April 3, 2025 • 20 mins
On Sports Fix with D'Arcy Waldegrave and Jason Pine for Thursday April 3, 2025, Laurie Mains, former All Blacks coach on five years of no South African teams in Super Rugby - has our game suffered because of it? Or is the product actually better?
D’Arcy delivers an opinion on why Portia Woodman-Wickliffe has a conflict of interest.
Plus, the lads joins the panel to discuss how Liam Lawson is positioned for this weekend.
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Speaker 1 (00:09):
You're listening to a podcast from News Talks B Follow
this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.
Welcome to Sportsfex, your daily dose of sport.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Hello there, and welcome into your Thursday. Welcome into the
Thursday edition of the Sports Fix podcast for April the third,
with a big old sporting weekend looming just over the horizon.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
I'm Jason Pink, my name's Darcy Waldgrave, and one of
these days we'll start this podcast off by saying, you
know what, there's nothing happening this weekend. What we got?
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Yeah, I'm not sure that that weekend actually exists. Because
if I know you, and I think I do, you'll
find something to watch.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
I can't help myself reruns. I'll search the internet to
find something from back of the day just because I can.
And I feel like I can justify my time staring
at a television or going to a local game of
cracket or run because it's what.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
We do, right, That's right. You don't have to justify
anything to me, because it's like looking at a mirror,
that sort of thing. Now, who's our guest on the
podcast today?
Speaker 3 (01:11):
Larry Mains is going to join us. Lor Mains of
course got a wonderful history with South African rugby coached
over there at Super rugby level. Of course had that
ninety five game, should have, but it wasn't. Looking back
at five years since we had South African entries in
Super Rugby, have we missed it? Have they missed us?
(01:33):
Should they come back? It's quite the anniverse, isn't it? Pinting?
Speaker 2 (01:36):
That is Indeed, I'm looking forward to hearing Luri Mains's
thoughts on it as well. I want to ask you
about Liam Lawson. I want to tell you about Liverpool,
so we can do that in the chamber when we
convene in there. And today's latest sports news as well,
so let's get into it in other news, Let's get
underway with a look at the big sports stories around today.
Belief from Liam Lawson that he could have made in
(01:58):
roads and the Red Ball Formula One seat if he
was afforded the luxury of more time. Lawson says he
was still coming to grips with the Red Ball car.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
It's not so much style or something like that, it's
just literally adjusting and to me, I just didn't have
the time to do that.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Meantime, Red Bull Racing team boss Christian Horner admits he
may have rushed Liam Lawson into the team's Formula one
seat too early.
Speaker 4 (02:19):
With everything that we saw in Australia and China, you
could see that it was really affecting Liam quite badly
and maybe within half a season he would have got there,
but we just don't have that amount of time. I
think we were asking too much of him too soon.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
And Premier League leaders Liverpool have prevailed one mill in
the Merseyside Derby.
Speaker 5 (02:37):
It's another small step on the nights, another shy and
tlee George the title on a slots Liverpool March George
title number twenty.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
The matches only goal came via the Ogo Jotta in
the fifty seventh minute. The wind gives Liverpool a twelve
point buffer over Arsenal with eight games to play.
Speaker 6 (03:00):
Use and a villion.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
It's Sports Fix with Jason Hine and Dussy Walter Grave.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
We'll join now in the Sports Fix podcast by Laurie
Main's former All Blacks coach, coach over in South Africa
as well about the lack of South African teams in
Super rugby over the last five years. Hello to you, Laurie,
how are you very well? And it's a big anniversary,
isn't it five years since South Africa had a team
(03:27):
in Super rugby? It doesn't seem like that long, does it?
Since through COVID the South African's left the setup? How
missda they do you think?
Speaker 6 (03:37):
Well, it doesn't seem that long. But I've got to
say since COVID, Super rugby's taken a big leap forward,
you know, with the introduction of Moana Pacifica and so on,
and in Fiji it's much more a regional competition now
and I think we let South Africa go out of
(04:01):
our minds fairly easily.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
Have we missed it as far as the engagement the
exchanges go, because we've seen once South they for their
national team have done of recent years and they're right
at the top of the tree right now. Were we
lacking because of a lack of game time with their
super teams?
Speaker 6 (04:18):
No, No, I don't think so at all. They're on
top of a pile at the moment, much as the
All Blacks were a few years ago when we had
all those really world class players and we were almost unbeatable.
And I think South Africa's in that moment, in that position,
(04:40):
at the moment where they've got very strong players. I'll
use one example, Ivan Etzabeth, who's arguably the best lock
in the world, or certainly very close to it, but
he must be mid thirties now he's gone over the hill,
and the same with quite a number of their players
that have been there a long time. I'm not sure
(05:01):
they're going to be at their best at the next
World Cup. And we've seen Australia in the past and
the All Blacks for that matter, suffer at a World
Cup because they've tried to keep players there too long, and.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
That may be the case with South Africa, but it's understandable.
Such as the quality and the way they managed to
lift themselves for major tournaments. We've all been watching it,
we've all seen it.
Speaker 6 (05:24):
Well. That's the mark of very experienced, mature players. And
obviously they've got to have ability and they've got to
be able to accurately identify the type of rugby that
best suits them, and I think Russia. Erasmus, the coach
of South Africa, is a pretty crafty guy. I had
him as captain and one of my teams over there,
(05:46):
and he's clever he's crafty. Don't always agree with these methods,
but yeah, no, he is getting the best out of
that team at the moment.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
When you look at the traditional strengths of South African rugby,
and that's like the massive slabs that they've got up front,
and this is something that needs even wanted to try
and counter that hasn't been lacking in New Zealand, that
lack of big men who play very well on the tight.
Speaker 6 (06:17):
Well, we're big enough in the front row. We I No,
I don't actually think that, you know, I had a
very light All Black pack, you know when we were
performing very well in the ninety five World Cup, and
I think now the way that and we did we
(06:37):
were able to because we sped the game up. Now,
I think with the rule changes, if they're going to
go through to full international rugby and be refereed the
same as they are in our super game, then that's
going to suit the All Blacks and not be so
favorable for big Ford packs like the spring Box have
(07:00):
counter to.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Us missing their exchanges up the front. How much do
you think they're missing the fact that we play this
different style of rugby. Do they maybe miss us more
than we miss them, Laurie, I.
Speaker 6 (07:13):
Would suggest that that would be the case, and particularly
now that the Australian teams are much stronger than they've been.
They've got their act together. It's first time for a
very long time and our competition has been fiercely contested
and it's great to see the Australian team strong and
(07:36):
not being an automatic wor shover. And they're playing some
really good rugby too. So combined with the rule changes
and the and Maana Pacifica and Fiji and the way
we're trying to play the game in our super competition,
(07:56):
rugby's moving forward. I was getting bored with it previously,
to be honest, but this year I've had a bit
of a rejuvenation and you know my attitude to watching games.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
I think the lack of travel is helping the competition
because you think it was Hakuari's for a while there,
sun Wolves or the South African teams. It was a
destroyer of athletes, Wasn't. You can't maintain that, surely.
Speaker 6 (08:24):
No, and I think I think both the Australian team
and the All Black teams are going to be much
better off for it. Yes, it was very difficult for
those travels just as it was, you know, with the
time zone changes as well and the altitude and everything else,
just as it was for South Africa to come to
New Zealand. It was it was difficult and disruptive, you know,
(08:48):
to their normality. And I think our competition has moved
ahead much faster because of that. And there I think
there is another factor. I think that our current crop
of all blacks and top level players are going to
last longer because it's not quite the same disruption to
(09:09):
their normal lives and definitely their bodies are going to
cope with it better than with all that extra travel.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
The Ossies have left their game, as he said, and
super Rugby this he has been fantastic halfway through the competition.
She's a rip snorter. I mean, look at the Crusader's
getting rolled by Mowanna. It's an a story. But the
fact that Australia have just had one of their teams
taken away, so they had to concentrate their talent, which
is a small base. That's that's a huge amount to
(09:39):
deal with, it, isn't it.
Speaker 6 (09:41):
I think it's made a significant difference to them. But
I also think that Joe Smith's method message down to
the Australian coach. I've got no doubt that he has
helped the Australian super coaches lift their game a bit
and certainly the players, even if only with the Australian
(10:02):
players that he's been coaching, taking the message back to
their super teams. But but it is definitely happening, and
I think there's quite a number of Australian players who
previously I didn't rate that much that I'm seeing now
is potentially very strong international players.
Speaker 3 (10:22):
And on that uplifting note, we'll let you get on
with your day, Laurie Mains. As always, thanks for your
time and expertise.
Speaker 6 (10:28):
Okay, Darcy, it's a pleasure.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
Sports Effects Porsche Woodman Wickliffe arguably the biggest name in
women's rugby, has been for some time. There was a
thought that she was going to go imply her trade
in the rugby League the w NRL, but that's been
kai boss by the NRL themselves. The claims that her
(10:53):
ambassadorial work with the upcoming World Cup would clash directly
with their time at the Newcastle Knights. Here's what I know.
She was going to be away for a week. One
week one week making some money being an ambassador. Then
she'd come back and carry on dominating, because I'm sure
(11:15):
she would in the w NRL carry on dominating for Newcastle.
But in their wisdom inverted commons, the NRL decided the
clash was too great. They would be open to her
doing this if it was outside the WNRL window. This
(11:36):
is bizarre. Talk about cutting off your nose despite your face.
When you're trying to attract rugby players, you're trying to
attract women into the game of rugby league. You need
to take the best players from wherever you can. The
WNRL is already lettered with New Zealand athletes, former Black Ferns,
(11:57):
former sevens players. They're everywhere and they are box office
they are that good. Here is an opportunity to take
one of the standouts of Whenman's rugby union over the
last decade and put them right in the thick of
the w NRL. And somebody has pushed a pen through
their name for one week. That is absolutely bizarre. But
(12:22):
there's after all the NRL and their treatment of Kiwis.
It's never going to stop.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
We're now in session on SPORTSFX.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
End of the Chamber. We go. What an interesting chat
with Laurie Mains, but I did want instead to pivot you,
Darcy if I could to Formula one the Japanese Grand
Prix this weekend. Huge interest in this. Now that Liam
Lawson is not in a red ball, he's in a
racing ball. What should we expect over the next four
days or so? From Liam Lawson?
Speaker 3 (12:54):
From Liam Lawson, I said top ten when he first
climbed into the red ball. Literally I know how incredibly
difficult that thing was to drive. So I'm looking at
Lim and what he does in a much more stable
and easy to drive car in the racing ball, and
of course at a track that he said plenty of
experience at because Suzuka he raced it and the super
(13:17):
Formula had great success over there too, so that should
work out well. But I've got more than a half
an hour on what Yuki Sonoda can do in this
car because all the talk. Now, of course you've got
old mate Checko coming out going. Will you criticized me
last year because I couldn't get any points, But that
car is a dog and I think we've just proved it.
(13:38):
So can Yuki do something out of the ordinary or
will he stick it in the scenery through the gravel
trap on the outside of one thirty r.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
Yeah, it's such an interesting point because I read or
heard yesterday Yuki Sonoda saying, actually, it's not that hard
to drive in the simulator. How different is the simulator though,
from actually being out there?
Speaker 3 (13:57):
Well, you can't break yourself apart, can you? In a simulator?
They don't might carry you off in a gurney. And
if you do have an often a simulator, he can
come back in three seconds, just reset, can go. So yeah,
they know more about simulator versus real cars than we would.
But I think that's a bit of a stretch. And
I think the pressure on Yuki and we talk about
(14:20):
going into this new car, we talk about the fact
that he possibly should have got the drive at the
end of last year but he didn't. He's at home,
so the media pressure and the fan pressure on him
that has just ratchet a little right up through the roof.
So can you cope?
Speaker 2 (14:37):
So nota beat Lawson when the roles were reversed in
the last two grom Prix. So what are we about
to find out here?
Speaker 6 (14:45):
Das?
Speaker 2 (14:46):
What if? Hypothetically and quite possibly Liam drives faster than
Yuki this weekend because Yuki's getting used to this dog
of a car.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
What then, well, then you've got Naja also as well,
potential world champion in the background who's driving the pants
off it too, So that just adds extra flavor to it. Look,
what we've criticized Red Bull for is one their inability
to provide Liam Lawsome with the amount of seat time
he needed before the championship started. And then after saying
(15:19):
maybe three to five races, see how you settle, they
drop kick him after two at two races or two
tracks he's never been at. One of them was a
sprint race, and one of them he got no time
in the car. So I'm looking to see if Red
Bull end up with the egwall over their face. And look,
I wouldn't be surprised if it does happen either way.
(15:40):
So practice tomorrow, then qualifying Saturday evening, isn't it, and
then the race itself Sunday evening from about five o'clock.
Speaker 2 (15:48):
Is that right? These are the times we need to
look out for.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
Yeah, five o'clock is when it gets going, great time
for New Zealand, and it is a tremendous track Suzuka.
It will be a whole lot of fun. I can
assure you that, of course you'll be watching out a
one hour eye, because the other eye will be firmly
fixated on football around the world. And it's the EPL
you're looking at now. It's all about the peal, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
Yeah, Look, it's all about the liverpel. I haven't got
the accent. I haven't got the Scouse accent down as
well as you. But what I do know is that
they won the Merseyside Derby this morning against Everton one nil.
That's taken them out to a twelve point lead at
the top of the Premier League with eight games to go.
That should be unassailable and it's quite unusual actually for
(16:35):
a lead of that magnitude to have been built by
this stage. Normally, when you get to the back end
of the season they talk about a two horse race,
a three horse race. You know, to all intents and purposes,
Liverpool have one hand on the Premier League trophy now,
but as we know an elite sport, funny things can happen.
The more interesting story from our point of view, DARS
is Nottingham Forest. Chris Wood of Nottingham Forest course when
(16:58):
he gets back out on the grass challenging for the
Champions League places. They're currently third. The team that is fifth,
so the one that could jump above the Newcastle seven
points back, but they do have a game in hand
win that they're four points back. But nobody picked Nottingham
Forest as Champions League contenders. Can you imagine Chris Wood
playing in the Champions League next year?
Speaker 3 (17:19):
Yes? I can. I can imagine doing very very well too.
They just wind it back, are we? But we love
the fact that the EPL is actually a genuine league.
You will play each other, you have a winner. It
doesn't kind of morph into a knockout competition, which is
what's going to happen with Auckland DEFC. But they find
themselves in a similar position. They're tearing away up at
(17:41):
the top of the ladder. They've only got what five
six games to play and then it goes to an ungodly,
unwieldly competition, which is a shame. But what can they
learn after what Liverpool's been doing.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
Yeah, look, it's a really good comparison because you're right,
Auckland FC are a similar not quite as far ahead,
but seven points clear. With five games to go in
the A League and you know, very very similar have
led pretty much from start to finish. Same thing Liverpool did.
You're right, Liverpool after the next eight games and that's it.
Auckland FC know they then have to negotiate knockout football.
Put it this way, does Melbourne City won three straight
(18:15):
Premiers plates ie the regular season not that long ago.
Of the three they only won the Grand Final once
out of those three. And it's the A League champions
that people remember more than the A League Premiers the
regular season winners, which I don't actually think is very
fair because you know, if you win it across a
regular season of twenty six twenty seven games, that's the
(18:36):
true mark of it, rather than a couple of knockout games.
But here we are. Liverpool don't have to worry about it.
What can Auckland f C learn from Liverpool? Just keep winning.
Speaker 3 (18:44):
It's not really a league then, is it the A League.
Speaker 2 (18:47):
It's the A Championship, it's the A League Premier Championship
combination double thing. You can win two bits of silver.
I guess that's the upside.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
Look at that. There you go both. Now that is
the target for Auckland FC and looking forward to that
this week in plenty of sport. As you said, get
a mons pony.
Speaker 2 (19:08):
Get amongst indeed, and that's us in the chamber for
today and out of the chamber and really out of
the podcast for today. That is us on Sports Fix.
But don't worry, we're back tomorrow with the Friday edition.
Always heeps to preview and talk about on the Friday
edition of Sports Fix. If you want it to drop
automatically into your podcast feed, it's the simple as subscribing
(19:29):
to Sports Fixed.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
US A Augland FC play at five o'clock, which means
I can get that under my belt and then switched
to qualifying. This is perfect. It's been designed for US piney,
it really is.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
But what about the Hurricanes and the Blues at the
same time, we're going to be done. We're going to
be multi screening dusk, whichever way you look at it.
Speaker 3 (19:46):
I've got several pairs of eyes. I'm not quite sure
how many of them picking anything up, but I'll I'll
be watching. And if you want to comment on any
of this, of course, there's sports Talk News Talks there
be Monday through Friday seven to eight pm. Piney's Got
the Rains on a Monday, I've Got It Tuesday through Friday,
and then of course on Saturday. It is Weekend Sport
from twelve mid day to three. Looking forward to you
(20:09):
joining us for all of those shows and of course
the Sports Fix podcast as well. It's been a pleasure.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
See you tomorrow for more from News Talks, ed B,
listen live on air or online, and keep our shows
with you wherever you go with our podcasts on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to a podcast from News Talks B Follow
this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.
Welcome to Sportsfex, your daily dose of sport.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Hello there, and welcome into your Thursday. Welcome into the
Thursday edition of the Sports Fix podcast for April the third,
with a big old sporting weekend looming just over the horizon.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
I'm Jason Pink, my name's Darcy Waldgrave, and one of
these days we'll start this podcast off by saying, you
know what, there's nothing happening this weekend. What we got?
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Yeah, I'm not sure that that weekend actually exists. Because
if I know you, and I think I do, you'll
find something to watch.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
I can't help myself reruns. I'll search the internet to
find something from back of the day just because I can.
And I feel like I can justify my time staring
at a television or going to a local game of
cracket or run because it's what.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
We do, right, That's right. You don't have to justify
anything to me, because it's like looking at a mirror,
that sort of thing. Now, who's our guest on the
podcast today?
Speaker 3 (01:11):
Larry Mains is going to join us. Lor Mains of
course got a wonderful history with South African rugby coached
over there at Super rugby level. Of course had that
ninety five game, should have, but it wasn't. Looking back
at five years since we had South African entries in
Super Rugby, have we missed it? Have they missed us?
(01:33):
Should they come back? It's quite the anniverse, isn't it? Pinting?
Speaker 2 (01:36):
That is Indeed, I'm looking forward to hearing Luri Mains's
thoughts on it as well. I want to ask you
about Liam Lawson. I want to tell you about Liverpool,
so we can do that in the chamber when we
convene in there. And today's latest sports news as well,
so let's get into it in other news, Let's get
underway with a look at the big sports stories around today.
Belief from Liam Lawson that he could have made in
(01:58):
roads and the Red Ball Formula One seat if he
was afforded the luxury of more time. Lawson says he
was still coming to grips with the Red Ball car.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
It's not so much style or something like that, it's
just literally adjusting and to me, I just didn't have
the time to do that.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Meantime, Red Bull Racing team boss Christian Horner admits he
may have rushed Liam Lawson into the team's Formula one
seat too early.
Speaker 4 (02:19):
With everything that we saw in Australia and China, you
could see that it was really affecting Liam quite badly
and maybe within half a season he would have got there,
but we just don't have that amount of time. I
think we were asking too much of him too soon.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
And Premier League leaders Liverpool have prevailed one mill in
the Merseyside Derby.
Speaker 5 (02:37):
It's another small step on the nights, another shy and
tlee George the title on a slots Liverpool March George
title number twenty.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
The matches only goal came via the Ogo Jotta in
the fifty seventh minute. The wind gives Liverpool a twelve
point buffer over Arsenal with eight games to play.
Speaker 6 (03:00):
Use and a villion.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
It's Sports Fix with Jason Hine and Dussy Walter Grave.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
We'll join now in the Sports Fix podcast by Laurie
Main's former All Blacks coach, coach over in South Africa
as well about the lack of South African teams in
Super rugby over the last five years. Hello to you, Laurie,
how are you very well? And it's a big anniversary,
isn't it five years since South Africa had a team
(03:27):
in Super rugby? It doesn't seem like that long, does it?
Since through COVID the South African's left the setup? How
missda they do you think?
Speaker 6 (03:37):
Well, it doesn't seem that long. But I've got to
say since COVID, Super rugby's taken a big leap forward,
you know, with the introduction of Moana Pacifica and so on,
and in Fiji it's much more a regional competition now
and I think we let South Africa go out of
(04:01):
our minds fairly easily.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
Have we missed it as far as the engagement the
exchanges go, because we've seen once South they for their
national team have done of recent years and they're right
at the top of the tree right now. Were we
lacking because of a lack of game time with their
super teams?
Speaker 6 (04:18):
No, No, I don't think so at all. They're on
top of a pile at the moment, much as the
All Blacks were a few years ago when we had
all those really world class players and we were almost unbeatable.
And I think South Africa's in that moment, in that position,
(04:40):
at the moment where they've got very strong players. I'll
use one example, Ivan Etzabeth, who's arguably the best lock
in the world, or certainly very close to it, but
he must be mid thirties now he's gone over the hill,
and the same with quite a number of their players
that have been there a long time. I'm not sure
(05:01):
they're going to be at their best at the next
World Cup. And we've seen Australia in the past and
the All Blacks for that matter, suffer at a World
Cup because they've tried to keep players there too long, and.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
That may be the case with South Africa, but it's understandable.
Such as the quality and the way they managed to
lift themselves for major tournaments. We've all been watching it,
we've all seen it.
Speaker 6 (05:24):
Well. That's the mark of very experienced, mature players. And
obviously they've got to have ability and they've got to
be able to accurately identify the type of rugby that
best suits them, and I think Russia. Erasmus, the coach
of South Africa, is a pretty crafty guy. I had
him as captain and one of my teams over there,
(05:46):
and he's clever he's crafty. Don't always agree with these methods,
but yeah, no, he is getting the best out of
that team at the moment.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
When you look at the traditional strengths of South African rugby,
and that's like the massive slabs that they've got up front,
and this is something that needs even wanted to try
and counter that hasn't been lacking in New Zealand, that
lack of big men who play very well on the tight.
Speaker 6 (06:17):
Well, we're big enough in the front row. We I No,
I don't actually think that, you know, I had a
very light All Black pack, you know when we were
performing very well in the ninety five World Cup, and
I think now the way that and we did we
(06:37):
were able to because we sped the game up. Now,
I think with the rule changes, if they're going to
go through to full international rugby and be refereed the
same as they are in our super game, then that's
going to suit the All Blacks and not be so
favorable for big Ford packs like the spring Box have
(07:00):
counter to.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Us missing their exchanges up the front. How much do
you think they're missing the fact that we play this
different style of rugby. Do they maybe miss us more
than we miss them, Laurie, I.
Speaker 6 (07:13):
Would suggest that that would be the case, and particularly
now that the Australian teams are much stronger than they've been.
They've got their act together. It's first time for a
very long time and our competition has been fiercely contested
and it's great to see the Australian team strong and
(07:36):
not being an automatic wor shover. And they're playing some
really good rugby too. So combined with the rule changes
and the and Maana Pacifica and Fiji and the way
we're trying to play the game in our super competition,
(07:56):
rugby's moving forward. I was getting bored with it previously,
to be honest, but this year I've had a bit
of a rejuvenation and you know my attitude to watching games.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
I think the lack of travel is helping the competition
because you think it was Hakuari's for a while there,
sun Wolves or the South African teams. It was a
destroyer of athletes, Wasn't. You can't maintain that, surely.
Speaker 6 (08:24):
No, and I think I think both the Australian team
and the All Black teams are going to be much
better off for it. Yes, it was very difficult for
those travels just as it was, you know, with the
time zone changes as well and the altitude and everything else,
just as it was for South Africa to come to
New Zealand. It was it was difficult and disruptive, you know,
(08:48):
to their normality. And I think our competition has moved
ahead much faster because of that. And there I think
there is another factor. I think that our current crop
of all blacks and top level players are going to
last longer because it's not quite the same disruption to
(09:09):
their normal lives and definitely their bodies are going to
cope with it better than with all that extra travel.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
The Ossies have left their game, as he said, and
super Rugby this he has been fantastic halfway through the competition.
She's a rip snorter. I mean, look at the Crusader's
getting rolled by Mowanna. It's an a story. But the
fact that Australia have just had one of their teams
taken away, so they had to concentrate their talent, which
is a small base. That's that's a huge amount to
(09:39):
deal with, it, isn't it.
Speaker 6 (09:41):
I think it's made a significant difference to them. But
I also think that Joe Smith's method message down to
the Australian coach. I've got no doubt that he has
helped the Australian super coaches lift their game a bit
and certainly the players, even if only with the Australian
(10:02):
players that he's been coaching, taking the message back to
their super teams. But but it is definitely happening, and
I think there's quite a number of Australian players who
previously I didn't rate that much that I'm seeing now
is potentially very strong international players.
Speaker 3 (10:22):
And on that uplifting note, we'll let you get on
with your day, Laurie Mains. As always, thanks for your
time and expertise.
Speaker 6 (10:28):
Okay, Darcy, it's a pleasure.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
Sports Effects Porsche Woodman Wickliffe arguably the biggest name in
women's rugby, has been for some time. There was a
thought that she was going to go imply her trade
in the rugby League the w NRL, but that's been
kai boss by the NRL themselves. The claims that her
(10:53):
ambassadorial work with the upcoming World Cup would clash directly
with their time at the Newcastle Knights. Here's what I know.
She was going to be away for a week. One
week one week making some money being an ambassador. Then
she'd come back and carry on dominating, because I'm sure
(11:15):
she would in the w NRL carry on dominating for Newcastle.
But in their wisdom inverted commons, the NRL decided the
clash was too great. They would be open to her
doing this if it was outside the WNRL window. This
(11:36):
is bizarre. Talk about cutting off your nose despite your face.
When you're trying to attract rugby players, you're trying to
attract women into the game of rugby league. You need
to take the best players from wherever you can. The
WNRL is already lettered with New Zealand athletes, former Black Ferns,
(11:57):
former sevens players. They're everywhere and they are box office
they are that good. Here is an opportunity to take
one of the standouts of Whenman's rugby union over the
last decade and put them right in the thick of
the w NRL. And somebody has pushed a pen through
their name for one week. That is absolutely bizarre. But
(12:22):
there's after all the NRL and their treatment of Kiwis.
It's never going to stop.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
We're now in session on SPORTSFX.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
End of the Chamber. We go. What an interesting chat
with Laurie Mains, but I did want instead to pivot you,
Darcy if I could to Formula one the Japanese Grand
Prix this weekend. Huge interest in this. Now that Liam
Lawson is not in a red ball, he's in a
racing ball. What should we expect over the next four
days or so? From Liam Lawson?
Speaker 3 (12:54):
From Liam Lawson, I said top ten when he first
climbed into the red ball. Literally I know how incredibly
difficult that thing was to drive. So I'm looking at
Lim and what he does in a much more stable
and easy to drive car in the racing ball, and
of course at a track that he said plenty of
experience at because Suzuka he raced it and the super
(13:17):
Formula had great success over there too, so that should
work out well. But I've got more than a half
an hour on what Yuki Sonoda can do in this
car because all the talk. Now, of course you've got
old mate Checko coming out going. Will you criticized me
last year because I couldn't get any points, But that
car is a dog and I think we've just proved it.
(13:38):
So can Yuki do something out of the ordinary or
will he stick it in the scenery through the gravel
trap on the outside of one thirty r.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
Yeah, it's such an interesting point because I read or
heard yesterday Yuki Sonoda saying, actually, it's not that hard
to drive in the simulator. How different is the simulator though,
from actually being out there?
Speaker 3 (13:57):
Well, you can't break yourself apart, can you? In a simulator?
They don't might carry you off in a gurney. And
if you do have an often a simulator, he can
come back in three seconds, just reset, can go. So yeah,
they know more about simulator versus real cars than we would.
But I think that's a bit of a stretch. And
I think the pressure on Yuki and we talk about
(14:20):
going into this new car, we talk about the fact
that he possibly should have got the drive at the
end of last year but he didn't. He's at home,
so the media pressure and the fan pressure on him
that has just ratchet a little right up through the roof.
So can you cope?
Speaker 2 (14:37):
So nota beat Lawson when the roles were reversed in
the last two grom Prix. So what are we about
to find out here?
Speaker 6 (14:45):
Das?
Speaker 2 (14:46):
What if? Hypothetically and quite possibly Liam drives faster than
Yuki this weekend because Yuki's getting used to this dog
of a car.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
What then, well, then you've got Naja also as well,
potential world champion in the background who's driving the pants
off it too, So that just adds extra flavor to it. Look,
what we've criticized Red Bull for is one their inability
to provide Liam Lawsome with the amount of seat time
he needed before the championship started. And then after saying
(15:19):
maybe three to five races, see how you settle, they
drop kick him after two at two races or two
tracks he's never been at. One of them was a
sprint race, and one of them he got no time
in the car. So I'm looking to see if Red
Bull end up with the egwall over their face. And look,
I wouldn't be surprised if it does happen either way.
(15:40):
So practice tomorrow, then qualifying Saturday evening, isn't it, and
then the race itself Sunday evening from about five o'clock.
Speaker 2 (15:48):
Is that right? These are the times we need to
look out for.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
Yeah, five o'clock is when it gets going, great time
for New Zealand, and it is a tremendous track Suzuka.
It will be a whole lot of fun. I can
assure you that, of course you'll be watching out a
one hour eye, because the other eye will be firmly
fixated on football around the world. And it's the EPL
you're looking at now. It's all about the peal, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
Yeah, Look, it's all about the liverpel. I haven't got
the accent. I haven't got the Scouse accent down as
well as you. But what I do know is that
they won the Merseyside Derby this morning against Everton one nil.
That's taken them out to a twelve point lead at
the top of the Premier League with eight games to go.
That should be unassailable and it's quite unusual actually for
(16:35):
a lead of that magnitude to have been built by
this stage. Normally, when you get to the back end
of the season they talk about a two horse race,
a three horse race. You know, to all intents and purposes,
Liverpool have one hand on the Premier League trophy now,
but as we know an elite sport, funny things can happen.
The more interesting story from our point of view, DARS
is Nottingham Forest. Chris Wood of Nottingham Forest course when
(16:58):
he gets back out on the grass challenging for the
Champions League places. They're currently third. The team that is fifth,
so the one that could jump above the Newcastle seven
points back, but they do have a game in hand
win that they're four points back. But nobody picked Nottingham
Forest as Champions League contenders. Can you imagine Chris Wood
playing in the Champions League next year?
Speaker 3 (17:19):
Yes? I can. I can imagine doing very very well too.
They just wind it back, are we? But we love
the fact that the EPL is actually a genuine league.
You will play each other, you have a winner. It
doesn't kind of morph into a knockout competition, which is
what's going to happen with Auckland DEFC. But they find
themselves in a similar position. They're tearing away up at
(17:41):
the top of the ladder. They've only got what five
six games to play and then it goes to an ungodly,
unwieldly competition, which is a shame. But what can they
learn after what Liverpool's been doing.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
Yeah, look, it's a really good comparison because you're right,
Auckland FC are a similar not quite as far ahead,
but seven points clear. With five games to go in
the A League and you know, very very similar have
led pretty much from start to finish. Same thing Liverpool did.
You're right, Liverpool after the next eight games and that's it.
Auckland FC know they then have to negotiate knockout football.
Put it this way, does Melbourne City won three straight
(18:15):
Premiers plates ie the regular season not that long ago.
Of the three they only won the Grand Final once
out of those three. And it's the A League champions
that people remember more than the A League Premiers the
regular season winners, which I don't actually think is very
fair because you know, if you win it across a
regular season of twenty six twenty seven games, that's the
(18:36):
true mark of it, rather than a couple of knockout games.
But here we are. Liverpool don't have to worry about it.
What can Auckland f C learn from Liverpool? Just keep winning.
Speaker 3 (18:44):
It's not really a league then, is it the A League.
Speaker 2 (18:47):
It's the A Championship, it's the A League Premier Championship
combination double thing. You can win two bits of silver.
I guess that's the upside.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
Look at that. There you go both. Now that is
the target for Auckland FC and looking forward to that
this week in plenty of sport. As you said, get
a mons pony.
Speaker 2 (19:08):
Get amongst indeed, and that's us in the chamber for
today and out of the chamber and really out of
the podcast for today. That is us on Sports Fix.
But don't worry, we're back tomorrow with the Friday edition.
Always heeps to preview and talk about on the Friday
edition of Sports Fix. If you want it to drop
automatically into your podcast feed, it's the simple as subscribing
(19:29):
to Sports Fixed.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
US A Augland FC play at five o'clock, which means
I can get that under my belt and then switched
to qualifying. This is perfect. It's been designed for US piney,
it really is.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
But what about the Hurricanes and the Blues at the
same time, we're going to be done. We're going to
be multi screening dusk, whichever way you look at it.
Speaker 3 (19:46):
I've got several pairs of eyes. I'm not quite sure
how many of them picking anything up, but I'll I'll
be watching. And if you want to comment on any
of this, of course, there's sports Talk News Talks there
be Monday through Friday seven to eight pm. Piney's Got
the Rains on a Monday, I've Got It Tuesday through Friday,
and then of course on Saturday. It is Weekend Sport
from twelve mid day to three. Looking forward to you
(20:09):
joining us for all of those shows and of course
the Sports Fix podcast as well. It's been a pleasure.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
See you tomorrow for more from News Talks, ed B,
listen live on air or online, and keep our shows
with you wherever you go with our podcasts on iHeartRadio.
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