What a Lad

Aaron Mauger loves rugby, he's so passionate about the game and he is so grateful for his involvement in the game and he's certainly been involved!

From playing for Canterbury straight out of school, to becoming a Crusader and All Black not long after. He then moved to Leicester were he won premierships over there, before injuries forced him to retire at just 30. Post playing he was always going to stay in the game and with his inc...

Everyone loves a battler and when it comes to one of the greatest battlers to ever play the game the great Laurence Corlett has to be up there. The man who debuted for the Hurricanes 10 years after his first class debut for Canterbury, the man known as Frank put in a 7 minute shift that will never be forgotten at the Hurricanes. The story of Laurence Corlett is one that has so many layers, he's a true yes man who put himself out th...

Colin Cooper is one of the great great human beings, he's one of the wisest souls on the planet – a true legend of rugby in New Zealand with an incredible career spanning over four decades!

Having played over 100 matches for Taranaki and represented the NZ Maori, and Junior All Blacks Colin has left a huge mark on the game as a player. After hanging up his boots, Colin transitioned to coaching, where he made his mark as the coach o...

Carlo Tizzano has burst on to the international rugby scene this season with an incredible work rate and tackle success rate and after this conversation it's easy to understand why.

Growing up as an angry child, with 3 other brother constantly winding him up the aggression in his game was always going to be there. Having started out as a winger, he decided to move in to 7 a move with had plenty of doubters and even cost him a spot ...

Ross Devlin was your classic old school player, he threw his body and head into everything and was too tough to ever want to come off. Now Ross is convinced that he has CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) from multiple concussions which included a very significant car crash. He now just wants to help others who may have it or even better prevent people from getting it.

The key message in this episode is to try and help players, ...

Bailey Simonsson is one of the best outside backs in the NRL and it was crazy to hear how close he was to giving up on the game! After a couple of years with the BOP Steamers and a short stint with the All Blacks 7's side Bailey returned home back to Australia with no professional contract. 12 months later and he's playing in the NRL final for the Canberra Raiders.

This episode is another case of the different pressures that are pl...

The Chris Eaton episode is one that left my cheeks sore from laughing so much, while also pulled on the heartstrings to bring tears in the eyes. This story is one of the most incredible stories yet. 

From growing up in Flaxmere which he would describe as "the hood", staying out of trouble growing up was about as hard as keeping the Hurricanes 9 jersey off TJ Perenara.After several last chances with Hawkes Bay relating off field inc...

This week I am joined by Japanese royalty Lomano Lemek! The Japanese rugby legend who has been to the Olympics with the Japanese 7s side who finished 4th, He’s been to 2 RWC’s and has recently signed with Honda Heat again to take him through to 19 years playing professionally in Japan. From a young age Mano wanted to be a professional rugby player and being in the 1st XV at the age of just 14 made that a really realistic dream. How...

Tamaiti Williams is one of the most exciting talents in the game, he's a whopping 196cm (6ft4) and 140kg (308lbs) with the speed and light feet of an outside back. He's got the skillset of a playmaker and most importantly for his position he's a beast at scrum time comfortably playing both sides of the scrum. All this at just 23 years of age! The potential of this champion lad is huge and it was awesome to go through his journey up...

Richard Kahui is one of those player that when fit was one of the best in the world and the unfortunate thing for him and all of NZ rugby fans was the fact that the "when fit" part was all to few and far between. The man known as Kaks had to go through 5 Full shoulder reconstructions plus another shoulder surgery in the space of 6 years which made fighting for the dream All Black 13 jersey a tough gig. It was also a real challenge ...

Daryl Mitchell is the NZ Black Cap who deserves every single bit of success he gets! From battling away in the NZ domestic league to becoming one of the best all rounders in the world he has had a unique pathway to becoming a professional athlete with a mindset we can all learn from.

Some key parts of this chat were..

-Hearing how growing up with his dad John Mitchell who was an All Black coach and coached all around the world and ...

Joel Everson with potentially the craziest story ever on What a Lad! This episode will blow your mind and I’m sure it will also inspire you and I’m sure it will help many.

Joel Everson is the 2:06m lock who had a 12 year rugby career playing for Canterbury, Southland, the Crusaders, Clermont and Hino in Japan. It was his time in Hino where his life was flipped upside down, coming out of a night club in Tokyo, surrounded by Police t...

Bryn Hall has not only been one of the best 9's in NZ rugby for the last decade but he's also been the voice of the game for many with his gift to articulate rugby union in a way to relate to the masses on the Aoteroa Rugby Pod and in Commentary.

What stood out in this episode for me, was just how dedicated Bryn was to achieving the dream of being a professional rugby player from a young age. Then once he was in there, it was his d...

Shiray Kaka is the NZ Black Ferns 7s star who is also one of the biggest personalities in the game! Her bubbly energy combined with a unique ability to be real and share her feelings, made her a dream guest for this. Her journey through professional rugby hasn't been an easy one and this episode reflects that with plenty of laughs, a few tears and plenty a relatable advice.

Some topics we cover in this episode are...

• The disap...

Timoci Tavatavanawi is the Fijian powerhouse who has quickly become the most destructive ball carrier in Rugby. The man is an absolute nightmare to tackle with his combination of power and leg drive and just the physique which is has hard as rock. I

t was awesome to get the man they call Jim on the share his journey from growing up in a Fijian village to playing for Tasman Mako, Moana Pacifica and the Highlanders. He talks about th...

Jamie Hannah is one of the most impressive young players in our game, you don't often see forwards with the skillset and game awareness that this kid has as well as the engine and toughness to boot. He is one very impressive player.

He is also a massive lad as well, growing up in North Canterbury living the good life on the farm riding motorbikes and playing footy. Some key points in this episode were..

• His journey from playin...

Cam Roigard is one of the most exciting talents in the game right now. In the last couple of years he has made every post a winner, rapidly climbing through the ranks after starring for Counties Manakau, carving up Super Rugby with the Hurricanes before heading of to the RWC with the All Blacks. It was here on the world stage where we all got to see the huge talent that this young man possesses and has got plenty excited about wher...

Norm Maxwell was pound for pound the hardest hitter this game has probably ever seen. At just 90kgs the All Black lock through himself into collisions like no other every time he stepped on the field. However you tell Norm that he's tough and he's not buying it.

From growing up with feeling the field was the only place he was free and his first big collision being the first time he felt respected, Norm always was going to play rugb...

In this episode I am joined by the legendary Black Fern sisters Chelsea and Alana Bremner. These two champion humans have a very special bond, having grown up in the same room together until 17, to winning a RWC together. They have shared many special moments throughout their journey to becoming professional rugby players.

As you will hear both Chelsea and Alana are such great inspirations for all athletes in our game especially th...