Full Show Podcast: 19 April 2025

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

Speaker 2 (00:30):
Yound of Good afternoon and welcome into Weekend Sport on
News Talks. It'd be Saturday, April nineteen, Happy Easter, Happy birthday,
Maria Sharapover. I'm Jason Pine, Show producer Anny McDonald. We're
here with you until three. What about that game last night?

Speaker 3 (00:44):
Strikes it through Elisoda, James.

Speaker 4 (00:52):
I gotta wins it for the Crusaders finally scored tweety
five points to twenty two.

Speaker 2 (01:00):
Even that sentence, James O'Connor wins it for the Crusaders.
Who would have predicted that a couple of years ago.
The Crusaders extending their lead at the top of the
Super Rugby table to five points. The owner of the
most valuable right boot in christ Church at James O'Connor
is on the show after one o'clock after his goalkicking

(01:20):
heroics and the whet last night and how are you
feeling Blues fans as defending champions? Do you think you
can still make the six? I still think you will.
I think you'll squeak into the six. More on that
after one o'clock. Letting us off today though All Blacks
midfielder Jordi Barrett currently playing his rugby for Leinster in
Ireland and earning rave reviews. How's he finding it, has

(01:44):
it improved as rugby? And did Rico your wany give
him a call before he decided to also have a
season up at Leinster in twenty twenty six. Jordy Barrett
standing by to chat with us from Ireland. Also, can
you get your views on a couple of things related
to players heading away for various reasons, either on sabbatical
or for good and what that means for their All

(02:07):
Blacks prospects other matters around today Over the next couple
of weekends, going to check in with the super rugby
CEOs based here in New Zealand, Roger Clark from the Highlanders,
Avonlea from the Hurricanes on the show today to see
how they're tracking, largely in off field matters and other
sort of peripheral things to the rugby itself, so Roger
Clark and Avon Lee this afternoon. Colin Mansbridge on the

(02:29):
show tomorrow, He'll be happy to see you. Netball New
Zealand's board are going to review their ruling over Grace
Wecki and her Silver Fern's eligibility. At the moment she's
playing her domestic netball in Australia, which means she cannot
play for the Silver Ferns under the current rules, but
they can change the rules that they want to. Silver
Fern's coach, Dame Notding told her is with us on

(02:52):
that one of the world's top BMX riders is our
very own Ali Chu from the world famous Freestyle Kings.
She's on the show this afternoon, involved in the Easter
show across the weekend in Auckland the Ice Ferns, that's
our New Zealand women's ice hockey team. They're currently competing
in the International Ice Hockey Federation Division two Group B

(03:13):
World Champs. They're being played in Dneed and we'll get
you inside the camp. The head have a huge game
against Australia tonight. Adam Peacock in his regular slot with
Australian Sporting Matters Live Sport this afternoon while we're on
the radio. Super RB Round ten continues in Lautoka the
Fiji and Drewer up against the Waratars from five past two.
Will keep eyes on that for you and the final

(03:35):
two play in games before the NBA Playoffs. Two spots
up for grabs in the playoffs in the East, Atlanta
Hawks v. Miami Heat in Atlanta. It's halftime and Miami
leads sixty two fifty three. Out West Memphis Grizzlies Dallas
Mavericks in Memphis from one thirty this afternoon. Please join
the Shaft you would like to across your Easter weekend.

(03:57):
Oh eight hundred and eighty ten eighty. Get you through
on the phone nine two ninety two for text messages.
Emails into Jason at Newstalk SEDB, dot co, dotz coming
up eleven past midday.

Speaker 1 (04:10):
The schools from the trag Field and the Court on
your homes Sport Weekend Sport with Jason n B.

Speaker 2 (04:18):
All Blacksmidfield A. Jordi Barrett is nearing the end of
his sabbatical with Leinster, which has been an extremely successful one.

Speaker 5 (04:25):
Gipston Park has it wasting no time Mann forra Hanshaw
Teagan takes him.

Speaker 4 (04:30):
Jerry Barrett whil taker the old crushes over us to
Jason to.

Speaker 6 (04:38):
Gain ready for Pillette.

Speaker 2 (04:40):
Leinster on track for an historic double. They are top
of the United Rugby Championship with four games to go
and in the semi finals of the champions Cup against
Northampton on the third of May, and that is no
small part due to the influence of Jordy Barrett, who
has been exceptional for them since his arrival. Jordi Barrett
is with us on Weekend Sport. Thanks for taking the

(05:02):
time to time Jordy. How happy have you been with
the way your sabbatical has played out in general terms
so far?

Speaker 7 (05:09):
Yeah?

Speaker 8 (05:10):
Good to chat, fine, Yeah it's been It's been great
somewhat coming up here into the unknown, but the challenge
is what enticed me and it's been a good transition
so far. And in terms of the coaching has been great.
Great group of boys obviously which helps, majority being Irish

(05:30):
internationals which also helps too. And yeah, it's enjoying a
change of scene and ye're out of my comfort zone
in some ways.

Speaker 9 (05:39):
So the foot has been going good.

Speaker 2 (05:41):
Has the standard of the rugby in the u RC,
and also of the Champions Cup being what you expected
it would be.

Speaker 9 (05:47):
Yeah, probably as expected.

Speaker 8 (05:49):
I mean there's been some challenging games and then I mean, respectfully,
there's been some yeah, games that have been a little
bit below I guess the top of the table clashes,
But that's just the way it is and the way
it works, particularly at Leinster, Like throughout the six Nations,
you lose twenty two or twenty three internationals, and all

(06:13):
of a sudden you're playing with a lot of academy
players or young guys or guys that are on the
brink of international So it's a great challenge in that
sense and a good leveler and an opportunity to lead
throughout those weeks when you have the opportunities, and then
when internationals come back, you're kind of just got to
worry about doing your job.

Speaker 9 (06:32):
So it's been a nice balance.

Speaker 2 (06:34):
Have you been mainly playing at second five or have
you had some games at fallback as well?

Speaker 8 (06:40):
Yet mostly Well, I mean it's probably it's been a
fifty to fifty split in terms of fifteen and twelve.
Spend most of my training at twelve. But it's been
nice in that sense. It's being able to bounce beween
a couple of positions again, and look, I've been enjoying
my footy at fifteen. It's nice to get back there
and see the game a little bit differently. And I've

(07:01):
had a few a couple of games you have fallback,
so yeah, But of late the past month or so,
I've been at twelve, which has been enjoyable too.

Speaker 2 (07:09):
I remember you said when you made this decision that
you wanted to go somewhere that would improve your rugby
and allow you to come back as a better player.
Do you think that's happened? Do you think you'll come
back a better player?

Speaker 10 (07:22):
I think so.

Speaker 8 (07:24):
I reserve that jovement for people watching on the telly,
But I feel like I'm growing my game well.

Speaker 9 (07:30):
Like I said, it was a challenge come up here.

Speaker 8 (07:33):
Become familiar with another system and different coaches and players
in a different culture and environment. So I feel like
my rugby is improving, which is nice, and it's never ending.
Like any footy player just wants to improve, and I
feel like I'm making slight improvements. So look, I can

(07:53):
keep getting better in the back end of the season.

Speaker 9 (07:56):
Semi finals and finals coming up.

Speaker 11 (07:58):
So.

Speaker 8 (08:00):
Yeah, hopefully we give ourselves another chance and earn the
right to make a European final in a few weeks
time and then push DP into the USC competition.

Speaker 2 (08:08):
I know there was some concern among some people that
you didn't have much of a break between the end
of season two with the All Blacks at the back
end of twenty twenty four you went straight to Leinster,
but the White set up over there with six Nations
and the calendar, you had most of February. In fact,
I think all of February and a decent chunk of
March when you didn't play. So did that give you
the break that you needed to refresh?

Speaker 8 (08:28):
Yeah, for sure, I think there's absolutely no concern in
terms of my workload.

Speaker 9 (08:33):
Leinster have been standing and managing that. I went eight
weeks without playing footy, Yeah.

Speaker 8 (08:39):
Throughout that January February sixth Nations phase, and it got
to a stage where actually felt like I needed to
start playing footy again.

Speaker 9 (08:47):
So I've been managing me really well.

Speaker 8 (08:49):
I felt fresh ready to come back, particularly last month
or so playing rugby, and there was an opportunity to
like I spent a couple weeks out of that environment
and then I had a good five or six week
block where I was able to recondition, get in the
gym and train fully from Yeah, I guess Monday to
Saturday throughout the week, so mentally and physically I was

(09:12):
in a great spot ready to launch into this back
end of the season.

Speaker 2 (09:16):
It's been a great season for Leinster. Top of the
URC four games to go semi finals are the Champions Cup.
Just one loss all season and that was by one
point against the Balls that loft us. What have been
some of the main reasons for the team's success.

Speaker 8 (09:31):
Yeah, the way the foundation of Leinster and look, they've
got a great academy system. A lot of boys come
out of schools based here in Dublin, Saint Michael's Black
Rocks for example, come through the academy system. They want
to be here because they feel like they develop in

(09:54):
a great system around good coaches and can learn off
a lot of international players in the Irish team.

Speaker 9 (10:02):
So look, it helps when everyone's available.

Speaker 8 (10:06):
And I got the caliber of player like I alluded
to before, twenty to twenty three international test caps in
your twenty three and then you've got these guys continually
developing and.

Speaker 9 (10:18):
Growing underneath them.

Speaker 8 (10:20):
When the international players get rotated out or they're away
for six Nations duty. It gives opportunities to the younger
guys and then it's I guess perfect development for them
where they don't actually need to be playing every week,
so they might have a couple of games then come
out of the twenty three and they get the opportunity
to sit back, learn from older players and go through

(10:42):
those review preview processes, and it's just a great club
for I guess developing as a player.

Speaker 2 (10:49):
Your last game was a comfortable went over Glasgow in
the quarterfinals of the Champions Cup. You got rave reviews
for your own performance. How pleased were you with the
way you're played in that game specifically?

Speaker 9 (11:02):
Yeah, I was very pleased, Pony.

Speaker 8 (11:04):
I mean I was on edge a week because I
mean I was starting at twelve and Robbie Henshaw, who's
been an Irish Legion and Lynch Legion, was playing a
one hundredth cap that day, so internally there's a lot
of added pressure that way. But look, Leo's always said,
conversations might be on the bench, I might be starting

(11:26):
wherever I fit into the puzzle. It doesn't matter as
long as it equates to some good rugby and ideally
wins and who knows, hopefully a trophy or two at
the back end of the season. So look, I'm happy
with the way I'm going at the moment, but the
challenging footy is all ahead of me, so I can't
wait to get stuck in. We've got Ulster this weekend,

(11:50):
the USC game, then Northampton and the European semi final
and I absolutely flying at the moment.

Speaker 9 (11:57):
Some great players over there.

Speaker 2 (11:59):
So your return to New Zealand in time for the
All Black season, which starts against France in July. So
how would you compare playing for Lynch as preparation for
an international season compared to what you've known up till now,
which is playing for the Hurricanes and Super Rugby.

Speaker 9 (12:15):
Yeah, I'm not sure.

Speaker 8 (12:16):
I mean the transition I guess is obviously different because
I'm in a different team and up here in Europe.
But I mean, if we make the uc fine our
finals on the fourteenth Jones, they're not to dissimilar to
the Super Rugby boys who have the final around the
same time. So in terms of rest transition is this

(12:38):
I guess the same in terms of time frame, but
I'm not sure. I feel like I'll be ready to
go and hopefully packed and ready to take some form
into into an all Black jersey, which is the main
reason why I wanted to come up here in the
first place.

Speaker 2 (12:56):
How much contact have you had with Scott Robertson while
you've been away?

Speaker 9 (13:01):
Yeah, a little bit.

Speaker 8 (13:02):
Yeah, saying the odd text which is nice, and yeah,
shows he's keeping an eye on things and some of
the other coaches, so yeah, just touching base and making
sure things are checking well. And yeah, I mean ultimately
just healthy and playing good footy.

Speaker 9 (13:17):
So yeah, I had a bit of contact there.

Speaker 2 (13:19):
And you're all black Smithfield partner Rico Yuani coming up
to Lenster next year, almost a straight swap. Did he
call you for any advice?

Speaker 9 (13:29):
He did?

Speaker 8 (13:30):
He sounding me out about ten days ago and just
asked to see questions and yeah, didn't didn't say a
whole lot, so I didn't really understand. Sorry, I didn't
get a good inkling of where his head or heart was.
But look, I wake up yesterday, I'm a day off
and the news had dropped.

Speaker 9 (13:47):
On my phone, so it's probably good timing.

Speaker 8 (13:51):
It's gave me twenty four hours without having a barrage
of questions at training the morning I went in there,
so that I got all there yesterday.

Speaker 2 (14:00):
How do you reckon he'll go over there, Rico, No.

Speaker 9 (14:03):
He'll go great.

Speaker 8 (14:05):
Like I said, it's a great place to develop as
a player and he'll see a lot of improvements, no doubt.
Our Piers a player and I guess out of his
comfer zone in Auckland and the Blues and a.

Speaker 9 (14:17):
Chance to grow. So I think it's a great challenge
for him.

Speaker 2 (14:20):
And Tyler Blandell's part of the coaching set up up there.
You worked with him at the Hurricanes, of course. How
have you enjoyed reconnecting with him and how is he
going up there?

Speaker 9 (14:28):
Yeah, he's going really good. Yeah, the boys of Love
and the way he coaches and.

Speaker 8 (14:33):
Spend some nice tries and plenty of points put out
there last few weeks, so long may that last. Look,
Tyler's going great and the challenges will be going forward.

Speaker 9 (14:42):
Deeper into this competition when.

Speaker 8 (14:46):
You were facing stronger offendive systems the big finals and
that's when hopefully we can here put in some good
work and get over the line.

Speaker 2 (14:53):
And it's not all about rugby. I know you love
your golf, have you managed to get a few rounds in.

Speaker 8 (14:59):
Yeah, it's been good, good in that sense, thanks Piney.
I mean the clocks have just gone back and the
weather started to improve, so there's a little bit of
color in Ireland in the past month or so which
has been good.

Speaker 9 (15:09):
So December and January pretty.

Speaker 8 (15:11):
Bleak, but I love I've had a nice we balanced
their off field and been able to enjoy plenty of
good golf courses in Ireland, so it's been awesome.

Speaker 2 (15:21):
Excellent to hear well. The rugby's obviously going well, the
golf as well. No doubt you're keeping an eye on
Super Rugby back here. I presume it's sort of breakfast
time matches for you if you're watching them over there.

Speaker 8 (15:32):
Yes, perfect, Yes, sit in front of the telly some
mornings on the weekend when I've either got Captain drun
or game day and it's great to sit down and
watch Super Rugby. It's pretty tough to engaug John, who's
going to win a game these days. That it's great
for the competition and it's competitive, so it's exciting to watch.

Speaker 2 (15:50):
Certainly. Is all the best for the rest of your
time over there, Jordy, it's going well as I say,
hope you get some silver were to enjoy at the
back end of the Northern season, and I look forward
to having your back here for the All Black season
in mid July.

Speaker 9 (16:01):
Mate, Thanks pony, great chat ye.

Speaker 2 (16:03):
Great to chat to you too, JORDI thinks. Indeed, Jordy
Barrett there joining us on weekend sport out of Ireland
where he's based for the next month or so, depending
on how lengths to go. As I say, they're deep
in the Champions Cup into the semi finals of that.
The United Rugby Championship has got four or five rounds
to go before quarters. Semi's in a final, so yesh,

(16:24):
still quite a bit of rugby for Jordy Barrett to
play up there before he heads back home. Your chance
to react to anything you heard there from Jordy Barrett, Oh,
eight hundred and eighty ten eighty. First of all, I
think we need to come up with a new word,
don't we. I I'm not sure that sabbatical is the
right word anymore. It, I guess, has context and sort

(16:44):
of conures images of resting. Sabbatical seems to be a
word that's used to say, well, you know, you ease
off a little bit, you go somewhere where you get
the chance to relax a little bit out of the
you know, the hard physicality of Super rugby. Well that's
not what this is, and to be fair, I don't

(17:05):
think it is what Japanese sabbaticals are now either. We
need to find another word, but let's use it for
the meantime, because every player who goes offshore for a
sabbatical during Super rugby and doesn't play Super rugby runs
the risk of others overtaking them in the All Blacks

(17:27):
pecking order, and that includes Jordy Barrett in twenty twenty five.
While he's away, others back here can play, we can
week out in front of Scott Robinson and the other
All Black selectors and mount a case to be a
starting All Black come July and beyond. But Jordy Barrett
is by far and away our best second five and

(17:49):
his standards have not dropped at all In Ireland. If anything,
it's gone the other way. Everything you read and hear
out of Leinster and out of Irish rugby is that
he has been exceptional in every way up there, the
way he's fitted in the way he's looked to improve.
He's tried to help everybody else in that team. You

(18:11):
heard him talk there in that chat about the international
players being rotated out during six Nations and younger guys
coming in. Imagine getting the benefit of Jordi Barrett's experience
as a young player. Anyway, back here, there are others
putting their hand up in Super rugby. Quintupaya is having
a very good season with the Chiefs. David Harvili, if

(18:31):
he can stay injury free, is gluing the Crusaders back
line together. Timothy Davatava Nahway turning heads at the Highlanders.
But Jordi Barrett is first choice All Blacks second five.
He'll start the first Test of the year against France
and Dunedin in early July, provided his back in time
and fit. Now I'm not sure I necessarily feel the

(18:57):
same way about Ricco Yowani. He's been first choice All
Black seader for some time now, but when he's away
next year, I think he runs the very real risk
of opening the door up for others, most notably Billy Proctor,
who will finally get back out onto the field for

(19:17):
the Hurricanes tonight. If he plays well for the Canes
for the rest of the season and then gets further
All Black's opportunities this year. A big twenty twenty six
could really set Billy Procter up to become the first
choice All Black center as we head towards the next
Rugby World Cup. Plus, you'll like you play the Super
Season alongside Jordi Barrett next year, further forging that combination

(19:38):
all of this while Rico Yuwani is away, I would
be keen to know your thoughts on that eight hundred
and eighty ten eighty. The other one I wanted to
get a gauged from you on is mark T Lair Now.
He announced at the start of this week that he's
off to Japan next year, and unlike Jordi Barrett and
Rerico Yuwani, this is not a sabbatical. He's leaving New

(20:01):
Zealand rugby mark T Layer. So I wonder where the
he should be picked for the All Blacks this year.
He's been pretty close to a first choice for US
in the last couple of years. He certainly was at
the twenty twenty three Rugby World Cup, started all the
big games, including the final. He's certainly still one of
the best wingers in New Zealand. But if he's not

(20:23):
here beyond this year and won't be part of the
next World Cup, why would you pick him in the
All Blacks? Quality wise? No problem, one of the best,
Absolutely no argument. Mark Delayer is among the best wingers
in New Zealand. On merit absolutely worth his place in

(20:48):
the All Blacks, and also just on the decision he's made.
Absolutely no argument, no issue at all with any player
choosing an overseas deal ahead of a New Zealand rugby one.
It's a free market and if Mark Delayer has decided
that's the best thing for him, then all power to him.

(21:10):
But now that he is leaving and with just two
years until the next Rugby World Cup, doesn't Raizer have
a duty to look forward and focus on the guys
who are going to be there in twenty twenty seven
Because every test that Mark Delayer plays this year is

(21:31):
a test that another winger who will be there in
twenty twenty seven doesn't get. And it's not as though
the cupboard is bear established all Blacks, sever Reese, Caleb Clark,
others with a bit of All Blacks experience, em Moni Nadawah.
It's any Nana Sturo and then the new breed Leroy Carter,

(21:52):
Caleb Tangato, Chafee Hackey Maka Springer, Kenny Naholo. As always,
the production line is working well. It is perhaps a
bit brutal, a bit harsh, but Mark Delayer is not stupid.
He knows that by leaving he opens the door for
this conversation. Here is Raiser's conundrum. Does he try to

(22:16):
win every test by picking his best team or does
he do everything he can in twenty twenty five to
make sure his team wins the last test of twenty
twenty seven. It's the latter, isn't it. It's the latter.
He has to look at the next Rugby World Cup.
In fact, he can probably do both. He can probably

(22:39):
pick a team capable of winning every test in twenty
twenty five and also planned towards twenty twenty seven. Your
thoughts on that are welcome. Oh eight hundred and eighty
ten eighty talking sabbaticals and if you've got a better word,
I'd love to hear it. Talking opening the door for
others while you're away, and whether, once you've committed to

(23:02):
going away, whether that should close the door on your
all Blacks opportunities while you are still here twelve thirty
on News Talks, there'd b oh eight hundred and eighty
ten eighty back with more of your calls after this
On Weekend.

Speaker 1 (23:16):
Sport, The Tough Questions Off the Turf Weekend Sport with
Jason Pine and GJ. Gunnerholmes, New Zealand's most trusted home builder,
News Talks.

Speaker 2 (23:27):
Twenty seven to one. This is News Talks THEREB and
Weekendsport across Easter weekend. I hope it's going well for
you if you're tuning in from a different part of
the country. Good to have you with us. I'm glad
you found the frequency. Okay, sabbatical yea. I looked up
synonyms for sabbatical and they're all they all, you know,
suggest a rest. Here are some of the synonyms vacation, holiday, rest, respite, liberty.

(23:52):
See that those aren't right, Josh says Piney instead of sabbatical,
working holiday. I get it, Josh, but even the having
the word holiday in there, doesn't you know, doesn't fit
with me. Christine says growth term overseas gt O. Christine,
I like it gt O, A growth term overseas. I've

(24:14):
had Minty from whykto rugby commentator up there, get in touch.
It's a contract pause, a contract pause, Minty, don't mind it,
can I?

Speaker 9 (24:26):
Ben?

Speaker 10 (24:28):
Finally here you go men.

Speaker 2 (24:29):
Very good Ben. You'll be a happy Crusaders fan today.
And I've got James O'Connor on the radio after one.
You'll enjoy listening to them.

Speaker 10 (24:35):
I cannot wait. I cannot wait. And uh yeah, one
when I again to be supported here to the days.
Like old mate, old mate Georgie said before, you know,
you can you can pick these games, and I actually
put mine on the Blues winning obviously a lot of
favorites in the Blues fifteen years up there. But uh yeah,

(24:59):
and ye what a game?

Speaker 9 (25:03):
What a game?

Speaker 12 (25:03):
Oh?

Speaker 2 (25:05):
A superb, a superb and like you know, like most
games this year been. And we've talked about this a
lot on the radio. You know, you can't pick them up.
You cannot pick them. I thought I saw that the odds, yeah,
and the Blues were actually I think they were paying
two eighty and I thought that's actually very good money
for them. Obviously if they you know, they would have
taken my money. I've put money on the Blues. But
you simply you can't. You can't pick it a you

(25:26):
can't pick these games.

Speaker 10 (25:28):
Look at my own pacificate. You know, I remember that
day just before they played the Crusaders last time I
spoke with you, Yeah, you hang up the phone, watched
the game, and here we go. They just beat the
Crusaders at home. So look, I just I've got a
handle to these guys. One rock any you know, after

(25:48):
his first season, I thought, who the hell is this guy?

Speaker 13 (25:51):
Uh?

Speaker 10 (25:53):
And he's he's of he's proven me, proved me wrong.
And you know, obviously with the All Blacks and Aussie rivalry,
you know, Australians seen an Australian and then the Australian
is international and the Crusaders peck was absolute bloody you know, taboo,

(26:21):
what the hell?

Speaker 2 (26:22):
Yeah, oh totally. We don't need we don't need, we
don't need Australians down here.

Speaker 10 (26:32):
Last night I thought he's put me at Yeah, he's
gone up. So I guess that they put him at
notch one? Is it nots one? On the respective? No,
he's he's proven, he's proven his waiting in gold just
from a kick a bit like old old Beaver. I suppose, yes,

(26:54):
But how was it passed from Hoskins. Man, that that guy,
that's all about Hoskins. That guy he used to go
to school and playing the same rugby team as my
son up in Open and he was playing for United
and even at school when that livid stays. Hoskins used
to have the get to get. He win every single

(27:15):
evening and it didn't matter what sport the guy was,
whatever he chose to go, then he was going to
be a bit of a champion. And when I saw
that pass, it's a great pass and everyone who commentators
were talking about how we've never seen it, But I thought,
there's no surprise from a guy like that. He's just
he's just one of there's people born with that expector.
But no, Yeah, I just want to say, Rob Penny,

(27:39):
James O'Connor, you're all at notch.

Speaker 2 (27:43):
One love it being good man and got observations about
Hoskins as well. Yeah, that passed. It was because we
saw Ruben Love do it earlier in the season, didn't
we from from standing out of the back line and
firing it out wide? Yeah? When when when he did it,
I was I was watching it live on Telly and
I thought to myself, what's he doing it? Just like

(28:06):
he'd throwing the ball away. I think even Nisbo was
surprised because he said, what's he done? But then it
ends up in the hands of aj Labman over he goes.
Hoskin Statutu is such an interesting play. You know, last
year one of the best, if not the best in
Super rugby, but didn't get the All Blacks call up,
and there's been all sorts of chat about what he

(28:27):
might do in terms of staying, going, whatever it might be.
But he Look, if we're talking about guys who are
on the All Blacks radar, Hoskins Stitutu has to be
on the All Blacks radar, especially with Wallace Stiti out
up until now. I saw some stuff during the week
that he might be back potentially for the back end

(28:49):
of the season, which would be great. But Hoskins Stutu
has to be in the All Blacks conversation, not just
because he can throw outrageous passes like that, but because
he is a very very good loose forward. A secondment
while on unpaid leaves Andrew, Yeah, a secondment while on

(29:10):
unpaid leave, Yeah, I don't mind it. I feel like
we need a flash term for it. We need a
word that basically talks about how you go somewhere to
improve yourself and not like sabbatical. Like I say, it
conjures images of sitting on a beach or sitting at

(29:31):
the top of a mountain, looking at and reflecting on life.
Jim says. Definition sabbatical is a period in which an
employee takes an extended break from work. The reasons for
taking a sabbatical can vary from pursuing a degree or
working on a personal project, of volunteering, traveling the world,
or spending more time with family. See none of that
seems to apply to this. For me, it's it's and

(29:56):
Jordie Barrett more than any other player, I think, because
he went to Europe rather than the more well treaded
path of Japan, talked about improvement, talked about how he
wanted to improve by going overseas. Yes, he's getting paid, well,

(30:16):
look I'm not stupid. Yes he's getting paid well, of
course he is, and he deserves to be one of
the best players on the planet. But he's gone to
improve himself as a rugby player. Nathan's his body. It's
literally an oe. Well it isn't many ways, isn't it
goes over there? Plays well, hello, Carlos after them? Fine,

(30:38):
how are you good? Thank you Carlos good.

Speaker 14 (30:41):
Just on the Mark Talia thing, I am, first of all,
well done to him. Yeah, I think he's definitely made
the right decision. I'll get it anyways, Pross concerned, but.

Speaker 15 (30:53):
I would be picking him if he is the best
person in that position for a black jersey. Oh, this year,
I don't care about the next two years. And if
I was mister Robinson, I'm not going to I'm going
to pick my best team. You earn a black jersey,
you don't walk into one. And so as far as

(31:16):
that's concerner, I'd be definitely playing him as he's still
in that sort of form to warrant that black jersey.

Speaker 16 (31:23):
Yes, i'd be picking him.

Speaker 2 (31:24):
Yeah, And I think he probably deserves to be in
the team. I think I look around the wingers who
are playing around the competition at the moment, Carlos and
and yes, he's had some ups and downs and the
Blues I've had a challenging season, but I still think
Mark Talaya is the best right winger going around. I'd
still have him in the fourteen Jersey if he wasn't
going overseas. That's the only reason we're really talking about

(31:46):
it is because he's going overseas, and if he plays there,
then somebody else who's going to be at the Rugby
World Cup in a couple of years won't get that opportunity.
But yeah, I think he's still worth his place. Whether
it's what's more important to raise A picking his best
team for games in twenty twenty five or making sure
he's got the best team ready in twenty twenty seven.

Speaker 16 (32:06):
Yeah, I think we'll finnestly a s fires in his
raisers position. I'd be picking my best team this year
with the knowledge in twenty five Sorry, in two years
time from now, I build on that. But I just
don't want to be handing anything out. I don't know.
I mean, that's he is still the best person in
that position, given that, you know when it comes around

(32:28):
in June. Yes, so that's that's where i'd be going anyway.
That's the personal thing.

Speaker 2 (32:33):
But no, and it's it's as valid. It's it's absolutely valid, Carlos.
It's a it's a it's it's probably a commonly held view.
You say, Okay, forget what's happening beyond this? What is
the best team to win this next test match? If
that is the one filter that you pass your selection through,
then it's absolutely valid. What is the best team we
can put out there to win this test match? And

(32:54):
Mark delay isn't it and that's your rationale, then he's
in the team. Good on your Carlos, Brent, Peter please
hold got to get a breakaway with you right after this.
On new Stalk Sea.

Speaker 1 (33:02):
Beat, the biggest things is thought are on weekends for
what with Jason Pine and g J. Gunnerholds New Zealand's
most trusted home builder.

Speaker 2 (33:11):
News dogs call it to one enhancement leave suggested here
on text professional Development. Yes, I think both of those
probably cover what what we're after here.

Speaker 17 (33:23):
Brent High, you know Jason this afternoon.

Speaker 2 (33:30):
I hope how's your rest to going, Brent? You're enjoying yourself?

Speaker 10 (33:33):
Yeah?

Speaker 17 (33:34):
I think yeah. I think a bit of credit to
Brad Moore as the assistant coach at the Crusaders. A
guy like him said a fair amount of experience. I
think with the Orcs and whatever you having him as
a second coach here, I think he's that Crusader's team.

Speaker 7 (33:55):
Come to life. Of the two agreed with the I wouldn't.

Speaker 17 (34:00):
Have you only in the or Rex anymore. I think
that's the wingers well to me, that tonguey towel and
and Noriki if he ever stays, I'm out of injury,
and two good bringers for the future. Tonguey tawl looks

(34:20):
looks really looks for goods coming out of the seventh.
So I think it's time for a bit of a
reshuffle with that all black team, especially in the back line.
We talked to someone the other day and I said, well,
the the backs we used.

Speaker 9 (34:37):
To have.

Speaker 17 (34:38):
And the flair that the back line used to possess
doesn't seem to be there anymore. Repsist because of the
rush defense and that sort of thing. We seem to
have lost a father choosed to sort of forward orientated,
and the way of of the backs just sort of well,

(34:59):
we come back to what I keep saying is a
half back kick and the dam thing away all the time.

Speaker 2 (35:03):
Yes, we've beaten this drum together before, haven't. I would
love to have seen and I'll be accused of hurricanes
bias here, but I would love to have seen Billy
Prock to play more often last year for the All Blacks,
just to see what he can do in that center Jersey,
and I hope that that will be something we see
this year as well. He's back for the Canes tonight
after being out with our calices. The other I've had

(35:24):
pointed out to me in terms of Rico going away
next year as the return of Leicester faighting Anuko of course,
and he's another who has got a bit of versatility
about him cold planing the wing, but also I think
has got has got a lot of promise at center.
So yeah, look, I think it's probably impossible for you
and I to sit here today and predict what the
All Blacks back line will be for the first game

(35:44):
of the Rugby World Cup in two years.

Speaker 17 (35:47):
Yea, As I said, I think some of the young
ones coming through there's a lot of a lot of potential,
especially that looks really good and you like him.

Speaker 7 (35:55):
Yeah.

Speaker 17 (35:56):
The other the other reasonable news scene you talk about
the Hurricanes, you know, you get Higgins is in there
tonight and Flanders and Brett Cameron are both running round
up at the hedd C is ticking thought balls around,
say we might get a full squad before this.

Speaker 2 (36:13):
Yeah, and rubin love it. Rubin love at first five
Brent as well, very curious to see how he goes
there at first five you mentioned Britt Cameron. Yeah, he's
well ahead of schedule to get back, maybe even by
the end of the season. But yeah, rubin Love at
first five. Tonight, I've been waiting to see this, looking
forward to it against the Force. But later on tonight.
Thanks Brent, appreciate you call pet you high.

Speaker 18 (36:34):
You know they're finally.

Speaker 2 (36:35):
Happy Easter to you, Happy East to you. Peter.

Speaker 18 (36:39):
I'm in the in the track and field, which I've
been in for a long time. We we called rather
than sabbatical or rest, we call it active rest, the
word for sabbatial. So in the off off season, we're
still we're still training. Top athletes are still training or

(37:00):
keeping themselves at active by some of them go overseas.
So my word would be active rest.

Speaker 2 (37:08):
Active rest, active rest. Okay, Yeah, I don't mind it.
I don't mind it, but I think I think it,
I certainly. I mean, you'll know as well. The word
sabbatical comes from sabbath, doesn't it, which is the day
of rest. So it's it's in the word, isn't it
You're supposed to rest on sabbatical.

Speaker 18 (37:27):
That's right. Well Tony Brunner, who trained Chantal Brunner for
years here in Wellington there, he came up with that
word and it's sort of stuck in my mind and
I think it's a good word. I'd like to say
that I'd like to see all black halfbacks for the
Canes have a full game and don't drag him off

(37:48):
like they've been doing in the last couple of games.
We need them to play a full full game.

Speaker 2 (37:54):
Oh you won't. You won't get an argument from me
on that. Peter on on players, you know, And it
seems to be that certain players, in particular halfbacks, it's
almost like it's almost like it's it's it's forbidden for
them to play eighty minutes anymore. Did you see last
night for the Crusaders, Fletcher Newell, a front row forward,
played eighty minutes last night. I loved it.

Speaker 18 (38:16):
That's right. That's the sort of thing I mean. And
some of these hookers too, they can play the play
the full thing. If they're playing well, why shouldn't Why
should they come off? And I remember Justin Marshall when
he came off. He looked discussed, he looked disgusted when
he came off in one of those games when he
was playing well and the tests. So yeah, that's the

(38:38):
way it goes anyway. Let's hope we win.

Speaker 2 (38:43):
Let's hope we win, Peter, Let's hope we win. And
when you say were we mean the Hurricanes. I know
you're a good Wellington man. Good to chat to you, mate,
John on email. Regarding your current discussion resabaticals as a suggestion,
a bit of description is surely international development course or
perhaps a little more wordy international peer development course. Here

(39:03):
we are getting quite wordy, there, aren't we. Development exchange,
says Rachel. I don't mind that. I don't mind development exchange,
although we don't get anything coming back the other way.
If we got Gary Ringrose coming back the other way,
maybe the exchange by work overseas rugby activity says Ross
oh R A overseas rugby activity. Michelle says, what about

(39:27):
instead of sabbatical sports OE or professional OE? I like
all of these. I like all of these. I think
the word sabbatical is a misnomer now it does not
accurately describe what these things are. Anymore, particularly in this
case and as much in Japan now where the standard
has definitely gone up. You ain't going away to rest.

(39:51):
You are not going away to rest. Eight to one
US Talk SB.

Speaker 1 (39:56):
Breaking down the Hail Mary's and the epic field weekends
for it with Jason Meme News Talk ZENB.

Speaker 2 (40:04):
Coming up four and a half away from one final
couple of texts on our discussion points this hour. I've
really enjoyed the discussion. Heaps of good stuff on text too.
Thank you for sending them all through. Unfortunately we can't
get them all on the air, but we do read
them all. Marx says, of course picked Mark to layer.
They picked Sam Kaine when he was on his way out.
Best players on the day. You've got to earn the fern,
says Mark. You do have to earn the fern market stuff.

(40:26):
What about secondment rather than sabbatical dictionary meaning temporary transfer
of an official or worker to another position or employment.
It doesn't specifically state that it has to be within
the same country or a company. Thanks Truce, Yet circondment, siriconment,
that's not bad and the same old story becoming reality
says this one. Two seasons out from a World Cup.

(40:47):
You need to lose some to win some. New Zealand
Rugby must change the eligibility rule, and they will. It
just won't be prior to twenty twenty seven. It'll be
after then when the board don't get the results they
demand based on current rules. Mark to Layer deserves to
be in the All Blacks twenty to twenty three based
on form, but not on the rules. Scott Robertson must
pick players based on a twenty two twenty seven quarter
final knockout scenario based on who will be here. So yep,

(41:12):
I tend to agree. Pick for twenty twenty seven this
year James O'Connor After one o'clock.

Speaker 1 (41:21):
It's the only place to discuss the biggest force issues
on and after fields.

Speaker 19 (41:26):
It's all on Weekend.

Speaker 1 (41:27):
Ford with Jason Kane on your home of sport US Talk.

Speaker 2 (41:34):
Hello that seven past one. I'm Jason Pine and McDonald
the show producer. This is Weekend fort On News Talk
said b the Saturday edition over Easter weekend, I hope
it's going well for you. Then on text, Piney American colleges,
when a student's having a break, call it a gap year,
an appropriate term to replace sabbatical gap year again. I

(41:57):
know him and look, my mind just jumps and jumps
instantly to what that actually means. It's like you're taking
a break from whatever it is that you do, or
trying to work out what you do next. I think
Jordy Barrett knows what he's doing next, improving Thanks Den Klaus,
says Piney. How about a personal development opportunity which captures

(42:17):
all the ingredients and reasons for this opportunity in an
athlete's career path A p do O A pd O,
I like the acronyms are coming up with And finally
on this what about? What about? Says this text International
Challenge Experience. So Jordi Barrett is currently on ice International
Challenge Experience. Don't mind it, don't mind it. Adam Peacock

(42:41):
out of Australia. This hour, we'll also chat to one
of our top BMX writers who's taking part in the
US to show this weekend, which is clearly a massive event.
Allie Chu is her name. She's going to join us
on the show this hour. But I want to start
with rugby. A James O'Connor penalty on the last play

(43:02):
of the game has given the Crusaders a twenty five
to twenty two went over the Blues in a super
rugby thriller in christ Church last night.

Speaker 3 (43:12):
Strikes it through Elisoder.

Speaker 4 (43:19):
James I got a Wedsday for the Crusaders finally scored
sweety five points to twenty two.

Speaker 2 (43:27):
Yeah, the Crusaders awaded a scrum penalty after the final hooter.
James O'Connor's kicked from fifty seven meters out sailing through
the middle of the posts. Never looked like missing. James
O'Connor's with us. How are the emotions made as you
as you lined that one up to win the game?

Speaker 20 (43:44):
Honestly, even before that scrum packed down, I could fill
the pack.

Speaker 6 (43:48):
We're going for it.

Speaker 20 (43:49):
So I had already started my breathing process before the scrum.
So I was getting getting ready to either sit in
the pocket and trying to drop me or yeah I
could feel that. Yeah, the tenery was coming. So like man,
full credit to our pack.

Speaker 7 (44:04):
That was huge shift.

Speaker 2 (44:06):
And so the ball leaves your boot goes through the posts.
How's the adrenaline after that? You get swamped by your
teammates on a pretty wet night in christ How were
the emotions after all went through.

Speaker 17 (44:17):
Oh man, well, so.

Speaker 20 (44:17):
I had to kick probably five minutes earlier from the
same spot and I didn't hit it as clean.

Speaker 21 (44:22):
So that last one, yeah.

Speaker 20 (44:24):
Really just sucked a process because I could feel, you know,
the leg was twitching a little bit when the run
up was coming, So you just brought it back to
process and just you drown everything out And as soon
as I hit it, I thought I hit it pretty clean.
So once it went through, Yeah, achileration, it was an
unreal moment with the group and yeah, just yeah, awesome

(44:44):
to get that win because that was definitely a battle
of that one. You know, wet weather, footy, tough conditions
and like, to be honest, Blues really dominated the huge parts.

Speaker 10 (44:53):
Of that game.

Speaker 20 (44:54):
So for us to galupanize and come back again and
then win it and smash it for our season.

Speaker 2 (44:59):
So you said before, you were also lined up for
a dropper if needed off that final scrum, if you
hadn't got the scrum penalt or you were lined up
for a drop that would have been tougher in wet conditions.

Speaker 20 (45:09):
Oh yeah, you don't the way I hit drop his tooes.

Speaker 19 (45:11):
You don't want to go.

Speaker 20 (45:13):
That's eighty. So like, yeah, I wasn't going to kick
obviously do a drop off the scrum, but I think
I've been in the situations before where I haven't sat
in the pocket and taken it and regretted it, like
you don't want to die wondering. So like we had
a process of if we don't get it, two says
sort of shut up and yeah, then ship back. But
luckily we didn't have to go to that because I

(45:34):
think that probably would have been a different outcome.

Speaker 2 (45:37):
Well we'll never know, but let's I'm a little more
pleased that worked out the way that it. Could you
just talk about your forward pack and that final scrum.
Could you feel the desire among your forwards to really
dominate that final scrum?

Speaker 9 (45:50):
Oh?

Speaker 20 (45:51):
Yeah, massively. Could you could see even a sort of
last five minutes. I only came on with sort of
ten minutes ago, but you could feel the energy on
the field that the boys zoned in. There was definitely
a hunger there, but from the Blues as well. They
wanted it badly.

Speaker 10 (46:04):
But yeah, I could just see obviously.

Speaker 20 (46:05):
We got it. We had a scrum penalty five minutes
before that, which set up you know, the first the
first kick, so you know, back to fact, there was huge,
huge shit.

Speaker 2 (46:16):
Just before we move on from from the final play.
Do you still put as much work into your goalkicking
as you always have?

Speaker 20 (46:23):
Probably more so now, Like I feel like, well, that's
I guess that's my role with this team sort of
to come on and close games out, whether it's to
speed it up or to finish it off. So I
again talking about the job kicking, I've never hit so
many job kicks during training weeks as well, So I've
been putting a lot of work into, you know, those
finishing touches, whether it's kicking out of hand, kicking off

(46:46):
the tee, or just it's man from your ten. Especially
in wet weather footy, that's your sole job.

Speaker 7 (46:52):
Really, like the.

Speaker 20 (46:52):
Forwards to go to war for you. They go to battle,
so if you can't put them in the right parts
of the field, or you can't almost complete your basic
skill set, that's that's purely my job in those games.
So just glad, yeah, I could do it for the boys.

Speaker 2 (47:08):
So shortly after you came on last night, the Blues
went twenty to nineteen ahead with about twelve minutes to go.
That was after you'd led nineteen seven early in the
second half, so at that point, what sort of conversations
are going on out there among the Crusaders players.

Speaker 20 (47:24):
So for me, like coming on, it's not the pleasure,
but like I got to watch the game sort of
from the banch, so I'm seeing sort of what's working,
what isn't, and I guess how we can get down there.
So like I felt like that last sort of twelve minutes,
we still had time, but it wasn't about you know,
panicking and trying to overplay. It was about just territory
and possession and for that so we're just going to

(47:47):
our bankers from our lineouts and then just finding kickspace
where we could push them back and then hopefully just
creep up the field a little bit of forescy bags
and then yeah, so I worked, We stuck the process,
and all the game drivers were on the same page
in terms of what exactly we wanted to do to
get the outcome. And it's just beautiful when it all,
you know, thinks up like a symphony.

Speaker 2 (48:08):
I guess absolutely. And you've played every game this season,
all but one, though in an impact role like last night,
has that meat needed much of an adjustment on your
part to play a slightly different role.

Speaker 20 (48:20):
Oh yeah, massively. Like I'm not going to lie. I
love starting. I've always you know, that's sort of what
you play the game for. But moving into this different
role was pretty cleve. And like their conversations I had
with all the coaches and stuff like that, was that
was sort of the role we saw that I could
really I guess how the team was sort of like
that last twenty or thirty minutes, like I said, sort

(48:41):
of closing games out. And it hasn't been something in
the past that I've loved or have done that well at.
So I have all the detail. Like you know, I've
been in the game for a long time, so I
know how to do it. It's just about doing it correctly,
and it's all just about moments, you know, just fewer
choices and just executions. So I've raally focused on that
this season. That's sort of my role and that's how

(49:03):
I can have the team and that's you know, my
game right now, that part that lasts of thirty minutes
and making sure we're playing in the right areas of
the field and then taking our opportunity. So a shift
in mindset definitely, because you know, you come off the
bench and a lot of the time, well most other positions,
you just want to come on and make an impact,
get your hands on the ball, go to work. So

(49:24):
my big thing is about almost keeping the guys calm,
working hard in that backfield so they're not getting too
much space because guys like you know, Will Jordan are
playing eighty minutes each week, so I want to make
sure you know, I'm coming on and taking some of
the load off him, running meet his wives and covering
a lot. But other than that, it's literally just about
process and getting the guys on the right parts of

(49:44):
the field. So we're in the battle, in the fight,
and you know can do those.

Speaker 7 (49:47):
Sort of things.

Speaker 2 (49:49):
So the bloke and the team Jersey Tah Kamata, how
do you evaluate his potential?

Speaker 20 (49:54):
I mean, he's incredible talent, Nay's I've said it before.
He is one of the most naturally gifted taens I've
played with. And he's just got such a love for
the game, the way like his composer and the way
he sees it and just his foot speed and his
pass like he's a very gifted guy. But I think
that only takes you so far, but to me, it's
his willingness, willingness to learn, Like the amount of conversations

(50:17):
we have about rugby and about footy. It's awesome because
we're both challenging each other and we both growing from
each other and rivers as well. Like it's been sort
of tougher for him because he had an injury at
the start of the year and you know he's fighting
his way back into the group. But our connections between
all of us tens and game drivers is awesome. Like
the amount of review the guys who aren't playing to

(50:37):
doing for us in terms of what they're seeing in
attack plans, how we review oppositions, how we're previewing games.
It's like it's awesome to see everyone just helping each other.
We're working for the one jersey, but you know we're
you know, we're all on the same page, in it together,
and you can definitely feel it's a team performance, like
a full squad performance.

Speaker 2 (50:58):
It's so good. When you came into the team this year,
did you feel any lingering effects of the team's disappointing
twenty twenty four.

Speaker 17 (51:08):
One hundred percent.

Speaker 20 (51:09):
Wasn't shied away from first bloody. A few meetings were
all about this isn't a Crusader standard, like where do
we go wrong and how do we fix them? And
then just the conversations of it's it was never about
being a victim. It was like, how do we step up?
How do we own you know, how do we own
this and move forward and get back to the crusaders DNA.
And it's not about doing what teams did in the past.

(51:31):
It's taking, you know, elements of what you know the
successful teams have done. But it's a new, new super
rugby style. It's a new system, the rules have changed,
so it's just about all sinking up on the same page.
But it's probably the one team I've been a part
of where there's no showing away from winning like a
lot of other teams I played for in the past.
We've spoken about playing good rugby and the process, which

(51:54):
is a huge part of it, but I felt like
it was a line in the sand of like this
is not good enough. This is where we need to be.
We want this more than any other team, and I
think each week you feel when we turn up, especially
like the game against the Blues. So we took that
one like it was origin genuinely like that was the
theme for the week was you know Queensland Versuy South
Wales and this is going to go down to the world.

(52:15):
We knew that, we knew the conditions weren't going to
be ideal, so then it's literally just about you know,
heart and kaha and I feel like our boys went
to war, so there's going to be a few sore
bodies from both sides.

Speaker 2 (52:26):
Feel I love that you're still harbor that Wallaby's ambition, James.

Speaker 22 (52:32):
I do.

Speaker 19 (52:33):
I do.

Speaker 20 (52:33):
There is definitely a big part of me that would
love to go full circle and I'm playing that line
series and see what happens after that. But I'm not
attached to it too much. I'm just loving my footy,
loving living in New Zealand, me and the family of
just enjoying our life. Like on field, obviously it's gone
really well and I'm enjoying it. It's definitely given me
a new zest for life. But away from footy as well,

(52:55):
like we're very we're very settled in just enjoying this
new environment. But there's beats, the river lakes, there's so
much sort of I guess natural beauty over that we're
really just delving into.

Speaker 2 (53:09):
That is great to hear. There was some talk online
last night about your all blacks eligibility, people saying aways
and played for Australia for a while, maybe you could
play for us.

Speaker 7 (53:19):
Yeah.

Speaker 20 (53:20):
Hey, my parents are both key with but look, I
think if you're blacks to falling back on me. Yeah,
they've got enough good tangent in their stable, you know. Hey,
and you know, look, I'm going with you as you're
going through. That's you know, that's that's where my heart is.

(53:42):
But they're not going to come knock. And let's be honest.

Speaker 2 (53:45):
Well, you're one of the most popular men in christ
Church last night I can tell you that. So congratulations
on another win for the Crusaders, which keeps you clear
at the top of the table. Enjoy the rest of
the Easter weekend, James, Thanks for having a chat to us, mate.

Speaker 20 (53:57):
I appreciate and we'll do it. Looking forward to weekend off,
It's gonna.

Speaker 2 (54:00):
Be great, James. Thanks indeed. James O'Connor, heck, can you
not like him? He seems like a real good rooster,
doesn't he. James O'Connor Loving life in christ Church, Loving
life with the Crusaders. The Crusaders loving life with James
O'Connor and the team, and they've clearly they're clearly getting
the best out of him. Interesting to hear him saying

(54:20):
that it didn't come as a surprise that of course
he wants to start. Was it Clayton McMillan who said
on the show a few weeks ago, I've never met
a player who didn't want to start. Even though they
talk about the impact roles now being as important as
your starters and how it's a twenty three man game
and all that sort of thing, there is still something
about starting a game of rugby that is coveted, priced

(54:42):
among top players, among any player. But James O'Connor has
come off the bench in eight of the nine matches
that the Crusaders have played the year, so he's played
in every single game. The only game he started, actually,
oddly enough, was the loss to Mwana PACIFICA Apart from that,
he's come off the bench in every single game. I
was checking out his minutes as well. He tends to

(55:04):
come on around the hour mark. He came on slightly
earlier against the Chiefs and the loss in round two,
but it's normally around the hour mark, and even last
night he didn't come on until the sixty sixth minutes.
So once you're on there, you don't have a heck
of a lot of time to make an impact. But
a couple of penalties allbit right in front you expect
a guy like him to make them. He's been a

(55:25):
terrific addition. So the Crusaders are clearly clearly over their
blip from last year and now we can officially say
it was just a blip. And again great insight there
from James O'Connor about how unacceptable twenty twenty four was
and how determined the Crusaders organization was to put it right. Look,

(55:50):
I don't think you'd say that they are the absolutely
dominant force of some of the past seasons where they
were far and away the best side. But they're all
but locked in for the top six now pole positioned
to finish top. Their remaining games got a reasonably tricky running.
They're still going to play the Highlanders twice. They haven't
played the Highlanders yet and there's always a Southern rivalry

(56:14):
to be had when you play the Highlanders. So next
weekend it's down to Dunedin for the Crusaders to take
on the Highlanders, and then into May their final four games.
They host the Chiefs tough, go to Sydney to take
on the Warators, tough because the Warritars haven't lost at
home yet, then they host the Highlanders and finished with

(56:36):
a trip to Canberra to take on the Brumby. So
it's by no means an easy running. But you look
at the Crusaders and the way they're playing, and it
just feels like the Crusaders again, doesn't it, Kevin says
Piney agree with your thoughts on fletcher' neyal eighty minutes
last night for Fletcher and Ewell. When was the last
time a prop played eighty minutes? When was the last

(57:02):
time a front row forward got through eighty minutes? A
lot of the time now they're coming off in the
fiftieth and Fletcher null was the dominant force in that
scrum penalty at the end. It was on his side
that he forced the infringement from the Blues mode into them. Look,

(57:24):
I don't know a lot about front row front row
you know, mechanics, but it seemed like it was on
his side. So Fletcher, yule ye just keep guys on.
I mean they won't they won't do it. They won't
do it. The twenty three man game and all that.
But yeah, Fletcher Yule, another example of how keeping a

(57:47):
bloke on in the position where normally they don't last
the eighty minutes can be extremely valuable. Just on the Blues.
And we'll take some calls, oh eight hundred and eighty
ten eighty on the game last night on the Crusaders,
are they back? And on the Blues. I still think
the Blues make the top six. You look at the
table at the moment and the eighth but there's still

(58:08):
only three points outside the top six, although the teams
in the top six, with the exception of the Crusaders,
have all played one fewer game and they'll make that
game up over the rest of this weekend. The Blues
just three wins from nine, but their remaining games I
feel are a bit more manageable. They don't play any

(58:31):
more New Zealand derbies as such, they do play more
Onana Pacifica, so let's call that a derby, but that's
the only other New Zealand side that they will play.
They're off to take on the Reds on Anzac Day
and then for their last four games, they host the Force,
they travel up to Fiji to Suva to take on

(58:52):
the Fiji and Drewer. They go across town to Albany
to take on Moana Pacifica, and they finish by hosting
the Warritars. I still think the Blues make the top six.
I feel like they've got enough point still on the
table and enough quality to do it. Yes, you look
at their record, it ain't great this season. Just the

(59:14):
three wins, two of those against the Hurricanes, and they
also beat one to Pacific Or at Eaton Park last weekend.
I still think the Blues squeak in one twenty five
this take a break, come back with some of your
calls eight hundred and eighty ten eighty.

Speaker 1 (59:26):
Don't get caught offside call eight hundred eighty eighty Weekends
for US with Jason Paine and GJ. Gardner Homes New
Zealand's most trusted home builder News TALKSB.

Speaker 2 (59:37):
One eight on News Talks HEB. This round of Super
Rugby actually continues very shortly up in Lautoka where the
Fiji and Drewer are getting set to do battle with
the war Its five past two. We'll get We'll get
eyes on that for you after two o'clock.

Speaker 21 (59:51):
Hello, John, you're gonna fini there?

Speaker 3 (59:55):
Are you good?

Speaker 2 (59:56):
Thank you? John? How are you today?

Speaker 21 (59:59):
Not too bad? I love to just want to talk
about and lot of talk about him, but Mama makes
who watch him for a long time and he does
nothing on the field. He is possibly the worst super
rugby player out there.

Speaker 1 (01:00:19):
And I'm.

Speaker 21 (01:00:21):
Pretty passionate about this one. So I always find it
interesting when I hear you guys raving about him.

Speaker 2 (01:00:30):
That's such an interesting thing to hear you say, John,
what is it about him that that doesn't ring your bell?

Speaker 21 (01:00:38):
Well, he's just got to watch him around the field, mate.
He doesn't make tackles. He gets to a ruck and
he stands with his arm out. He leans on rucks,
he doesn't I've never seen him clean a ruck hard.
He'll get there and he'll just push a weaverit gimly.
He just doesn't hit the mate. You watch him, You
watch him next game around the field, and you'll see

(01:01:00):
how bad he is.

Speaker 2 (01:01:02):
I'm going to, John, I'm going to I don't typically
watch the like you know can at a game, less
so on television, but when you're at a game. Next
time I get the chance to watch Fletch and you'll live.
I'm going to watch him and only him for about
ten minutes, and then I'll be able to form an opinion,
even go back.

Speaker 21 (01:01:19):
And watch last night's game or any of the games
before I am. You know, it's just yeah, yeah, he's
a passenger. He's got the best seat in the house
for a spectator.

Speaker 2 (01:01:29):
I'll tell you that, all right on interesting call mate,
Thank you for thank you for coming through with that.

Speaker 9 (01:01:34):
Look.

Speaker 2 (01:01:35):
I get the feeling that if he was, he wouldn't
be playing eighty minutes. But yeah, look, it's funny, isn't it.
You know what different people see in different players. Thanks John,
I appreciate you taking the time to call Phil.

Speaker 12 (01:01:46):
Hello, okay, plenty, feel good.

Speaker 2 (01:01:49):
I'm good things Phil, very good.

Speaker 10 (01:01:52):
Excellent, excellent.

Speaker 12 (01:01:53):
Yeah, that was an interesting call, wasn't it.

Speaker 17 (01:01:55):
I who would there?

Speaker 12 (01:01:56):
I have to watch myself now and take a real look,
because yeah, I didn't pick those sort of things up either.

Speaker 2 (01:02:02):
I'm going to check the stats as well. I'm going
to check the stats on this because I know you
can only tell so many from much from stats, but well,
well here's the here's the one stat that I can
that I can say is that Fletcher and y'all has
started seven or sorry eight of the crusaders nine games
this year and come off the bench and the other one.
So clearly he's highly valued inside the organization because he

(01:02:26):
gets picked every week.

Speaker 12 (01:02:29):
Yeah, well, well that would say that the coach definitely
thinks different or sees it differently to that fella I've.

Speaker 2 (01:02:36):
Just been told. Also, Phil, sorry, man, I'm gonna I'm
gonna let you get on to your point in a minute.
But and it's just told me, fletch and you'll made
thirteen tackles last night. So that's that would seem to
go against what John just said. Thirteen tackles. That's that's
a reasonable number anyway, Phil, what's on your mind?

Speaker 12 (01:02:55):
Well, well I'll try and ratle off a few a
few of them because I was I missed out and
getting through before. But sabbatical, Yeah, I don't know what
you'd call it now, a time away or just going
away or that, because yeah, it may be sabbatical isn't
quite the right word now, but it's hard to think
of what one one specific word would be to sum

(01:03:16):
it up. There was one a lady said something about
that sounded similar to us about sirconment maybe a secondment,
because then you're not it's not kind of the inference,
is it that as a holiday kind of involved in it.

Speaker 17 (01:03:33):
You're just you're just doing your work.

Speaker 2 (01:03:35):
Yeah, you're doing your work somewhere. Yeah, you're doing the
same work somewhere else. Yeah. The comments not bad. It
always seems to I mean, all of these, all of
these phrases tend to sort of, you know, have a
bit of a business feel about them, don't. I know,
sport as a business, but it's not the same as
you know, like a you know, a high ranking chief
executive getting a sircondment to another country. Anyway, anyway, Yeah,

(01:03:55):
we can, we can, we can come up. I'm sure
we'll come up with the word that that fits it
at some stage.

Speaker 12 (01:04:00):
Okay, yes, yeah, I'm sure sure something will come out
of the wood work.

Speaker 18 (01:04:03):
Now.

Speaker 12 (01:04:04):
I was listening to I'll make another quick point and
then if I've got time, I'll get on and make
one more quick point. But I was saying to Andy,
like when I was sort of thinking about the callers
calling up about the game, and I think, you know,
like justin Marshall said afterwards, we're gone by the statistics
on that game. The Blue should have won that because

(01:04:24):
they bet the Crusaders and just about every department just statistically,
you know. But I was thinking, sometimes in sport, it's
not about the better team on the day, it's about
the grind that the team that grinds it out, you know,
and casts it out, you know. So like when I
got taught to play golf, the guy that coached me,

(01:04:46):
he said, I remember one of the things he said
to me was, there's no room to write how you've
done it on the scorecard, just the final result. So
you might make a birdie, but you might never have
touched the fairway or a par, you know, but at
the end of the day, it just goes down as
a par or a birdie. So I thought that was
a good point because that's what I just thought, Yeah,
maybe it's just about the team winsor is the grind

(01:05:07):
and more so important than the actual better team statistically
on the day. I listened to the commentary too with
Andy Ellis afterwards after the game and the Beaver the act.
But Andy Allis like he was interesting because he was
son because he played in the Crusaders all those years
and in the winning, winning side, and that it was

(01:05:30):
no surprise to him because he said that he would
have thought during the during the week, and that when
they were training up for the game and going through stuff,
and that that that actually would have been talked about
in the plan, and that last couple of minutes or
five minutes of the game just like and I think
James I kind of kind of referred to it a
bit as well, but just to get the ball down there,

(01:05:51):
get it down in their territory, ticket down whether it
becomes a little bit of a game of horseback, but
get it down there and then just wait for them
to make the mistake and then hit them with the
scrum and then put it in exactly how it happened.
So it was like the Crusaders, that was part of
the plan anyhow, It's not like they panicked or they

(01:06:11):
got lucky or anything. Well, from what Andy Ellis was saying,
that they would have planned for that, and that would
have been part of the game plan getting near the
end of the game, just to get it down there,
wait for the mistake or you know, take a couple
of goes at getting it down there and then the
mistake happens being hit them hard with the scrum and
then they got a penalty scrum. So and that was
the way it played out. But I think you're right

(01:06:34):
too with the Blues. I think are still capable of
getting in the six, because, like they should have won
that game boy all rights last night. But like I say,
sometimes the grinder and the team or the individual that
tufts it out actually gets there in the end, even
though the other player with the other team was better,

(01:06:54):
you know. But I think the Blues were going on
that performance can still get in the top six, for sure.

Speaker 2 (01:07:00):
I agree with you, Phil, I think they will still
be there. Yeah, I think they will still be there.
You know, even though you look at a team after
night games that's got a three and six record, you say, well, gee,
they're not playing very well and they're not by their
own high standards. They're not they're nothing on what they
were last year when they storm to the title. But
I still think they'll get an Okay, whether they can
go beyond you know, the first round of the finals,

(01:07:22):
I guess we'll wait and see, but I still think
there is enough points for them, and they've got a
slightly more comfortable runner than some of the other teams.
Good to chat to you, philp Thanks indeed, Warwick. Any
thoughts on Fletcher Yule seeing he came up in conversation
just before, Yeah.

Speaker 23 (01:07:37):
Jason, I was hello to you first of all. Yeah,
I was. I listened to that caller and one hundred
percent agree. I've watched. There's been lots of hype about
Fletcher Newle, like he's got the bench press record or
the squat record, and he's this strong and he's that strong,
but it doesn't equate it. It doesn't transfer to his performance

(01:07:58):
on the park. We had limited scrums and that's obviously
a strength of his. But a huge part of the
game is a contact breakdown situation, and the previous call
is correct. He he will hobble from face to phase,
he'll lean when he gets there. As a ball carrier,
he drops to ground. His head and shoulders face the

(01:08:20):
ground prior to contact, so he makes no ground. He'll
just drop where someone that's supposed to be such a
champion at the bench press of the squad should be
able to drive through tech because you see you see
a player like sever Reese who is half his size
actually fight in the tackle. He'll fight for that extra
two or three meters to get his body positioned in

(01:08:41):
a better place so he can lay the ball back nicely. Fletcher,
with all his strength, just doesn't do that, and so
he's been a frustrating player for me. They obviously believe
in him. He obviously performs in the gym, and he
gets his position in the team potentially off the back
of that.

Speaker 2 (01:09:00):
Laurick, thanks for your call. This is really interesting to me.
It's completely unexpected in John's call and then your backup
call there. I've just thought, I mean, it's and we
often say about front row forwards, it's hard for those
who haven't experienced what it's like in the front row
and the you know, and the the all around game
of a prop forward to know whether sometimes whether a

(01:09:20):
prop's had a good game or not. But clearly you've
picked up on something. John's picked up on something. I'm
gonna have to give it a bit more examination because clearly,
clearly there is some some divided opinion here. He made
thirteen tackles last night, as Andy pointed out, so I
think by that metric it's pretty good. Yards made is

(01:09:43):
a good one to have a look at also, you know,
clean outs and those sorts of things, which you've indicated
and John did as well. I'm going to try and
dig up those stats and have a look. Well, I
appreciate you call though all opinion. Welcome on the show, Graham.

Speaker 9 (01:09:56):
Do you have a view?

Speaker 2 (01:09:56):
You must have a view on Fletch and newle Well.

Speaker 11 (01:10:00):
I find it interesting what they're saying. But yeah, I
mean I've always seen him as a great scrimmaging prop.
He's a big boy. He's not the Taurst, but he's uh,
he's a solid unit. He's got Collige flower ears for
the worst pair of ears that you could ever see. Yeah,

(01:10:21):
but he's I think he's a great player. But I mean, yeah,
these people are entitled to his opinion. I mean Jason
Ryan and Dan Perrin who now now runs the Scrums,
they rate him highly. You know, it was in the
Crusaders and All Blacks. So yeah, I mean yeah, I
mean he's part of that that demolition squad which Crusaders

(01:10:42):
has sort of gone back to her. But in the
last few weeks since he lost him on one in PACIFICA, yeah,
I mean they had to tighten things up and so
I think, yeah, I was at the game. Obviously it
was terrible conditions and we were guilty of probably both
teams are trying to run the ball. But yeah, I
was very you know, I was very happy with what
James a Connor did. Great interview by the way. Yeah,

(01:11:04):
I mean he's a great guy and.

Speaker 2 (01:11:06):
He's pretty easy, pretty easy, Yeah, pretty easy interview James.
He seems like a real good guy.

Speaker 11 (01:11:13):
Yeah, I mean a lot of That's something I will
say about a lot of Australian rugby people. I remember
meeting Nick far Jones at all those guys years ago,
and like the South Wales played Canterbury and they were
very yeah, very generous. Yeah they're coming to the supporters
club and they were good guys and games sort of
fits that model. But yeah, I mean he's brought a

(01:11:34):
new perspective and I think he's really helped other players
around him, like David Averi. Well, David's done it himself,
has taken on the captaincy and you know I wouldn't
have picked him as a captain a few years ago,
but that he's really grown into that, well he's just
ready for it. He hasn't probably grown into it. They
put a lot of time into who they were going

(01:11:54):
to have because there are a few candidates and.

Speaker 2 (01:11:57):
Very good plan, very very very good plan. Yeah, sorry David, Hey.

Speaker 11 (01:12:01):
Yeah, yeah, he's playing. Yeah, he's playing a lot better.
I mean last year, I think he's seen there but
in and out and they played him at first five
and because of the quandary about that position. But now
that's not the case. But no, the Blues will be
in or I mean there's enough time for them to
be in the top six. Yeah, I think it's going

(01:12:22):
to be a bit of a dog fight though, it's
going to be interesting to see.

Speaker 2 (01:12:26):
Your guys will your guys will stay out of a
gram clear at the top made it'll be all the
chaos below you. You don't have to worry about it.
Going to move to one more call mate, Thanks for
your call as always a j high.

Speaker 6 (01:12:38):
Yeah, get a funny here, gain mate.

Speaker 2 (01:12:39):
Very good, AJ, very good.

Speaker 9 (01:12:40):
Thanks.

Speaker 2 (01:12:41):
Watch on your mind.

Speaker 6 (01:12:42):
Yeah, I'm very disappointed the Mark untill he has going
a little bit. I think he's been the best winger
for perhaps four years, to be honest with you, and
he's a bit different than any any other of our
wingers in New Zealand. Like he offers something a bit different.
It's like Chelsea Chelsea Kobe from the South Aga and
here's something different about him and whatnot. He's just got
a different demental and he's very good around the rock

(01:13:04):
and mall. But then he's very good players one on
one on the outside in very region. It is essentially strong,
very close to line or keeping himself in touch. You
think nine times ten people but the wan the touch,
but he seems to stay in the field. And that's
the final read.

Speaker 2 (01:13:18):
Ringer slippery, very slippery, a j very slippery.

Speaker 9 (01:13:22):
Yes.

Speaker 6 (01:13:23):
And also I thought I haven't been a Bigness fan,
and we've talked about it before, but I thought the
Hoskins are tit. Hoskins are tota. Surry had his best
game for the Blues and quite some time last night.
I thought he actually played like all Black number eight
last night, and it's good to see his skill level
coming out. But on the other side, christ and Leo Willer,
you also had a very good game. But on good

(01:13:45):
news front, for my teeth, Wallace is not there far away,
Josh Lauda is not there far away, and and we're
going to look forward to antolineam Brown because that decease
Backine are not the same without him and there and
I think it's the same with the All Blacks reality.
I think he offers us such a dimention and number
thirteen and at the moment reco you, Ronie will not
be in more All Black team to be hones.

Speaker 2 (01:14:07):
Thanks, Aj, we'll all be. I think you'll beat the
Highlanders tonight. I mean, I know that's not a bold claim.
I think you're well and truly favorites. I let my
eyes in about three places tonight. Age. I'll be watching
that awkleany the f C play at the same time,
and so do the Warriors. I don't think you'll have
enough screens, mate, Thanks for your call a Jake Fletcher,
all for a player doesn't do much. He gets a

(01:14:28):
lot of turnover ball, says Grump and Mussius. The Frank's
brothers weren't there to score trials and make tackles either.
They were their solely the scrum. You have to dominate
up front first and foremost. Yeah, well, he certainly earned
the scrum penalty that got the win for the Crusaders
last night. Seventeen away from two. Let's get a break
away across to Australia Adam Peacock after.

Speaker 1 (01:14:46):
This love Voice of Sport on your Home of Sport
Weekend Sport with Jason Vane and TJ Gunn Homes New
Zealand's most trusted home builder News Talk Envy fourteen to two.

Speaker 2 (01:14:58):
Let's get you across the Tasman Our Australian correspondent Adam
Peacock is here. Happy Easter, Adam. Can we start with
the Lachland Gelvin saga at the West Tiger's dominated headlines
this week and broad terms what has played out here?

Speaker 19 (01:15:11):
Yeah? Happy?

Speaker 5 (01:15:12):
He's the pioneer at of listeners out there are weird,
just a weird story. Lock and Galvin pretty much, if
not the faced one of the poster boys of the
organization West Tigers who have had obviously.

Speaker 17 (01:15:27):
Anyone who knows regularly a bit of a time of it.
I Woulden Spoon after Wooden Spoon. So this kid's nineteen, he'
shon a lot of promise everyone in the game. It's
just by the way, by its quality, has a bit
to go and has a few years of developing, especially
physically left. He's a skinny kid, but he'll get there.
But he decides early in the week after a meeting
with the club to say, oh, look I don't think

(01:15:47):
I can develop here. I want to go onto the
free market on November one, when he's allowed to.

Speaker 5 (01:15:52):
He's contracted to this year and next year still. But
then the West Tigers thought they'd get ahead of the
game and say, look, now you know what, we're going
to put this out there that you're not going to
be around. And then that's just all blunt up and
people are having their opinions that had been.

Speaker 10 (01:16:05):
Greedy and tied all all that.

Speaker 5 (01:16:07):
It's just so unnecessary and it's a classic case finding
of two wrongs.

Speaker 17 (01:16:12):
Handling it kind of the wrong way, don't make it right.
And in the end, the kid's going to play you.
So I was Cup this week, so down the grade
he's dropped him. He's probably the right thing to take
the heat out of the situation. There was rumors that
senior players told Benji Marshall to drop him. They didn't
want to play with him. So still got a bit rough.

Speaker 2 (01:16:28):
Unfortunately, so will he see out his conflict at the
West Tiger's what's the most likely outcome?

Speaker 5 (01:16:34):
It was heading this week along the lines of the
kids being.

Speaker 17 (01:16:38):
Kind of ostracized from the group.

Speaker 19 (01:16:40):
I won't say.

Speaker 17 (01:16:40):
Bullying, I think that's a bit heavy, but off the
page of the rest of the group. So this is
going to make a situation untenable and in the end
the manager of the agent and the toy's agent. When
I say negotiation terms, Isaac moses he's pretty hard negotiator.
He'll try and kind of get Galvin out there now

(01:17:02):
whether or not, everything's just cooled and every Sunday is
going to prevail.

Speaker 5 (01:17:05):
U can hear this year he's still got value for
West Tigers. Everyone will get on and smile for a
grid of teas and play happy families. I think that's
the more likely scenario, given it's cooled off this week,
But earlier.

Speaker 17 (01:17:15):
In the week it was like, oh, now, where's he
going to go? And Paramatta sounds like the most likely
option long terms for him, But whether or not that
happens before his contract runs out, remys.

Speaker 2 (01:17:23):
Be saying, all right, we'll watch with interest. On the field.
Last night, Bulldogs Rabbito's massive game, huge crowd in Sydney.
The Bulldogs have had a pretty tough few seasons as well,
winning thirty two nil. They're four points clear at the.

Speaker 5 (01:17:35):
Top now, Yeah, they're flying. They just the modern I
was watching actually the Dolphins Storm game last night as well,
thinking that the game has just changed so much.

Speaker 17 (01:17:47):
You need you need to speed everywhere, and that's like
including your bigger guys, who it's no place for lumbering
big men anymore, even anyone with a hint of that.

Speaker 19 (01:17:58):
It's just so quick.

Speaker 17 (01:17:59):
And the Bulldogs they've got that prototypical style which suits
the game how it's played today. And they got quick, agile,
mobile forwards and they moved the ball, a lot of
energy without the ball. Look it was set up for
them yesterday. They didn't have a game last week. South
had the flight of Perth. They had a really short turnaround,
six day turnaround from their last game in Perth, a

(01:18:20):
couple of injuries as well. They were right for the
picking in the end and sixty five thousand.

Speaker 19 (01:18:24):
They're the Bulldogs.

Speaker 17 (01:18:25):
When they're going well, their crowd grows substantially, and that
was the case yesterday. So it was a great afternom
But I don't think you can read too much into
it from a South point of view. You can for Bulldogs,
they're pretty much looking at the top four and possibly
Grand Finals.

Speaker 2 (01:18:37):
This year, it's got a football One of Australia's broadest
young talents, Mary Foula, sit for a stint on the
sidelines that dreaded acl injury while she was playing for
Manchester City.

Speaker 17 (01:18:48):
Stinker, pliny, absolute stinker for her. I mean, the only
good thing about it from a person a human side
of it is that she gets to come back here
and hang out with the love of her life name
and Cleary. But apart from that, from a football point of.

Speaker 24 (01:19:03):
View, bad And for that there's a few murmurs that
was it really necessary for her to come back and
play these two Matilda's games and be involved in both
of them?

Speaker 5 (01:19:15):
Quick turn around in between them, go back over there,
play at high intensive.

Speaker 17 (01:19:20):
She's played more football than she has.

Speaker 5 (01:19:22):
Throughout her career this season at her club level, and
she's she's finally matured into that game breaking player at
that level as well. Yeah, horrible timing. Hopefully she's back
to the Asian Cup. But she put a beautiful post
up the other day saying, Hey, these things happen and
she's a bit of a Yeah, she's a wide thinker, Mary,

(01:19:43):
She's not that tunnel vision elite athlete. I've got to
get back cut thing. It's like all these things happen.
I'll just have to accept it and do it with
a smile on my face. So she's a beautiful soul,
Mary Fell, and we wish all the best.

Speaker 2 (01:19:53):
Absolutely so do we on the side of the Testament.
And staying with football, Ange Pasta Koglu. Of course, with Tottenham,
they've been struggling in the Premier League, but they're into
the semi finals of the Europa League.

Speaker 5 (01:20:05):
Amazing morning yesterday. I don't know if he caught over there, Pioney.
We're in the studio to stand for just united lyon
and that was that was great out at any school
line at the end seventy six and Ang and Tottenham
hung on for dear life against the answer Frankfurt really
intimidating atmosphere and and I think because of that hangs

(01:20:28):
on to his job. As much as I don't want
to describe it that way, I'd like to think that
Tottenham were perhaps the bigger picture and all the injuries
that they had this year, that can find a way
through with Ange. But it was looking decidedly dicey if
they went out of Europe yesterday.

Speaker 17 (01:20:40):
So they're through to the semifinals. And get this, they
played Tottenham Hotspur play in the semifinals of the Europa League,
the second tier competition over their club football, Bodo Glint.
They're from Norway and you reckon in the cargo's cold, poney.
They're two hundred k's north of the Arctic Circle. For
three months of the year, this joint doesn't see sunlight.

(01:21:01):
So yeah, they're an extraordinary football club, Boto Glint. But yeah,
Tottenham in another are extraordinary given that it's never simple
at Tottenham. So yeah, good on and for forgetting a result.
And we wish obviously everyone here in Australia and probably
anyone who's had anything to do with the A League
hopes that he has success there with Spurs.

Speaker 2 (01:21:18):
Absolutely right. Well, football does take you to far flung
places and fairly frozen places to buy the sounds of things.
We'll watch that with interest too. Great up that has
always Adam. Enjoyed the rest of your estimate, and we'll
catch up again next Saturday.

Speaker 17 (01:21:30):
Enjoy the eggs finy, Thanks Mane.

Speaker 2 (01:21:31):
You enjoy yours as well, Adam, you enjoy yours as well.
Seven to two News Talks.

Speaker 1 (01:21:36):
EDB analyzing every view from every angle in the sporting world.
Weekend Sport with Jason Vye they call eight hundred and
eight US Talks.

Speaker 2 (01:21:46):
MB four to two after two o'clock Silver Firns coach
Dame Nolen Total. Does she want Grace Wecky to play
for her team this year? I'm pretty sure I know
the answer. Does she think it'll happen? I'm not sure
about the answer to that, Dame Nolene with us after two.
A couple of Super Rugby CEOs on off field matters.
Roger Clark out of the Highland is Avon Lee from

(01:22:06):
the Hurricanes to join us and the Ice Ferns, Our
New Zealand women's ice hockey team currently involved in a
big tournament in Dunedin. They take on Australia's and on
a big game. So we'll get inside the Ice Ferns
campus well and keep an eye on Super Rugby and Fiji.

Speaker 1 (01:22:24):
The only place to discuss the biggest sports issues on
and afterfield, it's all on Weekend Sport with Jason Kaane
on your Home of Sport. In New York's.

Speaker 2 (01:22:37):
Two o seven, this is Weekend Sport on News TALKSB,
but only until three when Tim beverage takes over with
the Saturday edition of the Weekend Collective before we get
there the Ice Ferns. This is our New Zealand women's
ice hockey team. They're playing a big tournament in Dunedin
at the moment. Tonight they play Australia. Big game. Going
to get you inside the Ice Ferns camp with their coach,

(01:22:59):
head coach for Brook Patriot and alternate captain Hope Gregory.
Dave Nolling totoa standing by chat to us about Grace
Wecki's eligibility and whether those rules might be changed or
even just altered slightly to allow Grace Wicked to play
for the Funds this year. Had a couple of Super
Rugby CEOs this hour too. Heavn Lea out of the Hurricanes.

(01:23:21):
Roger Clark from the Highland is how things going off
the field for their respective Super Rugby franchises. We'll catch
up with Colin Mansbridge out of the Crusaders tomorrow trying
to get around the Chiefs and the Blues next weekend.
They've just kicked off in Lautoka the Fiji and Dreuer
and Waratas underway second match in Round ten of Super
Rugby wikip eyes on that for you as well, your

(01:23:42):
calls and correspondents always welcome, oh eight hundred and eighty
ten eighty on the phone nine two ninety two via
text eight past two. As we always do, though at
around about this time, let's catch you up on a
few things that might have escaped your attention, some of
the stuff you might have missed as you were doing
other things. And casimist. It's starting at the Saudi Arabian
Grand Prix Liam Lawson and practiced one tracking pretty.

Speaker 25 (01:24:04):
Close to a familiar foe, is there, Liam Lawson? Up
to the line, we saw a Haji band in his
lab lost and popter just behind Sinoda. I was doing
joint of the hip.

Speaker 26 (01:24:14):
On it can't keep keep us to separated.

Speaker 2 (01:24:17):
But it was a rough outing in practice too for
Yuki Sonoda.

Speaker 27 (01:24:20):
Yellow flat, Yeah, is it Yuki Sonoda?

Speaker 9 (01:24:24):
Yes, it is Yuki Sonoda.

Speaker 27 (01:24:26):
And as you can see, Yuki Sonoda out of the
final corner has hit the wall and we've got a
red flag and radioing first and foremost to say, I'm okay,
but he's gone.

Speaker 2 (01:24:36):
In quite hard there, yeah, crashing out to win Practice two.
Overall solid day though for Lawson with qualifying later on tonight,
the Wellington Phoenix's misery continued, and Adelaide last night to
be a little too cute and it comes for.

Speaker 19 (01:24:49):
Preer Saeno Achi can when a little.

Speaker 28 (01:24:53):
Lot to say that there was no half side clad and.

Speaker 2 (01:24:56):
With less than ninety seconds and.

Speaker 28 (01:24:58):
The regulation ninety minutes left to.

Speaker 3 (01:25:01):
Adelaide have a priceless three points.

Speaker 2 (01:25:04):
Yes they do. They won three to there last night.
And the NRL a massive upset, the Storm thumped by
the Dolphin.

Speaker 13 (01:25:11):
The high kicks and cartel contests come out.

Speaker 3 (01:25:17):
It's been put out my Cradla hur twelve domes.

Speaker 28 (01:25:21):
Over the Premiership favorites are big spaces and all Craik
Tellamy can do is give a right smile as his
wounded term is out of pub which.

Speaker 2 (01:25:34):
Means there may be a new title favorite. The undefeated
Bulldogs holding the rabbit O scoreless and a thirty two
Nilwyn Preston quick end. Here I go again.

Speaker 9 (01:25:46):
It's left the.

Speaker 3 (01:25:46):
Marriage rights credit Caraz Greats.

Speaker 13 (01:25:50):
One Caraz puck in the Tupidel.

Speaker 1 (01:25:57):
Cant we do it again, breaking down the Hail Mary's
and the epic fils. Weekend Sport with Jason hin Talk z.

Speaker 2 (01:26:07):
Envy and Latoka the fig andrew early penalty three and
ahead after three minutes up there against the war Atars
Netball New Zealand Chief Executive Jenny Wiley says her board
will review their ruling over goal shoot Grace Wecke's Silver
Ferns eligibility.

Speaker 3 (01:26:24):
The cartonin would be the take of the day. I
think Grace wicked.

Speaker 2 (01:26:33):
How did she keep that alive? Grace wicki currently unable
to be selected for New Zealand's tests this year after
relocating from the Northern Mystics to Australia's Super Netball with
the New South Wales Swifts. She has been vocal though
about her desire to still represent the Ferns this year.
Jenny Wiley told News Talks he'd be this week. They're
aware of Wiki's desire to pull on the black dress

(01:26:56):
and they're continually reviewing and revising their views on their
eligibility rules. What about the coach? Silver Ferns coach Dame
Noline Todaua is with us. Dave Norlin, thanks for taking
the time for at chet. Do you want Grace Wick
to play for you this year?

Speaker 29 (01:27:12):
Yeah, definitely. I've been open about that and right from
the start when ween you she was keen to come
over to Sydney or to play in the ECCN and
understanding her reason as well is to be better and
to be a better netballer, but also to be a
better silver Fern, So you know the intent is there.

(01:27:34):
She still wants to play and definitely I support that.

Speaker 2 (01:27:37):
How much influence can you have as silver Fern's coach
on the decision of the board, I.

Speaker 29 (01:27:45):
Think, well, I don't know about influence, but I'm not
short in putting my thoughts through and not necessarily justification,
but also understanding where we are, all the silver Ferns
are and where we're currently sitting as well against other
international countries. The great thing that you alluded to in

(01:28:05):
your starting of this conversation is that the board is open,
so it's not a closed shop, and that's also supported
by Jenny, So you know they're going through their process
and definitely I'll put my thoughts through.

Speaker 2 (01:28:19):
Do you feel positive that you'll get the outcome that
you're after?

Speaker 29 (01:28:24):
Look, I understand actually on the flip side where the
board is at and that that story hasn't changed, you know,
even from my time with the Laura Langman's the marias
to Taiya who was playing over an sec and so
I understand the commercial value of having all our players

(01:28:44):
playing in New Zealand. That makes sense to me and
what that means around the broadcasting, So you know, it's
not just a one track pony and they've got to
take all the details into consideration, I think as well,
not knowing where A and Z is, you know, and
the decisions that need to be made from the board perspective,

(01:29:06):
that will all come into time and that would all
have to be swooped up in the division around Grace
as well.

Speaker 2 (01:29:12):
You've obviously landed on the concern, which is that allowing
Grace to play for the Silver Ferns this year might
set a precedent and other players would play their domestic
netball in Australia instead of New Zealand. Do you think
that risk is real or is it more likely that
only specific players like Grace will actually play in Australia.

Speaker 14 (01:29:30):
Yeah.

Speaker 29 (01:29:30):
Look, the thing is about over an e sec and
or Australia is the pure numbers. So it's six to one,
So six six players over in New Zealand in comparison
to one. So the population is massive and as has
been seen over the last three four or five years
or the inception of SEC and they get an influx

(01:29:51):
of the best players as well. So you know, I
personally think might be about five or six that's realistic
that will come or be approached and which means that
the domestic competition is not to be gutted. You know,
there's still going to be quality players that will be
playing domestically, and I think once again that's the thing

(01:30:14):
that we have to be mindful of that it's not
going to be an influx of players coming over to SECN.

Speaker 2 (01:30:20):
In my in my perspective indeed, and in your role,
Dan Noline, as silver Ferns coach, does it actually matter
to you where your best players are playing as long
as they are playing at a good level.

Speaker 29 (01:30:32):
What I've seen as well over the years in you know,
like maybe last ten, even in twenty nineteen when we
were number one at that time and took the Networ
World Cup and it was really only a two horse race,
which was New Zealand and Australia. And with the event
of more competition now whether it be the A and Z,

(01:30:53):
SECN or Vitality, it means a lot of other countries
are now getting exposed to the high performance program. And
when I look at Jamaica, for instance, they've probably got
about six or seven their current starting team that's applying
their trade. And if you're seeing so what countries don't

(01:31:15):
have in regards to financials and having a good high
performance program in their home country, now they can get
it from other places. And with the likes now of
where Jamaica is England are, it's not just a two
horse race that it has been in history.

Speaker 2 (01:31:34):
If we put Grace to one side, how do you
evaluate the depth and quality of the other shooters at
your disposal right now?

Speaker 29 (01:31:41):
I thought, I believe we've still got quality in New Zealand.
There is depths, but not quite at the stage the
readiness to be able to play internationally. What we do
know is, you know Grace when she's involved with us,
and that was shown in twenty twenty three when she

(01:32:02):
got injured at Netbowyl carp she's probably at least a
thirteen point difference to us. And when we have around
on Courtor, we're hitting around high fifty sixties in regards
to volume. We still have those shooters, but not at
the same volume that Grace can produce.

Speaker 2 (01:32:19):
So this year you'll host South Africa in three tiny
Jamison Trophy matches in September, then Consolation Cup against Australia
four tests, so just seven this year, Dan Nolan, Is
that enough as your build towards Colm Games next year?

Speaker 6 (01:32:31):
Oh?

Speaker 29 (01:32:31):
Look, I would love more what we've always had in
the past once again as we've had a generary tour,
So our annual test will probably or calendar will probably
be around ten ten to maybe ten to twelve. I
also know next year we're going into the Commonwealth Games

(01:32:52):
that will be off the back of A and Z,
so we won't have time to have tests next year
as well, so I'm squeezing out as much as possible
to get more tests. Don't know if that's going to happen.
You know that's open at the moment, and otherwise we've
got to create that competition and we've got to create
it ourselves and that's pretty hard, but it's something that

(01:33:14):
would probably have to do. So yeah, I'd love more.
I need more.

Speaker 2 (01:33:19):
And as you alluded to before, than you am z.
Premiership season starts soon. But have you got any clarity
around the shape of the competition beyond this year.

Speaker 29 (01:33:30):
No, I you know, I've been in discussions as well,
and our CEO has kept me would call it in touch,
you updated with what's happening, and unfortunately I don't know
what is actually happening. So you know, hopefully very soon
that these discussions will be cemented. And we know we're

(01:33:52):
twenty twenty six going to be for our A and
Z players, but also for the Silver Ferns. So no,
I can't add anything to that discussion at all.

Speaker 2 (01:34:02):
Not fair enough. Well, I hope senesty prevails and you
get access to Grace this year. Dave Nolane, Happy Easter,
thanks for joining us. We'll like catch up again soon.

Speaker 29 (01:34:10):
Happy Easter. Thanks for the call.

Speaker 2 (01:34:11):
No, thank you for taking the call. Dave Nolean Nolan
todo them the coach of the Silver Ferns just seems
like a no brainer to me. You know, why would
just stop Dame Nolen Todor from picking her best shooter.
It's a Netball New Zealand rule. This isn't the same
as the all blacks eligibility. Let's not compare the two things.
They are miles apart, and this isn't going to open

(01:34:36):
up a exodus of top players over to Australia, because
first of all, they have to have somewhere to play
over there. They have to be attracted to one of
those franchises, and I just don't see that there are
that many who would be Grace wiki is our best
shooter by daylight, and if we want to win netball
tests and prepare in the best possible fashion for the

(01:34:59):
Commonwealth Games next year, then Grace Waki should be playing
for the Silver Ferns. This year seems like an absolute
no brain to me, so hopefully sanity will prevail. You
might have some thoughts fire and through on text nine
two nine to two. Just coming up twenty past two
weekend for it. The Ice Ferns our New Zealand women's

(01:35:19):
ice hockey team currently competing in the International Ice Hockey
Federation Division two Group B World Champs being played in
duneed and last night they beat Hong Kong four to
two to stay unbeaten after three games. Earlier in the
week they beat Ukraine four to three in overtime and
Belgium three to one. Tonight they play the other unbeaten team, Australia,

(01:35:42):
and tomorrow night they meet Turkey joining us on the
show head coach Brook, patron and alternate captain Hope Gregory.
Thanks for taking the time on the day of your
next game, guys to have a chat to us. Brook.
First of all, how happy were you with last night's
win over Hong Kong, especially coming back from two nil
down to win that one four to two.

Speaker 26 (01:36:02):
Yes, I was after the gray Hairs had caused me
very a good team building win. Like the article said,
we grinded it out and came from behind, but the
girls really came together, so it was good to see.

Speaker 2 (01:36:17):
What about out on the ice, Hope, how did it
did it play out as far as you were concerned?

Speaker 22 (01:36:22):
Initially it was a bit chaotic, but we managed to
find our feet coming into the third which was good.
And yeah, get a couple of tucks in it, which
always helps.

Speaker 2 (01:36:34):
All right, Well, let's look at tonight's game against Australia,
which I'm sure is one you've been targeting give us
since you saw the draw. Brooke, How big a challenge
do you expect from Australia tonight that've scored fourteen goals
considered just one in their three games. How big a
challenge will they present you?

Speaker 26 (01:36:49):
A pretty significant one, but the best team's rise to
the occasion, so I'm looking forward to the challenge for sure,
and I think the sold Oat crowd will definitely add
an extra factor, hopefully an extra player on the ice,
even in terms of energy and motivation, So that'll be
something to look forward to.

Speaker 14 (01:37:07):
Brook.

Speaker 2 (01:37:07):
Do you feel as though your team does have another
gear to match the Australians tonight?

Speaker 26 (01:37:13):
And I think the team knows that too, and I'm
excited to see what they bring on the A's.

Speaker 2 (01:37:18):
All right, Well, what about you, hopeing the playing group,
how intense is the excitement about coming up against a
formidable challenge like Australia tonight.

Speaker 26 (01:37:27):
It's pretty exciting, you know.

Speaker 22 (01:37:29):
The rivalry that we've always had with Australia and makes
it for a pretty intense game.

Speaker 26 (01:37:34):
Every time we face them on the ice.

Speaker 30 (01:37:37):
Last time we played them in Ossie we had a
couple of games and the second one was quite close.
So looking forward to play how we played then and
put our best foot forward.

Speaker 2 (01:37:50):
Hope, tell us about the ice Ferns squad. Have most
of you been in the New Zealand set up for
a while or are there some new faces as well?

Speaker 22 (01:37:59):
This year, we have two fresh players, but apart from that,
most of the girls have been around for a few years,
so there's a lot of experience in depth within the team,
which is something that we're really fortunate to have.

Speaker 2 (01:38:12):
Tell us about the ice and duned and what's it,
what's it.

Speaker 9 (01:38:15):
Like, It's pretty good.

Speaker 17 (01:38:18):
Rank have really gone above and beyond this year.

Speaker 22 (01:38:21):
It's so good to be playing on holom ice. Like
a lot of us are from this part of New Zealand,
so to be able to play in a rink who
we've spent lots of time in growing up playing is
such a benefit. We know how the boards are going
to bounce, the ice surface is nice and hard. Yeah,
it's pretty cool.

Speaker 2 (01:38:40):
And you were one of the youngest players ever to
represent the Ice Ferns. I think you might have just
been fifteen years of age when you first played for
New Zealand. Tell us about your your ice hockey journey,
how it started and how it's developed.

Speaker 20 (01:38:52):
Yeah, So I.

Speaker 22 (01:38:53):
Started playing for the Ice Ferns in twenty sixteen, so
I was fifteen. So yeah, one of the youngest on
the squad. Since then, kind of just foster like kept playing,
kept putting in the way it kept. I mean, it's
a great group of girls to be a part of,
like everyone's family pretty much, so it kind of just

(01:39:14):
foster's you to grow as a player and as a person,
and it's pretty exciting.

Speaker 2 (01:39:20):
It's a pretty niche sport in this part of the world. Anyway, Broke,
how do you how do you attract new players?

Speaker 26 (01:39:27):
I think if you get them to watch, they can
realize how exciting it is and that there's more opportunity
than you think. Like if there's a rink in the area,
they're always looking for kids and adults to teach, and
there's a league to plan, so it's kind of just
getting eyes on it and then people discover they love

(01:39:47):
the sport. Anyways, I would say.

Speaker 2 (01:39:49):
Do you find that you get players coming to watch
hockey who have been involved in field hockey for example?
I guess some of the principles are similar, or do
they come from all sorts of different backgrounds.

Speaker 26 (01:40:03):
I would say all sorts of background But there does
seem to be a lot of inline hockey players that
transfer to ice hockey pretty often. That seems like a
common train if that makes sense.

Speaker 2 (01:40:14):
It does. It does, And you mentioned before that you're
expecting a big crowd in Dunedin tonight. What's capacity there?
How many expecting tonight?

Speaker 26 (01:40:23):
Capacity wise, I don't know. I don't know if I
should be at liberty to say that and put a
number on it, but I think we're expecting around I
want to say eight hundred two thousand people.

Speaker 2 (01:40:33):
Fantastic. Well, hopefully it'll be enough to as you say,
get that extra player on the ice for you and
get your victory over Australia to I congratulations to you
both on what you've achieved so far. We'll be keeping
eyes on the score tonight and for your game tomorrow
night against Turkey as well. Thanks for taking the time
to chat to us today.

Speaker 26 (01:40:48):
Thank you so much. Thank you.

Speaker 2 (01:40:50):
That is our coach of our ice ferns Brook, Patron
and alternate Captain Hope Gregory. As part of the International
Ice Hockey Federation Division two Group B World champis in Dunedin.
They take on Australia tonight. Just on the subject of
ice hockey, the President of the International Ice Hockey Federation
is here in New Zealand for that tournament. His name

(01:41:12):
is Luke Tardiff and he joins us in studio tomorrow
as part of our Easter Sunday show. So looking forward
to finding out more about the development of ice hockey,
not just in the in the hotbeds of ice hockey
it's probably the wrong phrase, but around the world and
the development of it as a sport. Eighty five member
nations for the International Ice Hockey Federation, including New Zealand obviously,

(01:41:34):
so looking forward to finding out more when Luke Tardiff
joins us in studio tomorrow, the President of the International
Ice Hockey Federation six nil to the Fiji and drawer
over the warratars after seventeen minutes in Latoko, we'll take
a break. When we come back, we're going to close
the show with a couple of super rugby CEOs, Roger
Clark from the Highlanders and Avon Lea from the Hurricanes,

(01:41:55):
to chat to us over the next half hour or.

Speaker 1 (01:41:56):
So the big issues on and after Fields Call eight
hundred eighty ten eighty Weekends Forward with Jason Fain and GJ. Gunner.
New Zealand's was Trusted Hoe Milner News Talks at BB.

Speaker 2 (01:42:10):
Two twenty nine on News Talks, the'b just updating you
on some live sport. The NBA play in games are happening.
These are the last chance knockout games or one off
games for the teams to make it into the NBA playoffs.
In the East, the Atlanta Hawks got there over the
Miami Heat. It took over time, but they got there
in fact other way around. My apologies, don't panic Miami

(01:42:32):
Heat fans. You won it one twenty three to one
fourteen the Miami Heat one twenty three, one fourteen over
the Atlanta Hawks. So the Miami Heat go through to
the NBA playoffs. And as far as the Mavericks and
Grizzlies are concerned, the Grizzlies fifty nine, forty ahead of
the Mavericks. They're in the second quarter in Memphis at

(01:42:55):
the moment, so it is the Memphis Grizzlies fifty nine
the Dallas Mavericks forty in that one. So Memphis looking
as though they are on track to join the Western
Conference in be A Finals. As far as the Fiji
and Drewer are concerned, well, it's a very inconvenient time

(01:43:16):
for rain fade to set in, I must say, but
it has unfortunately up there. But I can tell you
it's just come back six nil, six nil, is the
is the score up there the Fiji and drewer six
nil ahead of the Warratars with a couple of penalties
early on. Just waiting on some information around. If you're

(01:43:39):
in the Auckland area, you may have received an alert
in the last few moments or so regarding thunderstorms etc.
We're just getting you some more information on that and
it has come through to me right now, So a
severe thunderstorm warning. This warning affects people in the following
local government areas Auckland City, White Cuttle, White Tuckety, Franklin,

(01:44:03):
Rodney and Albany. At clock met Service where the radar
detected severe stunt thunderstorms near Auckland, Henderson, Manaco Heads, Fanua,
Pai Piha, the Green Height, Hobsonville, Massi, Tiatatu, Waitakati, Swanson,
West Harbor, Glen Eeden, Avondale, Kelston, Tangi and Nui and

(01:44:23):
they're moving towards the south southeast. These thunderstorms are expected
to be accompanied by very heavy rain and that can
cause surface and or flash flooding around streams, gullies and
urban areas and make driving conditions extremely hazardous. So please
be aware of the severe thunderstorm warning. In and around

(01:44:44):
the Auckland City and white Cuttu region, and take all
necessary precautions, including taking shelter, preferably indoors away from windows.
Avoid sheltering under trees if you're outside, if you're on
the water, get back to land, move cars under cover,
secure any loose objects around your property, Check that drains
and gutters are clear, and be ready to slow down

(01:45:06):
or top if driving. We will bring you more the
more information as it comes to hand, but the severe
thunderstorm warning issued by the METS Service at around two
o'clock this afternoon twenty eight away from three. Great to
get the chance over this weekend and next to catch
up with some of the CEOs from Super Rugby franchises

(01:45:27):
around New Zealand. Highland is CEO Roger Clark joins us
on weekend sport. Roger, let's start on the field as
we speak, your seventh I went over the drool last
weekend snapping a four game losing streak. So how do
you evaluate where the team is on the field? First
of all, with six games to go?

Speaker 19 (01:45:45):
Oh, I think that's a bit of a tough one, Jason.
At the moment. As you know, all teams that I
think third to tenth, there's only eight points difference, so
I think I don't think there's a lot in it.
All the games we've played this year, we've been pretty close.
We just haven't finished the big moment. So if we
want to be part of the playoff contention, we're going

(01:46:08):
to need to start finishing those big moments. And you know,
we've got some big challenges of the next couple of
weeks with some local derbies and that it'll be a
good test for this young group.

Speaker 2 (01:46:17):
The New Zealand derbies have always been tough, but have
you noticed a lift and competitiveness in games against the
Pacific Island sides and the Australian sides this year as well?

Speaker 19 (01:46:29):
Well, I think we all have. I think it's been
awesome competition really because the jeopardy and the competition has
been so high. As I said that, we know the
Australian teams were taking the rebels out. The Australian teams
have through tremendously. They've all got very good coaches, and yeah,
we're known in the difference, the difference, as I said,

(01:46:51):
we've we've lost every game against an Australian team not
by March but and all you look at them and
all say, all winnable. But I mean that's great for
them because they were the games they were losing in
the past.

Speaker 2 (01:47:05):
Are you happy with your decision to move Jamie Joseph
into the head coaching role this season?

Speaker 9 (01:47:11):
Oh?

Speaker 19 (01:47:11):
Look, I think you don't leave a great coach like
Jamie on the sidelines. And he is a head coach,
and Clatt Deermalley's flourishing under his leadership would be good
for Clark, and it's good for Jamie, and it's really
good for the club and we will see the impact
from that over the next couple of years.

Speaker 2 (01:47:30):
I guess they got to mean a slightly challenging conversation
to have with Clarke Deermody. Did he respond to it
pretty well.

Speaker 9 (01:47:40):
Well?

Speaker 19 (01:47:40):
I think if we put it in context, when Tony
Brown left, we were keen to keep a local person involved,
and so Dooms was somebody that you know, was a
natural progression, But it wasn't a natural job shift, and
it wasn't something that he was after. Something he did

(01:48:01):
because we asked him to as a club and we
needed him to do that at that stage. So I
think think Dooms will be the first to let everyone
know that he did a great job. You know, he
did the best he could possibly do. But at the
end of the day, he wasn't in a job that
he wanted to do. He was there because we asked
him to do it.

Speaker 2 (01:48:20):
Rogie, I mean, let's talk about players. You have fewer
all Blacks than any of the other New Zealand franchises.
How difficult is it still to attract players to the Highlanders.

Speaker 19 (01:48:34):
I think it's always been challenged, Jason, but it's I
think in the past it used to be through university
and that's the way it is now we've built up
I think forty eight percent of our squad have come
through the high performance program we set up five years ago.
Hence why the average age of the teams so young.
But our job's to cradle blacks. You know, we had

(01:48:56):
one last year, like to think we'll have three or
four this year. In about three or four years time,
we'll have seven or eight. And if I look back
at twenty fifteen, we had nothing can and then we
had seven or eight and that's what won us a championship.
So our job for New Zealand Rugby, as much as
the club is to create all blacks and the only
way to do that is to build with from it.
So you're never going to and we don't want to

(01:49:19):
bring all black down into our environment. We want to
grow them.

Speaker 2 (01:49:23):
How how happy are you and what are the key
the key planks of your of your high performance system,
your academy program that that is producing players of that caliber.

Speaker 19 (01:49:34):
Well, it's looking at players that want to come down
to university. I mean, our point of difference in our
region is our university. It's one of the best, and
not only the country, but one of the best in
austral Asia. And so people that want to come to university,
then we give them the same opportunity they get anywhere
else around, you know, like the opportunities to play. And

(01:49:55):
if I look at a young guy, you know, let's
say Josh ten Lad who's the New Zealand twenties lot,
wants to go to university, really wanted to go to
Otago a little bit like the old that's Jason when
you know the Jamie Joseph and Jeff Wilson came down
to Otaga University or came up and you've skates, except
these days you've got to put a rugby offer with

(01:50:18):
it as well to show them that they're not only
going to be able to do their degree, finish their
tertiary qualifications, but we're also going to develop them as
rugby plasing and show them that we can get them
into the orblis. And if I look at at a
guy like Fabian Holland, he's probably the head of the

(01:50:38):
curve and he's a guy i'd like to think we'll
be in the Wilbits shortly, but has done that come
down and he'll have finished three years of university by
the end of this year. So that's the sort of
thing we're trying to do and that's the basis for
our high Performance Broagain, are.

Speaker 2 (01:50:52):
There any other challenges you face as Highland as CEO
that you believe are specific to you compared to the
other New Zealand based CEOs.

Speaker 19 (01:51:04):
No, I don't think so, Jason. I think the model,
the sports model, is a really challenging one for everybody,
and everybody has their point of difference in their regions.
I mean, I think of us now, we talked about
our high performance program being based are in the university,
one of the biggest points of difference in and our

(01:51:24):
fan for our fans is our zoo, which is student
based again, so I think we all have challenges, but
we all have to create. We'll use the resources we've
got in our region the best we can. But the
commercial challenge is probably the tough one for everybody. And
it's not just like you've seen the stories right across

(01:51:44):
Australasia and then across the world, there's not too many
sporting clubs, sporting franchises around the world that are fiscally
doing really well.

Speaker 2 (01:51:55):
Even given that, you feel optimistic about the future of
the Highlanders and of Super Rugby.

Speaker 19 (01:52:01):
Yeah, look, I think I do because I look at
this would be the best competition and I've been involved
and I've been involved for a long time. The audiences
are up tremendously, both at game I think twenty one percent,
up at game broadcast in Australia up thirty percent and
in New Zealand twelve percent. They are incredible numbers and
what that does is drive commercial growth and that's what

(01:52:22):
we've seen. So from a sponsorship perspective, it's higher than
it's ever been in the clubs and growing. So look,
I think the interest in the game and the fact
that the competition at the moment is awesome. Is what's
giving me that optimism. Jason.

Speaker 2 (01:52:39):
All right, well, it's great to get the chance to
chat to you over Easter weekend, Roger, thank you for
taking the time. I already to appreciate it. All the
best for the rest of the season. Tough running for
your boys with a few derby's coming, but we look
forward to seeing how have they go for the rest
of twenty twenty five.

Speaker 19 (01:52:52):
Now looking forward to it. Thanks very much, Jason, No.

Speaker 2 (01:52:54):
Thanks for your time, Roger. Roger Clark, CEO of the
Highlanders twenty to three, take a break, come back and
head to Hurricanes Country CEO Avonlea. After this, wo.

Speaker 1 (01:53:03):
Coach Old engage in sports with Jason time and GJ.
Gunner homes New Zealand's host Trustino Wilder News Talk.

Speaker 2 (01:53:13):
Let's get to the Hurricanes HQ CEO Avan Lee as
well as they start on the field, Evan, twenty twenty
five been a bit tougher on the field than twenty
twenty four. What do you reckon that is?

Speaker 13 (01:53:23):
Thanks Bonnie, good to chat mate. Yeah, I think that's
that's fair. Last year was went extremely well and we
topped the round robin going into the playoffs, but this year, yeah,
it has been has been more challenging. I think the
key factor is that the competition is more competitive. You know,
we've we've had we've had injuries, but we've also had

(01:53:45):
you know, the opportunity to win every game.

Speaker 7 (01:53:48):
So you know, in terms of.

Speaker 13 (01:53:50):
What's happened on the field, you better talk to Clark,
but you know we've we've lost those games, five games
by an average of six points, so you know, it's
it's really tight and obviously, you know we set out
to win every single one, but you know, the other
teams are obviously better and Derby games, you know, have

(01:54:12):
always been challenging. So yeah, we're obviously frustrated that we
haven't done better, but you know, we've got a lot.

Speaker 7 (01:54:21):
Of faith in the people we have. We've got some obviously.

Speaker 13 (01:54:25):
Huge games coming up, so it's, yeah, it doesn't get
any easier, but you.

Speaker 7 (01:54:31):
Know, it's still one hundred percent faith in the people
we have.

Speaker 2 (01:54:34):
In many ways, what you've just described is what we've
always wanted out of Super Rugby, a highly competitive competition.
We're from week to week you don't really know who's
going to beat who. With Jeopardy on the results. It's funny,
isn't I mean you've been on, as you say, on
the on the losing side, you know, a few times.
But this is the competition we've wanted for a long time,
isn't it.

Speaker 13 (01:54:56):
Yeah, I mean you know, I've certainly made that clear
at you know, at Super rugby level with the competition.
And you know again when you say that you don't
think it will affect yourself and your been, but no,
it's absolutely You look at other competitions around the world
and you can just have I remember it was Leicester.

(01:55:19):
You'd know, well Lester winning the premiership in England out
of the blue and they may never do it again,
and that's that. There's a romantic story. But you're still
going to have a very good team win Super Rugby.
It's not going to be out of the blue. I
wouldn't have thought. But yeah, it's exciting and the viewership

(01:55:39):
is very high, so people are engaged. I think the
Fantasy Superrugby Fantasy Rugby is seventy thousand people have registered,
so that you know those people are highly engaged with
the competition. But there's lots of really positive things about
what's going on.

Speaker 2 (01:55:59):
Have you noticed the impact of the Super Rugby Commission.

Speaker 7 (01:56:06):
Probably not yet.

Speaker 13 (01:56:08):
I think we've absolutely felt the impact of Jack mus
The CEO of said very specific he's fantastic and just
to have somebody else apart from the clubs thinking about
the competition twenty four seven has been really refreshing. I
think the next step is making sure he's got resource
around him to achieve what we all want. But ye,

(01:56:31):
at the moment, the commissioners is fairly in the silent
in the background. They're very capable, but we haven't had
a lot of interaction or direction from them. It all
gets channel through the CEO.

Speaker 2 (01:56:45):
Yeah, but operationally, yeah, I've had the opportunity to chat
to Jack a few times on the show and seems
pretty motivated, pretty driven. You've been impressed with your dealings
with Jack.

Speaker 19 (01:56:56):
Absolutely.

Speaker 7 (01:56:57):
Yeah, it's a good man.

Speaker 13 (01:56:58):
He's got really good experience from sports in the commercial world,
like Lion Nathan.

Speaker 7 (01:57:05):
So yeah, he's come in.

Speaker 13 (01:57:08):
You know, he loves what he's doing and it's quite
infectious to be honest, you know what he's approaching, and
he's also going to have a broader scope going forward.
So yeah, he's settled in really well. The club's all
big fans of jet.

Speaker 2 (01:57:22):
How much contact do you have with your counterparts at
the other super rugby franchises like SA colin Mansbridge at
the Crusaders, Roger Clark at the Island as the others.
Do you have regular contact with those guys?

Speaker 13 (01:57:33):
We do. We have an hour each week on a Friday,
but invariably we talk.

Speaker 7 (01:57:39):
You know, we've been all.

Speaker 13 (01:57:40):
In touch this morning about the commercial opportunity and.

Speaker 7 (01:57:44):
You know, it's great. Actually fell out of COVID.

Speaker 13 (01:57:46):
So for me, it was the one good thing that
came out of COVID was the fact that we sort
of appreciate each other. And you know, we talk about
eighty twenty rules. So eighty percent of the stuff we
do we can do together. Twenty percent is signing players,
chasing commercial partners on our own against them, but there's

(01:58:07):
a lot of opportunity to do well. And you know,
if you combine five clubs, some of our commercial reach is.

Speaker 7 (01:58:14):
Similar to the All Blacks.

Speaker 13 (01:58:15):
So you know, if we work together, we can actually
bring you know, we avenue into the clubs and more
than what we would have through this on our own.
So yeah, that one of the things for me is
they're all great people. And love working with them and
look forward to our catch ups on Friday. So yeah,
we're doing more and more, and we've got good staff

(01:58:36):
around us as well to deliver some of that.

Speaker 7 (01:58:38):
But yeah, to answer questions, we do, and it's really important.

Speaker 2 (01:58:43):
Just some on the recent pretty well publicized financial struggles
of Wellington Rugby. Now they have a fifty percent share
in the hurricanes, So how do their financial struggles impact you.

Speaker 7 (01:58:57):
Yeah, I'm not not going to go into details.

Speaker 13 (01:58:59):
I don't know all of it with regards to Wellington,
but yes, they have a certain distant share. Yeah, I
think it's you know, it's been widely reported in their
annual report that they're considering what that looks like. I'm
feeling quite refreshed in the last couple of weeks as
there has been changed around the board table in some

(01:59:23):
of our operational relationships with Wellington Rugby has freed up
the hurricanes that have made it possible for us to
do a lot more ourselves. So I think that's healthy
for us, but I also actually think it's healthy for
Wellington because the link, a lot of the links are historic.
We still want to have a good relationship with Wellington.

(01:59:44):
It makes total sense to have that, but it doesn't
need to be.

Speaker 7 (01:59:50):
As explicit as it.

Speaker 13 (01:59:51):
Has deemed in terms of shared agreements, someting to see ownership.
So yeah, is it a change happening, But you know,
time will tell exactly how that pans out. But I
think it's I think it's encouraging.

Speaker 2 (02:00:06):
So you don't feel like commercial or financial risk.

Speaker 13 (02:00:12):
I think we all feel it at the moment. I
don't feel it based on Wellington Rugby. I feel it
based on getting people to the ground and you know,
drive and commercial arrangements in a tough market. That's that's
what I probably worry about. I feel like that's coming

(02:00:34):
back on track, So I don't I don't worry about
Wellington Rugby apart from the fact that I hope they're
you know, successful and sustainable like I do. None of
the two Hawks, Bay and every other province in our catchment.

Speaker 2 (02:00:48):
Just back to the on field stuff. You know, you
talked about some close margins, but also you look at
the Hurricane squad and there's some pretty big names missing
from the last couple of years. Jordy Barrett, d J Pettinada,
Ardie Savia plus An enjoy to Billy Proctor, which has
kept him out up until this weekend. You can't impact
any of that, can you. So do you just sort
of watch on what on as an interested buy like

(02:01:11):
the rest of us.

Speaker 13 (02:01:13):
No. Absolutely, I've been thinking about moving off is actually
because all those teems to get as bad news in here,
so I thought maybe I could, maybe I could move
somewhere else. It's bloody hard when you've got guys that
work extremely hard to play the game and then all
the staff that work hard behind the scenes to get

(02:01:34):
them there. It's really hard to see players get injured,
and you're right, we've lost We've lost a lot of leadership.

Speaker 7 (02:01:41):
I think certainly myself.

Speaker 13 (02:01:44):
I can't speak for the coaches, but I felt that
that's you know, we had players to replace those names
that you've mentioned. It's just their I guess, experience and
off field as much as on the field. But you
look at our loose forwards, we've got, you know, high
quality loose forwards in terms of yeah, we've got high

(02:02:07):
quality of these scores and that that's been part of
the reason why I think we've dealt with with already
moving on and Artie has done great like he's been
fantastic from Wana Pacific are and we're really happy for him.
But yeah, getting guys back this weekend like Riley and
Billy and Brett Cameron's ahead of schedule.

Speaker 7 (02:02:29):
So yeah, I mean, like I said, I.

Speaker 13 (02:02:32):
Think we've had the team to win every single game
we've played this year, but we haven't.

Speaker 7 (02:02:37):
It's really good to get players back in.

Speaker 13 (02:02:40):
To boost the depths, and we've you know, we've had
to have a few guys this year that haven't played
a lot of super rugby who's done, you know, done
a really good job. You look at Tohn Hark and
coming on last weekend, you know he played this weekend
start of the year. He wasn't contracted. I watched him

(02:03:00):
play in the Jubilee Cup final for OBU and here
he is starting for the Hurricane play in the year.
So it's pretty cool because you're giving opportunities to people. Yeah,
but I don't think Clark would use injury. There's an
excuse we we haven't lost those close games because of injuries.

Speaker 15 (02:03:20):
I don't think.

Speaker 2 (02:03:21):
Thanks for your time, Evan, I appreciate it very much.
Evan lee Cee have the Hurricane seven to three. That's
the show. Thanks to any McDonald for producing What's our
exit song? Mate? Yeah, Piney, Well, I've got a very
little bit of green Day's holiday because everyone's taking a
holiday break for Easter Anzac Day, so I enjoy it.
We're back tomorrow midday through three heaps to get you interested.
Enjoy the rest of your afternoon. Tim Beverage after.

Speaker 1 (02:03:42):
Three for more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine. Listen
live to News Talk zed B weekends from midday, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.

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