D'Arcy Waldegrave: Sportstalk host on new reports revealing TJ Perenara blindsided the team with protest haka

The hoo-ha over TJ Perenara's message before leading the All Blacks final haka last year has erupted again.

His speech in te reo before the test against Italy in Turin came after the march to parliament to protest the Treaty Principles bill.

The Herald reports many within the All Blacks felt blindsided regarding the politicisation of the issue, with a limited number made aware of the halfback's intentions hours before kick-off.

Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explained further.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Darcy Walter Graves here was sport Darcy, Good afternoon.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
Ryan, good afternoon to yourself.

Speaker 1 (00:04):
TJ Pier and are the protest the haker? We've had
the full rundown in the Herald today. What's your take.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
That you use any situation you can to push your cause,
but you do not do it as the leader of
a hakker representing not only the All Blacks but the
entire nation. That's not right.

Speaker 1 (00:26):
And the thing that got me was that he didn't
ask his teammates. I mean, you know, like it doesn't
matter whether it's rugby or what the situation is. If
you're in a team environment and you're going to make
something that's so significant, a significant move, you consult with him,
don't you.

Speaker 2 (00:41):
I'd think so. I just think it shows I know
he is very passionate about that. A lot of people are.
I know that politically that's the way Eileen as well.
But to drag the whole team without them knowing exactly
what you're going to do, that's just mean. It's just
you can't do that to the rest of the team.

(01:02):
That Look, it's a case of in spead of asking
a mission, he's going to beg.

Speaker 1 (01:07):
For forgive exactly at the end of it.

Speaker 2 (01:10):
I just don't think.

Speaker 1 (01:11):
I don't because the guys that they had no choice
but to do the hacker and they were none the
wiser so they and a lot of them probably didn't
even know what they were Marty.

Speaker 2 (01:19):
They had no idea about what he was actually, So
I don't think the message was a bad message, but
the fact that he said, if you don't let me
say something, I'm gonna I'm not going to lead the harker,
I'm going to walk. So it puts New Zealand Rugby
in a really difficult position the lesser of two evils.
Do we let him do it and risk blowback or
do we get rid of him and people start going

(01:40):
where's TJ on the very last match? So difficult situation
for them to be. It is.

Speaker 1 (01:45):
Indeed, Super Rugby has done this big season, launch a
ton of players that injured already and we're not even
got a first game yet.

Speaker 2 (01:53):
No, and if you look at the Crusaders, and I'd
say a vast amount of Super fans couldn't care less
and they'll be pointing and laughing. They've I think they're
injury tolls in double figus down. I mean, Cody Taylor's
the latest out, Brandon Enna's gone, You've got Quentin Stranger, Hannah,
You've got McNulty. It just goes on and on and on.

(02:15):
Sam Darry he's been invalid out of the Aland side.
And I'm sure there's a few more sniffing around, but
most of the all the coaches have said, we're going
to work it out and integrate these guys. We can't
just throw them straight back in again. The problem here
is it's the start of the super season. What do
you want to do. You want to put your best
foot forward. You want to show the punters. These are

(02:37):
our rock stars, these are our all blacks, these are
the best players. Yet these guys have only just come
back after an Northern tour, They've had some r and
r as, they need their retraining again, and suddenly they
get thrown into the thick of it. I'm not quite
sure it's good for the well being of athletes long term,
and then there'd be something there. So like your athletes,
just play, if your break so well, get the next

(02:59):
quick going, move on, Let's get another one. So then
it gets underway. On the fourteenth, the launch happened now
and their big new package, their Fantasy Super Rugby is
to date underway.

Speaker 1 (03:13):
Tomorrow sorry Friday, finally, so it will be in time
and on time. I should say that's something. Thank you, Darcy.
We'll see you seven enjoy tomorrow. Thank you very much,
Darcy Wildegrave with us Heavy with you at seven For
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(03:34):
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