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November 6, 2025 • 11 mins

For this week's Friday Sport Kick-off, Jason Pine and Adam Cooper join Nick Mills to discuss Saturday's big Wellington Phoenix double header at Sky Stadium, and why ticket sales have been lower than expected. They also rate Scotland's chances of facing the All Blacks and discuss Scott Robertson's selections for Sunday morning's test.

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Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from news Talk said be Friday.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Sports Time with Adam Cooper and Jason Pine.

Speaker 3 (00:17):
Here we go.

Speaker 4 (00:19):
Now we've got the music.

Speaker 3 (00:21):
I can't start without the music. No, imas stop feeling
right either.

Speaker 4 (00:24):
I was not feeling right. Well, you know what what
Grace was trying to do, pining. Grace was trying to.

Speaker 2 (00:31):
Play happy birthday music because I don't know whether he knew,
but our learned boss and.

Speaker 3 (00:37):
Friend, yes I did know. Yes, a very happy birthday, Coops.

Speaker 4 (00:41):
Very happy birthday keeps from all of us.

Speaker 2 (00:43):
So right now we've got that out of the way
and Nick try to reinvent the world.

Speaker 4 (00:47):
Screwed up the beginning of the show.

Speaker 2 (00:48):
Let's start talking Jason Pine and Adam Cooper. Di, I
did introduce you both didn't know. Let's start talking about
the Phoenix. So I'm a bit annoyed about and I've
got to be personal. I've got to say this last
couple of days, David Domes, who I like and respect
very very much, has been coming out saying, oh, I
don't think it's going to be that big a crowd,
and you know, don't you know we're hoping to get

(01:10):
fifteen or eighteen thousand.

Speaker 4 (01:11):
Now.

Speaker 2 (01:12):
It almost broke my heart because I'm waiting for the
woman's team to start because there's so much expectations in
behind that, and I think it's a genuine derby and
we haven't beaten. I was so excited for this and
I'm hoping for twenty five thousand.

Speaker 3 (01:28):
I guess from David Domes point of view, he can
only go on the ticket sales that he sees in
front of him. And look, if you make a comparison
last year Auckland f C. We're getting upwards of twenty
thousand for every game. Their two crowds this year Auckland
FC's have been fourteen and eleven thousand, eleven thousand in
the last game, so there's been a drop off there

(01:48):
as well. Look if he looks at the ticket sales
and they're currently tracking towards fifteen thousand, then that's what
it is. Fifteen thousand is still a very very healthy
crowd for an latelygue game. Yes it's not the twenty
five of last year, and yes, of course we'd love
to turn up there tomorrow in a beautiful Wellington day
and watch the women and then this Derby tomorrow night
with a pack stadium. Look, I think the truth will

(02:11):
probably be somewhere between fifteen and twenty that. That's what
it feels to me. By the time the men's game
rolls around. You know, I did see a bit of
I saw a bit of doom and gloom yesterday. You know,
crowd numbers are down. I mean, hang on fifteen thousand
at a time where unemployment is at record levels. People

(02:31):
are starting to think about Christmas and what they're going
to buy for their families and what they have to
not do in order to do that. Let's have a
bit of a reality check here. You know, fifteen thousand,
the tomorrow is still going to be a great occasion.

Speaker 4 (02:43):
Yeah, gosh, how can you say anything out of that
keeps well?

Speaker 3 (02:47):
Yeah?

Speaker 5 (02:48):
I think you know, I'm lucky enough to be involved
in sports, you know, presentation at grounds to different codes
and different organizations, and I do think here in New
Zealand we do need to find ways that make it
worthwhile for people to want to come and experience it
at the grounds. You look at how they do it
even in Australia, you know, at big events they have

(03:08):
there in America, where you feel part of a family
by just simply turning up to a stadium to support
your team. And I don't think fans in New Zealand
often feel like that when they turn up to venues
in New Zealand and are greeted by security guards that
we're almost making them feel like they're a nuisance because
they're turning up to support their team. You know, your

(03:31):
drinks allocation gets limited very early on because of the licensing.
The food isn't always flash.

Speaker 3 (03:37):
You know, you have to pay.

Speaker 5 (03:38):
You know, eighteen bucks is how much cheeseburgers were at
the stadium during the cricket last week. I just fans
need to be looked after a little bit better. I
think to encourage them to come back, give them a
reason to come along and not sit at home and
watch it on TV.

Speaker 2 (03:50):
Can I just because you're just reminded me a friend
of a friend, young guy, two young children and his
partner went to the cricket at the stadium and he's
an engineer, wealthy, wealthy guy. Two hundred dollars is what
he spent on and and he had just tickets, no

(04:10):
no on the drinks, and he I think he had
one him and his partner had one alcohol alcoholic drink.

Speaker 4 (04:16):
Eat kids, just spit some pieces for the kids. Two
hundred Is that a lot? Fifty dollars ahead?

Speaker 3 (04:21):
So is that including the ticket?

Speaker 4 (04:23):
No?

Speaker 3 (04:23):
Okay, So once they were there, he spent two hundred
bucks on food and beverage for that is a lot.
I mean, would if you take it, if you take
your family out to dinner with you know, with two kids,
two adults, would just spend two hundred doubt it.

Speaker 4 (04:35):
Yeah, So something that we all got to look at.
But I mean, sorry to interrut, No, No, it's fine.

Speaker 3 (04:39):
It's because that's all part of it.

Speaker 5 (04:41):
That's all part of it. He will go along and say, well,
if you're going to take your kids along, you're going
to pay that much if you want dinner. So there
are ways around it. You have dinner beforehand, you have
dinner afterwards, depending on the time of day. You know,
I personally wouldn't recommend anyone that wants to save money
go to a game to have dinner or have lots
of drinks there because you simply can't. You simply can't
afford it. And that's that's not the issue. Because I
talk about Australia and America. It's very expensive to buy

(05:04):
food and drink there as well. But it's just the experience.
It's the way you're treated, it's the way you feel
part of things. You know, merchandise as often for free.
You know, stuff's handed out. So it is a shame.
But I think whoever's there tomorrow is going to make
lots of noise and we'll all I think think of
it as a great occasion once we leave sky Stadium time.

Speaker 3 (05:21):
I think from a fan experience point of view, the
football is better than the others. I think's better than
the cricket, better than the rugby. If you're there tomorrow,
you'll feel part of an occasion. The fifteen thousand, as
Coop said, they'll make a lot of noise. There are
between six hundred and one thousand Auckland f C fans coming.
They had to open up an extra bay for them.
This is the only sport in New Zealand where there
is a true derby. You can talk about Super rugby

(05:42):
and Hurricanes, Crusaders and Blues Chiefs and all that sort
of thing, but really are they really derbies? Are they really?
You know? They do they have traveling fans. I mean no, really,
Crusaders fans don't really come to Wellington to watch the
Crusaders play the Hurricanes. If you're from christ Church here,
you're dust off. You know your Crusaders jersey and you
come along these are This is a true derby experience.

(06:05):
It'll be for the ones come tomorrow. And Coeps is right,
there's a litle lot of work to do to put
the fan in the center of these conversations. But football
does it a lot better than the other sports.

Speaker 2 (06:14):
Can I just quickly both ask you because we've gone
around and around and we aren't We haven't really previewed
the women's team. And I, for one, I mean once
Bev was appointed and I've been really excited. You guys
who are experts in the field have been telling me
they've been signing the right people. You've been, you know,
pumping their tires. So, Coops, do you think it's going

(06:34):
to be They're going to be as big and as
good as what we are expecting.

Speaker 5 (06:37):
It will definitely, I think be the best chance the
Phoenix has in their five year history to bid for
a title and bid for a very first playoff experience.
I mean, this team is absolutely stacked with players with
major club experience around the world, some of the biggest
clubs you know that the UK clubs, you know, German
clubs and other teams, so it's absolutely massive, but also

(06:59):
some huge Kiwi players the likes of CJ Bot from
from Tawas who's coming along to the squad this year,
and vic s and football fans goalkeeper. So on paper
it's the best chance ever. But I guess you know,
it's BEF priestman's job to make them all aligne make
them all play together as a team and hopefully perform
very well. But they seem pretty confidence. Spoke to a
couple of them in here yesterday and they're pretty excited.

Speaker 4 (07:22):
I'm excited.

Speaker 3 (07:23):
I'm extremely excited about the women's team, very very excited,
in fact, in about an hour or so down to
their final media session before they play tomorrow against Canberra.
It keeps us right. I can't really add to any
of that. The roster is terrific. You know, Paul Temple
improved the Wellington Phoenix women the last couple of seasons
but couldn't get them past the playoff hump that they

(07:44):
couldn't get over base level for this team is making
the top six absolute base level and top four is probably,
you know, a more aspirational goal. They could go deep,
deep into this. You know, we haven't seen them play yet.
They've waited until we see them play, but all the
signs are pointing to a really promising season.

Speaker 2 (08:02):
Now, there's another game of sport on this weekend to
at four o'clock in the morning. I don't know, Piney,
you will definitely get up and watch it live.

Speaker 4 (08:08):
Will you get up and watch it live? Coeps before
am out of all four?

Speaker 3 (08:12):
I might skip this one.

Speaker 2 (08:13):
Okay, Scotland the All Blacks without How long is it's
been since we've already had one Baron in the squad?

Speaker 3 (08:20):
Yeah a long time, Yeah, a long time, A long time.
It's it's not common. Yeah, I'll be getting up to
watch it. I think Scotland probably believe they can win.
They won't. The All Blacks will win the game. I
like the team that's been picked, I do. I really
like it. And I like the fact that and I'll
get your guys view on this will be interesting. I
like the fact that he's got Kadifi and proper in
the reserves. What is the All Blacks future of Rico Yuani.

(08:43):
What is his future in the black jersey? If he's
not the backup center now and he also covers wing,
you know he has it, can't even make the twenty three,
then what is Rico Yuan's future in the All Blacks.

Speaker 5 (08:55):
It's an interesting situation. He's been moved sideways this year,
hasn't he across positions? And then he's sort of been
moved backwards reserves and then nothing. So with the options
they have, yeah, pretty limited, it's pretty limsedly.

Speaker 3 (09:07):
He's one hell of an at incredible player, there's no
doubt about it. Experience, pace, he's He probably makes every
other international team in the world, with the exception perhaps
of the spring Box. But he can't make the twenty three.
He's off to play. He's not super Arab. Next year
he's playing for Munster in his Irish sabbatical. I just

(09:27):
wonder you know whether Rika Joan he might not wear
the black jersey again. It sounds so crazy to say
it for an eighty five test All Black, but this.

Speaker 2 (09:36):
We all know that coaches have favorites, though, don't we
We all know that maybe he's just out of favor
with doesn't see what he wants well.

Speaker 3 (09:43):
In that case, then he might not wear the black
jersey again. You know, this will be his last World
Cup cycle. He's not a spring chicken anymore. Race is
going to be coaching till the World Cup. If he
is down the queue, then he might not play for
the All Blacks again.

Speaker 4 (09:57):
So this will be one way traffic. Let's be really,
really honest.

Speaker 1 (09:59):
Now.

Speaker 3 (10:00):
I don't think no, I don't think it will be
Scotland are okay, they're not whales. Whales are terrible. Scotland
are okay. All Blacks will win the game, but it
might be one of those where it takes a little
bit of time for them to get the ascendancy. I
think they'll win it thirteen plus, but it might take
an hour or so. And if we see the same
thing we saw last week coups when the All Blacks
ran away at the end, I'll be pretty happy, absolutely.

Speaker 5 (10:19):
You know, they show that they had the depth and
the composure to last the distance last weekend. So not
really excited. And the loose forward trio, which has been
named first time we're seeing all these three players together
to come in together. Wallace a titi Ardie, save Peter
Laco as well. I think will be a great way
to see how this All Blacks team can have this

(10:41):
trio now and maybe move forward with the same group
of players in these positions going forward, because I think
we just need some stability there.

Speaker 2 (10:48):
I think I agree with that, and I think there'll
be a four in front of it. I think that
the All Blacks will score forty points.

Speaker 3 (10:53):
Okay, lo it in, no, I reckon, you're right, good
good some pet silver Stream boy, Peter Lukeye as well.
Just give a plug for that school. I've got no
allegiance to it, but I know they're proud of their
rugby players. The person is not there anymore now, Okay,
Cole presons at Tarlet College. Yeah, tar We've got tar
got a couple of inches this morning, ce j Bott
and uh and now Carle Preston, Jason and Nick Mills.

Speaker 2 (11:15):
Yes, they don't forgot about me, that Jason Pieix hit boy.

Speaker 4 (11:18):
That's all they want to talk.

Speaker 1 (11:19):
Now.

Speaker 3 (11:19):
You go to Tarbo College in and there's a picture
of you in the hall.

Speaker 2 (11:22):
Yeah that's from outside the head master record for the
most about acadings of Tawa College. Yeah, thanks very much,
both your Jason Pie Saturday afternoons and Saturday afternoons and
obviously Adam Cooper on Saturday mornings in the your Sports Breakfast.

Speaker 1 (11:38):
For more from Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills, listen live
to news talks It'd Be Wellington from nine am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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