July 18, 2025 • 12 mins
Another icon of Waikato Rugby was former All Black Matthew Cooper.
He made his All Blacks test debut in 1992, setting a then-world record of 23 points on test debut, and holds the scoring record for Waikato, with 1604 points.
The now-President of NZR joined Piney ahead of the final All Blacks test against France to discuss his playing days, his current role, and the current All Blacks series.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from News Talks EDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
It's been wonderful traveling around with the All Blacks Test
matches over the last three weeks. We find ourselves in
Hamilton at the Roaming Giants Heafy Terraces and joined by Wow.
I was gonna say White Cuto Rugby Royalty. I think
I've probably got it right. Sixty three games for Hawks
Bay first of all, one hundred and twenty three for
White Cuttle fifteen hundred out eighty seven points, easily the
(00:33):
most in Mulu history. In fact, nearly nine hundred and
fifty more than the next best. Eight Super Rugby games
for the Highlanders, twenty five for the Chiefs. All Blacks
debut in nineteen eighty seven, Black Jersey twenty six times,
including eight Test matches, two hundred and twenty four points.
Are now President of New Zealand Rugby, Matthew Cooper.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Nice to see you, mate, Yeah, great to be here, Piney.
I'm really looking forward to having a Test match in Hamilton,
my home and.
Speaker 4 (01:00):
I'm through.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
This is rugby country and we could say that about
most of New Zealand, but yeah, pretty special.
Speaker 4 (01:05):
For this region.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Yeah, I think you can genuinely say it about the
White Catta. They love their rugby here, you know, back
to and I want to talk about your playing days
in a while, but it seems a long toime since
we had a Test match here twenty twenty two.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
Yeah, it is, it's it's a while, it's a it's
it's a challenge because you balance, you balance gate revenue
and against against the importance of sharing the game around
our nation. And we get that. And if ever a
place in New Zealand deserves test matches, it's christ Church
when they come online next year with Takaha and and
(01:40):
we're looking forward to that. But this place here, it's
a I heard you earlier today around what we'll see tonight,
and we'll see a passionate, close crowd twenty five four
to twenty five thousand and Yeah, it's true.
Speaker 4 (01:53):
And I mentioned not only mention the.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
White Coatto, but you know, I always I'm really really
big on in my other role around Thames Valley, King
Country and across the Kaims the backplaney they'll be here
and droves as well and up the road at County.
Speaker 4 (02:07):
So it's a it's a good part in New Zealand.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
I'm I'm you know, I was just a kid growing
up in Hawk's Bay, and I was all gravitated by
the wayato I gravitate how they played their game, how
they played rugby, you know, the back line, the innovation
about Whiteatto and I suppose thirty odd years on this
place is about innovation, you know.
Speaker 4 (02:27):
The White Cutter was. You know, there's a lot good
things happened in this in this province.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Well, you were part of a of a fantastic White
Cuttle side. When you think back, and I'm not sure
how often you do, but when you do, what stands
out most to you about your playing days for White Cuttle.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
Oh, they were they they were special. I mean, the
red girl on black, the Mulu, you know, the.
Speaker 4 (02:49):
The great crowds of Rugby.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
Park, thirty odd thousand. They creamed they, you know, crammed
them in. And it was just the team. I mean,
we were a good team. We had great players, you know,
good players, but we were at stars.
Speaker 4 (03:04):
But we were we were a really solid side.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
I mean we would play we would play the great
Auckland side. And that's one game ninety three, the Shield
Game and ninety three up at Eden Park in front
of forty eight thousand, and you know, Auckland brilliant, our
standing there, brilliant side fourteen all blacks, one Manu Samoa.
Speaker 4 (03:23):
We had three all blacks and we went up there and.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
I always vividly remember that it was one of those
ones where you say you look at your mate and
you save yourself in a whyk cut tho Jersey, I'm
not going to let your mate down, And that's sort
of what it's like when you're in this place.
Speaker 4 (03:37):
It's it is very much about matship.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
It's about working hard, it's about you know, pushing yourselves
to limits.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
I love hearing that that I mean because that Auckland side,
it was sixty two challenges successfully repelled. Ye when you
went up that day, did you feel like something special
was going to happen?
Speaker 3 (03:59):
Well, we had a bit of an insight Piney the
year before in a semi final we played Auckland that
Eden Park, which led to our the first ever Grand
final and provincial rugby on national provincial rugby against Otago
in ninety two.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
So we came away there perby did a pretty good hook.
There the hand of.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
God, there was a it was not a bad tide
head from Perby at tight head, but we but we
know we dominated. But yeah, we knew that we had
a side to match them up front and if you
didn't match the great Auckland forward pack, you'd come second
all the time.
Speaker 4 (04:36):
And we were strong on defense. We really very much
like the French.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
We we had a very suffocating French there with Rhyce
Ellison myself.
Speaker 4 (04:45):
We had an absolute superstar.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
And an eighteen year old Todd Miller at fullback and
just some really you know, your Monkies, your Mitchell's, your Jerrems,
your Gordon's, your Anderson's, your Low's, your your Gatlands. It
was just a good side Stephenson. So we I think
there was an there was that mystique and fear of
Auckland had gone, and so that day it had to
you had to play really well, it had to walk,
(05:08):
click and it did.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
What were the early days of super rugby like.
Speaker 4 (05:12):
For you, Yeah, really interesting.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
It was that navigation of it was probably a little
bit like your conversation.
Speaker 4 (05:18):
I heard earlier around a league.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
You know, we were we're in the midst of the
world rugby corporation and and and there was so much
going on, and once it was once it was a
line there, you know, once it's all sorted, it was okay.
The the the contracts Piney that were offered are a
little bit different today that so I don't I don't
(05:42):
know if it was true professionalism, but it was.
Speaker 4 (05:45):
It was great that navigation.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
I think it took a while here in terms of
letting go of Waikato Mulus being the number one and
then forming that bond with the Chiefs, and that did
take a little while. And now it's positioned really well.
I mean everyone knows that it's Chiefs and then the
Waikato and it's positioned really well.
Speaker 4 (06:04):
And yeah, they were good days.
Speaker 3 (06:06):
I missed the cut in year one and I got
drafted to become an Otago Highlander and so that was
really special to play with that brilliant Otago southn side
of the time. So just another great experience for me
in my career was to be a Highlander and then
lucky enough to come back and have three years with
the Chiefs.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
You've been in Dania and Wellington the last two weekends.
What have you made of the All Blacks Fronts test
matches one and two?
Speaker 3 (06:30):
Yeah, really good I think that was a very good
French performance. I wasn't surprised because I go back to
nineteen eighty six and the Cavaliers are over in South
Africa and they picked Brian Lahore and the team pick
a new team, a young team called the Baby Blacks,
and they're down at Lancaster Park. These men, these twenty two,
(06:50):
I think it would have been at the time, not
twenty three. They put on an All Black jersey and
then they were part of that legacy. They were having
to be the legacy of all Black rugby at the time.
Speaker 4 (07:02):
Then you know in nineteen eighty six and they were,
they were, They.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
They created something quite special. They had Serge Blanco, they
had Philips, they had Jean Pierre Reeve, the Gui la Porte,
they had absolute superstar team. But the All Blacks beat
them and it didn't matter. It wasn't the Baby Blacks.
The All Blacks beat the French. And I felt that
was a bit like that last a couple of weeks
ago in Dunedin, and I thought that that preach team
played really well. A caveat that by saying that was
(07:30):
the first time the All Blacks had got together in
twenty five after the Super Rugby season, so they put
it together. They they then they went to Denise, then
they went to Wellington and I was super impressed with
that side. I've been super impressed with the new boys
coming into the All Blacks.
Speaker 4 (07:48):
I think that there's that the.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
What I've seen last year in terms of what the
coaching group under Razer are trying to do here is
play a pretty quick game.
Speaker 4 (07:57):
Is to play a fast game. But this year they
want to finish.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
They if they finished a couple of times last year,
they would they would have.
Speaker 4 (08:04):
Won in Johannesburg. They should have won Harris. They know that.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
And then and then to see this philosophy of having
winning the much treasured Dave Gallaher Cup, which is which
means a lot to to the All Blacks to then
do what he talks about, I want to be four deep,
Scott Robinson talks about, I want to be four deep.
Speaker 4 (08:22):
I want to make sure two.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
Years out from Australia we've got depth in all position.
Speaker 4 (08:27):
The Wellington performance has enabled that.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
It's enabled the All Blacks to to give and and
and I really hope it works. I really want it
to work tonight because we've got this is an exciting team.
It's a I'm particularly excited about the new players coming
through and you know the chance of a new a
new debutante as well. Ruben Love coming in at for
that Quins a Pie coming back after a long time.
(08:51):
The great story of Anton Lenett Brown. Luke Jacinbson's another
good story because he's a very powerful loose forward, but
he hasn't had game time. So you know, I think
you know this is a really good opportunity. It gears
up for the Rugby Championship, so you know, really looking forward.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
To Yes, So I can't wait. So you're now president
of New Zealand Rugby. Does that mean you can watch
the game or do you have to shake too many
hands for that?
Speaker 1 (09:13):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (09:13):
No, I always do. I always make sure I watch
a game.
Speaker 3 (09:16):
I'm a I'm a very passionate fan and I always
will be and very proud of of this whole group.
This whole all black group are incredible people. The staff
are amazing. Tonight well, there will be a lot of
good partners that will be with us tonight, and our
events team are incredible. So I'll be up there with
board members and Robo and we will we will.
Speaker 4 (09:38):
Entertain our people who look after us, and and yeah, I'm.
Speaker 3 (09:43):
I'm in a very privileged role and I don't underestimate it, Piney.
It's it's an absolute dream. It's a pleasure to be
involved with the All Blacks. It's a pleasure to be
involved with the Black Ferns. It's a you know, it's
it's a pleasure to be involved with our domestic game.
So I'm you know, I'm looking forward to tonight and
I'm you know, I love the opportunity of what this presents.
Speaker 4 (10:06):
There's a lot of good things happening. I'm so looking forward.
Speaker 3 (10:09):
Round the twenties tomorrow and Rovigo and Italy as they
take on the South Africa and the World Cup Under
twenty final. The Black Ferns are tracking all right, we're
looking we're looking to head away shortly and we've got
a domestic competition about to start in both the f
PC and the NBC and the Heartland.
Speaker 4 (10:26):
So yeah, this is great. I'm I'm loving it.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
Good.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
How's your brother Greg getting on?
Speaker 4 (10:31):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (10:31):
Good, He's Greg's an international coach. He's been in Utah
and he's he's actually on the plane now to Japan.
So he's got another surjouron in Japan and no special brother.
Speaker 4 (10:43):
He's him and I him and.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
I are still talking after replace him in ninety two
as the All Black fallback against the Irish.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
So so I must sad time the hold a grudge
of he is.
Speaker 3 (10:53):
And they're very very very good brother and know he's
doing well, and yeah, no, we're you know, it's it's
just nice at the moment, Piney, I sense that our
focus at.
Speaker 4 (11:03):
The moment, and it's a it's a big it's a
big organization.
Speaker 3 (11:07):
We think about our commercial, you think about international, you
think about global. We know that we could play France
anywhere and we would draw massive crowds, and the same
with South Africa. There is that brand, the brand All
Blacks is massive globally, and it's also really important this
game domestically, and there's a lot of work going on
about competitions and so all that complexity.
Speaker 4 (11:27):
But I'm really feeling.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
Good about our game because we're in a good space
of focusing on rugby and and you know, tonight's another
exciting night. And I have said to everyone, to the
board and to members of the staff, welcome to Paradise.
At the start of the week, and I remember Raiser
come up to me and he said, yesterday he said,
he said, Coops, he said, you talk about paradise and
he said, We've had the weirdest week we've ever.
Speaker 4 (11:50):
Had an international rugby.
Speaker 3 (11:52):
So I don't know how much I can do that,
but I wouldn't live anywhere else fighting.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
Good on your mate, It's so good to see Matthew.
Your enthusiasm is infectious. Great day of your popping in
on such a busy day, mate. We'll see you tonight.
Speaker 4 (12:03):
Very good. Thanks punning Matthew Cooper there.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
President New Zealand Rugby and former All Black joining us
at the Roaming Giant here as we build towards kickoff tonight.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News Talk Set B weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from News Talks EDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
It's been wonderful traveling around with the All Blacks Test
matches over the last three weeks. We find ourselves in
Hamilton at the Roaming Giants Heafy Terraces and joined by Wow.
I was gonna say White Cuto Rugby Royalty. I think
I've probably got it right. Sixty three games for Hawks
Bay first of all, one hundred and twenty three for
White Cuttle fifteen hundred out eighty seven points, easily the
(00:33):
most in Mulu history. In fact, nearly nine hundred and
fifty more than the next best. Eight Super Rugby games
for the Highlanders, twenty five for the Chiefs. All Blacks
debut in nineteen eighty seven, Black Jersey twenty six times,
including eight Test matches, two hundred and twenty four points.
Are now President of New Zealand Rugby, Matthew Cooper.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Nice to see you, mate, Yeah, great to be here, Piney.
I'm really looking forward to having a Test match in Hamilton,
my home and.
Speaker 4 (01:00):
I'm through.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
This is rugby country and we could say that about
most of New Zealand, but yeah, pretty special.
Speaker 4 (01:05):
For this region.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Yeah, I think you can genuinely say it about the
White Catta. They love their rugby here, you know, back
to and I want to talk about your playing days
in a while, but it seems a long toime since
we had a Test match here twenty twenty two.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
Yeah, it is, it's it's a while, it's a it's
it's a challenge because you balance, you balance gate revenue
and against against the importance of sharing the game around
our nation. And we get that. And if ever a
place in New Zealand deserves test matches, it's christ Church
when they come online next year with Takaha and and
(01:40):
we're looking forward to that. But this place here, it's
a I heard you earlier today around what we'll see tonight,
and we'll see a passionate, close crowd twenty five four
to twenty five thousand and Yeah, it's true.
Speaker 4 (01:53):
And I mentioned not only mention the.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
White Coatto, but you know, I always I'm really really
big on in my other role around Thames Valley, King
Country and across the Kaims the backplaney they'll be here
and droves as well and up the road at County.
Speaker 4 (02:07):
So it's a it's a good part in New Zealand.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
I'm I'm you know, I was just a kid growing
up in Hawk's Bay, and I was all gravitated by
the wayato I gravitate how they played their game, how
they played rugby, you know, the back line, the innovation
about Whiteatto and I suppose thirty odd years on this
place is about innovation, you know.
Speaker 4 (02:27):
The White Cutter was. You know, there's a lot good
things happened in this in this province.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Well, you were part of a of a fantastic White
Cuttle side. When you think back, and I'm not sure
how often you do, but when you do, what stands
out most to you about your playing days for White Cuttle.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
Oh, they were they they were special. I mean, the
red girl on black, the Mulu, you know, the.
Speaker 4 (02:49):
The great crowds of Rugby.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
Park, thirty odd thousand. They creamed they, you know, crammed
them in. And it was just the team. I mean,
we were a good team. We had great players, you know,
good players, but we were at stars.
Speaker 4 (03:04):
But we were we were a really solid side.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
I mean we would play we would play the great
Auckland side. And that's one game ninety three, the Shield
Game and ninety three up at Eden Park in front
of forty eight thousand, and you know, Auckland brilliant, our
standing there, brilliant side fourteen all blacks, one Manu Samoa.
Speaker 4 (03:23):
We had three all blacks and we went up there and.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
I always vividly remember that it was one of those
ones where you say you look at your mate and
you save yourself in a whyk cut tho Jersey, I'm
not going to let your mate down, And that's sort
of what it's like when you're in this place.
Speaker 4 (03:37):
It's it is very much about matship.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
It's about working hard, it's about you know, pushing yourselves
to limits.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
I love hearing that that I mean because that Auckland side,
it was sixty two challenges successfully repelled. Ye when you
went up that day, did you feel like something special
was going to happen?
Speaker 3 (03:59):
Well, we had a bit of an insight Piney the
year before in a semi final we played Auckland that
Eden Park, which led to our the first ever Grand
final and provincial rugby on national provincial rugby against Otago
in ninety two.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
So we came away there perby did a pretty good hook.
There the hand of.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
God, there was a it was not a bad tide
head from Perby at tight head, but we but we
know we dominated. But yeah, we knew that we had
a side to match them up front and if you
didn't match the great Auckland forward pack, you'd come second
all the time.
Speaker 4 (04:36):
And we were strong on defense. We really very much
like the French.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
We we had a very suffocating French there with Rhyce
Ellison myself.
Speaker 4 (04:45):
We had an absolute superstar.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
And an eighteen year old Todd Miller at fullback and
just some really you know, your Monkies, your Mitchell's, your Jerrems,
your Gordon's, your Anderson's, your Low's, your your Gatlands. It
was just a good side Stephenson. So we I think
there was an there was that mystique and fear of
Auckland had gone, and so that day it had to
you had to play really well, it had to walk,
(05:08):
click and it did.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
What were the early days of super rugby like.
Speaker 4 (05:12):
For you, Yeah, really interesting.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
It was that navigation of it was probably a little
bit like your conversation.
Speaker 4 (05:18):
I heard earlier around a league.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
You know, we were we're in the midst of the
world rugby corporation and and and there was so much
going on, and once it was once it was a
line there, you know, once it's all sorted, it was okay.
The the the contracts Piney that were offered are a
little bit different today that so I don't I don't
(05:42):
know if it was true professionalism, but it was.
Speaker 4 (05:45):
It was great that navigation.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
I think it took a while here in terms of
letting go of Waikato Mulus being the number one and
then forming that bond with the Chiefs, and that did
take a little while. And now it's positioned really well.
I mean everyone knows that it's Chiefs and then the
Waikato and it's positioned really well.
Speaker 4 (06:04):
And yeah, they were good days.
Speaker 3 (06:06):
I missed the cut in year one and I got
drafted to become an Otago Highlander and so that was
really special to play with that brilliant Otago southn side
of the time. So just another great experience for me
in my career was to be a Highlander and then
lucky enough to come back and have three years with
the Chiefs.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
You've been in Dania and Wellington the last two weekends.
What have you made of the All Blacks Fronts test
matches one and two?
Speaker 3 (06:30):
Yeah, really good I think that was a very good
French performance. I wasn't surprised because I go back to
nineteen eighty six and the Cavaliers are over in South
Africa and they picked Brian Lahore and the team pick
a new team, a young team called the Baby Blacks,
and they're down at Lancaster Park. These men, these twenty two,
(06:50):
I think it would have been at the time, not
twenty three. They put on an All Black jersey and
then they were part of that legacy. They were having
to be the legacy of all Black rugby at the time.
Speaker 4 (07:02):
Then you know in nineteen eighty six and they were,
they were, They.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
They created something quite special. They had Serge Blanco, they
had Philips, they had Jean Pierre Reeve, the Gui la Porte,
they had absolute superstar team. But the All Blacks beat
them and it didn't matter. It wasn't the Baby Blacks.
The All Blacks beat the French. And I felt that
was a bit like that last a couple of weeks
ago in Dunedin, and I thought that that preach team
played really well. A caveat that by saying that was
(07:30):
the first time the All Blacks had got together in
twenty five after the Super Rugby season, so they put
it together. They they then they went to Denise, then
they went to Wellington and I was super impressed with
that side. I've been super impressed with the new boys
coming into the All Blacks.
Speaker 4 (07:48):
I think that there's that the.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
What I've seen last year in terms of what the
coaching group under Razer are trying to do here is
play a pretty quick game.
Speaker 4 (07:57):
Is to play a fast game. But this year they
want to finish.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
They if they finished a couple of times last year,
they would they would have.
Speaker 4 (08:04):
Won in Johannesburg. They should have won Harris. They know that.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
And then and then to see this philosophy of having
winning the much treasured Dave Gallaher Cup, which is which
means a lot to to the All Blacks to then
do what he talks about, I want to be four deep,
Scott Robinson talks about, I want to be four deep.
Speaker 4 (08:22):
I want to make sure two.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
Years out from Australia we've got depth in all position.
Speaker 4 (08:27):
The Wellington performance has enabled that.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
It's enabled the All Blacks to to give and and
and I really hope it works. I really want it
to work tonight because we've got this is an exciting team.
It's a I'm particularly excited about the new players coming
through and you know the chance of a new a
new debutante as well. Ruben Love coming in at for
that Quins a Pie coming back after a long time.
(08:51):
The great story of Anton Lenett Brown. Luke Jacinbson's another
good story because he's a very powerful loose forward, but
he hasn't had game time. So you know, I think
you know this is a really good opportunity. It gears
up for the Rugby Championship, so you know, really looking forward.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
To Yes, So I can't wait. So you're now president
of New Zealand Rugby. Does that mean you can watch
the game or do you have to shake too many
hands for that?
Speaker 1 (09:13):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (09:13):
No, I always do. I always make sure I watch
a game.
Speaker 3 (09:16):
I'm a I'm a very passionate fan and I always
will be and very proud of of this whole group.
This whole all black group are incredible people. The staff
are amazing. Tonight well, there will be a lot of
good partners that will be with us tonight, and our
events team are incredible. So I'll be up there with
board members and Robo and we will we will.
Speaker 4 (09:38):
Entertain our people who look after us, and and yeah, I'm.
Speaker 3 (09:43):
I'm in a very privileged role and I don't underestimate it, Piney.
It's it's an absolute dream. It's a pleasure to be
involved with the All Blacks. It's a pleasure to be
involved with the Black Ferns. It's a you know, it's
it's a pleasure to be involved with our domestic game.
So I'm you know, I'm looking forward to tonight and
I'm you know, I love the opportunity of what this presents.
Speaker 4 (10:06):
There's a lot of good things happening. I'm so looking forward.
Speaker 3 (10:09):
Round the twenties tomorrow and Rovigo and Italy as they
take on the South Africa and the World Cup Under
twenty final. The Black Ferns are tracking all right, we're
looking we're looking to head away shortly and we've got
a domestic competition about to start in both the f
PC and the NBC and the Heartland.
Speaker 4 (10:26):
So yeah, this is great. I'm I'm loving it.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
Good.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
How's your brother Greg getting on?
Speaker 4 (10:31):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (10:31):
Good, He's Greg's an international coach. He's been in Utah
and he's he's actually on the plane now to Japan.
So he's got another surjouron in Japan and no special brother.
Speaker 4 (10:43):
He's him and I him and.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
I are still talking after replace him in ninety two
as the All Black fallback against the Irish.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
So so I must sad time the hold a grudge
of he is.
Speaker 3 (10:53):
And they're very very very good brother and know he's
doing well, and yeah, no, we're you know, it's it's
just nice at the moment, Piney, I sense that our
focus at.
Speaker 4 (11:03):
The moment, and it's a it's a big it's a
big organization.
Speaker 3 (11:07):
We think about our commercial, you think about international, you
think about global. We know that we could play France
anywhere and we would draw massive crowds, and the same
with South Africa. There is that brand, the brand All
Blacks is massive globally, and it's also really important this
game domestically, and there's a lot of work going on
about competitions and so all that complexity.
Speaker 4 (11:27):
But I'm really feeling.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
Good about our game because we're in a good space
of focusing on rugby and and you know, tonight's another
exciting night. And I have said to everyone, to the
board and to members of the staff, welcome to Paradise.
At the start of the week, and I remember Raiser
come up to me and he said, yesterday he said,
he said, Coops, he said, you talk about paradise and
he said, We've had the weirdest week we've ever.
Speaker 4 (11:50):
Had an international rugby.
Speaker 3 (11:52):
So I don't know how much I can do that,
but I wouldn't live anywhere else fighting.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
Good on your mate, It's so good to see Matthew.
Your enthusiasm is infectious. Great day of your popping in
on such a busy day, mate. We'll see you tonight.
Speaker 4 (12:03):
Very good. Thanks punning Matthew Cooper there.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
President New Zealand Rugby and former All Black joining us
at the Roaming Giant here as we build towards kickoff tonight.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News Talk Set B weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
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