressive and yeah
I'm quite detailed with like the defensive side of it
but with the ball I like to give the ball
carrier a lot of freedom to make their own decisions
but yeah I mean I guess our philosophy would be

(02:00:17):
intensity and if you were to put it in one.

Speaker 3 (02:00:19):
Word And an historic occasion this afternoon as well with
both finals being played under the roof in Christchurch. Brand
new stadium, of course. But that does give Cashmere Tech
the home advantage. Will you have many or any travelling
supporters there this afternoon?

Speaker 22 (02:00:37):
Yeah, I know there's a few coming down.

Speaker 2 (02:00:41):
Just people messaging and that.

Speaker 22 (02:00:45):
But yeah, I'm sure there'll be some supporters that maybe
live in Christchurch that are coming along.

Speaker 2 (02:00:52):
But it's a big commitment.

Speaker 22 (02:00:54):
But what I would say is, yeah, thanks everyone that
has come down today because we're up against a team that's,
you know, won this competition many times and players that
are playing in the game today. So, yeah, every bit
of support that we are going to get is very,
very much appreciated.

Speaker 3 (02:01:15):
And you've also just been appointed head coach of the
Cook Islands men's team. So will that mean this is
the end of your time at Fensibles?

Speaker 22 (02:01:24):
No, it's just like a part-time gig. I mean, there's
work to be done right throughout my contract there, but
in terms of going away and getting on the grass
with the team, it's every FIFA window, so... I am
looking to stay and, yeah, stay with the winter club scene.

Speaker 2 (02:01:49):
So, yeah, hopefully I'll be here next year.

Speaker 3 (02:01:51):
Good to hear.

Speaker 10 (02:01:52):
All right, mate.

Speaker 3 (02:01:52):
Well, your first point of business is guiding your team
this afternoon. All the best in the Chatham Cup final.
Hope you can make some more history for your club
this afternoon. All the best to you, Rhys, and thanks
for taking the time for a chat, mate.

Speaker 2 (02:02:02):
Thanks, mate.

Speaker 3 (02:02:03):
Thank you, Rhys. Rhys Rooker there. Head coach, Offensibles United
in their first Chatham Cup final, four o'clock kickoff against
Cashmere Tech. Under the roof in Christchurch, they're in added
time at the end of the Kate Shepard Cup final.
That is the women's equivalent. And Eastern Suburbs from Auckland,
3-1 ahead of Cashmere Technical in that one. So it
looks as though Eastern Suburbs are going to claim the

(02:02:24):
Kate Shepard Cup. 8-3, Newstalk ZB.

Speaker 1 (02:02:28):
Four and a half to three.

Speaker 3 (02:02:36):
Last bit on the Warriors. If they were to beat
Manly this afternoon, that would be 18 wins in the
regular season. Their most ever in club history. Thanks for
tuning in this afternoon. Tim Beveridge after three. Tomorrow on
the show, we'll wrap the All Blacks, we'll wrap the Warriors,
we'll wrap Liam Lawson and anything else that comes into
our radar. Black Ferns as well, of course. Thanks to
Andy McDonald for producing. What are we going out with today, mate?

Speaker 5 (02:02:56):
Yeah, Piney, there's a lot of not great discussion around
what happened with the Jai Aro Sky Sport incident, but
I think it's mostly important that we remember what Jai's
going through. So they've adopted this song. You know it
pretty well, Piney. You'll never walk alone to send Jai
Aro off.

Speaker 3 (02:03:12):
See you tomorrow, folks.

Speaker 8 (02:03:16):
With hope in your heart And.

Speaker 13 (02:03:23):
You'll never walk alone You'll.

Speaker 3 (02:03:33):
Never walk alone

Speaker 1 (02:03:51):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Pine, listen live
to News Talk ZB, weekends from midday, or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio.