Blair Jones: Kirwee Rugby Club President on the biggest game in 120 years next week

Kirwee, a town west of Christchurch with a population of 1180, is gearing up for the biggest game in the town's history. 

The Blues and the Crusaders will play a pre-season game in Kirwee on January 31st. 

The game has already sold out and 3000 are expected to attend. 

Kirwee Rugby Club President Blair Jones joins the show. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Andrew Dickens.

Speaker 2 (00:02):
Okay, this is great. I love the story. The town
is Kowey, population one thousand, one hundred and eighty. It's
just west of christ Church. It's currently gearing up for
the biggest game in the town's history. The Blues and
the Crusaders are playing a preseason game in Kurwey in
a week's time on January the thirty first. The game's
already sold out. Close to three thousand fans will be

(00:24):
in attendance. Can I remind you of population one thousand,
one hundred and eighty, but there'll be three thousand at
the ground. Blair Jones as Kirby Rugby club president. He's
been driving to Kaikota today and he joins you, now, hey, Blair,
how are you?

Speaker 1 (00:38):
Hey? You got andre it? You're right, I'm good.

Speaker 2 (00:41):
This is massive.

Speaker 1 (00:42):
Oh yeah, that's pretty exciting for the club. Yeah. No,
everyone's pretty pumped for it.

Speaker 2 (00:47):
Yep, where are you going to play it?

Speaker 1 (00:51):
Hey? Sorry?

Speaker 2 (00:52):
Where are you going to play the game?

Speaker 1 (00:54):
Oh? He coo wey, Yeah, no, no the ground?

Speaker 2 (00:57):
What ground are you going to play on? The on
the field day? What ground is it?

Speaker 1 (01:02):
Kerry demand? Yep?

Speaker 2 (01:04):
All right, have you got a grand stand there.

Speaker 1 (01:07):
We've got you've got a few grandstands set up.

Speaker 3 (01:10):
We're going to have a truck and trailer for our
members and uh yeah and our sponsors.

Speaker 2 (01:15):
Yeah, really realize made of course that most of the
people in New Zealand don't know about Cooey and don't
know what you are. So you're building the grandstands, you're
building the ground sines.

Speaker 3 (01:25):
No, we're actually using some local from the other local clubs,
plus the imp grounds. They've got some stands there we're
using and we've got our own stands as well. So yeah,
so that's pretty pretty mainly standing room. But yeah, no,
we'll have a grandstand on that for them.

Speaker 2 (01:38):
And you're putting the members on the back of a truck.

Speaker 3 (01:41):
Yep, a curtain sider yep. No, you're gonna have a
bit of area for them, so and our sponsors, so
they'll be good.

Speaker 2 (01:47):
Okay, three thousand tickets is to sellout right there. You know,
there's twice as many people at the ground and there's
normally in the town. So that's amazing. Is this a
big financial boost for your club?

Speaker 1 (01:56):
Oh it is yep.

Speaker 3 (01:57):
No, will definitely help us get a breaks for money
for some other stuff for junior rugby and seniors and stuff.

Speaker 1 (02:03):
Definitely.

Speaker 2 (02:03):
Yeah, so you get what the crusaders are organizing this,
So they get they get the lion's share of the money,
but you get a cat.

Speaker 3 (02:10):
Yeah, we'll get we'll get a bit of a cat
and yep, we'll make a bit of money off the
bar and stuff and yeah, and the lions are going
to do the food, so they're going to get a
bit of a bit of the food stuff.

Speaker 1 (02:19):
So that'll be good.

Speaker 2 (02:20):
It's nice to see another town other than Kourou in
the South of Ireland South Island actually getting getting some press.
So how important is rugby for the people of Koowie.

Speaker 3 (02:30):
That's pretty pretty big. Yep, that's the main sort of
thing in kowe As the rugby is. Uh, you know
all the locals play there and yeah, no it's good.

Speaker 2 (02:38):
And as the field and tiptop shape because these are
world leading athletes. How's the grounds keepers work?

Speaker 1 (02:44):
Oh, anyone's been doing a great job for us? Yep.

Speaker 3 (02:47):
No, he's been flattering out watering and uh, yep, the
field will be pretty top notch.

Speaker 1 (02:52):
I'd say, who's going to win? Different than the Cruisiders.

Speaker 2 (02:56):
I don't even know why I asked that question. Blair, Blair,
pleare knock yourself out, have yourself a great time and
a big step in the back. And congratulations to you
and all the people from Kowe.

Speaker 1 (03:07):
Thanks very much for more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive.

Speaker 2 (03:11):
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