December 5, 2025 • 9 mins
Tonight on The Sports Huddle sports journalist Nathan Limm and Jeff McTainsh from Sky Sport joined in on a discussion about the sports issues of the week - and more!
TVNZ cricket commentator Scotty Stevenson called Christ College students 'syrup suckers' on live TV. Was he out of line?
A proposed cricket league is causing a stir. Are former cricketers right to be concerned about the NZ20 league?
And, should Etzebeth have to miss international tests for his eye-gouging incident?
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
School obviously is rather upset that that phrase was used
in commentary.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
To them, I apologize unequivocally. What happens to your test
team in January when they all get pulled out to
go and play this provincial T twenty tournament? What happens
to the shrine and Tour which is scheduled to be
during that time and then India's not long after?
Speaker 3 (00:20):
If anybody had bothered to ask us, the first thing
we could have said to them is, while a competition
like this really will succeed if we can get a
four week window, let's be flexible around when that is on.
Speaker 4 (00:31):
The sports tittle of that, this's this evening. We've got
Nathan Lemon, Jeff mctage. Nathan, of course, is our Herald
sports journist and Jeff mctage's the Sky Sport commentator. How
are you guys?
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Hey?
Speaker 5 (00:39):
Ever?
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Get eva right?
Speaker 4 (00:40):
What do you reckon? Nathan? I saw you whip your
phone up and have a look at that.
Speaker 5 (00:43):
What did you think of the insta postem? Normally, I'm
normally one who just encourages any kind of bands at
least hype up the rivalry. Let's get a bit of
I always look at overseas rivalries and I look at
I think about what are the best rivalries in the
world in Sport, Manchester City, Manchester, United State of ra
and you know, Queens and versus New South Wales, and
what fuels those rivalries is hate. It's hate, and it's
(01:05):
not hate genuinely, but it's like you get in the
stadium performance performative hate. So the post itself, I would
have more support of it if it was a little
bit clever, but it's not really clever. It's just on
the nose. But I really like a chief's response and
that he says he doesn't care. I think that makes
it a bit more okay.
Speaker 4 (01:25):
Okay, So is that banter okay, Jeff, but the banter
at Christ College is not? Okay?
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
I guess they're slightly different, slightly different situations. Look, I
think Scotty's come out and sincerely apologized, and I think
it's fair to say that in a live environment sometimes
we can all say things that we would otherwise not
say and regret in hindsight. So he's come out, he's
owned it. I think his statement is sincere and we
(01:54):
move on. Clearly, he said that he wasn't aware of
what the term meant at the time. I certainly wasn't
when I heard it. Obviously it offended those at Christ
College to head have to go google it, did you?
I didn't google it. I didn't pay too much attention
to help until until others said what what it related to?
The in the media. So look, I think, as I said,
(02:14):
Scott has made the apology, it's a live environment. We
can do things we were good at times and we
move on.
Speaker 4 (02:20):
Isn't this an overreaction, Nathan?
Speaker 5 (02:24):
It's so difficult because I'm in the same boat as that.
I had no idea what it meant.
Speaker 4 (02:27):
Like I'm on from Christ with the headmaster has drawn
attention to it, created the strikes and defect. Now we
all know what a syrup sucker is and now we're
all like, what the hell is going on at your schoolmate?
Speaker 5 (02:36):
Well, no one's going to say that again, are they.
So I suppose if that's the desired outcome, it's it's
not going to happen again, because I'm fully with jeffinite
Scottish apologized his apology is obviously sincere. It's a live environment. Yeah, okay,
he got that wrong, But I think this is something
that just should be dropped.
Speaker 4 (02:53):
And like it's my argument. What I'm what I'm getting at, Jeff,
is that if this like, if this happens, are you
are you doing doing the right thing as the principal
to jump up and down about it, or are you
better off to just be like just we just don't
want to draw attention to it because because now now
we're all discussing the thing, he doesn't want us to
to say.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Yeah, it's hard to say, and that's very Christian for
the principle of christ College. But it was obviously it
struck a nerve and and and it's obviously you know,
created this reaction. So I think you know, he's done
the right thing, Scott, he's come out, he's apologized before
the day's play. As I said, it's sincere TVNZ. You
know there's going to be an investigation, obviously broadcast downards,
(03:33):
complaints being laid. So look, those things are going to happen.
But at the end of the day, as I said,
I think these things can slip out of our mountains.
Broadcasters from time to time, you just got to step up.
Speaker 4 (03:44):
I've never seen anything like that, never seen anything.
Speaker 5 (03:49):
I think it depends if the students themselves are subject
of this comment, whether we're passed off and upset, and
if they were, then the principal was very justifying standing
up for them on their behalf. If they didn't care,
no one really cared, and the principles something up down there.
Speaker 4 (04:06):
Knowing school boys, they're probably stoked with this at the minute. Listen,
I want to get I want to hear what you
guys have to think to say about the cricket competition.
The T twenty do it after the break the.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
Friday Sports title with New Zealand South of East International
Realty the only truly global brand.
Speaker 4 (04:22):
Right you're back of the sports hitdle Jeff mctage and
Nathan Limb. Jeff, now, are you for or against this
T twenty thing in New Zealand?
Speaker 2 (04:30):
I for it?
Speaker 1 (04:30):
I for it. I think we always run into these
situations when something new is moted and and put forward
and the establishment you know, off and cry foul of
and go no, you can't do that without our say
so and and whatnot. But if you actually look at
the you know, the core theme here, it's so they
want to play the cricket around the same time as
as the T schedule. But for MI end it's just
(04:52):
about working out when that's played and working together with
New Zealand cricket. I think if they can work in
harmony and have have those top players clearly MT twenty
one to play in that competition, have them available, also
have them available and have those assurances for the test schedule,
I see no problem in it, particularly given that the
six major associations are on board, so there are plenty
(05:13):
of people for this to go ahead. It's not like
everyone's saying no, we don't want the NZ twenty. Lots
of people do. So how do we make this work collectively,
collectivility to get together?
Speaker 4 (05:23):
I mean the problem that's been raised Nathan is that
it's going to clash with the Australia Test Series, which
is happening in January next year, right or twenty seven.
But isn't the fundamental point here act And that's fair enough.
That seems like a problem, but actually don't we have
to set aside a cricket window for domestic competitions around
the world so that they can actually play proper domestic cricket.
Speaker 5 (05:41):
I think what is very clear is that New Zealand's
has fallen behind way behind the world stage in terms
of our domestic product and entertaining financially viable domestic competition.
You know, all over the world they have these competitions
and we've fallen behind. The Black Caps succeed in T
twenties in spot of our domestic competition, not because of them.
(06:02):
So what is clear is that change is needed. I
think what's happened here is that we've got this new
sort of notion, this new prospect. We don't like new
scary things. I think actually we just need more information
on the stage because this isn't something that's going to
happen next month. This is just a concept at the stage.
And yeah, I think the questions that have been raised
in this open letter are viable, but I also think
(06:24):
there's an element of us panicking over something that we
don't actually have the details of.
Speaker 4 (06:28):
Nathan, would you rather you'll domestic cricket be one day
is or T twenties because that's what will happen. It
will replace the one days.
Speaker 5 (06:34):
I think that, well, I mean, hang on, it will
replace the one days because you have the super smash.
It will replace the super smash. So the supersmash is
t tweeny.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
The Super Sorry, it will replace the won't replace the
one day is because if you're going to if you're
the idea is you move the eyeballs away from your
one days to your t twenties.
Speaker 5 (06:54):
I mean, I think I didn't think that this affected
the Ford Trophy in Newson, wondering what I thought this
was was, was it replaces the Super Smash, the T
twenty competition.
Speaker 4 (07:03):
It does replace, the replaces. This isn't the idea that
if you if you're protecting this thing, right, you're just
protecting this thing the centrally that the contracted players have
to be here. It will gravitate us all towards that
instead of the one day.
Speaker 5 (07:15):
Is, instead of the black Caps one days or the
domestic one day mystic. I don't think anyone watches the
domestic one day it's on you.
Speaker 4 (07:21):
Are you okay with it?
Speaker 2 (07:23):
Yes?
Speaker 5 (07:23):
Okay, because it's it's to me, it's not it's a
non issue because the one days aren't. Don't have any
eyes on it.
Speaker 4 (07:28):
Anyway, Okay, and then we replace the Super Smash as well.
All right, Jeff, we need to talk about what is
going on here with It'sabeth, because Isabeth has been stood
down for twelve matches, but none of this is the
eye gouging. But none of the matches a teast so
doesn't count.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Can we can we suspend them when the World Cup
rolls around? One for them? Now, I'm I've got a
bug on this on lot. I think it's if he
if he sits out twelve matches for the Sharks in
the United Rugby Championship. Look, it just means he's going
to have, you know, a few months off to spend
some time in the German put on another twenty so
he's one hundred and fifty kilos of man muscle. What
(08:03):
we look? I think this should the crime should relate
where to where it's been, you know, where it's transpired.
So in this case Test rugby, So you're going to
hand down a twelve weeks to spend to a twelve
game suspension, Surely I think at least that some of
that should be in Test rugby. Otherwise, you know, what's
the point, He's just going to have an extended break.
Speaker 5 (08:21):
I am fine with him serving the suspension in club rugby.
I think that yellow and red cards have become so
common in rugby union, I mean South Africa had three
red cards and four tests. So if we start going
with this saying okay, he's going to miss tests, then
we're going to it's going to bleed into other red
card issues. And it's already controversial how many red cards
(08:42):
are getting dushed out and what's going to happen is
it's going to come back on us. It's all very
well now that we South Africa were going, you know,
some All Blacks is going to get red carded, and
then we're going to be going, oh no, he's going
to miss you know this many tests for the All Blacks.
So I think we have to think of it from
the perspective of if he was our player, would we
want him just missing Super rugby? We want him to
miss All Blacks tests really quickly.
Speaker 4 (09:02):
Are you sad that we have lost our fastest runner
to the Aussies?
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Yes?
Speaker 5 (09:05):
I think a Sprinting is a sport that's very easy
to understand. Kids do it all the way through primary school,
high school. You know, an athletic states. It's an easy
thing to go, oh, I'm good at this, I might
try it this more. And you need people in the
sport for kids to look up to. Okay, maybe he
wasn't going to make the Olympic podium, but he can
still be that person that represents Newsy on that kids
(09:26):
look up to. I think that is a huge loss, Jeff.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
I think the standards are outrageous that they need to
be locked at lock ten o eight. That got him
a silver medal at Birmingham twenty twenty two, which he
wasn't selected for. So there's some food for thought.
Speaker 4 (09:40):
Ah, very good point. Actually, hey guys, thank you. It's
been a pleasure to talk to the pair of you.
Nathan Limb, Jeff mctage, I spook Tuddle this evenings.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to
news Talks it'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.
School obviously is rather upset that that phrase was used
in commentary.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
To them, I apologize unequivocally. What happens to your test
team in January when they all get pulled out to
go and play this provincial T twenty tournament? What happens
to the shrine and Tour which is scheduled to be
during that time and then India's not long after?
Speaker 3 (00:20):
If anybody had bothered to ask us, the first thing
we could have said to them is, while a competition
like this really will succeed if we can get a
four week window, let's be flexible around when that is on.
Speaker 4 (00:31):
The sports tittle of that, this's this evening. We've got
Nathan Lemon, Jeff mctage. Nathan, of course, is our Herald
sports journist and Jeff mctage's the Sky Sport commentator. How
are you guys?
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Hey?
Speaker 5 (00:39):
Ever?
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Get eva right?
Speaker 4 (00:40):
What do you reckon? Nathan? I saw you whip your
phone up and have a look at that.
Speaker 5 (00:43):
What did you think of the insta postem? Normally, I'm
normally one who just encourages any kind of bands at
least hype up the rivalry. Let's get a bit of
I always look at overseas rivalries and I look at
I think about what are the best rivalries in the
world in Sport, Manchester City, Manchester, United State of ra
and you know, Queens and versus New South Wales, and
what fuels those rivalries is hate. It's hate, and it's
(01:05):
not hate genuinely, but it's like you get in the
stadium performance performative hate. So the post itself, I would
have more support of it if it was a little
bit clever, but it's not really clever. It's just on
the nose. But I really like a chief's response and
that he says he doesn't care. I think that makes
it a bit more okay.
Speaker 4 (01:25):
Okay, So is that banter okay, Jeff, but the banter
at Christ College is not? Okay?
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
I guess they're slightly different, slightly different situations. Look, I
think Scotty's come out and sincerely apologized, and I think
it's fair to say that in a live environment sometimes
we can all say things that we would otherwise not
say and regret in hindsight. So he's come out, he's
owned it. I think his statement is sincere and we
(01:54):
move on. Clearly, he said that he wasn't aware of
what the term meant at the time. I certainly wasn't
when I heard it. Obviously it offended those at Christ
College to head have to go google it, did you?
I didn't google it. I didn't pay too much attention
to help until until others said what what it related to?
The in the media. So look, I think, as I said,
(02:14):
Scott has made the apology, it's a live environment. We
can do things we were good at times and we
move on.
Speaker 4 (02:20):
Isn't this an overreaction, Nathan?
Speaker 5 (02:24):
It's so difficult because I'm in the same boat as that.
I had no idea what it meant.
Speaker 4 (02:27):
Like I'm on from Christ with the headmaster has drawn
attention to it, created the strikes and defect. Now we
all know what a syrup sucker is and now we're
all like, what the hell is going on at your schoolmate?
Speaker 5 (02:36):
Well, no one's going to say that again, are they.
So I suppose if that's the desired outcome, it's it's
not going to happen again, because I'm fully with jeffinite
Scottish apologized his apology is obviously sincere. It's a live environment. Yeah, okay,
he got that wrong, But I think this is something
that just should be dropped.
Speaker 4 (02:53):
And like it's my argument. What I'm what I'm getting at, Jeff,
is that if this like, if this happens, are you
are you doing doing the right thing as the principal
to jump up and down about it, or are you
better off to just be like just we just don't
want to draw attention to it because because now now
we're all discussing the thing, he doesn't want us to
to say.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Yeah, it's hard to say, and that's very Christian for
the principle of christ College. But it was obviously it
struck a nerve and and and it's obviously you know,
created this reaction. So I think you know, he's done
the right thing, Scott, he's come out, he's apologized before
the day's play. As I said, it's sincere TVNZ. You
know there's going to be an investigation, obviously broadcast downards,
(03:33):
complaints being laid. So look, those things are going to happen.
But at the end of the day, as I said,
I think these things can slip out of our mountains.
Broadcasters from time to time, you just got to step up.
Speaker 4 (03:44):
I've never seen anything like that, never seen anything.
Speaker 5 (03:49):
I think it depends if the students themselves are subject
of this comment, whether we're passed off and upset, and
if they were, then the principal was very justifying standing
up for them on their behalf. If they didn't care,
no one really cared, and the principles something up down there.
Speaker 4 (04:06):
Knowing school boys, they're probably stoked with this at the minute. Listen,
I want to get I want to hear what you
guys have to think to say about the cricket competition.
The T twenty do it after the break the.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
Friday Sports title with New Zealand South of East International
Realty the only truly global brand.
Speaker 4 (04:22):
Right you're back of the sports hitdle Jeff mctage and
Nathan Limb. Jeff, now, are you for or against this
T twenty thing in New Zealand?
Speaker 2 (04:30):
I for it?
Speaker 1 (04:30):
I for it. I think we always run into these
situations when something new is moted and and put forward
and the establishment you know, off and cry foul of
and go no, you can't do that without our say
so and and whatnot. But if you actually look at
the you know, the core theme here, it's so they
want to play the cricket around the same time as
as the T schedule. But for MI end it's just
(04:52):
about working out when that's played and working together with
New Zealand cricket. I think if they can work in
harmony and have have those top players clearly MT twenty
one to play in that competition, have them available, also
have them available and have those assurances for the test schedule,
I see no problem in it, particularly given that the
six major associations are on board, so there are plenty
(05:13):
of people for this to go ahead. It's not like
everyone's saying no, we don't want the NZ twenty. Lots
of people do. So how do we make this work collectively,
collectivility to get together?
Speaker 4 (05:23):
I mean the problem that's been raised Nathan is that
it's going to clash with the Australia Test Series, which
is happening in January next year, right or twenty seven.
But isn't the fundamental point here act And that's fair enough.
That seems like a problem, but actually don't we have
to set aside a cricket window for domestic competitions around
the world so that they can actually play proper domestic cricket.
Speaker 5 (05:41):
I think what is very clear is that New Zealand's
has fallen behind way behind the world stage in terms
of our domestic product and entertaining financially viable domestic competition.
You know, all over the world they have these competitions
and we've fallen behind. The Black Caps succeed in T
twenties in spot of our domestic competition, not because of them.
(06:02):
So what is clear is that change is needed. I
think what's happened here is that we've got this new
sort of notion, this new prospect. We don't like new
scary things. I think actually we just need more information
on the stage because this isn't something that's going to
happen next month. This is just a concept at the stage.
And yeah, I think the questions that have been raised
in this open letter are viable, but I also think
(06:24):
there's an element of us panicking over something that we
don't actually have the details of.
Speaker 4 (06:28):
Nathan, would you rather you'll domestic cricket be one day
is or T twenties because that's what will happen. It
will replace the one days.
Speaker 5 (06:34):
I think that, well, I mean, hang on, it will
replace the one days because you have the super smash.
It will replace the super smash. So the supersmash is
t tweeny.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
The Super Sorry, it will replace the won't replace the
one day is because if you're going to if you're
the idea is you move the eyeballs away from your
one days to your t twenties.
Speaker 5 (06:54):
I mean, I think I didn't think that this affected
the Ford Trophy in Newson, wondering what I thought this
was was, was it replaces the Super Smash, the T
twenty competition.
Speaker 4 (07:03):
It does replace, the replaces. This isn't the idea that
if you if you're protecting this thing, right, you're just
protecting this thing the centrally that the contracted players have
to be here. It will gravitate us all towards that
instead of the one day.
Speaker 5 (07:15):
Is, instead of the black Caps one days or the
domestic one day mystic. I don't think anyone watches the
domestic one day it's on you.
Speaker 4 (07:21):
Are you okay with it?
Speaker 2 (07:23):
Yes?
Speaker 5 (07:23):
Okay, because it's it's to me, it's not it's a
non issue because the one days aren't. Don't have any
eyes on it.
Speaker 4 (07:28):
Anyway, Okay, and then we replace the Super Smash as well.
All right, Jeff, we need to talk about what is
going on here with It'sabeth, because Isabeth has been stood
down for twelve matches, but none of this is the
eye gouging. But none of the matches a teast so
doesn't count.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Can we can we suspend them when the World Cup
rolls around? One for them? Now, I'm I've got a
bug on this on lot. I think it's if he
if he sits out twelve matches for the Sharks in
the United Rugby Championship. Look, it just means he's going
to have, you know, a few months off to spend
some time in the German put on another twenty so
he's one hundred and fifty kilos of man muscle. What
(08:03):
we look? I think this should the crime should relate
where to where it's been, you know, where it's transpired.
So in this case Test rugby, So you're going to
hand down a twelve weeks to spend to a twelve
game suspension, Surely I think at least that some of
that should be in Test rugby. Otherwise, you know, what's
the point, He's just going to have an extended break.
Speaker 5 (08:21):
I am fine with him serving the suspension in club rugby.
I think that yellow and red cards have become so
common in rugby union, I mean South Africa had three
red cards and four tests. So if we start going
with this saying okay, he's going to miss tests, then
we're going to it's going to bleed into other red
card issues. And it's already controversial how many red cards
(08:42):
are getting dushed out and what's going to happen is
it's going to come back on us. It's all very
well now that we South Africa were going, you know,
some All Blacks is going to get red carded, and
then we're going to be going, oh no, he's going
to miss you know this many tests for the All Blacks.
So I think we have to think of it from
the perspective of if he was our player, would we
want him just missing Super rugby? We want him to
miss All Blacks tests really quickly.
Speaker 4 (09:02):
Are you sad that we have lost our fastest runner
to the Aussies?
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Yes?
Speaker 5 (09:05):
I think a Sprinting is a sport that's very easy
to understand. Kids do it all the way through primary school,
high school. You know, an athletic states. It's an easy
thing to go, oh, I'm good at this, I might
try it this more. And you need people in the
sport for kids to look up to. Okay, maybe he
wasn't going to make the Olympic podium, but he can
still be that person that represents Newsy on that kids
(09:26):
look up to. I think that is a huge loss, Jeff.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
I think the standards are outrageous that they need to
be locked at lock ten o eight. That got him
a silver medal at Birmingham twenty twenty two, which he
wasn't selected for. So there's some food for thought.
Speaker 4 (09:40):
Ah, very good point. Actually, hey guys, thank you. It's
been a pleasure to talk to the pair of you.
Nathan Limb, Jeff mctage, I spook Tuddle this evenings.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to
news Talks it'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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