Full Show Podcast: 12 October 2024

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Fine
from News Talk said B. The only place for the
big names, the big issues, the big controversies and the
big conversations. It's all on Weekend Sport with Jason Vine
on your home of Sport News Talk.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
S ed B.

Speaker 3 (00:30):
Hello there, you're to good afternoon, welcome in. Great to
have you with us for the Saturday edition of Weekend
Sport on News Talk said Beat. October twelve, Happy birthday,
Sam Whitelock, Happy birthday, Conrad Smith. Happy birthday, Trevor Chapel.

Speaker 4 (00:44):
It looks to me as if they're going to go
under arm off the last ball followed along the ground and.

Speaker 3 (00:49):
Be sure that it has not been hip for six.

Speaker 4 (00:51):
The umpires have been told, the batsmen have been told,
and this is possibly a little bit disappointing you.

Speaker 3 (00:57):
One of the great all time understatements from Bill Laurie.

Speaker 4 (00:59):
There.

Speaker 3 (00:59):
I hope you have a great day, Trevor Chapel. I'm
Jason Fine, show producer Andy McDonald. We're here talking sport
until three. The thirty seventh America's Cup is almost upon
US Emirates Team New Zealand against Ineos Britannia the first
two races early tomorrow morning. New Zealand time first to seven,
so best of thirteen Emirates Team New Zealand coach Ray

(01:21):
Davies standing by the chatter was shortly going to hear
from the helmsman of Ineos Britannia as well, Sir Ben Ainsley,
And I'm very very keen, very keen to gauge your
interest levels. Have they been heightened now that we are
on the eve of the actual America's Cup match? Are
you going to be up at one o'clock tomorrow morning

(01:44):
to follow along? Can do read your pulse on this?
Other matters around today? All why it's Captain Chris Woods
on the show after two off the back of a
three mil win over Tahiti in the first match of
World Cup qualifying yesterday. How do we make international rugby
league more relevant? It's been a hot topic over the
last week or so. New Zealand Rugby League CEO Greg

(02:06):
Peters on that the great race Badhurst this weekend. Three
key we's in the top ten shootout. That's a bit
later on today, motor racing journalist Simon Chapman on this
Rafa Nadal has brought the curtain down on one of
the great tennis careers. Will reflect on that with Graham
Agars Adam Peacock, a long and his regular slot Round

(02:27):
one forty five with a wrap of Australian sporting matters,
including the lawsuit taken by the Melbourne Rebels against Rugby Australia.
Has this got legs at all? Live Sport? While we're
on the air. Bunnings ENDPC quarter Final number two, Bay
of Plenty against Hawks Bay, Who's the real Bay? The
games in todong A five Pass two. Going to preview
that one for you next hour and keep an eye

(02:48):
on it after two o'clock. Heartland Championship semi finals as well.
Meads Cup Fanganui hosts Thames Valley from one thirty five
this afternoon in the Lahore Cup, King Country East Coast
and hotfinu A Carpany West Coast, both kicking off at
two thirty Men's in Women's National League Round three matches.
To keep tabs on as well as always, please jump
aboard the show if you would like to. You quite

(03:11):
welcome just to listen, that's absolutely okay, but if you
want to interact with us, become part of the show.
Give us your thoughts, oh eight hundred eighty ten eighty
will get your throw on the phone nine nine to
two for text messages and emails the to me Jason
at NEWSTALKSDB dot co dot zen Coming up ten past mid.

Speaker 1 (03:28):
Day breaking down the Hail Mary's and the epic fails.
Weekend sport with Jason Pine News Talk zenb.

Speaker 3 (03:38):
The thirty seventh America's Cup matches almost upon us. Emirates
Team New Zealand have their challenger.

Speaker 5 (03:44):
Britannia are on course to make the match and they
will attempt to achieve what no other British challenger has
done and win the Old Monk after one hundred and
seventy three years have heard the wake might soon be
over as.

Speaker 6 (03:58):
Britannia rules the waves of the Mediterranean.

Speaker 3 (04:01):
What a sevenfold victory they win? The Louis Wit talk
come and we'll meet em New Zealand. Indeed they will,
and he asks. Britannia have earned the right to challenge
Emirates Team New Zealand in a best of thirteen race
series off the coast of Barcelona for the America's Cup.
They become the first British boat to contest the Cup's
decider in sixty six to oh sixty years the last

(04:25):
time nineteen sixty four. The first two races early Tomorrow morning,
New Zealand time are scheduled start time of one am
New Zealand time for Race one. Then two more races
Monday morning before a break, racing resuming on Thursday and
then on until we have one of these two boats
with seven race wins, they will win the America's Cup.

(04:46):
Hugely experienced and successful sailor and now Emirates Team New
Zealand coach Ray Davies is with us out of Barcelona. Ray,
can we start with your challenger inny Os Britannia it is?
Did you expect them to come through and be your challenger?

Speaker 1 (05:03):
Oh?

Speaker 7 (05:03):
Looks to be honest.

Speaker 8 (05:04):
No.

Speaker 7 (05:05):
Earlier on in the regi they were struggling a bit,
but as the regatta went on and on, they just
came into their own and as we saw in that final,
they were sailing really really well and pretty much blew
PARTA away. So look, it's great to have Britain back
in the America's Cup. We know all of their players

(05:27):
on their team and we just know how you know, passionate.
They are around the America's Cup and the sport and
being in the final, it's going to be absolutely huge.
It's going to be a proper battle.

Speaker 3 (05:39):
What did you learn about your boat, Tato during racing
in the preliminary regatta and in the round robin stages
of the Louis Vuittone.

Speaker 7 (05:48):
Yeah, look, we learn we learnt that we were fast,
but we have to bear in mind that we raced
against the Thames in the early stages and we saw
them improve. And we've since sped our boat up with
some more components on board and tweaks to the four
rolls and sales et cetera, et cetera. So we've got quicker,

(06:10):
they've got quicker. We don't really know until we actually
come off that startline who's going to have the advantage,
and it could be different in different conditions.

Speaker 3 (06:20):
How have you managed right to replicate match racing conditions
since you stopped participating in the Louis Vuton about a
month or so ago.

Speaker 7 (06:29):
Yeah, Look, we can simulate races. We do that ashore
and we make it really challenging for the boat on
the water to make sure when they're doing their press
routines they're under as much pressure. We give them a
difficult drill to do for the maneuvers are challenging and hard.
You know, what we've seen with these boats is as

(06:50):
teams have got better with their boat handling, that directly
translates to them being better at starting the boats and
being out of maneuver the opposition. And you know, we
see the saw that in the end of the louis
the time where I think part about really vulnerable in
some of the tighter maneuvers with the way these foils
were designed, so they ended up on the back foot

(07:13):
quite often and in the offer were quite aggressive and
are waiting for an opportunity. So now we've had to
have seen that we were in that camp already. We
feel like we're a very maneuverable boat. And the crews
spent thousands of hours literally, you know, just understanding the

(07:34):
physics when we do maneuver these boats and tight situations
is a real fine line. And if you fall off
the foils, obviously it's a massive loss. If you bent
the rudder, massive loss and you're on the back foot.
So that's the challenge with these boats, high risk, high reward.

Speaker 3 (07:52):
How do you balance that right? How do you balance
calculated risk taking with the smallest possible margins of era.

Speaker 7 (08:00):
Yeah, it's actually it's a great question. It's really hard
because if you go conservative, like you know, we felt
prid of did a little bit in the final there,
you're kind of on the back foot. And then you
it's really you know, you can't afford to you can't
afford to be on the back foot. You've got to
be able to know that you can match them in
any situation. And the whole key is to not make

(08:23):
the first mistake. Are you going to put the pressure
on Both teams will be doing that to each other
to try and force the first mistake, and then that's
you know, that's that initial advantage which can translate to
being pretty significant. But the track to being too conservative
clearly isn't there. It's the phone line. Uh, if you're

(08:45):
too conservative, too complacent, well we're just going yet walked
all over. So you know we can't do that either.
So it's going to be fascinating to see what sort
of aggression both teams bring to the table.

Speaker 3 (08:57):
Absolutely, you've talked a bit about the start there and
the pre start. Are you able to articulate right just
how important that part of the races.

Speaker 7 (09:07):
Well, the race isn't one and lost in the start.
You know, you can you can be seriously compromised if
you do come off the foils and have a massive deficit.
And you know, we've spent all of these years trying
to get a couple more seconds of performance through the
entire race track. We'd spend a lot of money if

(09:30):
you could buy five seconds of performance around the track.
But you know that can all be taken away by
one mistake and the peace start on the wrong side
of the other boat and missing it shift. So it's
actually incredibly important. You know, it's probably you know, seventy
or eighty descenter of the race in some conditions where

(09:50):
when the breeze is not changing very much and it's
pretty steady, then you just got to have that initial
advantage and then just put your elbows out so sound
clean from there.

Speaker 3 (10:03):
How do you win if you lose the start.

Speaker 7 (10:07):
Well, you have to keep it tight, you have to
not take risks. You just have to keep the pressure
on it. As you look, you're relying on the other
team to make a mistake. But if you can keep
the pressure on them, there's obviously much higher chance you're
going to make a mistake, you've got to be with
un striking difference. But when that one mistake happens, you're
pouncing in the lead. You've got to keep it close enough.

(10:29):
You know you're probably only going to get the chance
of one mistake, so you've got to be you know, obviously,
stay in the game and just keep putting the pressure
on the other boat. You know, it has never over
to the end, and these boats, you know, it's really relentless.

(10:50):
How important boat handling.

Speaker 3 (10:52):
Is the nature of the structure of the event. Of course,
is that any us pretenda? I guess you'd say a
match race hardened. They've been racing all of this time.
They've been making improvements as they race. How do you
take that away or how do you replicate that or
combat that given the fact that that you haven't been
doing that.

Speaker 7 (11:12):
Yeah, Look, we know we have our ways of being
able to race the boat on the water and simulate races,
but that's you know, we do put ourselves under pressure,
and obviously we analyze what they've been doing. We we
study the times that they do their maneuvers, and we
can replicate those races and the simulator and you know,

(11:33):
there's always a move and a countermove, and i'd like
to think, you know, we've learned a lot since our
last races, and we've definitely you know, every team is
improving all the time, and like you just have to
just do your homework. It's all you can do at
the stage. There's no point from the training gets any
other team you're not around and everyone's moved on, so

(11:55):
they're going to be as good as You're never going
to have as good a training partner as to go
into the just finishing there again, so you know.

Speaker 9 (12:02):
We virtually make it.

Speaker 7 (12:04):
As hard as we can and the stimulate it. To
be honest, I go on about the simulat. It's an
absolutely incredible tool. You know, we can just do multiple
starts and to our simulator session and come and with
some really good solid learnings and they shared consciousness between
there outstanding.

Speaker 3 (12:25):
So raight, where are you when racing is going on?

Speaker 7 (12:29):
Yeah, when racing's going on, I'm on the chase boat.
I just kind of keep an eye on the weather
and focus pretty hard on making sure what stars we
head up we have up and Josh and Samer right
alongside me working really hard with the guys on prestart strategies.
What side of the course we like, we've got Roger

(12:51):
Bannamer were the man a sure giving a simple into
what's going to happen in the future. We obviously know
what's happened with the weather and it's all about just
trying to predict what's going to happen next with the
breeze over the next half hour. And obviously the designers,
now we switched into performance mode and analyzing all of
our maneuvers, all of the opposition's maneuvers. Where can we

(13:13):
make incremental gains from here on? And you know, the
degress at the end of the day is incredibly thorough.
The detail that we can dive into now is go
on to a whole other level. And you know, we
really utilize the design team as part of the coaching
staff as well.

Speaker 3 (13:31):
Now and you won the America's Cup with Team New
Zealand in twenty seventeen and again in twenty twenty one.
What is most helpful ray from those regattas in twenty
twenty four if anything, Well.

Speaker 7 (13:45):
Look, I'm just having the belief to know that we
can do it. But the team can perform under pressure
we as you really enjoy the pressure the sailors coming
too their own and a lot of top sports people do.
They actually think clearer and perform better under pressure. And
I'd like to think we have a team that operates
really well under pressure. So that's you know, we know

(14:07):
we can do that.

Speaker 10 (14:08):
We've done it before.

Speaker 7 (14:09):
We're a much stronger team than we've ever been before,
so we get a lot of strength from that.

Speaker 6 (14:17):
Right.

Speaker 3 (14:17):
It's been a great to chat to your very very
instructional and interesting. I get the feeling you're just waiting
for it all to get underways, so all the best
as you prepare to defend the America's Cup against in
the os Pretendia. Thanks so much for taking the time
for a chat.

Speaker 7 (14:32):
We can't wait. And this is so good to see
all the Kiri supporters come out here and now the
planes are full of them. Fantastic.

Speaker 3 (14:38):
Good to hear, Ray, good to hear. Thanks indeed, Ray
Davies there from Emirates Team New Zealand. He's his official
title as coach of Emirates Team New Zealand. A good
insight there into what he does in terms of making
that boat go as fast as possible. Can you hear
from you now, our eight hundred and eighty ten eighty
lines are open. If I'm reading the pulse of the

(15:00):
sporting public correctly, and I think I am on this,
I feel like this very low and gage on the
America's Cup regatta so far. Now, that's partly because we
haven't seen Team New Zealand compete yet, apart from early
in the Louis Vuitton when they were just really taking
the chance to get out on the water. That wasn't
competitive racing. But the main reason I think the engagement

(15:23):
and interest are so liar is because of the time.
These races are in the dead of the night. But
then I thought to myself, well, we get up to
watch other sport in the wee small hours. I think
many of us have got up to watch Test rugby,
the Olympics, jeep as. We spent a lot of time
in the middle of the night recently watching our kiwis
in Paris, Commonwealth Games the same. The FA Cup Final,

(15:47):
I remember, was always the thing football fans got up for.
Will you be getting up to watch us defend the
old mug? And it's not just really that it's overseas.
I really think it is the time thing, because it's
been overseas before, hasn't it, but in far friendlier time
zones Bermuda and San Francisco and others far friendlier time zones.

(16:09):
The big chestnut, of course, is that in all of
the other oversees America's Cups we were challenging. We've always
defended the Cup at home until now.

Speaker 11 (16:20):
Now.

Speaker 3 (16:20):
I don't really really want to delve too much into
that to relitigate the decision to take the defense off shore.
I feel like that's been done, the decisions made. We
are defending in Barcelona, but there's no doubt the collateral
damage of that is viewa engagement. Doesn't take too many
brain cells to work that out. When it was in Auckland,

(16:44):
we all turned up to watch, even when it was
in a friendlier time zone. It's like any sport. If
it's on, you know you're flicking around the channels. Oh,
I have a look at that. Not a lot of
us are flicking around the channels at one in the morning.
I'm keen to know, though, how you'll engage with the
America's Cup. Will you stay up tonight, whill you get
up to watch? Or is it more likely that you'll
wake up in the morning and check on the results.

(17:05):
Listen to our listen to our sports news tomorrow morning
and find out how the races went. Oh, eight hundred
and eighty ten eighty. What is your America's Cup strategy
or anything you want to pick up on that you
hit from Ray Davies or anything really at all about
the America's Cup. Hello, Sandy, Thanks for holding Hi. What's
on your mind? Sandy?

Speaker 12 (17:28):
Well, I've had a question in my mind for a
long time and that I don't understand because I think
I made the answers to it. I only along family
ocean cruising type of person. This question is very important

(17:54):
and I'd love to know why they don't do what
I think they want to do when they get ask
for us in low win situations and fat men, you
prove this to get back off.

Speaker 3 (18:10):
So why don't they get back on the foils? Is
that the question? Yeah, I guess the lack of winds
is probably the reason sending. I guess if they fall
off the foils, it feels to me as though once
they get up on the foils, they're up, But getting
up is the thing. Look, I'm I'm by no means
a sailing expert. Somebody out there will have the answer.

(18:32):
But once you fall off the foils, if the other
boats on their foils, then clearly have got the advantage.
Get up on the foils. That's what that's what the
holy grail of this is. If you fall off, presumably
they're trying to get back up, but by the sounds
of it, it's not as easy as all of that. Sandy.
Someone will have the answer. Someone will be able to
tell us on our eight hundred and eighty ten eighty
or nine two nine two. So keep listening, Carlos, Hi.

Speaker 13 (18:54):
Whoa, I've got the answer for you. Go on, I've
got the answer for you. Guys. So you're talking before
about the wholy grail of the Lyricus Cup, and I
just feel like saying that anyone who calls on the
name of the Lord will be saved.

Speaker 3 (19:13):
Thank you, Carlos. I really appreciate your call on this.
I think we'll stick to the we'll stick to the yachting.
I think we'll stick to the we'll stick to the
actual sport out on the water. I do appreciate your call, though, Hello, Julian.

Speaker 9 (19:26):
We're all safe now, then, don't we we've got the
Lord on our side. Look, I I'm up early anyway,
and I've been getting up to watch every single race.
But if you leave it until about two and a
haurs after the race, it.

Speaker 7 (19:43):
Is on YouTube, right yep.

Speaker 9 (19:48):
So anybody that doesn't want to get up at up us, well,
if they leave it, it's not usually a live CAFT
and it's not straight away. So if you leave it
at two and a half hours, maybe sort of help
us two three o'clock in the morning watch it on YouTube.
Great commentary Peter Lester seem to you know, the guys
on YouTube need to know and see a bit about
what's going on. So I wish it's all the best

(20:10):
to luck. I'm in to camps though I'm British, so
in a way I'd like thee Ay to win and
take it back to Cows. But when it always down
to it, there'll be cheering for the Kiwi.

Speaker 14 (20:23):
So predict.

Speaker 9 (20:25):
I predict that we will possibly lose the first race
because I think the tactic will be right, you know,
that's we'll give it our all and let's see what
idios can do. But after that I predict we'll win
every single race like we did in the lead up.

Speaker 3 (20:41):
All right, that's some that's a good prediction. You sound
like you've you've taken quite a bit of it in, Julian,
which is good. That's interesting. Thing you said was you're
up watching it, but give it, leave it a couple
of hours and then watching at three in the morning.
That's still pretty inhospitable to some people. I think they
might want to when they wake up for breakfast or
something like that.

Speaker 9 (20:57):
Yeah, but we'd get up for the all blacks of
three o'clock in the morning, wouldn't we.

Speaker 3 (21:00):
That know, And that's Julian, that's so true, that is
absolutely true. We get up to watch what we want
to want. Same with the Olympics recently. You know, a
lot of us were up through the night watching whether
it's Lydia Coe or Hamish Kerr or Hayden Wilde, whoever
it was. You know, our favorite sports, we do get
up to watch them. And if yourding is your thing,
which by the sounds of it you've got a real
interest in, then yes you are up and about to

(21:23):
have a look at it live. Thanks for your call, Jullian.
This I had at this discussion. It was with Francesca
actually Francesca Rudkin, host of Sunday Mornings on ZB she
was hosting Drive. We had this discussion yesterday that I
can't watch sport delayed. Why I can't? I can. I
mean physically I can, but I just do not prefer
it at all. For example, the All Blacks were playing

(21:45):
at four, and I thought to himself, you know what,
that's a bit early. I'll get up at sex and
watch it. I can't do it. I just don't do
it because I know it's not live. But the difference
I think with the America's carp is that I'm not
totally invested in it, or not invested enough in it
to get up and watch it live. I'll wake up
in the morning and I'll see what's gone on initially. Anyway,

(22:08):
once we get up towards you know, the seven race wins,
I'm almost certain I'll get up to watch us win it.
And I know that's a bit of a band wagon statement,
but that's that's how I feel about it. You might
be the same or you might be very different. Greg.
Please hold mate, got to get a breakaway twelve twenty
nine with you right after this A spear line there
for you. Oh, eight hundred and eighty ten eighty back

(22:30):
in a.

Speaker 1 (22:30):
Second the Voice of Sport on Your Home of Sport
Weekend Sport with Jason Vain and Gg Gunnomes, New Zealand's
most trusted home builder.

Speaker 3 (22:40):
News Talks, it'd be twelve thirty two. Greg, Thanks for
holding maybe if you meant taking in a bit of
the America's Cup.

Speaker 2 (22:47):
Ah.

Speaker 10 (22:48):
Look, I I was the one one of the guys
that was going to protest and when adults talk it overseas,
But now that it's started and I can't help it.
Mob got up and watched most of it live so far.
That's that's that's just amazing. The boats are just just
incredible things, aren't they.

Speaker 3 (23:03):
Oh look the technology, the technology behind it is just
just other world the stuff. I've seen a little bit
of footage of what goes on behind you know, behind
the scenes if you like. But no, it's a it's
you know, if you just take it for what it is, great,
you're right. The pure you know skill and and you
know the way they said these things isn't astonishing.

Speaker 4 (23:20):
Man.

Speaker 10 (23:21):
It's a little bit different than the salgyp. They're sort
of old existing technology and they're all the same Now
the racing is pretty cool with all the boats on
them at one time, but this is about three years
of just technology and the sailors sort of getting together
and just getting these boats faster and faster and just
culminating in that three year sort of cycle, and which

(23:42):
makes it's such a massive MESSI of race, isn't it.

Speaker 3 (23:46):
Yeah, So you've been You've been getting up to watch
even before Team New Zealand are in it. So you've
just you've just you've just fully its plugged in. Man,
you're just plugged the whole thing.

Speaker 10 (23:58):
I'm a bit of an asomnac, so I so on
me wake up about one or two o'clock anyway, So
even if I was a little bit late waking up,
you sort of you start on the Yurich show and
you can catch up and you miss out all the
garbage and the photo showing and all that sort of
stuff and just get into the racing.

Speaker 7 (24:11):
Yeah.

Speaker 10 (24:11):
I've watched most of it, and I'm at the start.
The Britons look like they had another dog, So I'm
amazed they sort of put themselves up and just slowly
then getting better and faster and making this mistakes and
here they are do you want a real, real quick
Raymond's version of why these folks once they fall off
the foils, so they stay off their foils?

Speaker 3 (24:29):
Absolutely please, yes, yes.

Speaker 10 (24:31):
So the holes create a lot of drag in the water,
so they need a certain amount of wind or horse
power to get up on those foils. Now I think
it's about fifteen eighteen knots for momentum when they start
to put themselves up. Now, the sails aren't like a
traditional cell. They're more like a wing. You've probably heard
that before, and they need ear flowing over them to work.

(24:54):
So the faster they go, so they say they're doing
twenty knots and there's a five knot win, there's actually
twenty five knots roughly of wind going over the sail.
Hence like they can stay up overcome that drag, and
the foils create very little drag. When they're only about
five or six nuts to win, they actually get the
teams to get them up on the floor, towing them
along by the power boats. But then when they're up

(25:16):
and they're doing twenty knots, they're in theoretically in a
twenty five knot wind kent stay.

Speaker 3 (25:22):
Up, gotcha? It makes perfect sense. It's getting getting up
and clearly not allowed all power boat out there during
a race to get you up on the foils. So
getting up is getting up on them as the thing.
Once you're up, you're okay. So that's I guess why
they try to minimize eras to fall off. Once you
fall off, that's not good news for you the whole.

Speaker 10 (25:42):
The holdest drags in the water. You haven't got enough
horsefrow to get back out in your toast, you know.
So I watched the races were longer. As one of
the things. They seem to get over really quickly, so
there's no real time to remember the old days. I know,
race should take two or three hours. Yeah, just just
they seem to be over just so quick. Now that's
one thing I miss a little bit.

Speaker 3 (26:02):
It's I think that agreed. What that is is I
think our say, not you and I, but I think
you know, uh, humanity's need for instant gratification. Everything seems
to be shorter now. You know, you look at salj
how popular sal GP has become. I think because it's
snackable if we want to use that phrase, it's you know,
but it's a it's a drag race. Yeah, I was

(26:24):
the same as you Levic in ninety five in the
year that races took hours and I didn't mind it. Actually,
there are.

Speaker 10 (26:30):
Twenty guys sitting there on T shirts, just sort of
hanging around, sort of waiting for the next sail.

Speaker 15 (26:34):
Change to happen.

Speaker 4 (26:36):
It's true.

Speaker 3 (26:36):
So just on any Ospritannia then, and the improvements that
you've seen from them, have they improved enough? Do you think?
And we haven't seen ten tem New Zealand really sail
not competitively anyway, do you are we? Are we favorite?
Are they favorite?

Speaker 10 (26:50):
I think the boats are probably pretty even. I think
I think so. I think it just comes down to
those those little moments. One thing people don't realize what
Spirling he's an engineer in his own right. He's a
really technology minded so he works for the technical guys
to sort of bridge the gap between the nerds on

(27:12):
on the shore and the sailors on the on the water.
Is really good at that, so he explains the control
systems and stuff that he would like and then they
sort of do it versus the technical guys bring coming
up with the control systems and the sailors are going
to make do does that make sense? So so the
boat handling and things like that, Billy has had a

(27:33):
lot of input into that, and yeah, that's that's that's
an advantage for us. I really believe that.

Speaker 3 (27:38):
I thought you should be the weekend sport race sailing analyst.
Greg loving it.

Speaker 10 (27:44):
Last time I saw you, by the way, it was
one of your great runs for twa and I was
the goalie of north Wellington and landed me your big lamp.

Speaker 16 (27:55):
I remember that.

Speaker 10 (27:57):
Well, you came up for a corning of mister head.

Speaker 4 (28:00):
I missed the ball.

Speaker 17 (28:01):
You lead it on me.

Speaker 10 (28:02):
I was stuck.

Speaker 3 (28:05):
O good to catch up. Good to catch up, Greg,
thanks for calling him.

Speaker 17 (28:08):
Man.

Speaker 3 (28:08):
We'll see you soon, all right, see you mate? Bye bye.
Oh gee. Let's say that's a blast in the past
that probably Greg and I both want to forget. I
want to be engaged in this, I do. I want
to be engaged. I think back to the America's Cup
regettas of the past. Nineteen ninety five, I was engaged.

Speaker 18 (28:25):
To America's Cup is the new Sealants.

Speaker 3 (28:29):
Cup, and in two thousand when we defended it.

Speaker 16 (28:32):
Americas Cup, your Sealants Cup.

Speaker 3 (28:35):
Not a great PJ Montgomery but then even in two
thousand and three when we lost it.

Speaker 16 (28:39):
In its first challenge for the America's Cup Live by
a Nisto Berta Rallies and Skipper by Russell Coots wins
America's Cup to Castle three pied In defender kim Uzi
and Fils.

Speaker 3 (28:52):
Yeah, so that was Russell Coots taking it away from
US as part of a lingey twenty thirteen. Twenty thirteen,
my goodness fully invested. We were eight one ahead. In
case you'd forgotten.

Speaker 19 (29:03):
The improbable, the incredible comeback is about to make history.
Oracle Team USA nine, Elberts Team New Zealand eight. The
America's Cup is still Oracle Team says cup.

Speaker 3 (29:18):
That was just astonishing sport, wasn't it. Jimmy Spettel from
eight to one down winning at nine to eight. But
then four years later Bermuda the.

Speaker 20 (29:25):
New Zealanders paddling into the history books the.

Speaker 16 (29:29):
America's Cup, Russell's from the USA by Berlin's men in blood.

Speaker 3 (29:35):
The trophy belongs to New Zealand. And then they brought
it home and defended it at home in twenty twenty one.

Speaker 16 (29:41):
It's history.

Speaker 18 (29:42):
I'm the waters of the whole wrecky golf team New Zealand,
the most successful team in the one hundred and seventy
year history of the America's Cup, successfully defends International Sports
Older's praise. Again, the America's Cup remains New Zealand's Cup.

Speaker 3 (30:00):
So some of those moments, you know, they they engaged us,
and yes, I'll take it right back to the star
of whatever saying at the start, it is different. It's
not here. If it was on the Hodaki Golf again,
of course there'd be thousands down there, thousands and thousands
and thousands of people over the next couple of weeks.
It's offshore, it's at a difficult time to watch. A
lot of people have texted it to say that there's

(30:21):
a full replay at seven in the morning. That's a
very palatable time to be watching things. So if you
don't want to get up at one o'clock in the morning,
and you and you're not like me, and you can
watch stuff delayed, get up, you avoid the date, look
on your phone or or listen to the radio or
do anything. You basically watch it as if it's live. Cool,
there's an option for you. But yeah, I really want

(30:43):
to be engaged with it. Does anybody still have red sox?
Remember red sox? Is it the ninety five or ninety nine?
Certainly Sir Peter Blake's legacy or one off the parts
of his legacy, the red Sox. You know it's still
got those. You're getting up and getting their red sox
on twelve forty spear line to jump aboard if you'd like.

(31:05):
Eight hundred and eighty ten eighty Talking America's Cup on
Weekend Sport back in the month.

Speaker 1 (31:10):
The Big Issues on and after Fields Call eight hundred
eighty ten eighty Weekend Sport with Jason Fine and GJ. Gunnerholmes,
New Zealand's first trusted home builder News Talk Baby seventeen
to one.

Speaker 3 (31:22):
Back to the lines in a minute. Still got my
red sox, still wear them and think of Sir Peter
go to New Zealand Thanks. Indeed, Chris's Pinny. My wife
still has two pairs of red sox. He still wears them.

Speaker 4 (31:32):
And this one.

Speaker 3 (31:32):
I've been following America's Cup since KSE seven. This time
the time zone is wrong for me. I was gathered.
The defense in Auckland was ruined by COVID protocols. But
I've still got my red sox. Thanks. Indeed, Peter got
some red sox.

Speaker 11 (31:44):
Yeah, Jason, we are. I was working in Queenstown on
the Old End score and over at water Peak and
the company issued two pairs of red sox to every
staff member.

Speaker 4 (31:57):
Brilliant.

Speaker 11 (31:59):
And this was a thing from Plant Actions, who is
the CEO. And if you were caught out working without
your red sox on, you were in real too.

Speaker 3 (32:10):
Tight, so you had to wear them. They were compulsory.

Speaker 11 (32:14):
They were compulsory. And during that whole campaign, if you
didn't have your red sox on, you and real trouble.

Speaker 3 (32:22):
That's so good. It's almost as though we were just
playing our very small part. We thought that if we
wore our red sox, we were doing our But.

Speaker 11 (32:29):
Weren't we Well, we were, and we were all interested too,
you know, we're all keen of it. But if you
didn't have your red sox on, you're in trouble.

Speaker 3 (32:39):
I love that. What about now, Peter? Are you are
you invested at all? Now?

Speaker 17 (32:43):
No?

Speaker 11 (32:44):
No, I don't ever red socks. And I still love
the whole scenario. I think it's just great.

Speaker 3 (32:50):
Good man. But did you say have you have you
still got that? Have you still kept the.

Speaker 11 (32:55):
Socks, have you, No, I don't. And they had little
yachts on the sides of them, and I still don't
have them. But yeah, I always did.

Speaker 4 (33:05):
I love it.

Speaker 3 (33:05):
I love it that you wouldn't be the only organization
back then that did that. I remember. It was just
a just a national movement, wasn't it. Whoever you know,
whoever jumped on board and manufactured them, would have made
an absolute killing. Thanks Peter, appreciate it very much. It's
not the time things, says this text. It's because they're
not competing in New Zealand. For that reason, I'm no

(33:26):
longer interested. Yeah, I'm trying to think to myself, Okay,
if we were defending it offshore but in a friendlier
time zone, would people watch or is the time zone
just so unfriendly? I mean one o'clock in the morning,
that is the middle of the night, right, that takes
a fair degree of commitment to watch from one am

(33:49):
two races, so you're up, you know, what are you
up to at least two or three hours? What if
we were defending it offshore in a friendly time zone
where you could watch the races in the afternoon around
about this time at breakfast, time in the evening, our
engagement be higher. I honestly believe it would be because

(34:10):
there are just more people awake. Some people are making
their protest. Obviously, yes, we don't like the fact that
it's been taken off shore and therefore we will not watch.
But for those who are discretionary viewers of anything, logic
just decrees that it's more likely you're going to watch
something at four in the afternoon than watch it at

(34:32):
four in the morning. So the time zone is just
the collateral damage of taking it off shore, and taking
it off shore to the exact opposite side of the
globe where the time zone just becomes horrendous for us.
So I'm not sure that it's necessarily a disengagement because

(34:55):
they've taken it off shore. Yes, that's a big part
of it, I know. And like I said before, clearly
logic again would decree if it's here in New Zealand.
Of course thousands and thousands and thousands of people woul
turn up, all right, they would, But it's the time
that we it's the time. It's the time of watching
it one in the morning. Who's even up, Susie, You've

(35:16):
been up watching?

Speaker 2 (35:18):
Yes? Oh no, it's I get up at seven and
watch it and watch it.

Speaker 3 (35:22):
Very civilized, very civilized.

Speaker 2 (35:24):
I'll be watching some of this when the actual Cup starts,
when the you know, when the real deal starts, will
be up watching as many of those races at one
am as we possibly can.

Speaker 3 (35:35):
Wonderful What do you like about it?

Speaker 2 (35:37):
Okay? So well, the reason I was ringing is that
I get very frustrated with these people who have turned
their backs against this because it's not being held in
New Zealand. I'd just like to say that, you know,
there's two hundred million people living in the on the
eastern side of Europe who can get there by train,
who can drive there in their cars. They could go

(36:00):
back multiple times.

Speaker 21 (36:01):
You know.

Speaker 2 (36:02):
In the case of the English, people probably watched some
of the Louis Vautons and now they'll be heading back
down to Spain, down to Barcelona in their cars or
however they get there. They can fly in there to
watch the finals. I just don't believe that a country
of three million people can host it, and especially as

(36:22):
we now know that when you live on the other
side of the world, you tend not to tune in.
So I think what's happened with this series is it
opened it up to the East coast of the United States.
All those Americans, about one hundred and fifty million of them,
who can fly easily into Barcelona from the United States
rather than having to do a twenty four hour long

(36:45):
haul flight from Europe to New Zealand at a huge cost.
You know, flights are aren't cheap. I'm very, very proud
that a country of three million stands where we do with.

Speaker 4 (36:56):
The America's Cup.

Speaker 2 (36:58):
But if it wants to survive, we have it has
to appeal to women, and they're doing that with the
women's series, and also to young people. They're doing that.
So I think that, you know, I know that Grant
Dalton's name is not you know, is not respected as
much as I think it should. But I think that
what he's done is about the only reason why the

(37:19):
America's Cup can survive when you consider all the other
sports that are available for younger people and for women's.

Speaker 3 (37:27):
A great point. It makes absolute perfect sense. The only
the only counterpoint, the only counterpoint people will say is
that is that we are the we are the defenders,
and we're defending it twelve thousand miles away. But that
is the only counterpoint to what you'll say.

Speaker 2 (37:42):
It's the same with golf tournaments. You know, they don't
because we win a golf tournament, the golf tournament doesn't
come down to New Zealand. We still have the cup
here and we and even though our you know, the
competition isn't being held in New Zealand, I still have
immense pride for it. I just love it and I've
been following it even since before Australia, you know, took

(38:05):
the America this Cup because my dad was fascinated to
it and we used to listen to it on the
radio or read the paper. Go down and get the
paper first thing in the morning and listen to it
and read about it. So I've been you know, like
sixty odd years of following it, and it's I sent
a we message through. I tuned in today. I listened

(38:26):
to a lot of z B but the only sport
I already listened to is is yachting. And so I
tuned in today for the first time to listen to
sport because you had an interview about the America's Cup.

Speaker 3 (38:39):
So thank you, Susie. I hope you hope I could
tell I'm glad you've called up as well, and I hope,
I hope you'll find something else at our sporting our
sporting menu that you might like as well. But if
it's only the yachting you tune in for, it's great
to have you with us, Susi, and thanks for calling in.
You're getting a lot of support on text, a lot
of support indeed, And someone's made the point that, you know,
we don't just support the All Blacks when they played

(38:59):
home if they you know, when they won the World
Cup in twenty eleven, I know it's different when they
defended the World Cup. It was in the UK, you know,
similar time zone. We all got up to watch that,
didn't we, Suzi is while people are saying we're five million,
not three million anymore, But I know what you're saying.
It's it's something. I think it's almost like a turn
of phrase. Now, isn't a country of three and a

(39:20):
half million? I think we're five or something like that.
But Susie, great points well made. Thank you for calling
eight Away from One News Talks MB.

Speaker 1 (39:28):
When it's down to the line. You made a call
on eighty Weekend Sports with Jason Hine.

Speaker 3 (39:35):
News TALKB five and a half to one guy, you're
going to get the final word on this one.

Speaker 22 (39:41):
Thank you very much.

Speaker 17 (39:43):
The America's Cup belongs to the New Zealand Yacht Squadron
and it's always been a rule that there is a
challenging club and so to say it's not New Zealand
it's been taken away is wrong. Lingy lost the Cup

(40:06):
because they didn't have an annual regatherer of the club.
For example. The America's Cut to me is the pinnacle. Oh,
the ultimate sporting event. Lawyers, money, the whole bag.

Speaker 3 (40:25):
Yeah, I'm not sure i'd have lawyers involved in my
ideal sport guy, but I take your point. It has
got a check at history, hasn't it. Plenty of layers
of conversation. Yeah. I prefer my sporting events without lawyers
and money involved, or money, I mean, I think that's
always going to be involved. But yeah, I prefer it
without without without the lawyers. Thanks for your call, Piney.

(40:48):
I think we'd all be pretty miffed if the All
Blacks base themselves in New York or London. That's just
good point. That's good point. Lots of good conversation. Just
a couple of final texts about the Oh, there's a
couple on the Red Sox and and things as well,
a lot of support for Susie as well, a lot

(41:09):
of people asking about the three million people. Yes, we
know it's five and a half million, Okay, I don't
think that's the point that she was making. I really
enjoyed chatting to her after one o'clock just on the
America's Cup too. So the first race Tomorrow morning one o'clock,
and then race two to follow weather permitting, of course,
then Monday morning two more, then a break till Thursday,
and then on and on from there. I think there

(41:30):
might be one more race day if they need all
thirteen obviously, I think it'll finish. If they need all
thirteen and there's no weather delays, I think it's Monday week,
it'll finish. We'll keep eyes on it for you. After
one o'clock. How do we make International Rugby League more relevant?

Speaker 1 (41:49):
The only place to discuss the biggest fours issues on
and after fields, it's all on. We join Ford with
Jason Vade on your home of sport US Talk.

Speaker 3 (42:02):
Hello there, one o seven. This is Weekend Spot. I'm
Jason Pine and McDonald as s producer, We've got a
couple of hours with you to talk some sport. Rugby
league is our lead this hour. Greg Peters standing might
to chat to us CEO of New Zealand Rugby League.
We've got the Pacific Nations Championship coming up and there's
high excitement I reckon anticipation about this, but it's kind

(42:26):
of been almost shoehorned in at the end of a
long NRL season. We're having an ANZAC test. From what
I can see twenty seventeen, the mid year windows been
taken away. How does rugby league internationally retain or even

(42:47):
regain its relevance? How do we do that? Because it
feels to me as that the players want to play
for New Zealand right they want to play for their
countries and I think the Pacific Island players are the same.
Maybe the Australians are different because of state of origin
over there, But how do we get more relevance around
international rugby league? Greg Peter's on that you might have
some ideas too, which I'd be very keen to hear.

(43:08):
Bunning's In PC quarter final weekend, Wellington getting the job
done against County's Madco last night at Sky Stadium twenty
nine fourteen. They're safely through and we'll host a semi
final next weekend. This afternoon Bay of Plenty Hawks Bay Todonger.
Who is the real Bay. We're going to go to
Bay of Plenty the host of this one, Mike Rodgers,

(43:31):
as the CEO of Bay of Pleavie Rugby. He's going
to have a chat to us, no doubt. A nice
day in Todonger, normally nice in that part of the country.
Tadalucky Whyeatto tonight, Tasman Canterbury tomorrow the remaining quarterfinals. Adam
Peacock from across the Tasman this hour too, your cause
and correspondents continue to be welcome. Oh eight hundred and
eighty ten eighty nine, two nine two and tix. Thanks
for so many of you, or too so many of

(43:53):
you for texting last hour on the America's Cup. It
may be that we have a lack of engagement in
terms of getting up at one o'clock in the morning,
but there were certainly lots of thoughts coming through on
all sides of the spectrum, so thank you for taking
the time. We will around about this time tomorrow review
the first two races for you now, Man Chris Reeve

(44:13):
from Barcelona will be with us in about twenty four
hours from now. Well, let's go to rugby league as
we prepare for rugby League's Pacific Nations Championship. International rugby
league continues to battle for space and for relevance in
the sports calendar. When the Keywis play Australia in christ
Church on the twenty seventh of October, it'll be a

(44:35):
year since they last played a test.

Speaker 23 (44:37):
It's a recon went over its twenty at four New
Zealand points to now they're winn's some.

Speaker 3 (44:43):
The Pacific Championship. Roll on twenty twenty four. Yeah, roll
on twenty twenty four. But it's taken a year for
the Keywis to get back out there. New Zealand Rugby
League CEO Greg Peters is with us. Greg, thanks for
your time. How challenging is it to fit international matches
into what is a crowded NRL Rugby league calendar.

Speaker 24 (45:02):
Look, it's a very jam season now, that's the problem.
I think think a very long, hard season for players.
And you know, when you look at some of the
stats that came out of that final last weekend for
thirty five minutes thirty three minutes of ball and play.
It's just staggering. And the pace of the game has
gone up another notch as well in recent recent times,

(45:23):
so you know, it takes it out of the players.
And without a doubt, it's a big season, and we've
now got Vegas at the start of the season and
the All Stars, and then you know, through the whole
twenty six weeks of NRL plus state of origin for
some players on top of that, it gets to be
pretty tough season.

Speaker 3 (45:42):
Really, it feels Greig like the NRL have all of
the power here. Is that how it feels to you?

Speaker 13 (45:49):
Yeah, look, they certainly are.

Speaker 24 (45:52):
You know that they do what's best for the NRL
and you would expect them to do that, and they
have messed commercial deals and broadcasting deals that revolve around
the NRL competition and state of origin. But what we
would like to see is a decent chunk of the
season being dedicated to international footy so that you can

(46:13):
have a reasonable program and you can actually have players
turning up in reasonable shape to play at the topical
of the game.

Speaker 3 (46:20):
In your discussions with the n r L, how likely
does that feel.

Speaker 24 (46:25):
Difficult, We'll be, We'll be what I'd say. But if
you look at what what what's happened in the last
couple of years of the Pacific Championships, that's a massive
investment by the n r L in jed r L
for the matches that are in New Zealand that we
host because they're they're under our watch.

Speaker 4 (46:41):
And our risk.

Speaker 25 (46:44):
But the you know, when you look at.

Speaker 24 (46:46):
What they're doing in the Islands and the second tier
of the of the Bowl, it's a messive investment in
both means and women's games. So we've got to respect
that they're putting the money in. But the end of
the day, if you really want to return out of
the international game, you've got to get a clear space
with the top players available and a decent window to

(47:06):
really banetize it and make it appeal to the hearts
and minds of fans around the world.

Speaker 3 (47:11):
Yeah, look absolutely one hundred percent. And I think what
we're talking about here, Greg, if I'm hearing you correctly,
is a mid year window. As you say, we've got
the Pacific Nations Championship now, but a lot of the
players are unavailable. Look at the squad that Stacy Jones
named you know, with so many absentees and more in
the last few days, I mean mid mid year feels
like the place, right, Would that be what you'd be

(47:32):
keen on to see a mid year international window back?

Speaker 24 (47:36):
Yes, we would be, and again our players have said
that as well, and things like the exact tests. We
should be and we should be using that and sort
of celebrating that amazing event that it could be by
having Australians. Zella matches that in that window as well,
and if we had a break in the NRL season
it would allow us to do that.

Speaker 4 (47:58):
Bearing in mind.

Speaker 24 (47:58):
That you know, the Pacific country players are able to
play Origin through that window and the Kimis aren't, which
is another another debate which we would like to see advanced.
We would certainly like to have a clear window back again.
We used to have one week of a stand alone
State of Origin weekend when when week of Planter Nationals

(48:20):
against the Pacific Countries, which which was fantastic, but even
a longer window would be would be better.

Speaker 3 (48:26):
Why was it taken away?

Speaker 24 (48:28):
Well, then r I decided that they were going to
play Origin on Wednesday Wednesday, so it took out the
clear weekend when when there was no club footy.

Speaker 8 (48:40):
And only origin.

Speaker 9 (48:41):
Uh.

Speaker 24 (48:41):
And I think if you look at that, even the
demands on players backing up from a Wednesday night state
of origin, and in some cases we've quite a few
cases playing club footy on a weekend, that's it's a
massive ask. I don't think you've seen any other codes
doing it quite like there.

Speaker 3 (48:57):
In your discussions with the players, Greg, do they want
to play international rugby league?

Speaker 24 (49:03):
Absolutely? If you look at the currently currents quite at
the moment, people like James Fisher, Harris or Charms or
that they're on record as saying they want to play
more internationals and they want that mid year window back
and and and there's nothing great, no greater pride in
putting on a national jersey. And and that's you know
that that's coming from the players. Now, that's not just
that's not an administrators.

Speaker 3 (49:24):
So as we try to find clear air for the
international game, how powerful could the players' voices be in
that discussion?

Speaker 24 (49:33):
I think I think they're a very important part, Like
they are in every conversation. We should always respect the
views of players and listen to what they're saying. And
and it's not. It's not only in the New Zealand context,
but also players who go back to pay for their
cultural heritage. And it's a very big part of who
who our players are. You know, when we look at
New Zealand participants in rugby league, it's eighty six percent

(49:56):
Maori pacifica and culture is a massive part of that.
And playing for your country and your culture and baro
and fans is a really incredible part. And this is
the time that they get to play, to play under
the national flag and represent their countries and they have
great pride in that.

Speaker 3 (50:14):
Yeah, and that is undoubtedly true of New Zealand players
and those on the Pacific Islands as well. But by
contrast is part of the problem here Greg that for
Australian players, state of origin is actually considered a higher
honor than playing for Australia.

Speaker 24 (50:29):
I think that's true. I think the state of origin,
it's always been one of our debates, is sort of
ranked in many people's minds ahead of international football, which
is sort of the wrong pecking order. Certainly seen as
a trial for Australia when they pay for state of
origin teams and select the Kangaroos off and out of
those games.

Speaker 3 (50:49):
Really, if we look forward, the NRL are on record
and you know they're very keen to expand they want
to get to twenty teams in the NRAL, which I
guess will add even more games to the NRL season.
Against that backdrop, do you feel optimistic you can make
some headway with what you want internationally.

Speaker 24 (51:07):
When they get to the twenty team mark. If they do,
then that I think provides opportunities to split into two
conferences of team being a minder. The NL competition is
not a pure two round competition anyway, that's only around
and a half in reality, so they to be able

(51:29):
to split into conferences and have some cross conference play
and reduce the number of weeks without reducing the value
to the broadcaster because the number of games probably goes up.

Speaker 11 (51:40):
Over that period.

Speaker 24 (51:42):
That that believer is a realistic option that they should
consider to give a longer window for international matches, which
also when you look at the countries around the world,
it enables them to build a commercial program off their
international teams, which is what other sports do, and be
more viable and invest more in a game within their

(52:03):
own domestic territories, which currently is a real, real battle
because we're heavily dependent on the NROL to do that
into the islands.

Speaker 8 (52:11):
And to.

Speaker 24 (52:13):
Fund the game generally. So it'd be better if, I think,
if we're in an international program that a enabled national
pride and cultural heritage, but also a commercial program that
you can build a really sustainable model from.

Speaker 3 (52:27):
We've got to get that ANZAC Day or ANZAC test back,
don't we greg them. I couldn't believe we haven't had
that since twenty seventeen. We've got to try and get
that ANZAC test back, don't we.

Speaker 24 (52:37):
Well, I absolutely believe that. I think that should be
the the Marquee game and that window and tayed on
on or around ANZAC Day like they are with a
club footy. But it's different when it's national and it
should be in New Zealand Australia obviously, because that's the
inzact relationship. And you know, we're letting other other codes
sneak into that conversation whereas we should have owned it.

Speaker 3 (53:00):
Indeed, indeed, all right, well, we'll look into the Pacific
Nations Championship looking forward to that, where you're starting to
think you might have to get your boot bots out
to play in the halves.

Speaker 24 (53:09):
Now I'm going to tell a little general Stacey jones
E here too, but certainly I'm a lot further down
the picking order and take goodnesses and front rowers and
middle rows that can get well before me.

Speaker 3 (53:20):
Indeed, all right, Greg, well we look forward to that
and hopefully some headway you can make some headway on
getting international rugby league but more relevant and getting that
mid season window back, getting the ANZAC Test back on
the agenda as well. Appreciate you taking the time for
a chat this afternoon, Jesus plonny as always, Thanks Greg,
Greg Peter's there, New Zealand Rugby League CEO. Such a

(53:42):
challenging situation. Can you find me a solution to this?
Can somebody give me the answer? That's probably asking the impossible,
because if we had an answer, we'd have the solution.
But can you suggest a solution to me on this
eight hundred and eighty ten eighty How do you fit
international rugby league in to what is a crowded NRL calendar?

(54:10):
Is it just a matter of ring fencing at weekend
in the middle of the season for international games and
while we're at it, ring fencing one around the twenty
fifth of April for an ANZAC test and then also
playing games around this time of the year. That's three windows.
Currently there's just the one and it's now no ANZAC test,
no mid year tests. As I said before, when the

(54:32):
Kiwis play Australia in christ Jatch in a couple of weeks,
it'll be a calendar year since the Kiwis last played.
It just feels to me as though the NRL simply
do not care, don't care at all about the international game,
and as Greek Peter said, it's not really their job
to care. However, they do have I believe a duty

(54:55):
of care to the wider health of the game and
that includes internationals. For Australian players. Though state of origin
is the absolute pinnacle. Ask all of them, the Australian
players to rank, you know, their pinnacle and it's state
of origin ahead of the Kangaroos every single time, every

(55:16):
single time. State of origin is the pinnacle of rugby
league for Australians. Now, Keewis don't have that opportunity, right,
we don't can't play state of origin. But what other
sport pays so little regard to its international calendar in particular? Yeah,
team Sports.

Speaker 13 (55:39):
Look at.

Speaker 3 (55:40):
I know that we're comparing very different frameworks and landscapes here,
but rugby league as a game in this part of
the world, driven largely by the NRL, just doesn't seem
to care about test matches. So what is the solution
the players want to play? As Greg Peters said, we'll

(56:02):
have a couple of Qebi players on the show in
the next couple of weeks ahead of the Pacific Nations Championship,
and I'm reasonably certain that they're always very proud to
pull on the Kiwi jumper because for them it is
the pinnacle. They don't have state of origin. Playing for
the Kiwis is the pinnacle. But while Australia have the
power and all of the influence, I don't know if

(56:26):
it's going to change. Like I say here, we are
no anti tests for seven years, no mid year internationals
this year. Do we just have to accept actually the
international game of rugby leaguers close to extinction? One two

(56:46):
News Talks a b Your calls and thoughts are welcome.
Oh eight hundred and eighty ten eighty nine two nine
to two on text back after this on weekend Sport.

Speaker 1 (56:53):
One Crunch hold Engage Weekend Sport with Jason Fame and GJ. Gunnomes,
New Zealand's first trusted home builder, News talks a baby.

Speaker 3 (57:03):
One twenty five. As we continue to solve the problems
of the sporting world. Jamie, you're in charge of rugby league.
What do we do well?

Speaker 25 (57:12):
Just I remember back in the day when I when
I when I started following rugby league late eighties, early nineties,
Winfield cappas it was known back then, was what twenty
two rounds, so you had plenty of room for state
of origin and of course international test matches. Just think
right now with the twenty seven round season, I think

(57:33):
it's just too long.

Speaker 8 (57:37):
Yeah.

Speaker 26 (57:38):
Yeah, ideally would like to see it come coming back
to maybe twenty four rounds or something like that, had
the anywhere done by the say the middle of September,
and then you might have a little bit of room,
a bit more room for international rugby league.

Speaker 4 (57:51):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (57:52):
It's the problem I think, Jamie, is that the NRL
want broadcast content. The more content they have, the more
money they can extract from a broadcaster. And I don't
know what, maybe I'm being a little bit unfair, but
do you think the NRL care about the international game.

Speaker 26 (58:12):
No, not likely. They probably say they do, but in
general you're probably I would say, no, probably not.

Speaker 3 (58:23):
The other part is when we get when we get
to twenty and when we get to twenty teams as well,
although Greek Peters did say if we get to twenty
teams in the NRL, maybe that does actually shorten the
season because you go into two conferences or something similar.

Speaker 25 (58:34):
Yeah, I mean you can even just play each other once,
so we'd be what make you what twenty nineteen twenty rounds? Yeah,
the one rounds, Yeah, something like that, and then they
could you could make a few weeks. Yeah, they'll save
a few weeks. But yeah, it's all about, yeah, the
money at the end of the day. And of course
it's that's where that's where all the money rises in

(58:55):
all the state of origin pretending.

Speaker 3 (58:57):
To get a bit misty odd with these things, but
I'm just even hearing you talk about watching the Kiwi's
play International Rugby League late eighties, early nineties. There were
great days, weren't they. You know though some of the
test matches iconic stuff.

Speaker 26 (59:07):
Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 25 (59:10):
Yeah, I mean I can't come next today again, but
it's going to take a long time. Yeah, it's going
to take so take a bit of sacrifice probably from
the NRL to to make that happen.

Speaker 22 (59:23):
But yeah, whether they go through or not, who knows.

Speaker 3 (59:27):
Who knows? Indeed, Jamie or Mate, thanks for calling through.
I look, I share your your optimism. Well, I certainly
show your desire to go back to that. I don't
think either as either of us really feel that optimistic
about it. Like I said, I just think the NRL,
you know, without wanting to put too fine a point
on it, don't really care, do they. They don't really care.

(59:52):
The more content they have to sell a broadcast, the
better for them. If they had to cut back on games,
then the math would tell you they get less for
their broadcasting deal. But there has to be a balance
struck somewhere, surely about the over all health of the game,
the international part of which is a key playing to it,
can I, Paul?

Speaker 27 (01:00:15):
I mean, yeah, just for a couple of things. First,
of the international game, I do know for a fact
that Andy's and Andrew abdo are or the n L
are absolutely one hundred percent working on international you know,
the international calendar. I think that's the goal is to
get to the twenty teams. Once they get to the

(01:00:36):
twenty teams, everyone plays each other once and then they'll
free up you know, seven or eight weeks where they
can have that international window. And yeah, so, I mean
I know he's time and time again he's talked about
really really you know, getting behind the international window. And
then they do fund a lot of those international competitions

(01:00:58):
and and so forth, and they do have you know,
scalps and and and and they're paying for people to
set up academies and so forth in the Pacific Islands
and Fiji, Sama and Thomas. So absolutely one hundred percent
they are behind it.

Speaker 3 (01:01:14):
Yeah, fair point, fair point. Yeah, So can can you
say what just why? I've got your ANTC test so
you reckon that that has got a future?

Speaker 11 (01:01:25):
Yeah, I.

Speaker 27 (01:01:26):
Just can't believe they did. I think it will come back.
And they did a hurry up because I said, you know,
I think Rugby Union are looking at that their option,
you know, just another thing they'll copy. But you know,
it's it's it was such a fantastic occasion.

Speaker 3 (01:01:45):
Yeah, agreefl Yeah, no, like anyway, I mean, anytime we
play these strangers and anything. But yeah, I just I
couldn't believe it's been seven years. Like if you said
to my old wimen's the last one I was in
it maybe two or three years ago. Seven years since
we had one mental Hello, Steve, how are you good?
Thank you?

Speaker 8 (01:02:06):
I think the state of origin should be should be everything,
like all the sum owned players and a strategy directors.
Some are all the siegi's everything. And I think that
would be a perfect game because then there'd be good
games all around. Otherwise, there's only three or four countries
that play league in the world that would be competitive
for anything. So well, the ass the AUSSI is the

(01:02:30):
best by long shot. That's why it should be split
to Queensland and New South Wales playing tests against all
the state of origins.

Speaker 3 (01:02:38):
I see what you mean, Okay, so yeah, yeah, I
got just so okay, so stut of origin. So effectively
there's no Australian team, there's New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, New
South Wales and Queensland.

Speaker 8 (01:02:49):
That would make it a hell a lot more competitive.

Speaker 3 (01:02:51):
I think, yeah, that's not a bad idea, Steve. I
don't think they'd go for it, but yeah, yeah, look
imagine the key he's playing New South Wales Keys playing Queensland.
That would be cool. Clearly we'd like to play against Astralia.
That's you know, big brother, little brother and all that.
But yeah, maybe there's the germ of an idea there.
John Heimat, Yeah, I am hello, Yeah, Hi John.

Speaker 28 (01:03:15):
Good.

Speaker 14 (01:03:15):
Hey, how are you very good?

Speaker 3 (01:03:16):
John? Very good? What's on your mind?

Speaker 14 (01:03:19):
Well, I've got a couple of things. First of all,
I'd love to see the you know what has been suggested,
the Key is playing New South Wales, Queensland or whatever.
But I think there's another angle. I mean, I know
New Zealanders that have been over there for thirty forty
years and their number one interest and is to their

(01:03:40):
particular league clubs. It's more important than anything else. It's
the same in the North of England rugby league. In
the North of England New Wagons and Huddersfield and all
the rest of it. It's just like English soccer. It's
their whole life. And that's another thing you've got already overcome.

Speaker 9 (01:04:02):
You know.

Speaker 14 (01:04:04):
A friend of mine, she speaks to their daughters from
Ossie every week, and you know that they're more interested
in the rugby league than they are in the Orblacks.
They watch the or Rats. But that's my opinion anyway.
That's the thing, you know, they love their para matters
and I mean not everybody has a great life, particularly

(01:04:28):
in the North of England, and you know, I think
the clubs are their whole life. Same with a lot
of the soccer people in England and that.

Speaker 3 (01:04:41):
Anyway, Now it's a good opinion, John, Thank you for
voicing it. I appreciate it very much. Yeah. Look, football
in England, as we all know, is very much a
working class sport. And yeah, maybe in the North of England,
with where rugby league is extremely popular, is is similar
than that. You know, you work hard and pretty grim
conditions for many of these people. As you just said, John,
not everyone's got a great life, but their escape, their

(01:05:02):
reward at the weekend is following their team. And yeah,
and look you also referenced, you know people living in Australia. Now,
when people go to Australia, they do they get caught
up in whatever it is that they land in. Sports wise,
made of Mine was a huge football and rugby fan.
He is an Australia. Now all he talks about is
Ossie rules. That's all he talks about now. But then

(01:05:24):
that's just a product the environment, right, that's just a
product of the environment. If you land in New South Wales,
chances are you going to be an NRL fan. You're
going to latch onto one of the teams over there.
Just on twenty seven to two Bunnings in PC quarter
final weekends for thank you Andy Bunning's MPC quarter Final
number two. This afternoon, Bay of Plenty Hawks Bay tod
on the domain five past two catch a live commentary

(01:05:45):
on gold Sport and iHeartRadio. Bay of Plenty CEO Mike
Rodgers is with us. A stunning day in the Bay,
no doubt, is it.

Speaker 15 (01:05:54):
Mike, get a pony, here's toys nice here, you know that.
So we'll tune it on again for hopefully a fantastic
game of footy.

Speaker 3 (01:06:01):
Are you confident?

Speaker 4 (01:06:05):
Look, it's always a great.

Speaker 15 (01:06:06):
Against the other Bay, so I think it should be
a fantastic game of footy. But yeah, we've got a
you know, we've got a level of confidence going into
the game because the boys have played well all seasons.
But you never know when it comes to playoff games.

Speaker 3 (01:06:18):
Yeah, no, you did right there. Obviously it's a one off,
but you look at the way the team come into
the quarter finals, last five games, four wins, that golden
point loss to Wellington. You're in pretty good form, aren't you.

Speaker 1 (01:06:31):
Yeah?

Speaker 10 (01:06:31):
I think so.

Speaker 15 (01:06:32):
Look, we've been lucky that we haven't been hit bay
the injury bug too much this season, and that's really important,
you know, having all your best players out on the paddock.
So we've been able to do that. But look, it's
been a fantastic competition all the way around, and so
we've got the wins, but there've been some bloody, tough games.
So yeah, we're just we're lucky where we are and
hopefully we can get one more wins.

Speaker 3 (01:06:50):
I was going to ask you that about the MPC
as a whole, because that's the feeling I get as well.
There's been a real sense of jeopardy from week to week.
You don't know who's going to beat who. Teams are
putting fifty on other teams. I look at my team Wellington,
we lost the Counties two weeks ago and they put
fifty on us ahead of the quarter final last night,
which we actually got up and won. Do you sense
that that there's a jeopardy and evenness, an unpredictability about

(01:07:10):
MPC at the moment.

Speaker 15 (01:07:12):
Yeah, absolutely. I think this year's competition has been one
of the best for a number of years. And that's
what's great about this competition that we've got so many
good players coming through, you know, mixing with some of
our fantastic super rugby players. So yeah, it has been
fantastic and looking forward to another good weekend of Ruggy awesome.

Speaker 21 (01:07:31):
Now.

Speaker 3 (01:07:31):
I think Pasilio Tossi he was released to play for you,
wasn't he. But he's been ruled out. Is that the case?

Speaker 15 (01:07:37):
Yeah, that's right. He's picked up a little negel during
the week, so we're just advice of the medical team
is just to rest him. So yeah, but we're a
great opportunity for some of our younger players coming through
and disappointing not to have Cossie, but he's here today
supporting the boys and so yeah, hopefully the boys can
get it done for him.

Speaker 3 (01:07:54):
He'll probably be more popular than some of the people
on the field. He's a good man, isn't he.

Speaker 4 (01:07:58):
I was just.

Speaker 15 (01:07:59):
Walking around the perimeter with him and he couldn't walk
two meters without on stopping. He wanted to have a chat.
But he's such a good blot that he talked anyone.
Luckily he did the right for the pie eating competition
earlier today, So I think the your breaks will be
happy about that.

Speaker 3 (01:08:15):
And the eventual winner of that competition probably as well.
Just on representative stuff. Mike Mony, Nadawa, Kurt Ecklands, Nato
are Koy all in the All Blacks fifteen. Of course
they'll head off in the near future. That must make
you proud to see represented representation in that squad too.

Speaker 15 (01:08:31):
Oh yeah, yeah, we're really delighted for our players, and
that's a big part of what MPC and Provincial RUGBIA
is about. Our job is to try and put the
players out there in the spotlight and give him an
opportunity to demonstrate how good they are and then hopefully
they get packed up for higher honors. So yeah, we're
really pleased with all of those boys getting the opportunity
later in the year.

Speaker 3 (01:08:51):
What's your understanding like around the availability those guys if
you go right through to the Grand Final, for example,
will you have guys like a Monique kurt Nator all
the way through? Will you have them the whole time?

Speaker 15 (01:09:03):
That's our understanding yet that they'll be able to play
right through to the finals. And I think if you
ask the boys, they want to be able to play
right through to the finals. They really enjoyed this competition
and so yeah, that's our understanding. So hopefully works out
and we do make the final and we did to
have them there.

Speaker 3 (01:09:18):
What sort of crowd are you expecting today.

Speaker 15 (01:09:21):
Yeah, a finiest building that says you can hear probably
in the background that there is a great atmosphere going on.

Speaker 22 (01:09:26):
He's probably about five.

Speaker 15 (01:09:27):
To six thousand people here today are pretty fact cut
on a domain, so it should be a great atmosphere.

Speaker 3 (01:09:33):
Good man, Mike, thanks for chatting to us. Made I
know you're busy. I appreciate you taking our call.

Speaker 15 (01:09:37):
All the best this afternoon, Yeah, nor mate, thanks for
all your supports.

Speaker 3 (01:09:40):
Good on you, Mike. Thanks to Dave. Mike Rodgers there,
he's the CEO of baf P d Rugby. Good occasion
this afternoon, as they all will be, you know. And
I think the MPC has been good this year. We
talked about reading the pulse of the sporting public last
hour around the America's Cup. I I read the pulse
of the of the New Zealand rugby public. I think
most people have really enjoyed the MPC. Yes, we might

(01:10:03):
not be turning up in massive numbers, but that was
never the case anyway. But then at a place like
todng of this afternoon, and I'm sure blend him tomorrow
when Tasman host Canterbury, and tonight at Eero Stadium, when
Tadanhaki take on Waycuttle. I think that you know there
is real interest in because you don't actually know. Last night,
like I say, my Wellington boys up against Counties, you think, well,

(01:10:25):
you know, table position would tell you Wellington top County's eighth,
that Wellington win that game, you know, and they did,
But two weeks ago Counties put fifty on us. You know,
it's crazy the different storylines that have played out. And look,
it's not everybody's cup of tea, of course, it's not.
Not everybody loves the MPC. But I'm enjoying it. I'm

(01:10:48):
loving it. We'll have eyes on that game for you
this afternoon. There's a commentary for you, as I say
on gold Sport and iHeartRadio of Bay of plenty Hawks Bay,
who's got the call for that one? And is it
Malcolm Jordan and Gregor Paul This after Nathan Limb and Gregor.
Nathan Limb's on the mic with Gregor Paul Intestic, you
have commentators. Well, I just think to myself, that's a

(01:11:09):
perfect pair, a perfect pair. Later on tonight five past seven,
Tallerlucky White Cattle, and then tomorrow the games and blend
them that game tomorrow, Andy, I would that that would
have been a choice, wouldn't it, Because the quarterfinals aren't
kind of marked out in advance, so they wonder why
they've taken that to Blenham. Just part of the shared
custody that that that the region the top of the

(01:11:33):
South have over over over the Tesman market.

Speaker 29 (01:11:36):
Now, I've lived in both places, so I don't actually mind.
Both both good places. I've spent more time in Nelson's.
I would have liked that, but no, No, Lansdowne Park
is a fantastic rugby ground.

Speaker 3 (01:11:45):
Piney. Have you been there? Well no, I haven't, but
I know my Wellington lines were there recently and couldn't
take the shield home.

Speaker 29 (01:11:50):
So maybe let's just think about those days and nothing
about the most recent, the most recent shield challenge?

Speaker 3 (01:11:56):
Shall we actually do you think that might be part
of it? That the last time they played at Trafalga Park,
they relinquished the sheep to Taranaki. The last time they
played in Blenham they were very good against the Wellington lines.
Do you think maybe that's that's part of the reasoning.
I think that was the Blendham game was already scheduled.

Speaker 29 (01:12:18):
All that, so okay, I couldn't tell you, but I
mean that, And that was part of a two shield
defenses in four days which check TRAVELI the Taranaki coach
even mentioned when they took the shield, saying that that
was pretty tough, so I thought that.

Speaker 3 (01:12:30):
Was cool of him anyway, but it was. Yeah, I
think they still took the shield with them though they did.
They did, he didn't say, look, it's very tough on Tasman.
You keep it. Let's move on from this, shall we puny?
All right? Then twenty to two, let's take a break,
come back and talk to Adam Peacock from Australia.

Speaker 1 (01:12:47):
You be the TMO. Have your say on eighty Weekends
Sport with Jason Pine and GJ. Guvnerholmes, New Zealand's most
trusted home builder News Dogs'd be.

Speaker 3 (01:12:59):
Six and a half to two. Text here, how good
are the quarterfinal matchups Battle of the Bays Big brother,
little brother, Canterbury Tasman. Although test and I feel like
Tasman are the Tasman are like the little brother who's
got better than the big brother. That's what's happened in
that relationship. They are now the talented little brother who

(01:13:19):
are favorite to beat their big brother. So I feel
like Canterburre are underdogs going up to blen him. And
then the Chiefs Derby White Cuta Taranaki tadadhaky really Chiefs country?
Is that really Chiefs Country?

Speaker 6 (01:13:32):
Oh?

Speaker 3 (01:13:32):
The Barretts are there. I feel like it's hurricanes country. Anyway,
we digress, Let's get you across the Tasman. Adam Peacock
is our Australian correspondent. He joins us now Adam. The
Melbourne Rebels this week launched a thirty million dollar lawsuit
against Rugby Australia for dissolving the franchise after last year's
financial collapse. Always a little bit unfortunate when things go

(01:13:55):
off the grass and into the courtroom. Has this got
any legs?

Speaker 30 (01:13:58):
Though? I don't know, because I'm not a lawyer. I
don't wear one of those fantcy weeks I'm not sure
because Rubia's unter put it in an application to counter
seal and lead to Believe, saying that the Melbourne Revels
directors misled them about the true state of their finances.
So look, it's a sign of a code and in

(01:14:20):
particular in this case not in rude health, if you
know what I mean. It's not unreal that you're dragging
yourself through courts to work out firstly who was in
the wrong here and secondly what the competition might look
like because now TV rights are sneaking up in terms
of renewals and such or going to market and they

(01:14:41):
don't know what like if the Melbourne Revels like win
their way back through the courts into a situation where
they're back in the competition, what is it for rugby
look like from twenty six onwards. So it's all up
in the air and something that Rugby Australia definitely could
do without. And it only serves as one thing. The
rugby community as a whole look at it and go

(01:15:02):
what are you guys doing and just get self deflating
about it. So yeah, a mess.

Speaker 3 (01:15:08):
Yeah, I mean, you and I work in the industry,
the sports industry where winning and losing is you know,
as part of the course. They don't seem to be
any winners here apart from the lawyers, I.

Speaker 30 (01:15:17):
Guess, yeah yeah. And obviously Melbourne Rebels and the people
running that club feel a grief, greatly aggrieves about it.
So and Rugby Australia I can only get through counters
them like that. It just s grassing their hair going.
I mean, it is all your fault. So yeah, I
can't think of another word other than the one I

(01:15:38):
just used, and that's mess.

Speaker 3 (01:15:39):
All right, Let's get on to some actual sport. They
call it the Great Race Mount Panorama, Bathurst on this weekend.
Does Bethist still get mainstream cut through on your side
of the testament?

Speaker 30 (01:15:50):
Yeah, it's honest, I reckon. It's as big as the
House in days of Peter Brown, Dick Johnson for v
Hold and all of that. But it's still a mammoth event.
It's still going to go well on TV and have
a huge crowd up there. So what a couple of
weeks Bathist that had. Last weekend they had the Curry
knocked out. All the indigenous rugby league teams going out

(01:16:12):
and play a footy Carnival and then this week they've
got everyone filling up the mountain up there and enjoying
themselves as they do the matter racing fans. So yeah,
it's big, it's it's different like everything else is in sport.
But yeah, and it comes on a free weekend, doesn't
it pioneer with international football? The footy codes are done,

(01:16:33):
so yeah, this is a little gap in the calendar
that they're taking advantage of them.

Speaker 3 (01:16:37):
Yeah, I heard, I've heard it said that those who
actually live in and around Bathurst aren't particularly enamored by
the whole thing. I guess they are. I guess they're
town and it really is just a town, doesn't It
gets taken over once a year by thousands and thousands
of people. Some of them probably just get out of Dodge.
They get out of there, written there renting their house
out for exorbitant amounts and then come back when it's

(01:16:57):
all done.

Speaker 30 (01:16:59):
Yeah, yeah, probably that's the path I'd take if I
lives up there. It's a beautiful town, Batters. It's a
beautiful little country town and great little pubs and little
cafes and restaurants. But it's good for the local economy.
That's amazing, and yeah, I think I'm with you. May
I reckon, I'd be a b being the light out
of my house. And yeah, enjoying the enjoying the proceeds

(01:17:20):
somewhere else.

Speaker 3 (01:17:21):
And finally to the soccer rus, Tony Popovich has taken
over as head coach from Graham Arnold and his era,
if you can call it, that is underway, with a
three to one win over China and Adelaide during the week.
I'm sure you caught the game or some of it.
What was your reaction and what has the overall reaction
been to the first game of the Tony Popovich era.

Speaker 30 (01:17:42):
Yeah, positive because it was a win and it was
what needed to happen, and that was just win the game.
Slightly not surprised, but happily. Yeah, eyebrows raised about how
Tony Povits went about it and how the team played.
They changed up their formation, they tried some quicker short

(01:18:04):
passing stuff.

Speaker 26 (01:18:05):
It was that.

Speaker 30 (01:18:06):
She's good to watch.

Speaker 7 (01:18:07):
Now.

Speaker 30 (01:18:07):
The true test is going to come early next week
when they played Japan in Japan, and that's the ultimate
litmus test in this group. If we get something out
of that, we're actually all of a sudden looking pretty
good to get one of those top two spots. But yeah,
it's a it's a totally different equation up there because
China are totally out informed. There's rumors that are going
to sack their coach. It's not a good picture there.

(01:18:28):
But no, I was pleasantly surprised about how we went
out of the orts.

Speaker 3 (01:18:33):
Go they in action, Yeah, they were, they beat They
beat Tahiti yesterday. Three Nils So, as you know, Oceanny
is a pretty small footballing pond. But in New Zealand
got the job done. They don't have a second game
in this window, two more in November, so yeah, they're
off to a winning start. Actually chatting to captain Chris
Wood very shortly, just back to the soccers. Yeah, yeah, absolutely,

(01:18:55):
what a man, what a man.

Speaker 30 (01:18:57):
Your castle legends.

Speaker 3 (01:18:59):
Yeah he's out forest now as you know, Adam, but
you know it stays in the and the black and
white are well documented too. To speak to the soccer
who Speaking of players, I'll watch the game over here.
Craig Goodwin's goal, another one out of the top drawer.
Where is Craig Goodwin now? Among you know, is he
approaching the status of one of your great soccer roots.

Speaker 30 (01:19:21):
Oh yeah, who's like it's a hard club to get
into because Craig I think, coupled with been great for
the soccer. Who's we kind of judge it on where
you've been in club football as well. And now Craig
hasn't played a big European club. You spent time over
there in Holland. But yeah, what he does in that
Soccaro shirt, I think, yeah, it's Kim Cahill made himself

(01:19:44):
Australia's most famous Australian footballer by virtue of what he
did in the Socceros shirt. Mainly scored a stack of
goals for Everson, was fantastic in the Premier League, whereas
Harry Curle is probably our best ever footballer we've produced,
if not Mark Madooka. But you have that recognition because
of what you're doing the gold Church. So I think
Craig Goodwin it is going to be looked upon very

(01:20:04):
finally if he keeps doing this and he's showing no
signs of stopping playing at Saudi Arabia at the moment.
But he's from a guy who got a late start
to his professional career. He got a Hissley contract where
he basically couldn't even afford to put petrol in his
car where he's living in Melbourne. Ten years later he's
played at Saudi Arabia doing that in front of forty
thousand people in Adelaide. It's an incredible story and so

(01:20:26):
happy for him and hopefully you can ping a few
more throughout the course of this campaign because we need him.

Speaker 4 (01:20:33):
Yep.

Speaker 3 (01:20:33):
Seems like a top bloke as well. Adam is always
thanks for your rap of Australian sporting matters. We'll do
it again next Saturday. Sounds good mane thanks Adam. Adam
Peacock there, get him across your social platforms. Just such
his name. He's across all sorts of different different media
platforms in Australia and joins us every Saturday afternoon at
around one forty five here on news Talks here be

(01:20:54):
just on nine away from two. Text on the origin
and international rugby league conundrum that we've been chatting about, Jason.
What if they played state of Origin every second year
and played internationals during that window in alternative years, so
you'd have state of Origin one year and internationals the next,
and the players get arrest at the end. Of the season.

Speaker 22 (01:21:14):
I love it.

Speaker 3 (01:21:15):
Stateate of origin would hate it. Statur Origin fans again, Queensland,
New South walf Wales fans. I'm almost sure I can
say this without fear of contradiction. Don't care about international
rugby league either. State of origin fans care about their
NRL club and about their state and that's it. So
if you said to them, hey, you know what, We're
only going to have stut of origin every other year,

(01:21:37):
they would not be best pleased about that. But to
take it back, international rugby league has to be somewhere, right,
has to be somewhere. It's just where, and it can't
be an afterthought, which it feels like at the moment.
I'm not sure if you heard me say this before,
but it'll be a year, a calendar year when the
Keywis play Australia in the first match of the Pacific

(01:21:58):
Nations Championship this year, since they played them in the
final last year, a whole calendar year. How are you
supposed to springboard off the momentum of of a thirty
NIERL win three hundred and sixty five days later. I'm
not sure that you can. Seven and a half to
two News Talks Evy.

Speaker 1 (01:22:14):
Let's go from the track, fields and the course on
your homes sort the weekend sport with Jason Vane. News
Talks m B.

Speaker 3 (01:22:22):
Four to two afternoon, rushing by after the two o'clock
news and case you missed it, there's quite a bit
of stuff there that you might have missed. And then
Chris Wood or White's captain. They're back in New Zealand
for the first time and what feels like ages. They
don't play here very often at all, but they are
on Monday night against Malaysia at Albany. Chris Wood scored
a goal yesterday as the All Whites beat Tahiti three

(01:22:43):
nil to start their World Cup qualifying campaign. He's going
to have a chat to us after two. The Great
Race Baptist is on this weekend. Three keys in the
top ten shootout for poll a bit later on, including
Matt Payne who was fastest and qualifying motor racing journalist
Simon Chapman on that and Rafa Nadal in the last
few days has announced his tennis retirement and undisputed great

(01:23:07):
of the game of tennis, and Graham A. Gars has
seen plenty of that two decade long career. He's going
to reflect on that with us after two o'clock as well.

Speaker 1 (01:23:16):
The only plays for the big names, the big issues,
the big controversies and the big conversations. It's all on
Weekend Sport with Jason Vain on your home of Sport
News Talks.

Speaker 22 (01:23:31):
It'd be.

Speaker 3 (01:23:33):
Bang on two oh seven. They're underway in Todonger and
Mike Rogers was right when we spoke to him half
an hour or so ago. It is a nice day
in Todonger, a nice day in the Bay as the
other Bay Hawks, Bay who also have nice days, have
come to the Todonger Domain to try and beat Bay
of Plenty, who finished fourth in the MPC Hawks Bay

(01:23:54):
were fifth for a place in the semi finals. There's
a commentary on Goldsport and iHeartRadio. If you'd like to
flick across to that or if you'd like to stay
with us, then we'll certainly keep eyes on this for you.
Good crowd too, good crowd at totong Of Domain Provincial Rugby.
You love it, Yeah, we'll keep eyes on it for
you this hour. This hour. Also Chris Wood is on

(01:24:15):
the show, or what's Captain Nottingham Forest striker. He's standing
by to have a chat to us. We'll talk the
career of raff and Adah who this year, not this
yep this week has announced that this year will be
his last. In fact, he's going to call it quits
after the upcoming Davis Cup type of Spain. Twenty two
major titles for RAFFA. Where does he stand in the

(01:24:39):
plethora the pantheon of tennis players down the years? Gray
Maga is gonna have a chances about that and a
Bathurst preview as well. Simon Chapman motorsport journalist based in Australia.
He's a key wee but based in Australia. Matt Payne
fastest and qualifying. He's the leading driver ahead of the
top ten shootout of it later on tonight. What are

(01:25:01):
his chances tomorrow of winning the whole thing? Oh eight,
one hundred and eighty ten eighty continues to be our number.
Nine two ninety two continues to be our text line.
But as the time ticks around to nine past two,
as we always do it this time on Weekend Sport,
it is time to bring you right up to date
with the stuff that you might not be up to date.
With Andy McDonald's in Case You Missed It feature, starting

(01:25:24):
state side, where the San Francisco forty nine Ers have
had an impressive win in the NFL over their divisional
rivals the Seattle Seahawks.

Speaker 23 (01:25:33):
Ernie Cross and right at the Payeline Reality Touchdown Channel
meets the Cats right at the pieline Big Spake, and
this time the forty nine Ers pay off a long.

Speaker 3 (01:25:49):
Drive thirty six twenty four, the final score. Still in
the United States, the Oklahoma City Thunder have made it
o for three for the Breakers in their little United
States trip.

Speaker 28 (01:26:00):
Quarterback rives to get able to run out the class
came over and despite the Thunder, I'm playing the majority
of its roster and this game had some entertainment value
to it, but it was all okay see in the
second half to take the victory one seventeen eighty nine.

Speaker 3 (01:26:17):
And it still can't quite work out why the Breakers
do this or have done this anyway. Back home now
and they'll resume their Australian National Basketball League campaign. Team
New Zealand has unfortunately missed out on the Women's America's Cup.

Speaker 5 (01:26:33):
And Athena Pathway, Great Britain will just cruise over.

Speaker 6 (01:26:37):
They are the first team across the line to go
into the inaugdural Hooch Women's America's Cup Final this weekend.
Well done and Ludo rossa Trada brilliant and they will
be his second boat. They are the opponents of Athena
Pathways Great Britain. What a final, A single match race final.

Speaker 3 (01:26:57):
It is going to be back home Counties, Manorcow. No
match for Wellington and the first of the Bunnings ENDPC quarterfinals.

Speaker 31 (01:27:04):
Wellington achieve their one hundredth in PC victory at sky
Stadium and it is enough to take them into the
semi finals of this year's competition.

Speaker 3 (01:27:14):
A twenty nine to fourteen win for the Lions last night,
Australia have dealt Pakistan a heavy loss at the T
twenty Women's World Cup plays.

Speaker 32 (01:27:23):
Straights and that will be victory for Australia. The Uzzy
Juggernaut rolled on fourteen consecutive win in T twenty World Cups,
winning by nine.

Speaker 3 (01:27:36):
Wickets, but even that pales in comparison to the loss
the Pakistan men's team were handed by England in a
quite astonishing Test match.

Speaker 33 (01:27:48):
It's our other Pakistan lose this and it's the world record,
in a way, a world record that Pakistan would want
to forget after scoring five point fifty plus to suffer.

Speaker 3 (01:28:03):
An innings defeat. It happened first time ever in tesque.

Speaker 1 (01:28:09):
When it's down to the line. You made a call
on eight hundred eighty ten eighty Weekend Sport with Jason
Hine News Talk ZEB.

Speaker 3 (01:28:17):
Just before we move on from that last little snippet there,
And in case you missed it, I'm not sure if
you did miss this. Here are the match scores. Pakistan
five hundred and fifty six, England eight hundred and twenty
three for seven declared. Pakistan all out two hundred and twenty.

(01:28:38):
Imagine scoring five hundred and fifty six and losing by
an innings. Incredible, as you just heard in that commentary there,
first time that's ever happened, or that's the highest score
anyone's ever got in the first innings and still lost
the Test by an innings. England eight twenty three for
seven declared. Kept the could have got one thousand if

(01:28:59):
that kept battle. I don't know what I've didn't try it,
Pining well, you tried to bring up the thousand. Maybe
they're trying to win the Test match. Which they now. Andy,
you sent me this incredible stat. This century, three teams
have scored five hundred and fifty six all out in
a Test match and all three of them have lost.
Australia to India and three Bangladesh to the West Indies

(01:29:22):
in twenty twelve in Pakistan here, but to lose by
an innings when you get five hundred and fifty six,
that's unique. That is practically unheard off. But that is
a very interesting stat. So I think, what's the moral
of the story here. You just don't want to get
five fifty six.

Speaker 29 (01:29:38):
Yeah, five fifty five is probably what you want, not
five fifty six. It's exactly five fifty six all out,
So you can actually if you get to five fifty
six for nine declare I think you're fine in that boat.
But if it's if you're five to fifty six all out,
then you're in trouble.

Speaker 3 (01:29:54):
The writing is on the wall for you. Thanks indeed, Andy,
in case you missed it, back again tomorrow. The All
Whites meantime, up and running on the road to the
twenty twenty six feet for World Cup. They've beaten three
nilk goals to Eli just Ben Wayne and captain Chris Wood.

Speaker 34 (01:30:10):
Sutton over the time the head of this time and
that one was easy Chris Wood. That is goal number
thirty five for the captain, sim Peace corner kick and
Dahiti just took their guard.

Speaker 23 (01:30:25):
Or for their movement and a special.

Speaker 3 (01:30:27):
Goal from Chris Wood. So the side's back in Auckland
now they've arrived back in the country for a rare
home match. They face Malaysia. This is a friendly at
Albany on Monday night. There are two more World Cup qualifiers,
also both in New Zealand in November. Captain of the
side and one of the goal scorers yesterday, Premier League
striker with Nottingham Forest, Chris Wood is with us from

(01:30:48):
the team hotel. Chris, thanks for taking the time. What
are your overall reflections on yesterday's performance and the win
over Tahiti.

Speaker 21 (01:30:57):
It's job done, which is a good thing obviously going
to the island, it's a difficult place to go at times, weather,
pitch and all of that type of thing, but it's
a job done through you'll win in and out, so
it's a good start to the campaign.

Speaker 3 (01:31:11):
How challenging is it to play against a side like that?
Who really are going to sit back, sit deep, try
to frustrate you.

Speaker 21 (01:31:17):
Look yeah, I mean they say a lot deeper than
we thought they would, but that's how they designed to
play and try and get a result doing it that way.
That's their tactic. So that's fine, and we just had
to learn and work out how to break them down
and score the goals. Obviously were very fortunate with just
these goal very quickly early on a screamer from him,

(01:31:39):
so that saystled everything can made the job a bit easier.

Speaker 3 (01:31:42):
In circumstances like this. Is it really just about the
result or do you examine the performance and look for improvements.

Speaker 21 (01:31:50):
You always want to play it well, but at the
end of the day, this is a tournament football. You
need to win games to qualify for a World Cup,
so as long as you win the games, it doesn't
really matter. Of course, you want to play nice football
in the in the process, but winning is ultimate goal.

Speaker 3 (01:32:07):
By every metric. Chris, you are overwhelming favorites to win
Oceania and to qualify for the World Cup. How do
you avoid complacency and keep your standards high?

Speaker 21 (01:32:19):
It's all about mentality. You can't under anybody or anything.
You never know what you're going to face, and you
have to be ready for all occasions and anything that
comes at you. So, yeah, we know we're favorites, but
that doesn't mean that we're going to qualify. So we
have to put in the work to make sure that
we do and that's that's what we're going to try

(01:32:39):
and do.

Speaker 3 (01:32:40):
So back home. Now, you've got a friendly on Monday,
and the next two World Cup qualifiers are also back
on home soil. How different is that going to be
compared to the well known challenges of playing in the
Pacific Islands.

Speaker 21 (01:32:53):
Look, I think we're going to have obviously better conditions
with the pitch and whether I guess we'll be getting
better as the months come on, So I think everything
will be in our favor in that side of it.
But of course we're still going to come up with
the challenges of probably teams sitting off and have are
having to break them down and things like that. So

(01:33:13):
there's going to be challenges, but I think we've got
a good enough squad to be able to do it. It's
just about doing it. Raise on the day.

Speaker 3 (01:33:20):
Home matches have been pretty rare recently. I can only
find three in the last five years, which seems incredible
how much you're looking forward to playing for your Whites
at home.

Speaker 21 (01:33:31):
Look, it's going to be fantastic. It's nice to be back.
We want to be playing in front of our home
crowd as much as possible, and it's nice to see
that the next three windows with this window and two others,
that we're definitely going to be back. Yeah, and it's
nice to see that we can play in front of
our home crowd. So we're really looking forward to as
a team and hopefully putting on some good performances for them.

Speaker 3 (01:33:50):
One thing that you have always done is make yourself
available for New Zealand. It doesn't matter who you're playing,
where you're playing, you are very rarely unavailable, regardless of
the opposition or the nature of the match. What is
it that internally drives that in you.

Speaker 21 (01:34:06):
It's the love of the country and the nation. I mean,
New Zealand's my home. It's where I grew up and
it's where it's always going to be a home for me.
So I love coming back. I love the environment that
we come into when we go away with that national team.
It's just the boys are just like your family and
your brothers, and it's just so nice to be a

(01:34:27):
part of them being around. So it's just nice to
come back and just play football with the boys.

Speaker 3 (01:34:32):
And you're all in far flung you know, areas of
the globe, aren't you now? But when you come back together,
do you find yourself sort of fairly easily slotting back
into all white sort of mode again, everybody sort of
filling the roles they always do.

Speaker 21 (01:34:45):
Yeah, one hundred percent comes second action and it's just
natural to all of us and that's a good thing,
and I think that's the why everybody loves coming back
and loves the environment.

Speaker 3 (01:34:53):
Another goal for you yesterday thirty five for New Zealand.
Now that extends your tally. Is our all time leading
male goalscorer. You're also closing in on Iven Vistil, which
is our record men's appearance maker. How driven are you
milestones like these.

Speaker 21 (01:35:09):
They're definitely great things to come into the fold of
as they get older and be able to look back on.
I'd like to achieve obviously beating Oven and even further
if I can, but ultimately the goal has been in
another World Cup. I think that's the biggest drive and
determination for me at this moment.

Speaker 3 (01:35:28):
And inside the all Whites environment there are others coming
through obviously, and I see being Wayne another goal yesterday
inside the all Whites Chris, how much guidance, advice that
sort of thing are you giving to likes of being
Wayne and others as they look to forward their path internationally.

Speaker 21 (01:35:43):
Look trying to give as much as possible. That's what
I'm here for that. I'm here for them to learn
off and ask questions and help them in any way
possible to make their career better and stronger and go
on to bigger and better levels and hopefully em elate
people in the past and exceed them if possible. That'll
be the best thing to have more boys playing in

(01:36:04):
the biggest leagues in the world and performing at the
highest levels both internationally and club level. So yeah, it's
given an experience and it's like when he's done in
the past and things like that. So just doing as
much as they can.

Speaker 3 (01:36:18):
And speaking of the highest level Premier League season underway,
you and Forrest have started well, just one loss in
seven games. You've got four goals in those seven matches,
seventy three all up. Now, what are the keys to
your goal scoring consistency in the Premier League.

Speaker 21 (01:36:33):
Look at this moment in the team that we're in,
it's about having the support and the manager and the
backing of the manager. That's the best thing. He's coming
from day dot and played me, which helps massively. And
we'll get a great squad and a great team and
a lot of very very good players that are going
to go on to bigger and better things or big

(01:36:54):
things i should say, and hopefully take this club that
we're out to big things and trophies and that. So
it's just fortunate to be a part of good team
and being able to do a job up front as well.

Speaker 3 (01:37:05):
Great DA have you back and use your and Chris
all the best for the friendly against Malaysia on Monday
and then the windows to come. Really appreciate you taking
the time for a chat chats.

Speaker 21 (01:37:12):
Thank you very much.

Speaker 3 (01:37:13):
Thank you.

Speaker 4 (01:37:13):
Chris.

Speaker 3 (01:37:14):
Chris Wood there captain of the All Whites. I think
you know approaching you know, certainly the podium anyway, as
our greatest ever male player, he's our leading goalscorer. He's
about ten or eleven short of if in Viscilitch. Most
games full games for New Zealand. They play Malaysia North
Harbor on Monday seven o'clock kick off in that one,

(01:37:34):
it's a friendly, but the All Whites so rarely play
at home. If you're in and around, i'd get along.
All the stars are here, it's a pretty good team
and from what I understand, New Zealand Football have made
this pretty affordable. Only five bucks for kids, twenty dollars adults.
I think I saw five dollars for kids. And then
games in November. This one's at Albany. In November they

(01:37:55):
play a couple of games in World Cup Qualifying, one
in Hamilton and one at Mount Smart, so those are
also available for purchase and I think the ticket prices
are the same for that as well. So yeah, good
to have the Whit's back home and a good win
yesterday three nil over Tahiti, seven nil to Bay of
Plenty over Hawks Bay with fifteen minutes gone in the
second Bunnings NPC quarter final in Todonga. We'll take a

(01:38:18):
break and then head across the Tasman again to Bathurst,
this time where it is the biggest weekend on the
Australian motorsport calendar. I think by most measures, Bathurst the
Great Race at Mount Panorama tomorrow. Simon Chapman is a
key week but based in Australia and a highly regarded
motorsport journalist. He's going to run an eye over Bathurst

(01:38:39):
for US and Matt Pain in particular the keywek who
has claimed provisional poll before the top ten shootout tonight
at Bathurst. Simon Chapman with US on Weekend Sport right
after this.

Speaker 1 (01:38:52):
Have some more than just a game weekends for it
with Jason Fain and GJ. Garnerhomes New Zealand's most trusted
home builder news Dogs B.

Speaker 3 (01:39:02):
Two twenty five Keev Supercars driver Matt Payne and co
driver Garth Tand have claimed provisional pole after qualifying at
the bath first one thousand cam waterers.

Speaker 32 (01:39:11):
Meantime is on a very good lap that might eclipse Phoenie.
It's a pressure moment. He's gone up to position number
two on a five seven waters. This done at five
to six so far. Here is the fastest man water
is Feenie and Brown Out Championship Contender's a covert by
one tenth.

Speaker 18 (01:39:28):
Of a second.

Speaker 32 (01:39:30):
Pays bust out of five six as well.

Speaker 1 (01:39:34):
He's in there by six.

Speaker 32 (01:39:35):
One thousands of a second, Pain, Waters and Feenie one
two three. What a supercar shown with sixty seconds remaining.

Speaker 3 (01:39:42):
Yeah, it was so close, but Matt Pain pipped Cam
Waters by point zero zero six that's six thousands of
a second, with the top four drivers Paining, Water's Brock,
Feenie and Brodie Castiki separated by just point zero one
nine four second. So Matt Pain will look to secure
pole in tonight's top ten shootout, which also features fellow

(01:40:04):
Kiwi's andre Heimgartner and Richie's. Anyway, let's bring in Simon
Chapman from Speedcafe dot com. Simon, they were quick and
they were close, but there were a lot of crashes,
a bit of carnage and qualifying.

Speaker 22 (01:40:18):
What went on absolutely bedlam, really crazyness. At the top
of the mountain, we obviously saw David Reynolds have an
enormous crash between a rock skyline and the dippers going
those first into the wall, and then we finished the
session off with David Reynolds having a similar sorry, well
Davison having a similar moment into the Dipper. And yeah,

(01:40:39):
the explanation seems to be basically that everyone's just pushing
so so hard. These hard tires. Obviously they've moved away
from the soft tire from last year. Maybe having a
look at the number on the dashboard and going jeez,
it's not quite record pace. And yeah, the summation from
a lot of drivers is that they're just pushing super
super hard.

Speaker 3 (01:40:57):
From what you saw from Matt Pain, how do you
write his chances of going well in the top ten
shootout and then going well tomorrow.

Speaker 22 (01:41:04):
Well, but the rule of thumb always is at the
last car out it has the best opportunity, the conditions
will be the best for him to sit the fastest time,
So you'd expect Maddie to be right up there. But
I guess for guys like cam Waters and brock Feenie,
they'll probably feel like that I've got enough in the
tank to beat Matt. Obviously there was that late red
flag at the very end of qualifying which deprived a

(01:41:27):
few guys of a chance to improve. Maddy Pain seems
to have a lot of pace in the straits. He
was fastest down Conrade straight and up the mountain, whereas
the other guy seemed to have a lot of pace
over the top of the hills. So it'll be fascinating
to see what the so afternoon shootout is going to
be like because brock Feenie, by all accounts, was on

(01:41:48):
course to be faster than Matt Pain.

Speaker 3 (01:41:52):
The top four are so close together, aren't they? Does
position in the top ten shootout group position tomorrow? Does
that really matter?

Speaker 22 (01:42:01):
Everyone? At the end of the day, if they don't
qualify on pole, they always say, you know, we don't
need to worry to him. It's about the where we're starting.
You know, anything can happen over the course of one
hundred and sixty one laps. But look, the reality is
is if you can come away with pole position at
the end of today, you know that you are the
fastest car. You have the fastest car of anyone on
that group, so in theory you should be the favorite.

(01:42:22):
But as we know, a lot of things can happen
at the mountain and a lot of the time it
comes down to the reliability, spending as little amount of
time in pit lane as possible, and just getting absolutely
everything right. We've seen in the past that even if
you don't get everything right, you can still be a chance.
So you know, for those guys at the end of today,
I think if you're any one of those top ten

(01:42:43):
runners in the shootout, you're probably giving yourself a really
good sniff of a good result. But as we all know,
just keeping out of trouble is the first step.

Speaker 3 (01:42:52):
Yeah, I want to talk more about the absolute keys
to winning the whole thing shortly, but there are two
key we's in the top ten. Andre Heimgartner, Richie stand Away.
What's your assessment of where they're at?

Speaker 22 (01:43:04):
Yeah, that quick, I think probably you'd almost have to
say that kind of underdogs in a weird kind of way.
They've flown under the radar a little bit. Richie Stanaway
had one of his best results of the season earlier
this year at the season opener at this very circuit
Mount Panorama, so obviously coming in as last year's Batist
one thousand winner, there's probably some expectations for him, but

(01:43:24):
he's had a really dreadful season on the whole, so
he's not really expected to be one of the favorites.
But then you see his teammates sitting this incredible pace,
so you can't rule him out. He'll probably be applying
a lot of the setup philosophies to that car to
try and go that little bit faster, and he's probably
another guy who would have said he could go fast

(01:43:45):
if not for that red flag at the end of
qualifying on Friday afternoon. And then obviously Andre Heimgartner with
his co driver Dicklan Fraser, the sort of starit of
a smoky I think they're clearly the quickest car out
of the Brad Jones racing stable, and you know, on
their day they can be competitive. I think for Declan

(01:44:05):
he just needs to stay out and let Andre do
a lot of the heavy lifting really, so you know,
I would say for Richie and Andre, you know historically
they've gone very well at Batist, Richie especially the Batist
one thousand winners, so they would be expecting to be
factoring in the fight for a podium.

Speaker 3 (01:44:22):
And the others in the top ten that we haven't mentioned,
Will Brown, Chaz Moster, Jack Lebroc and Tom Depasqually Huloom's
largest of that quartet.

Speaker 22 (01:44:32):
Well, a lot of people have been talking about Chaz Moster.
You know, he's a winner of this race. He always
turns up in his quick hair. They've again kind of
flown under the radar a little bit, maybe don't have
the outright pace amongst the forwards compared to you know,
Tickford Racing and Grove Racing, but you know they'll be

(01:44:53):
there for them, especially I think after Lee Holdsworth, I guess,
not the best run, it's the sand Down five hundred.
He'll be wanting a little bit of redemption. I think,
probably just trying to stay out of trouble. And then
I guess for Will Brown, you know, he's the championship leader,
and for him it's a bit of a tricky one
because he'll want to come out the other side of

(01:45:14):
this with a pretty hefty points Lee, but he'll also
want to win, you know, so it's a bit of
a double sword for him because he wants to sort
of probably consolidate a little bit. But when you get here,
the reality is is all you want to do is
when you don't really care too much about the championship,
and you know, the Triple A cars traditionally have been
amongst the very fastest, so he was probably maybe not

(01:45:37):
as quick as his teammate Brock Feenie over the first
two days, maybe just starting to find their feet. Obviously
Scott Pie had that crash at the end of Thursday,
so yeah, it'll be tricky to see where Will Brown
sort of lines up relative to Brock, because I think
Brock's got the edge overm at the moment.

Speaker 3 (01:45:55):
All right, Well, you mentioned before Simon that eliminating mistakes
or simply not making them as a big part of
success at Mount Panorama Apart from that and driving fast obviously,
what are the keys to winning bead?

Speaker 21 (01:46:08):
First?

Speaker 22 (01:46:09):
Well, you have to minimize the amount of time that
you spend in the pit lane. That's really the key here.
The amount of time that you can basically stay on
the racetrack is key. It probably sounds a little bit silly,
to be honest, but really you want to do as
few amount of pit stops as possible. And one of
the big things that we're talking out about at the
track is this full course yellow and the timing of it.

(01:46:32):
Now at Sandown Supercars basically said, if there's a full
course yellow, which basically reduces everyone to eighty kilometers an
hour with your pit lane speed limitter, we're going to
give you two laps to cycle around and complete your
pet stops and that's going to make everything. See it,
that rule doesn't exist here. Basically, race control can say,
all right, we're going to throw the yellow flag, everyone

(01:46:53):
needs to slow down to eighty kilometers an hour, and
what that basically enables you to do is come into
the pit lane and not lose as much time as
what you would under greenplay conditions. Because whilst you're trunneling
through the pit lane they kilometers an hour, everyone else
is also on track going the same speed as you,
So you basically want to get in as soon as
you possibly can to execute a pit stop, whether that's

(01:47:15):
to change tires, change fuel, change your driver, and then
get back out on the racetrack. Now, because of that
rule change, it also means that they can just withdraw
the yellow at any given time, So then you could
either get stuck out on track and miss that opportunity
to pit and maybe need to put under green flay
conditions and lose a lot of time, or you can

(01:47:35):
come in under yellow and not lose as much time.
So that's going to be I think the key to
this race is how you sort of plan your pit
stops and maybe time them if there are incidents on track.

Speaker 3 (01:47:46):
And just in a wider sense, we heard news during
the week the Supercars calendar is going to be extended
by ten races to thirty four across thirteen rounds next
year and be split into three phases, eight rounds of
sprints and endurance races, and then an elimination finals series.
What's your take on.

Speaker 22 (01:48:03):
This, Yeah, I think for supercars, you know, they've probably
stagnated a little bit for the last maybe five six
seven years. Supercars are looking at ways to innovate, and
I think you've got to commend them for trying something different.
I think it's a very polarizing decision. It's definitely divided

(01:48:26):
the fans, you know, the diet and the wolves sort
of hold on versus forward fans of old. But you know,
at the end of the day, supercars has probably lost
a little bit of its market share relative to some
of the ball sports. You know, NRAL and AFL are
really dominant at the moment, and Supercars needs to sort

(01:48:47):
of reinvigorate itself. And at the time when you've got
broadcasts negotiations going on next year, maybe a bit of
change is a good thing. We've got Towiter coming in
in twenty twenty six at the same time, so it'll
be a fascinating sort of period. I think, you know,
you can't pass judgment until we've actually gone through next year,
I think, and if it works, awesome. If it doesn't work,

(01:49:10):
maybe they'll reassess it and they might change things up
the year after that. I think everyone kind of accepts that,
you know, we've got to try something different. This is
what they want to do. Make it maybe a little
bit you know, sort of maybe football esque in a way,
because at the end of the day, no one wants
to go to the second or third to last round
of the championship already knowing who's won the whole thing.
And yes, you know, we we always say that the

(01:49:33):
drivers who perform over the course of a season should
be rewarded, but at the same time we also want
to see a fantastic player and this will push drivers
to the very better end of the championship.

Speaker 3 (01:49:45):
Right, just to bring it back to Bathist, you know,
a reset, as you've just outlined, there is being undertaken.
But what about Bathist itself, Simon, does that still have
its luster?

Speaker 4 (01:49:56):
Oh?

Speaker 22 (01:49:56):
Absolutely? You know. Every time you come back here, it's
amazing to see how many fans turn out. You know,
it's unlike any other event on the calendar. It's like
the af Grand Final, it's like the Melbourne Cup. It's
like all of those amazing events we've got over the
side of the ditch, and you know, it attracts an
all star cast as well in terms of the drivers,

(01:50:17):
in terms of just people coming out to look. You know,
Greg Murphy's here, he's having a race around in the
heritage touring cars and yeah, there's nothing quite like it.

Speaker 7 (01:50:25):
You know.

Speaker 22 (01:50:25):
It's We actually came here earlier this year for a
sprint round and it was very flat. It was just
there was no one here and it was like what
are we doing here? But now that we're back and
it's the bath this one thousand and it's just got
a different aura around it. If you've not experienced it before,
you've got to get here. You've got to experience a
full weekend because the atmosphere is just electric, especially this

(01:50:47):
afternoon when we're going to have that top ten shootout
and those guys are going to have the track all
to themselves and you'll be able to hear the crowd
roaring over top of those thundering V eights.

Speaker 3 (01:50:57):
Amazing stuff. Thanks for painting the picture versus Simon ready
appreciate it.

Speaker 22 (01:51:01):
No worries, Thank you.

Speaker 3 (01:51:02):
Mate. That is Simon Chapman from Speedcafe dot com. So
Top ten shootout just after seven o'clock to night, New
Zealand time. That'll confirm the positions on the grid for
tomorrow and one thirty tomorrow afternoon. I think stand to
be corrected, but I think it's one thirty tomorrow afternoon,
New Zealand time. The race gets underway. We'll keep you
up to date on the show tomorrow. Speaking of keeping

(01:51:24):
you updated, I can tell you from the Bunnings ENDPC
quarter final that Hawks may have just scored a second
try and lead twelve points to seven. Now twelve points
to seven. They were seven niel down, but a couple
of tries, the most recent of which has just happened,
have them into a twelve to seven lead with a

(01:51:45):
kick to come after thirty one minutes. So the Battle
of the Bays is well and truly. On twenty two
to three, when we come back, we reflect on the
glittering career of Raphanadal.

Speaker 1 (01:51:56):
The tough questions off the turf weekends for It with
Jason Pin and GJ. Gardnerholmes, New Zealand's most trusted home
builder News.

Speaker 3 (01:52:04):
Dogs v nineteen to three Raffernadale has announced his retirement
from professional tennis.

Speaker 20 (01:52:14):
Madame It's fourteen and twenty two sixteen. The legend that
is Raphael Nadal continues to grow.

Speaker 3 (01:52:27):
Nadal's thirty eight now. He's won twenty two major titles,
including fourteen at the French Open, but has struggled with
various injuries over the last couple of years. Only Novak
Djokovic with twenty four has won more major titles. Rafferodeal's
final outing will be for Spain in the Davis Cup
Finals next month. There wouldn't be too many people, I
don't reckon who have seen more of Raffainadhal than Graham

(01:52:50):
AGAs who joins us now. Graham, where does Rafa sit
among the great players you've watched down the years.

Speaker 4 (01:52:58):
Well, he's locked down the category of best clay court ever,
stealing that from beyond Borg and doing it, as you
said in style fourteen French Open championships. In fact, if
you look at his clay court record, there was a
period of time between April two thousand and four and
May two thousand and seven where he was unbeaten on

(01:53:20):
clay anywhere in the world. He won eighty one matches
during that streach stretch. Nobody has ever come close to that,
so he certainly locked in the clay court side of it.
The other side, I think the grand's flame rankings let's
call him twenty four, Novak, twenty two Rufa and twenty

(01:53:41):
Roger Federer speak for themselves. You can pick or choose
your favorite amongst those, but I think those three guys
drove each other through that era which is finally coming
to an end. Roger's already on the sidelines, Rufa about
to be, and who knows with Novak, he's getten up
there as well.

Speaker 3 (01:54:01):
What made Reffer so potent on clay.

Speaker 4 (01:54:07):
Well, first of all, stamina. I mean you could see
how strong the guide was. Secondly, he came in in
an era where they could fiddle around with the strings
in the racket, and they had a bigger head in
the racket, bigger than Borg played with, for example, who
was previously considered, I guess the master of the clay.

(01:54:29):
And in addition to his strength and stamina, he hit
with enormous spin, so that not only was the ball
coming at you at speed, but when I hit the ground,
it sort of launched into you and it just made
him waring to play, and the fact that he could
run all day and all night if he had to

(01:54:52):
just made him the hardest guy in the dirt to beat.
He was spectacular and had most guys beaten before they
even went out on court.

Speaker 3 (01:55:01):
And it wasn't just Roland Garris, of course, you know
a couple of Australian Opens, a couple of Wimbledon title
four at the US Open, So was it a stamina
in fitness again, which were the bedrock for those titles.

Speaker 4 (01:55:14):
Well, that show's adaptability too. I mean he wasn't just
a dirt baller. He could change his game, as he said,
to win two times at Wimbledon and then you know,
pick up wins on the hard courts at the Australian
Open the US Open as well show just how versatile
he was. He still sort of played the same way,
but he could adapt this game, including improving his serve

(01:55:36):
for grass to get results as there as well as
on the dirt. So if you look at his wind
loss career, which is probably the best indicator of how
he played throughout his whole career on any surface indoor, outdoor, grass,
hardcourt or clay, win loss record of one thousand and

(01:55:57):
eighty wins just two hundred and twenty seven losses, So
that is a dominant guy, not just on the clay.
He also, in addition to know winning those twenty two
Grand Slam singles titles, had ninety two singles wins on
the ATB Tour, led stain to four Datas Cup victories,
and he's just one of eight male players in the

(01:56:20):
history of tennis to won all four Grand Slams at
least once in their career. So you know, he's in
a very, very elevated category.

Speaker 3 (01:56:30):
The numbers are astonishing. Let's talk about his battles with
the other two, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. A twenty
four to sixteen record against Roger Federer, that's overall ten
to four in Grand Slams, against Jokovic eleven to seven
Grand slams, but overall twenty nine wins to Djokovic's thirty one.

(01:56:51):
Why did he have greater trouble with Djokovic?

Speaker 4 (01:56:56):
I think he figured out how to play Roger Federer.
In fact, you know, when Federer's dominating the game, Rufa
was the first one to figure out that if you
kept attacking Roger's single handed backhand. You would certainly lose
points because Roger could flip him over the net in
any direction, but you would probably win more points than

(01:57:17):
you would lose. And that's when he started to beat
Roger Federer on a regular occasion. But Novak was kind
of between Federer and Nadel and the way he played.
I read a piece the other day from one of
the former coaches. Can't remember his name now because it
was an insignificant name to me, but he had been

(01:57:38):
a hitting partner of all three players at some stage
during his time in tennis, and he was asked to
describe the players. If he had a blindfold on, would
he know who he was playing. So he started with
Federer and he said, Federer, you could tell by the
sheer precision of the strike of the ball. It was

(01:57:59):
just perfect every time it came to you. He said,
with Rafa, it was the shot that just bounced off
the court and leapt into you. And this is the
most interesting comment of all. He said Novak had an
arrogance about the way he hit the ball. And his
conclusion was Novak was actually the best player of all

(01:58:22):
three in terms of just sheer winning ability. And he
did it by carrying a sort of an arrogance on
court and being able to hit shots like feder and
like Nadal if he had to. So there was nowhere
you could put him where he had a weakness, and
I think that's why Ruffa and many other players struggled

(01:58:43):
against him.

Speaker 3 (01:58:44):
Geane, that's great insight. Left handers. Is he the greatest
left hander? McEnroe, Connors Liver, Is he the greatest left handed?

Speaker 17 (01:58:52):
Grin?

Speaker 4 (01:58:54):
Well, here's something most people don't know. He's actually a
right handed and he plays tennis. He plays tennis left handed,
so if you go and get his autographed, he's not
signing with his which is weird. I think he plays
golf right handed as well. You've got to put him
up there. I mean, it's so difficult to compare errors

(01:59:14):
because you can only beat the players in front of you,
you know, so Labor didn't have to beat Federer, for example.
So just put him up there as one of the
great all time players and on clay, yes, the best,
the best left hander of all time for sure.

Speaker 3 (01:59:32):
In the last two years, unfortunately for ref and Adal
have seen age and his body catch up with him.
I guess rick by injury did he hang on for
a bit long groat.

Speaker 4 (01:59:41):
Yeah, this is the longest retirement I've ever seen. It's
taken three years. You know, where the people out on
the road regularly. You know, I'd pretty much given up
on Rafa three years ago, but admired him for his
courage and his determination, his sheer love of the game
to keep going. So nobody was ever critical about it.

(02:00:03):
But if you look at him as far as a
physical specimen is concerned, I mean, he was a monster,
wasn't He was so strong, and he wore those sleeveless
shirts to show off his biceps and and all that
sort of stuff. But injuries foot, ankle, hip, knee, hamstring,

(02:00:24):
and you can toss in appendicitis, and he had to
have an appendix out in two thousand and four. So
I mean, the guy kept the doctors happy because there
was always something going on. And part of that was
because of the ferocious nature that he not only played
the game, but he practiced exactly the same. I went
through many rougher practice sessions and came away exhausted because

(02:00:48):
he played them just like he did play matches. I mean,
it was full on all the time. So it was
inevitable that injuries would finally force him out of the game,
because otherwise, you know, he would have played till he
was seventy. But that's what's happened. He's got so many problems,
gets one right and another one flares up, but he's

(02:01:10):
just got to give up the game. But you know,
he's done, okay, one hundred and thirty five million US
dollars in prize money and a networth including sponsorships estimated
at a quarter of a billion US dollars, So he's
banked a lot of change during that career, and a
lot of people have enjoyed paying to watch him play.

Speaker 3 (02:01:30):
Yep, I think he's going to be okay, just to
finish raff of the person, what was he like to
deal with? How did you observe the way he carried
himself around the tennis circuit.

Speaker 4 (02:01:42):
Yeah, second to none, right up there with Roger Federer.
He first of all, he cared about the game. He
was humble enough to care about the people in the game.
He always respected his opponents, and Raffa never ceased to
applaud his opponent after they'd lost to him when they
left the court. You would have seen it everybody sees it.

(02:02:03):
He used to go back to his chair and when
they left, he would stand and applaud, which gave an
indication of his respect for the other players, and the
players respected him so much, so much so that he
spent six years right in the prime of his career
as a member of the very powerful ATP Player Council,
which really provided the governance for the game year in

(02:02:26):
and year out. So just a wonderful ambassador for tennis.
And he'll be missed, but he won't go away. Ruffa
will be around the game one way or the other
going forward because he just loves the game so much.
But you know, I don't recall ever having a bad
moment with Ruffa. He always came into the press conferences

(02:02:47):
after a loss, even if it really hurt him. He
was always trying to give a good answer, even though
he were speaking not in his native language. And as
I said, he had the respect of pretty much everybody
in the game because of the way he carried himself throughout,
right up there with Roger Federer, and it wasn't surprising
that those two guys, apart from a couple of moments

(02:03:10):
between them, you know, we're the best of friends and
share the great reverence for the game of tennants.

Speaker 3 (02:03:16):
Yeah, I'm not sure we'll see the like of him again.
Thanks so much for your time this afternoon. Graham really
appreciate it.

Speaker 4 (02:03:21):
It's a pleasure. Jason.

Speaker 3 (02:03:22):
Thanks, no, thank you, mate. That is Graham Agaz reflecting
on the career of referen Adal seven and a half
to three News Talks.

Speaker 1 (02:03:29):
EDB analyzing every view from every angle in the sporting
world weekends for it with Jason Pine. They're call eight
hundred and eighty and eighty News Talks eNB four to three.

Speaker 3 (02:03:40):
That's us after midday tomorrow, Nigelowen's one of our best
ever rugby referees on the prospect of a twenty minute
red card. Hawks Bay lead Bay of plenty twelve seven
at halftime. Thank you for listening in Andy, Thank you
for producing what is our exit song today? Well, it's
an interesting date, Piney.

Speaker 29 (02:03:56):
Today mark's forty five years since the debut of Magic
Johnson and Larry Bird in the NBA. So to honor
that time honored rivalry of those two, I've gone for
the Great Queen's You're my Best Friend.

Speaker 15 (02:04:08):
I love it.

Speaker 3 (02:04:09):
Say you tomorrow midday.

Speaker 1 (02:04:40):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine. Listen live
to News Talk said B weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio

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