What a Lad

Tane Edmed is one of the most exciting young playmakers in Australian rugby. A great Aussie lad with a fierce competitive edge and a relentless work ethic, Tane has already built an impressive career with the Waratahs, North Harbour, the Brumbies and of course represented his country with the Wallabies.

In this episode of What a Lad, Tane opens up about the journey to international rugby. From chasing his dream growing up in Syd...

Patrick Tuipulotu has been one of the most respected forwards in world rugby for over a decade. A powerful lock known for his physicality, leadership and work ethic, Patrick has built an incredible career with the Blues and the All Blacks, playing more than 50 tests for his country and captaining the Blues to Winning A Super Rugby title.

In this episode of What a Lad, Patty opens up like never before. From the highs of becoming ...

Tim Bateman is a former professional rugby player who has transitioned from pro sport into the world of business and for me personally is the smartest man I met in the game.

Every conversation I have ever had with him I have learnt something and this is certainly no different. From the structure and discipline of professional rugby to the chaos and pressure of running a fast-growing wellness franchise, Tim opens up about what i...

Pita Ahki is living proof that careers aren’t always built in a straight line.

From struggling for opportunities in New Zealand and watching contracts dry up, to being told by Toulouse doctors that he had a “bad knee” and might not even get signed — Ahki’s journey could have gone very differently. Instead, he backed himself, took the gamble, and went on to become a 5x Top 14 champion and 2x Champions Cup winner in one of the tou...

Tom Savage is one of those players who never took the easy route and deserves every bit of success that he gets!

From jumping from level five rugby to the Premiership in a single summer, to playing over 190 games for Gloucester, moving to Japan at the peak of his career, and now helping build something special at Moana Pasifika — Savage’s story is built on consistency, work ethic, and knowing exactly what he brings to a team.

In ...

Super Rugby is back! And so is the What a Lad Super Rugby Preview and who better to talk to than the great Searley from Searley Talks Sport to break down everything you need to know about Super Rugby 2026.

We go through every team, highlight key players and share some bold predictions as we look forward to what looks to be the tightest and most entertaining Super Rugby season ever!

In this episode, we cover…

- Why the H...

Manasa Mataele is one of the players who is incredibly hard to tackle! His power, speed, athleticism, and freakish offloads has made him hard to handle for any opposition! From growing up in Suva, Manasa’s journey has taken him from Fiji to New Zealand, across to Australia, and now back home with the Fijian Drua.

In this episode of What a Lad, Manasa opens up with rare honesty. He reflects on the highs of Super Rugby, the pride ...

Chris Jack was one of the all time greats! A perfect combination of a massive workrate an incredible skillset, deceptive speed and a high rugby IQ which he showed during his 67 cap test career.

In this episode of What a Lad, you'll hear Chris like you've never heard him before. From the good times on winning championships to some of the struggles he faced, there is plenty in this one!

Some parts that stood out for me in this ...

Jeremy Manning’s rugby journey is anything but ordinary. At just 16 years old he was playing against for the Marlborough Red Devils in the NPC which included playing in a Ranfurly Shield game against Canterbury while still being at school. He made the NZ secondary schools team on the wing ahead of Hosea Gear and out of school decided to take up a year offer with the Munster academy. Fast forward a few years later and he's doing the...

Cam McBride is the very talented man behind the camera responsible for bringing the Crusaders to life every week.

In this episode of What a Lad, Cam talks about his time in the police, finding a new career through content creation, and working behind the scenes at the Crusaders.

In this episode, we cover…

- What he's noticed from his first year working with the Crusader

- How he started working as a sports masseuse with sports...

produced and after this episode it’s easy to see why.

A 108-test All Black, multiple-time World Cup winner, and a cornerstone of the Crusaders’ most dominant era. Owen built his career on work ethic, consistency, and doing whatever it took to get himself in the best position to perform week in and week out.

In this episode of What a Lad, Owen opens up like never before. From earning respect as a young All Black, to facing a battl...

Holly Parkes and Greg Johnson are two of the most purpose-driven people you’ll ever hear from.

Holly Parkes first came on the podcast during one of the toughest times of her life, sharing what it was really like trying to support someone battling a serious brain injury and searching for answers that never seemed to come. Greg is a former NZ SAS operator who spent years exposed to explosive blasts, before discovering his own brai...

Reuben O’Neill has one of the most interesting stories in New Zealand rugby! A proud Taranaki lad, a cult hero in every team he’s played in, and a man who battled more adversity than most ever knew. From crippling cramps, constant injuries, and being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes — to somehow rising all the way into an All Blacks camp before he’d even played Super Rugby.

In this episode some of the things we talk about were..

- ...

The Welsh Rugby superstar Hadleigh Parkes is one of the great stories in rugby! A self described battler who played for Manawatu, Auckland, the Blues and the Hurricanes and at one point nearly walked away from the game altogether! It wasn't until a life changing call, a change of mindset and a move to Wales where he quickly turned himself into one of the best midfielders in the World!

In this episode here are some of the things ...

Sam Lane is one of NZs very best hockey players and an absolute lad! He is 100+ gamer for the New Zealand Black Sticks, two-time Olympian, captain and full-time financial advisor… somehow all at once. His journey is one of the most unbelievable combinations of talent, tragedy, resilience and pure Kiwi grit you’ll hear.

This episode has everything — the brutal reality of playing for a national team with almost no funding, a run ...

Freedom Vaha'akaolo’s story is one of the wildest and most emotional you’ll ever hear. He is one incredibly talented rugby player who certainly didn't take the typical pathway.

From the age of just 11 years old he was homeless, eating from trash cans, and learning how to survive. Years later, he was scoring tries for Otago using his speed and power which earned him a spot with the Highlanders.

During that time he was involved in a cr...

Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens is one of the most electric players in New Zealand rugby!

A proud Taranaki man, who went from Blues prospect to a Highlanders star as his story takes a wild turn when a routine game left him with a fractured neck!

What followed is a powerful story of perspective, gratitude, and rediscovering his love for the game. Jacob’s honesty and maturity in this chat is incredible and the way he speaks about identit...

Two absolute lads on one outrageous mission. Alex and Ben decided they wanted to do something that would really push them to their limits for Movember so became the first ever to walk across New Zealand in a straight line. What followed was six days of chaos: rafting rivers in a leaking dinghy, crawling through blackberry, dodging bulls, and getting zapped by electric fences, all to raise money and awareness for men’s health.

In...

Steve Devine is one of the toughest men to ever pull on a rugby jersey. A proud Aussie who moved over to NZ for an opportunity with Auckland, where he quickly made NZ home. Where the fearless competitive halfback played a huge part in Auckland and the Blues success. From that came an his chance to wear the All Black jersey which he managed to do 10 times.

But behind that toughness was a brutal reality, years of repeated head knocks ...