Richard Loe: All Blacks Great on Frances chances, and his time in the black jersey

All Blacks legend Richard Loe has always worked on paddocks, albeit pasture on the farm or the rugby field.

He joined John MacDonald ahead of the first All Blacks test in Christchurch, what his thoughts are on a "weaker" French side, and they also touched on "Loey's" work on promoting health and safety on the farm.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald
from News Talk Z'B.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Good The morning has things with you.

Speaker 3 (00:14):
I'm streaming well now, I just want to check in
with you on a couple of World Cups. You were
in the All Blacks when the team won the first
Rugby World Cup in eighty seven, and you were also
involved in the team which lost in the nineteen ninety
five final against South Africa. Which of those two do
you think about the most?

Speaker 2 (00:32):
Probably don't think about them that often. Yeah, I did
all three and the other one you've Scott Mention and
it was probably the worst one who we got knocked
out by Australia and Ireland there at that time, it
wasn't that flash, but hey, these things happened. You know,
you think of ninety five, but I suppose eighty seven

(00:52):
was the start where it all started the World Cups,
and I think that's got great memories because in those
days you had two coaches, a doctor and a physio
and there's the the team these days they have. You know,
I think we had twenty six players in that squad,
which was quite quite small when you think about it.

Speaker 3 (01:14):
I think I'm thinking back to eighty seven. Really, I
reckon it just occurred to people when the tournament was
actually happening how important this was in the magnitude of it.
What do you reckon?

Speaker 2 (01:25):
Yeah, I think so as we went on and there
was some great rugby played, But in saying that, there
was also you know, you take that game. It was
the start of something. And I had a Andy Earl
ringer with all people and he said it was forty
years this year since the Baby Blacks played France at
Lancaster Part. So you know frances was involved in the

(01:49):
World Cup final in eighty seven. They're involved at the
start of an era when the Baby Blacks played, and
of course they bet for them and Lancaster Part forty
years ago. So hopefully I'm tomorrow will be the start
of another sort of era, new coach, new captain, a
lot to look forward to.

Speaker 3 (02:07):
What do you reckon? We're going to say from France tomorrow.

Speaker 2 (02:10):
Night, without their two top fourteen teams represented, they'll be strong,
but I don't think they'll be at their peak. When
you think of that, imagine selecting all black team without
any Hurricanes or Chiefs players on this year. It would
be watered down. I'm not saying France will be watered

(02:30):
down because the Baby Blacks were given that opportunity a
third fifteen because of the Cavaliers took on France and
they met them, which was meant to be a reasonably
strong French team. So I think the French will turn up.
But it's huge for the All Blacks because they've got
a there's a chance of a possibility they could start

(02:50):
an error with a great one and under day for
any ARTI severe, i'd expect them to throw everything at it.

Speaker 3 (02:57):
Do you reckon it's a full gone conclusion.

Speaker 2 (02:59):
No, I wouldn't say that on the day, but I'd
be very, very disappointed if the All Blacks didn't have
a good one.

Speaker 3 (03:07):
Back in the nineties, I saw a report from the
nineties that was in a British media report and you
were quoted as saying that the French teams were at
the time anyway, were provocative. Do you think they've changed?

Speaker 2 (03:18):
No, No, I was fortunate. I played a fair bit
of club rugby over there, and even their club rugby,
they you know, when they play at home, there's no team.
So I suppose that they are just inspired by playing
at a top higher level, and I think the French.

(03:39):
The other year during the World Cup, the French Federation
hosted some of US eighty seven players and there was
you know, the old Trump roll of De Brockett and
trans and go Away turned up. You might remember, or
rugby people might remember Eric Trump, the Frank, a big
curly headed Franka. He came over and gave us a

(04:00):
big hug and because on both cheeks, as Richard, we
must love today, not fight it. That was That was, yeah,
but that was how rugby was played back there. It's
so so different now.

Speaker 3 (04:12):
You know. Maybe you don't do this very often, but
if you google your name, if you google Richard Lowe,
the terms that seem to come up all the time
are hard man and rugby's bad boy. How much does
that bother you?

Speaker 2 (04:23):
It doesn't, No, it doesn't, because, as we know, John
and you probably find out every day, you can't trust Google,
can you?

Speaker 3 (04:31):
No you can't, No, you can't. Is saying Is this
you saying fake fake news? Is that what you're saying?
Fake news?

Speaker 2 (04:38):
It could be, but it would be a bugger if
you played like I had ten years playing for the
All Blacks, it'd be a bugger. If no one remembered you, well.

Speaker 3 (04:47):
Exactly, they're not forgetting you. Don't worry over. Don't worry
about that. We can hear the cattle in the background.
And one of the things you've been involved in after
your rugby career is promoting health and safety on farms
for work safe. What what what changes have you seen
on that front? What progress do you think?

Speaker 2 (05:02):
We've made huge progress as getting to my you know,
we're I'm probably here losing my hearing more than anything,
and yeah, we're just I was just doing some work
the other day, chain saw coming up a bit of wood.
But these days you've got your chaps on, all your helmet,
the visor, everything, and that's one big change. There were

(05:25):
quad bikes when I was a young teller, but that
there are now, you know, especially on pull country, and
all the safety devices right from helmets the roll bars.
Suppose also just the tractors and what have you have
on farm? Those so far advance, he says, Yeah, a
heap of advances in that area.

Speaker 1 (05:44):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (05:45):
Do you think the technology though, has made some people
over confident? Just looking at where they take the tractors,
for example, where they take them some of the hills
they go just as a town. Do you look at
that and you think, jeaper, I can't imagine doing that.

Speaker 2 (05:58):
Yeah, well I don't think it's that bad actually that
they're capable of doing it and they have the ability
to climb those tracks, and you know most of those
that drive them are experienced now and they know exactly
what they're doing.

Speaker 3 (06:14):
You obviously still love the land out there with the kettle.

Speaker 2 (06:17):
Yeah, I call it my part time hobby job and retirement.
Just help out a company XL breeding out at North
Canterbury there and yeah, just help out on the farm
two or four days a week. It's great.

Speaker 3 (06:29):
Hey, brilliant well, Richard love brilliant to catch up and
enjoy the match tomorrow night.

Speaker 2 (06:34):
Cheers. Thanks John.

Speaker 1 (06:35):
For more from Canterbory Mornings with John McDonald. Listen live
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