D'Arcy Waldegrave: Sportstalk host on Ardie Savea taking a second Japanese sabbatical

Ardie Savea's urging Moana Pasifika fans to stick with the team - after confirming he won't play Super Rugby next year.

The All Blacks vice-captain is taking up a second Japanese sabbatical in 2026 - returning to the Kobe Steelers team he played for last year.

Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Darcy water Grave sports talk hosters me ades.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
Do you have a middle name? Heather de pless Yellen?

Speaker 1 (00:05):
Yes?

Speaker 3 (00:06):
What is it?

Speaker 1 (00:07):
Elizabeth?

Speaker 3 (00:08):
Heather Elizabeth Deplasy Yellen. That's quite, that's quite, Lizza.

Speaker 1 (00:12):
What's your middle name?

Speaker 2 (00:14):
Crispin?

Speaker 3 (00:15):
What?

Speaker 1 (00:16):
Where's there?

Speaker 3 (00:17):
I've got no idea. My mother can't even remember. That
came from was nineteen sixty nine. I was born in
the summer of love to a couple of happy So
Darcy Crispin Walter Grave mates perfect sense, It really does.

Speaker 1 (00:31):
It's not a happy name. Why are you asking me that?

Speaker 2 (00:33):
Oh?

Speaker 3 (00:34):
Because I like to say your full name, Heather Elizabeth
de plas Yellen, because.

Speaker 1 (00:37):
It's when you named your daughter. Did you give your
daughter a family middle name?

Speaker 3 (00:41):
Yes, we found out in the scan straight away was
a little girl. And when we got married, my wife
looked incredible. My mother said, she looks like Ava Gardner.
Now you may not remember this fifties film star icon
Ava Gardner, and she did. We got that name in
the back of her head when we found out the day,

(01:03):
just off Ponsby Road.

Speaker 2 (01:04):
So it was a girl. So sweet? What do we
We're not open our present real quick?

Speaker 3 (01:08):
What are we so? Well? What about Ava, and I'm like, yeah,
because you look like Ava Gardener.

Speaker 2 (01:13):
Yeah, Mum's middle name is Francis.

Speaker 3 (01:15):
It's an old family name, so we went Ava Francis
Walter Grave. By the time we walked out of the scan,
she was named.

Speaker 1 (01:20):
I don't want to be unkind to people. I always
find it weird when people name their children just random names,
just completely random names as opposed to a good, solid
family name. Do you know what I mean? So I'm
liking your Francis, I'm.

Speaker 2 (01:32):
Not entirely sure. It sounds quite Maybe the waters.

Speaker 3 (01:39):
Ava Francis water Grove. Since he's come, Dad, why did
you say my? I just called him a A V Frank? Good?

Speaker 1 (01:45):
Are you girls now? Ardie Savia? This is not altogether
a surprise that he's off to Japan.

Speaker 2 (01:49):
Right again? Yeah, that's maybe the surprise.

Speaker 1 (01:53):
Is it good on him? But I think we knew
that this was happening.

Speaker 2 (01:57):
Yeah, but he's going to go back again the dollars.

Speaker 3 (02:00):
Well, look, given the opportunity, why wouldn't you take it? Yeah,
and he sat down and said, look, guys, I'm the
best player in the world.

Speaker 2 (02:09):
I mean, he wouldn't say that Bill Blacks, Is he no?

Speaker 3 (02:12):
He'll come back for the World Cup though, so he'll
come back for Passifica.

Speaker 1 (02:17):
People were trying to get going, which is should he
be the captain because you can't be the captain if
you're in Japan.

Speaker 2 (02:21):
You wouldn't think so.

Speaker 3 (02:22):
No, if you're over there, So he'll go away, he'll
play that, he'll come back and then play Mowana. Then
twenty seven at World Cup he go route. I think
that not having him though for two seasons for Scott.

Speaker 2 (02:33):
Robertson the coach is a little bit of a stretch.
But if you've given the opportunity and you're giving that chance,
take it. Yeah, why wouldn't you?

Speaker 1 (02:41):
You know, hey, why Sophie Devine retiring from the ODIs.

Speaker 2 (02:45):
She said, I'm too old. I'm getting sick of this. No,
that was off here.

Speaker 1 (02:50):
Did she really say that?

Speaker 3 (02:51):
No, she said, Look, it's got to tell you know
how long she's been playing for New Zealand. Fourteen she's
thirty five. I guess someone's been playing for fifteen years
coming up twenty.

Speaker 1 (02:59):
Wow, I know that's a long time.

Speaker 2 (03:01):
Queen's tea years. It's man.

Speaker 3 (03:04):
She's on the show tonight talking her about the decision.
How final it is.

Speaker 2 (03:09):
It's not a handy finally, but tomorrow the contract the
list is coming out. She's not on it.

Speaker 3 (03:16):
So that's why she's coming in out and saying this
is that I'm stepping away at the end of the
One Day Faster World Cup.

Speaker 2 (03:22):
It's not the absolute end, but it probably will be.
But I'm going to go. She's what big bash league.

Speaker 1 (03:28):
Any doing that stuff and sporarship, She's gonna be fine.

Speaker 3 (03:30):
Maney, well, she's one of the first women that any
cricket franchise will go. We need her for any of
those girl franchises have You've got a bit huge cool.

Speaker 1 (03:40):
Thank you, Darcy Crispin, appreciate it. That's thank you, Elizabeth
Darcy Watergrave. We'll be back at seven o'clock for Sports Talk.
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