Friday Sport Kick-off with Jason Pine: Hurricanes vs Blues

For Friday Sport Kick-off this week Nick is joined in the studio by ZB sport guru Jason Pine.

Starting with Hurricanes alumni dinner tonight - the organization set up to help Hurricanes transition into the next phase of their lives celebrates tonight. It's been 10 years since they won their championship and 30 years since the team started.

Onto the Hurricanes vs Blues - Hnry Stadium with a 7.05pm kick-off. They look at the odds, the team and is this the first real test for the Canes?

And the rise of the Phoenix under Chris Greenacre. Could the team reach top 6? The A-League men play Melbourne City on Sunday in Melbourne.

Wellington Saints are raising their 13th championship banner for their first game of the season - Sunday afternoon. 

Plus, the Pulse open their season with a game against Magic on Saturday.

Huge weekend for Wellington Sport - and you can hear about it all on Friday Sport Kick-off.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from News Talks at B Heney coops and Neck with
their weekend predictions. It's the Friday sport kickoff with might
attend Wellington Central find them on Tory Street News Talks
at B.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
Right, let's get into it's a burg big weekend of sport,
but I want to start off for something that's actually
biger than sport. Mike Russell X Hurricane has set up
an alumni and I've talked to him about it on
the show. It's an incredible, incredible idea to help players
that need help. Jason Pine, you're the functions tonight. It's
a big function and you're hosting it. Tell us a

(00:47):
bit about it.

Speaker 3 (00:47):
Yeah, and you're right about Mike Russell. It's a great
initiative and not just helping those who fall on hard
time who have previously represented the Hurricanes, but really all
Hurricanes and the transition into the next phase of their life.
So it's a terrific organization, charitable organization, and they do
have a fundraiser tonight, so it's not the dinners a

(01:08):
little bit special. It's thirty years since the start of
Super rugby and ten years since the Hurricanes won their
one and only championship. Hopefully that'll change this year. So yeah,
a few special guests there Tonight's a number of members
of the ninety six team, quite a few members of
the twenty sixteen team. Clark laid Law, the current head coach,
is there, he's speaking, so it's always a good night.

Speaker 2 (01:27):
So yeah, what Alison, who's going to be there?

Speaker 1 (01:29):
From there?

Speaker 2 (01:30):
Original? I can feel that original tea?

Speaker 3 (01:32):
Yeah, and Nookiyafiaki is going to be there. Christian Cullen
is going to be there. Alama, you're a miya who
scored the very first Super rugby try for the Hurricanes
is going to be there. He's on the panel actually.
And another guy I'm really looking forward to hearing from
his Tony Bedford. He was the initial manager of the
Hurricanes when professional rugby started, and I've heard a couple

(01:53):
of stories about how unprofessional the start of professional rugby
actually was, and Tony Bedford, I'm sure will reiterate some
of those tonight, So the're really looking forward to it.

Speaker 2 (02:03):
Great manager, by the way, really good managers, say hell
lod of Lama to please, Oh well, very good guy.
Will used to be my bank teller.

Speaker 3 (02:09):
Yeah, you're right, used to walk in the national backings
and the love here would give you a hundred bucks
whatever it was, not well not one hundred bucks of
no for you, I mean for you, it's probably more
more a couple of grand all right.

Speaker 2 (02:19):
That's a great segue for the Hurricanes Blues. I mean,
this is the first test for the Hurricanes. Let's be
really honest. This is where we start.

Speaker 3 (02:28):
Yeah, I mean, the Hurricanes don't make the draw, so
you know, they can only play what's in front of them.
But it is true that they've only come up against
one other New Zealand side so far, and it was
a pretty insipid Highlanders side who they came up against
down in Dunedin and put fifty on. But I think
the next month or so will tell us where the
Hurricanes really are. The Blues tomorrow night, then the Chiefs away,

(02:50):
then the Brumbies in Super Round down in christ Church,
and then the Crusaders come to town. So that's a
really good four game bracket. I've had a look at
the odds for this game tomorrow night. Of course, the
Hurricanes are paying a dollar thirty to win this game.
I think that's really really short on them. You know,
the Blues are equal top of the table, but then

(03:12):
you look at the way the Hurricanes have been playing.
You match up the roster's man on man and you say, well, actually,
especially the Ford packs, I think there's in the Blues
forward pack. I think Offer talking the Fussy and Sam
Dowry are the only all blacks in that Blues forward pack.
Anything about Blues forward packs of the past, they were.

Speaker 2 (03:28):
Stacked with all blacks.

Speaker 3 (03:30):
Not so much now. So out the Hurricanes at home
on a bit of a roll, rarely looking forward to
the Battle of the Tens. Reuben Love against Boden Barrett.
Of course around the cutter for the Hurricanes when they
won in twenty sixteen. That could play a big part
in it. The Hurricanes exciting outside backs, mouth watering prospect
tomorrow night.

Speaker 2 (03:49):
Yeah, unbelievable.

Speaker 3 (03:50):
Hurricanes will win though Nick, weren't.

Speaker 2 (03:52):
They definitely Hurricanes to one, not even any question. And
I love love beating the Blues. Somebody about beating the Blues,
I do love right, Let's move on to the Phoenix
before you tell me of an idiot that we should
have taken the team to Christy and I was at
complete cloud but all the faith that you had in
them three winds in a row. I mean, can we

(04:12):
dream a fourth?

Speaker 3 (04:13):
No, well, we can dream of a fourth win in
a row, and if that happens, then we can really
start dreaming about the top six. This is a team
that a month ago, we're just over a month ago,
got smashed five nil by Auckland f C. A sixth
straight defeat to Auckland f C. Jihan Calotaliando pulled the pin.
He would have been sacked anyway, but he resigned and
Chris Greenaker took over and it's been incredible, the you know,

(04:36):
the rise under Greenee. So they play Melbourne City on Sunday.
The maths of it now and n because if they
win their last three games they make the top six
because two of those three games are against other teams
in and around the Melbourne City this weekend MacArthur in
their last game.

Speaker 2 (04:50):
So you're telling me we have to win all three.

Speaker 3 (04:51):
No, we don't have to, but if we do, mathematically
we will make the six. That is a mathematical fact
if we If we weren't to win all three, that
wouldn't necessarily mean they'd miss out, but they need other
things to go their way, pushing it in. Hey got
I mentioned the Saints as well. On Sunday. I think
they're raising another championship banner. Is it number thirteen?

Speaker 2 (05:10):
First game of the season. Always do it after a
championship year, big event.

Speaker 3 (05:13):
Yeah, amazing, amazing. So Sunday afternoon Pulse Pulse are playing
Saturday afternoon TSP. So we've got Hurricanes, Pulse, Saints Phoenix
all playing in the same weekend.

Speaker 2 (05:24):
Imagine if we went all four. If we went all four,
I'm taking you out for lunch on Monday.

Speaker 3 (05:28):
What about one of the four?

Speaker 2 (05:32):
Don't be stupid? Four out of four? Jason Pye Saturday
and Sunday from twelve to three.

Speaker 1 (05:36):
For more from Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills, listen live
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