Full Show Podcast: 18 January 2025

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport Podcast with Jason Fine
from Newstalks EDB.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
Eleventeens from across the globe converge on the way to Matahaba.

Speaker 1 (00:19):
Sale GP returns to New Zealand and we've got all
the big names in sailing straight sprint of its Weekend
Sport with.

Speaker 2 (00:26):
Jason Pine live from the sale.

Speaker 1 (00:28):
GP Village at Win Your Foot on your home of
Sport News Talks EDB.

Speaker 3 (00:33):
Jeret to good afternoon, Welcome into a very special edition
of Weekend Sport on News Talks EDB, Saturday, January eighteen,
Coming to your live from Winyard Point in Auckland, scene
of the race stadium in the second event of season
five and the Rolecks sale GP Championship. Sale GP without
question the most exciting racing you'll see on the water.

(00:53):
Twelve national teams battling it out in identical, high tech,
high speed, fifty foot foiling catamarans at fourteen iconic venues
around the world, racing as speeds approaching one hundred kilometers
an hour, and this weekend faster, perhaps even than that.
Sale GP sees the world's top sailors chasing national pride,

(01:14):
personal glory and total prize money of nearly thirteen million
US dollars. This weekend, Auckland makes it Sale GP debut
on Watamata Harbor. Twenty five thousand fans expected across the
two days of action. Three fleet racers today, two more
tomorrow and then the three boat final racing starts at
four o'clock both days. So over the next three hours
we'll bring you the most comprehensive ProView you'll find of

(01:36):
this iconic event, and we'll do it all again tomorrow
on the show this afternoon, some of the biggest names
in sailing. Peter Birling from New Zealand's Black Foils leads
us off shortly Also this hour Australian driver Tom Slingsby
later in the show, Great Britain strategist rather Great Britain
driver Dylan Fletcher, United States driver Taylor Canfield, and the
new Brazilian team's CEO and owner Alan Adler, plus plenty more.

(02:01):
From our spectacular position in the Sale GP Media Center
overlooking the race course on to Matar Harbor, you can
join the show anytime you like. Eight hundred and eighty
ten eighty gets you throw on the phone. Nine two
ninety two for text messages and emails into Jason at
Newstalk SEDB dot co dot nz. It coming up nine
past midday.

Speaker 1 (02:21):
Talking the sport, on the field and on the water
play from Sale GP in the City of Sales. It's
weekend Sport with Jason Vine and GJ. Gunderholmes, New Zealand's
most trusted home builder News Talks EDB.

Speaker 3 (02:35):
Well, it's really only one person we could start the
show with today, without a doubt. One of the world's
great modern day sailors. Twenty sixteen Olympic champion, three time
Olympic medallist, nine time World champion, three time America's Cup
winning helmsman, two time World Mail Sailor of the Year,
Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, Driver and
co CEO of the New Zealand Black Foils Peter Berling.

(02:57):
How are you feeling about sale gp Auckland. Nice to
see you, mate, Hey, how's it going? Good morning there,
it looks like an it's ay awesome day today. You've
got a pretty good spot for viewing here to be honest,
in the media center.

Speaker 4 (03:08):
But yeah, this is on the north north East breeze.
Should should fill in Nicy and it's pretty cool seeing
all the boats already half cranedon behind us, and it's
shaping up to be an awesome day.

Speaker 3 (03:17):
Absolutely, excitement is high. You come here, of course off
the back of victory in the season opening events in November.
What were you most pleased about in Dubai.

Speaker 4 (03:26):
Yeah, we'll do buy for us as obviously the season opener.
Like any championship, you obviously want to try and get
off to a good start. We've obviously got a slightly
changed lineup since since last season, and you know, it's
really about trying to build that experience in the new configuration,
build that that comfort level. Obviously completely different conditions and
configuration in Dubai to hear. So now we're really pleased

(03:46):
with the way we went out and build a really
solid plan and executed that in Dubai and we're in
the No Illusions. It's big change ups this week with
the T force coming in being a bit more up
the wind range should be a really good equalizer, so
it's going to be interesting to see. But it's their
best foot forward here and wanted no illusions. We're going
to have to perform right at the top of our game.
We want to win this weekend.

Speaker 3 (04:05):
You want to talk about the t falls in a
moment you mentioned the personnel change. Andy Maloney hugely experienced,
he's with the Brazilian team now Leo Takahashi has come
in as flight controller. How did you go about getting
him up to speed as quickly as you could without
overloading him with information.

Speaker 4 (04:21):
Yeah, I think salgp's obviously opened up their nationality rules
now and I think it's really good for the sport
now having that transfer market and in sol GPS kind
of both US and the Australian's lost a real experienced
person both bringing new people back in. But yeah, for us,
it's been just you know, trying to upscale Leo. He's
We're really lucky he's actually coming at a really high level,

(04:42):
having done a few seasons with the Japanese team before
they exited the league. But you know, I think everything's
progressed so far, and it's all about just you know,
building that comfort level across across the sailing team, you know,
really getting that kind of muscle memory in terms of
understanding what the other person's going to do at what time.
And yeah, I think we'll just get better and better
at a group. So we're really happy with the base
we've got. We're on no illusions, We've got a lot

(05:02):
of hard work to do over the week ahead, but
really excited teend the racing today.

Speaker 3 (05:06):
Andy Maloney spoken really glowing terms about you and Blair
Chuke and said, look, it was a tough decision for
him to make, but he he always comes to you
for the big decisions in his life for advice. Must
have been a slightly different one though, And did he say, hey,
I need some advice. Should I leave you or not? Yeah?

Speaker 4 (05:21):
I mean it's sport though, right, and you kind of
you got to encourage people to do what's best for them,
and that's what we did for any And he's really
excited by taking on this new opportunity and you know,
to be honest with him, stepping into another team gives
us a really exciting opportunity for the Black Fails to
bring in a really young, kind of high performing Kiwi
and you know, try and keep evolving our team as well.

(05:41):
So yeah, it's a little bit painful, some of those
decisions a little bit tricky at the time to figure
out a good way through. You know, I think we're
both really happy with where we've ended up.

Speaker 3 (05:49):
All right, let's talk about the new high speed titanium
T foils in broad terms. First of all, how are they?

Speaker 4 (05:56):
Yeah, it's tiffany been a learned experience. It gives you
a whole other degree of freedom and the way you
can operate the foils with introducing aunction we call cant
that's kind of another way from the foils. And yeah,
also just kind of resets the playing field. And everyone's
got so much experience on the other foils that you know,

(06:18):
this is all kind of everyone starting from scratch and
trying to build up. So yeah, for us, it's been
a really exciting challenge over the last what is it
for four days to try and pick that up? And
how excited to try and go see if we can
execute what we've learned on the race course today?

Speaker 3 (06:30):
Do you reckon or have you got up over one
hundred k?

Speaker 4 (06:33):
Now the quick three beings about ninety seventy five something
like that. Yeah, I'm not sure you'll see one hundred
k this weekend, to be honest, doesn't quite look windy
in the forecast. Windy enough in the forecast looks windy,
not windy enough for top top speeds. But yeah, they
are pretty awesome bittle equipment, and I'm sure you get
people seeing increasing their comfort levels on on how to
use them, how to get the most out of them.

(06:54):
You'll start seeing that speed go up and up.

Speaker 3 (06:57):
As you go faster and everyone else goes faster. How
much are any mistakes you make, any errors? How much
are they magnified in terms of consequences when you're going
just that bit quicker.

Speaker 4 (07:09):
Oh, anything you do gets its magnified massively, both in
terms of where you put the boat on the racetrack.
You know, being in more pressure than someone else gets
sets magnified massively because your speed change from that that
puff's a lot bigger. But then you also if you
make a mistake on the boat handing or or just
general sailing, that gets magnified as well, just because your
your total speed's at that little bit greater. So yeah,

(07:31):
it's really going to be about you know, trying to
put the boat in the right part of the racecourse.
But then you also say, look really fast and clean,
So it's you're going to be challenging on this tight racecourse.
Behind us here it's a little bit shifty and dynamic,
not too crazy, but little bit shifty and dynamics are
just enough in it, and yeah, should make for some
pretty awesome racing with eleven butts.

Speaker 3 (07:49):
Yeah, and I was going to mention the two extra teams.
Obviously we haven't seen France yet and we look forward
to them rejoining hopefully in Sydney. But even with the leven,
even with ten, it was crowded with twelve. How crowded
is that race course going to be, particularly somebody like
this where it's quite tight anyway.

Speaker 4 (08:03):
Yeah, personally I kind of noticed more of a difference
from like six or seven up to ten. Then you
know when you have those extra couple in because it's
I mean with ten, it's so crowded anyway, there's so
many boats around, and they tend to just make the
start line that a little bit longer, So yeah, they
give us a little more space, gets filled with a
few more boats, and yeah, the start side don't seem

(08:24):
to find two different but yeah, it's more around the
course just you know, there's there's so many boats there,
so if you don't get off the line, well it's
a bit of a long journey back through. But you
know that's part of SALGP. If you don't get off
the line, you've got to be able to gain those
couple of boats, and generally our finals decided by a
couple of points. Every points pretty critically out there.

Speaker 3 (08:41):
If you don't lead, let's say, at the first mark,
how challenging is it to move through the field and
the remainder of the race.

Speaker 4 (08:47):
Ah well, I think in general with these boards it's
been you know, what you've seen in the last couple
of days, it's pretty easy to go backwards all forwards
through the fleet, depending on how well you sail. Yeah, traditionally,
you know, if you lead at mark one, you should
win the race, but we haven't really been seeing that
over the last couple of days. You know, people have
been either sailing really well through the fleet or going
backwards pretty quickly. So yeah, it's really up continuing to
put together a really clean race, continue to make smart

(09:09):
decisions and sail the boat well and obviously start makes
your life a lot easier in that. But yeah, definitely
if you're back you up plenty of opportunities.

Speaker 3 (09:16):
And Sir Russell Cooch has talked in the last few
days about a split fleet format, which I think has
been trialed a fan. They've found that. I guess the
few are on the racecourse the better or not.

Speaker 4 (09:26):
Yeah, well, I think it's some stage you're going to
have to do it. Obviously. The league's got ambitions to
kind of keep adding our boats to start line. And
you know, if you want to come to really cool
venues like this that are in a city, you know,
on these these tight, kind of compact racetracks, at some
stage it gets to too many boats. You know where
that that point is who knows. And you know, if
you've got an odd number of boats, who knows how

(09:47):
you're going to do it as well. So yeah, it's
all stuff that you know. I think it's great the
league's kind of exploring these options, trialing them. But yeah,
for this weekend, we're back to kind of standing configuration,
leaving boats on start line, just like in Dubai and
when it takes all.

Speaker 3 (10:01):
How much did your third place finish at the season
four finale hurt?

Speaker 4 (10:07):
Yeah? I think between second and third it doesn't really
make too much difference, to be honest, but you know,
we really tried for the one. You know, we got
quite aggressive on the start line, won the loward end
and then yeah, kind of ended up not quite quick
enough to hold it down to mark one, and but yeah,
it's really frustrating to not sailor I suppose two hour
expectations and then that final not quite make the best

(10:31):
decisions around the race street, not quite sailors SMOOTHI as
we did, and to be honest, we felt a little
bit uncomfortable that whole weekend through San Frian. We never
really got you know, I think it's comfortable as particularly
Australians on there that high speed board configuration with the
twenty four meter wing. So yeah, for us, it's definitely
frustrating considering how big a lead we had on the
season leader board going into it. But you know we'll
learn from it. We'll be at stronger and you know,

(10:53):
looking forward to to trying to give another crack this
season in WW.

Speaker 3 (10:56):
All right, just a couple more for you. See he
had Liam Lawson and the team base yesterday. Are you
you're keen to do a driver swap scheme, get behind
a Formula one wheel and let him drive the year fifty?

Speaker 4 (11:06):
I'm not sure it'd be more nervous. So I'm going
to be more nervous in the car than he would
on the boat. But yeah, I mean, what an awesome
opportunity for young Key. We looking forward to cheering him
on this season. It's going to be epic to see
what he can do in an awesome car and yeah,
exciting times.

Speaker 3 (11:21):
And just to finish, I know there are fourteen events,
but how special is your home event?

Speaker 4 (11:26):
Home events so special? And you know, especially having had
in New Zealands bigger city. I mean we've had I
suppose absolutely amazing events down in christ It's in order
to tarchy the last couple of seasons, but you know,
to change up to Auktlin now have their debut up
here and you know, right in the downtown of the city.
And I think even seeing the helicopter shots with the
city scape in the background, the Harvard Bridge and you know,

(11:48):
out to wider Auckland's pretty incredible. This face course we've
got here and looking forward to putting on a good show.

Speaker 3 (11:54):
Yeah, well, everybody's looking forward to to watching the aforementioned
helicopter going overhead at the moment. Peter, thanks for making
yourself available to us on day one here at sale
GP and Auckland all the best, mate, We'll all be cheering.

Speaker 4 (12:04):
For your thanks eats the enjoy the show.

Speaker 3 (12:07):
We certainly will. Peter Burling, their driver co CEO of
the Black Foils joining us on our special broadcast Weekend
Sport from sale GP on the wine Yard on Windyard
Point here the Media Center, twelve nineteen.

Speaker 1 (12:19):
We're back after this, the most exciting racing on water
leaves the most exciting sports radio show, Weekend Sport with
Jason five live from sale.

Speaker 2 (12:30):
GP and when You're Pointed Auckland with GJ.

Speaker 1 (12:33):
Gunnomes New Zealand's most trust in home builder News Talks IVY.

Speaker 3 (12:38):
The twelve twenty two on News Talks edb as Weekend
Sport comes to you live from sale GP and Auckland
Racing underway at four o'clock this afternoon. There will be
three fleet races today, a further to tomorrow, and then
the top three go into a final where the final
points are handed out. Chris Reeve has been covering sailing,
the America's Cup and other various sailing events for quite

(13:00):
some time. He is all over sale GP, but he's
popped in through a chaut Nice to see him, man thing,
So thanks for making me follow Pete too? Well, what
a guy follow?

Speaker 4 (13:11):
What?

Speaker 3 (13:12):
What a guy to have as a leadoff for us.
How important is Peter building to the Black Foils.

Speaker 5 (13:17):
I mean, having an experienced driver like Pete is huge
in this league, particularly given you know, experienced drivers are
the ones who lead the fleet. You asked them before
about you know how hard it is to make your
way from the back of the fleet to come through
season one.

Speaker 3 (13:34):
They couldn't do that.

Speaker 5 (13:35):
But now Pete's got that experience and they're a team
who if they start at.

Speaker 6 (13:38):
The back, you know they're going to work their way forward.
So having a guy like them is just great for anything.
It's not like a race car, though, is it, where
you put your foot down in a way you go.
It's not as simple as that when you're trying to
read wind shifts and things like that. So how are
teams like the Black Foils and the other top teams
so effective at putting the foot down?

Speaker 3 (13:59):
I think if you ask them, they'd say the same thing.
It's just just time together.

Speaker 5 (14:04):
Communication is huge, and a lot of the teams who
have I guess spent a little while together, they don't
really need to communicate at all. I spoke to French
driver Canton de Lapierre and he was saying that, you know,
they don't really talk at all. Now they know what
everyone does, they know what they need to do, and
they're all on the same page. And that's the same
with guys like the Black Foils, Like you have a

(14:25):
team like Pete and Blair that've been together for a
long time.

Speaker 3 (14:28):
Live McKay.

Speaker 5 (14:29):
She's been in the strategy's seat for basically the whole
time this team has existed. She knows what she's looking
for and yeah, she her input is huge to this
team as well.

Speaker 3 (14:39):
And given that, then when there is a change and
a very experienced sailor comes out, a guy who you
know Peter Berling, Blairchuk and the others on the boat
of work with Andy Maloney? Of course he's with the
new Brazilian team. Now Leo taka Hashi comes in, let's
do this in stages. How big a loss is Andy Maloney?

Speaker 5 (14:56):
First of all, well, I think he's quite a big loss.
We've seen out here in the last couple of days
that the Brazilian team have been able to find pace
really quickly on these new Foil and I think that
comes down to who's controlling the flights over there. He
knows what he's doing now that they've got the new
ones they've got they can play with candor angles. He's

(15:16):
done all that for Team New Zealand as well, So
he comes into a team with new gear and just
a whole range of skill that can help that team immediately.
And Leo, he's been with the Team New Zealand and
the youth stage. He helped them with development kind of
out here on the Whitemata Harbor. He's not a newbie

(15:36):
to sal GP. So in terms of a replacement, that's
probably as good as you could hope.

Speaker 3 (15:42):
For the Brazilian team. Then a startup you said before,
it takes a while to get those comps together, a
few different nationalities on that boat as well. How long
will it take them to reach their potential do you think?
I mean, what will success look like for them in
season one for example? Yeah, it's a good question.

Speaker 5 (16:05):
I guess it all comes to onto how much work
they put in, Like, they don't get a lot of
time on these boats, and I think that's the big
issue coming through. Any team will tell you that time
on the water is crucial to development, and usually they
only get two or three days before an event.

Speaker 3 (16:21):
It's been a.

Speaker 5 (16:22):
Little bit unusual here in Auckland that because they've all
been trying to get out on the tfoils. They were
all early, they've had the full week to work, but
usually that's not the case. So yeah, putting in the work,
that's really what it comes down to.

Speaker 3 (16:36):
The tfoils. Everybody's been talking about them this week, You've
written about them. They're all learning about them, aren't they.
How much will that change the dynamic of this weekend,
the fact that they're all learning something pretty new.

Speaker 5 (16:49):
Yeah, I think it makes it very interesting, particularly with
them still having eleven boats on the race course. I
would have liked to have seen how that all happened
in practice, but they did the split feet split fleet
format again yesterday, so we don't really know how it's
gonna affect to the full fleet, so that could be
quite interesting today. Some of them have been talking about

(17:11):
they feel a lot more stable, but they are a
lot faster, you know, there's less drag, so it'll be
very interesting to.

Speaker 3 (17:18):
See how that comes into plint. Eleven boats on this
racecourse could have been twelve affronts had not fallen foul
of some gear malfunctions. But they'll be back. I mean
ten boats on the racecourse was a lot seven's a
lot eleven out there? What's it going to be like
out there?

Speaker 5 (17:36):
Starting is going to be key today. If you get behind,
I honestly don't know if there's enough space for you
to move to the front to the fleet. You might
be able to make up a few spots. But it's
going to be very tired out there, and everyone's going
to be sort of elbows out jostling for position at
the starting line. Once you get a lead, you got
to hold it, so no mistakes. And we saw in

(17:56):
practice racing that because they're still getting accustomed to these
new foils, there have been a few splashdowns, a few
near capsizes, so it will come down to controlling your
position if you do happen to get one.

Speaker 3 (18:09):
I hear that phrase a lot elbows out? What does
it actually mean? Is it just mean blocking someone else's way?
Is that what it means?

Speaker 7 (18:15):
Yeah?

Speaker 5 (18:16):
Holding you holding your spot, like if someone's challenging you
for the position, you don't let them pass you. It's
it's where tactics come into it. It's good, good old
fashioned match racing.

Speaker 3 (18:25):
And the rounding of the of the marks. Things like that.
It can, it can get a bit messy, Canda. Do
you think that there's ever any I don't know. I'm
looking sideways at other boats with you know, what are you?
What are you up to here? Mate?

Speaker 5 (18:40):
Then that goes on out there. Absolutely, yeah, that definitely happens.
But of course that's what we have the umbires for.
And you know, if we get in positions like that,
then that's where the penalty system comes into play. So
at times you might be able to play for that
sort of thing and use it to your advantage. But
what's good about I guess this this course out here?

(19:01):
You know you are going to be able to split
the split, split the course and opportunities either side. So
it'd be very interesting to see kind of how the
tactics come into play in that aspect.

Speaker 3 (19:12):
Does home advantage mean anything here? I think so.

Speaker 5 (19:16):
It's a very different racecourse to Dubai and the fact
there's actually some wind here, we're going to see some foiling,
so having the experience it's a brand new race course
as well, they should the blackfoil should really know a
lot more about it than the other guys coming in,
So I think that could play a part if they
can keep the boat sort of going how it's meant to.

Speaker 3 (19:37):
And who are their biggest competitors likely to be across
the weekend. Definitely Australia.

Speaker 5 (19:42):
They have looked very, very good in the last couple
of days, I think, and I think they've had six
practice races and they won all six of them.

Speaker 3 (19:50):
So Tom Slingsby knows what he's doing.

Speaker 5 (19:52):
He's won SALGP three times already. He's going to be
the one to look out for and the rest of them,
they're still coming along. I think Great Britain could go
quite well this weekend. Spain looked pretty good yesterday until
they had to stop race. Denmark won a couple of
races yesterday which was a little bit surprising, so you
could see one of those mino teams just really get

(20:13):
the hang of it quickly and surprise a few people.

Speaker 3 (20:16):
Thomas Slingsby, I'm gonna have him on the radio in
the next little while. But it seems like a bit
of a force of nature. It feels like if he
wants something to happen and he's on his game, that
thing will happen. How key is he to the Australian.

Speaker 5 (20:28):
Team, Oh, he's much like Peter Is to the Black Boils,
Thomas to the Australians. He's very very competitive man and
he's known for sort of the red mist on board.
You know, he's taken no prisoner's sort of attitude and
you know that that works really well for him and
his team. They lost a key member as well, Kyle

(20:49):
Langford went over to the Italians, so they're still sort
of coming to terms with a new group as well,
but I think they'll be pretty pretty competitive this weekend.

Speaker 3 (20:58):
Do you like the transfer market system that has seen
the likes of Langford, you know, any Maloney move, Joel
Scott's gone from Great Britain to Canada. Do you like
the concept? I love a transfer market. It makes things
very interesting.

Speaker 5 (21:10):
Draft do yeah, Well, Russell Couts has talked about bringing
in a sailor draft as well in the future, so hey,
don't count it out. But I think anything to keep
things interesting, try and level the playing field for some
of these developing teams, and I don't just give the
people something to talk about in the off season as well.
It all I guess that helps the league competitively, but

(21:33):
it also helps it in terms of fan support as well.

Speaker 3 (21:36):
Fan engagement.

Speaker 5 (21:37):
We see in the off season in American sports as well.
You know, people waiting for trade news and that's the
kind of thing we could get here in the future.

Speaker 3 (21:45):
So season five, what do you think Sir Russell Coot's
vision for sale GPS. We've got twelve nations racing fourteen events. Well,
what do you think he would like to get it too? Oh,
you'd have to ask him.

Speaker 5 (21:58):
He's already talked about bringing in another couple of teams
for next year potentially, you know, just as many teams
Gospel as much opportunities talked about it as I guess
filling filling a hole in the market for sailors, and
that's what we're really seeing now. You know, it started
with six teams, we've now got double that. When France rejoined,

(22:18):
we've had a lot more sailors sort of brought into
the fold now with the national the nationality.

Speaker 3 (22:25):
Rules sort of easing. So yeah, I think just keep
growing and see where it goes. Can you see a
time where there would be two New Zealand events? I
don't see why not if the backing was there for it.
You know, they've I think they've got three in America
this year. Obviously A different market, but I think if
they bring in more more events, why not why not

(22:46):
have one north one south? Chris, it's an exciting weekend.
I know you've got plenty to do apart from talk
to me, so I appreciate you taking the time to
do that. Look forward to reading where your coverage at
Inmsey to Herald dot co dot mzeit anytime, mate. Thank
you very much, Thank you, Chris. Christopher Eve there as
I say, he's New Zealand Herald's sailing expert and read
his coverage in the paper online insit Herald dot co

(23:08):
dot NZ. Twenty eight away from one before one o'clock,
we're going to talk to Tom Slingsby, the driver of
the Australian SALGP team, a three time winner of SALEGP.
Season four was in fact the first time the Australians
hadn't won the whole thing. So bouncing back from that,
how is Tom Slingsby feeling as they attack season five

(23:29):
oh eight hundred and eighty ten eighty air lines are open.
Always keen to hear from you if you're heading along
to Sale GP this afternoon. If you've got your tickets,
tell us about your excitement levels, what have been now
half past twelve or thereabouts, so three and a half
hours away from getting underway at four o'clock. There'll be
three fleet races. We're broadcasting from the media a center
which is alongside what is called the Adrenaline Lounge. Now,

(23:50):
the Adrenaline Lounge, I think is a fancy name of
where all the corporates are. And I had a bit
of a wander through there before and g it looked
absolutely amazing. And then above the Adrenaline Lounge there's this
absolutely magnificent eight thousand seat stadium which has been erected
specifically for this. And just as I look out on

(24:11):
Whatta Harbor, there's a boat going past with a helicopter
on the top. Now, I'll tell you what, you have
to have a lot of things before you buy a
boat that has a helicopter with it, but that that
particular family out there has got it no shortage of
expense spared out on harbor this afternoon. There are tickets

(24:34):
available which are called B y o B, which is
bring your own boat, and I think I think that
pretty much all snapped up. There were various different classes
in terms of the size of the boat that you
can that you can bring along. Clearly, there's you know,
there are rules you can only go to certain parts
of the race outside the race course. You can't go

(24:54):
on the race course. That's I think probably self evident.
But a lot of people have taken the opportunity to
to buy the b YO boat tickets and the the
ones in the grandstand have been absolutely snapped up, absolutely
snapped up. So gates open, I think here this afternoon
and very shortly have an open already there's a sal

(25:16):
GP compounds all sorts of things that you that you
can get yourself involved in before racing starts at four o'clock.
Hello grant here, poney.

Speaker 8 (25:26):
I have to say I am completely opposite to the
last guy you had on opposed to the transfer market and.

Speaker 9 (25:36):
Ten obviously the reasons.

Speaker 8 (25:38):
One, to my mind, one of the big advantages of
the sal GP is that it's nation against nation and
everyone on the boat comes from that country. Now, you know, okay,
it's starting off with one transfer.

Speaker 9 (26:00):
Like eventually, you know, we are we going to have Brazil,
say with not eventually with nine non Brazilians they might
win the competition. Are we going to say, oh, Brazil
has come up? No, A Brazilian boat who was ninety
percent of British and Australia and the New Zealanders have
come up.

Speaker 8 (26:19):
So I actually I think it's a bad move.

Speaker 3 (26:22):
Yeah, it's it's a really interesting concept that has only
just started. It used to be, as you suggested their, Grant,
it used to be you had to be from the place,
had to be from the country to sail for that country.
I think what it's done is it's allowed sailors like
Andy Maloney. He's a great example. He's gone to the
Brazilian sale GP team, a startup and lent them their expertise,

(26:43):
so straight away they've got some, you know, some real
sailing experience on that boat. I take what you're saying, mate.
I'm a bit of a parochial gy myself, but I
think it's something that you will see continue and I
think what it'll do is it'll spread sailing expertise from
the likes of New Zealand, Australia, Great Britain, Spain across
the less experienced sailing groups and hopefully bring them up

(27:06):
to speed as well. Good to chat to you, Grant.
Let's go back to the lines. Tony, Hello, Hey, good Matte.

Speaker 10 (27:12):
How are you.

Speaker 3 (27:13):
I'm great, you've got some my producer's written here, you've
got some sale GP boat facts, so hit me.

Speaker 10 (27:19):
Well, it's actually not sale GP. It's historic. You know
that in the eighties, well actually late seventies, early eighties,
we had a guy sailing off Herne Bay called Gary Pagent.
He had a foiling trim ran. As far as I know,
it was the first one of its type. So that's here.

(27:40):
That's a kiwi thing. So foiling multi holes isn't new.
And then the second fact I'd like to introduce is
that in the mid sixties there were three international classes
of catamaran. The A class, which was open keys did
really well in that. There was the B class, which

(28:00):
was then became the Tornado and an Olympic class. And
then there was the International Sea Class, which was a
twenty five footer. Now mid to late sixties they had wings.
Now they got so damn good at it because they
got NASA on board that in the end the series

(28:21):
became defunct because no other country could compete with NASA
and their win technology that they were able to provide
the American teams. So whilst these boats are fantastic, I'm
a catsail themself, idle love to get right on one.
In fact, you haven't got a spare seat beside.

Speaker 11 (28:41):
You have you.

Speaker 12 (28:48):
So you know?

Speaker 10 (28:48):
I mean these boats they're fantastic, but their fucker Pappa
is in many ways A the foiling of Gary Pagent
of Herne Bay, and B the International Sea Class which
we competed in Australia can and many people competing, but
in the end NASA gave the Americans the big boost

(29:13):
and it went out of it stopped. There was no
more C class, So you know, it's it's wonderful to
see these boats, but it's good to know where they
came from, and especially the foiling aspect being right here
on the White to Maat Harbor.

Speaker 3 (29:31):
Love it, Tony, Thank you so much for bringing all
that to our attention. It's it's been been very educational.
Thanks indeed, I'm sure you'll enjoy the sailing in their
fifties out on the Watamata Harbor this afternoon, it is
twenty one away from one. As we broake us live
from sale gp Auckland. We're going to get you inside
the Australian team shortly now. Tom Slingsby unfortunately has been

(29:52):
a late scratching, but flight controller Jason Waterhouse out of
the Australian team is going to join us shortly. Your
calls and correspondence continue to be welcomed. OH eight hundred
eighty ten eighty is the phone number nine two ninety
two if you would prefer to send a textra on
email into me Jason at Newstalk SHADB dot co dot
NZID back shortly on News Talk SHADB and Weekend Sport.

Speaker 1 (30:15):
Talking to Sport on the field and on the water
live from Sale GP in the City of Sales. It's
Weekend Sport with Jason five and GJ. Gunnerholmes, New Zealand's
most trusted home builder.

Speaker 3 (30:27):
News Talks EDB seventeen away from one on News Talk SHADB.
Weekend Sport coming to your live from sal gp Auckland
four o'clock this afternoons when racing gets underway. Over the
next two andred hours will continue to bring you all
of the action and the color from the media center
here on Winyard Point. There is other sport happening around
the place though. Live Sport from the University of Otago Overland,

(30:50):
Dunedin where it's women's and men's Supersmash today between Otago
and Wellington. Otago, who are top of the table and
the women's division, look like they're gonna have another win.
Wellington restricted to one hundred and twenty for five in
their twenty overs and Otago going along very nicely in
the night though they are seventy seven without loss. Susie
Bates hardly surprising that she's amongst the runs thirty six

(31:13):
not out of twenty nine balls, so Otago looking very
very good as they look to chalk up another win
in the women's Super Smash. They are currently at the
top of the table with twenty points from their seven games,
you get four for a win. They've had five wins
and two losses. Wellington are currently third, but they've only
played four games. However, Otaga looking very good to finish

(31:34):
top of the table and earn direct to entry into
the final Finals. Weekend is in Wellington on February one
and two and will feature a preliminary final on the
Saturday and then the grand Final on the Sunday. So
looking forward to that February one and two, sixteen away
from one o'clock. As we get you inside the Australian

(31:58):
sal GP camp a late call up for flight controller
Jason Waterhouse bailing your beting your driver to slings. But yeah,
good to see you mate. How are you?

Speaker 7 (32:08):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (32:08):
Really good?

Speaker 7 (32:09):
Thanks, thanks having.

Speaker 3 (32:09):
Men, It's great to have you here. Jason. How are
you feeling you hit a sale gp Auckland.

Speaker 13 (32:13):
Yeah good.

Speaker 12 (32:13):
We've had really good two days of practice racing so far.
The conditions has been glamour so a little bit chili
that across the ditch, but enjoying it.

Speaker 3 (32:21):
So you've got your digging about the New Zealand with
a nice and earlier.

Speaker 9 (32:24):
I like it.

Speaker 3 (32:25):
And what's some what's Tom like? I couldn't ask him that.
What's he like?

Speaker 12 (32:30):
He's amazing not only he's a CEO, but also as
a skipper and a mate exceptional sailor, which is why
we love to race alongside him, and it pushes not
only himself but us to limit and I think it's
what's made us so successful this last couple of years.

Speaker 3 (32:43):
You were involved in season one and two of Sole GP.
What three and four as well, or just one and
two for all of them. You've been here the whole time. Yeah,
they got Yeah, I was just I was just quickly
checking some facts. So you've been here right from the start.
What are the big changes you've seen?

Speaker 12 (32:58):
Oh man, I mean we've had a few changes to
the team in itself, but mainly just seeing the league
grow as it has has been incredible. But this has
been a big change, this with the new foils coming online.
The tefoils big hot topic here in Auckland. But yeah, no,
it's just really excited. It's something a bit different I
think for the athletes and for the spectators to enjoy well.

Speaker 3 (33:17):
As a flight controller, that obviously is something that would
change your role. How does it change your role having
these these new teafoils on. What have you noticed?

Speaker 12 (33:25):
Yeah, the role's now become a bit more dynamic. I
think it allows us to be a bit more creative.
But at the same time, you know they were meant
to be Maybe they're definitely going to be faster, but
some were saying a bit easier to fly, but yesterday
was definitely not the case. And what the rest of
the flight controls were agreeing with me is they're quite difficult.
Just the different forces that we weren't sort of anticipating
have definitely come online and are really tricky.

Speaker 3 (33:47):
There's four days long enough to get up to pardon
the pun, get up to speed with them.

Speaker 7 (33:52):
Absolutely not.

Speaker 12 (33:53):
But that's kind of a cool part about it is
we're all going to be learning and racing at the
same time. So I think for myself today is just
trying to focus on, you know, keeping things simple, you know,
exploring what we've learned the last few days, at the
same time trusting our skills that we know previously worked.

Speaker 3 (34:08):
You've outlined been there from the start. You've lost wing
from mccyle langthen to the Italian syndicate head of season five. Oh,
I know he went with your best wishes, but he's
been an integral part of the boat has any how,
strange is it not having him there? It is different.

Speaker 4 (34:22):
We lost thirty kilos off the rail as well.

Speaker 12 (34:24):
We've got the light Chris Drafer, who is a lot
smaller but just as skilled in every way, and he's
been a great addition to the team. Not only is
it something fresh, but it's made us to look into
our own roles as well. Chris has brought another level professionalism,
but us having copy off Carl this morning, so there's
no bad blood there. We're all great mates and I've
wish him the best this weekend.

Speaker 3 (34:42):
Yeah, talking to Peter Burling before, and they've obviously lost
Andy Maloney to the Brazilian team. This open market is
now part of sale GP. Do you like the concept?

Speaker 2 (34:51):
Yeah, I think it's great.

Speaker 12 (34:52):
I think you see that in a lot of American
sports where you have the new additions to the team
like we've had the Italians, the Brazilians, and the fact
that they can buy experience. I think it's really good
to bring them up to speed as quick as possible.
Like I said, I've been here for five seasons and
for someone to come in, you know, team to come
in fresh, that would definitely come in at a disadvantage.
So I think it's really good for the teams.

Speaker 3 (35:11):
I've heard Tom talk about team culture and how important
that is in Sale GP. I think something that's important
to all successful sports teams. What does good team culture
look like and feel like on the boat and even
off the water.

Speaker 12 (35:25):
Yeah, that's a good question. I mean we're all really
close mates, which I think is important. There's a real
fundamental trust there to respect each other's skills and also
the different quirks that we all have off the water.
But yeah, we take a lot of pride and how
tight our team is as a culture, and we have
a really high level of standards. You know, we hold
ourselves accountable to excel and that's what we try.

Speaker 7 (35:48):
To do each day.

Speaker 3 (35:49):
Having won the first three seasons of sale GP, what
was season four like? How do you reflect on season four?

Speaker 1 (35:56):
Man?

Speaker 3 (35:56):
It's such a wave, you know.

Speaker 12 (35:58):
We start the season really well, I think six podiums
in a row, leading the league, and then we had
unfortunately that big incident in christ Church where we we
literally land on top of a mark, you know, and
that is something that will happen, you know, when you're
racing these boats at these levels, that you will make
a mistake like that. Every team's done it, and that
was just our time. And then we just really struggled

(36:18):
to get the boat, the confidence in the boat back
up to where we wanted to be and had a
really hard second half of the season. So I really
hoping to trying to turn that around this season. And
we had a really good event in Dubai and not
the best result, but everything else was perfect and we've
had a really good lead in here.

Speaker 3 (36:32):
The cross hitch incident replayed. I'm sure you've probably stopped
replaying what actually happened? Can you break it down for
us for a pine sight?

Speaker 12 (36:41):
Has it gone anywhere? I still have nightmares about it, mate, Yeah,
I mean it was just why there're situations where boats
at the limit, lots of breeze in Christchurch and then yeah,
just a sort of pinch point on the boundary in
this marker, probably where it shouldn't have been. But everyone
else got around it except for us. So it was
really on us that made the mistake. But like I said,
it's just one of those things. It's going to happen.

(37:02):
It's a it's a high actions sport and you're going
to crash because we pushed limits and that was our time. Unfortunately,
we didn't want to be as bad as that, but
it is what it is. Everyone was safe and everyone
was okay.

Speaker 11 (37:12):
It's amazing.

Speaker 3 (37:13):
So you've got your home event coming up next. But
how much would you like, like any good Australian to
come over to New Zealand and beat the Kiwi's on
their homewater.

Speaker 7 (37:21):
Yeah?

Speaker 12 (37:21):
Well, I mean we would love that, but we'd love
to beat everyone else as well. You know, that is
an ambition to be better than the Kiwi's is to
be the best as we can be, and that we
believe is the top level. So Aukle's been fantastic, what
to turn out. The crowds already have been amazing, and
the weather you couldn't ask for anything better.

Speaker 3 (37:37):
And yeah, just on the condition, what I mean, do
you like them what you're seeing in the forecast. Do
you feel like it will be conducive to what you're
wanting to do this afternoon and tomorrow?

Speaker 2 (37:45):
I think so.

Speaker 3 (37:45):
I think.

Speaker 12 (37:45):
I think it's going to be great for the spectators.
Such a short stadium like racecourse and good briees today
to get us started.

Speaker 4 (37:52):
I think we'll see.

Speaker 12 (37:53):
Really close racing.

Speaker 4 (37:54):
And then tomorrow looks crazy.

Speaker 12 (37:55):
I mean, I'm genuinely worried that we're going to have
some serious carnage, which I can't love at the same time,
but tomorrow will be top end, I believe. And from
yesterday the conditions were hard enough, so I can't wait
to be pushed even harder.

Speaker 3 (38:08):
So I saw a little little twinkle in your eyea
when you see card and it's just almost like you're
looking forward to something like that and testing yourself against it.

Speaker 2 (38:15):
Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 12 (38:16):
I mean I love pushing myself and the boat and
the team to the limits and I think that's what
you're going to get tomorrow.

Speaker 3 (38:21):
Fantastic Jason, thanks for stepping in, Thanks for popping in
for a chat. All the best this afternoon and tomorrow.
I'll be watching especially closely tomorrow when there was winds
to get up. But thanks for taking the time for
a chair.

Speaker 7 (38:31):
Enjoy.

Speaker 3 (38:31):
Thank you, Thanks mine, cheers. Jason water House there fly
controller of the Australian sale GP team. Four o'clock this
afternoon is when we get involved and the racing starts.
It's just on nine away from one, News Talk.

Speaker 1 (38:43):
Hib backing of Black Foils, Weekend Sport with Jason Fine
live at sale GP in Auckland.

Speaker 3 (38:50):
News Talks B, News Talks HEB and Weekend Sports seven
coming up six away from one as we broadcast live
from sale GP in Auckland. Action underway at four o'clock
this afternoon. We're also here tomorrow. You might want to
make an appointment. We've got us saw Coots joining us
just after midday tomorrow. It will be one of our
guests later on this afternoon. Rarely looking forward to chatting

(39:12):
to the owner of the startup Brazilian sale GP team.
Alan Adler is his name. He's a former Olympic sailor
himself and world champion. Has gone on to become an
event promoter, part of the group that basically saved the
Brazilian Grand Prix. We're talking about Formula one Grand Prix here.

(39:34):
He has got an extremely interesting story. He's with us
after two o'clock. Taylor Canfield is also with us from
the United States. I remember chatting to Taylor in christ
Church at the last sale GP event in New Zealand
and he had only just arrived in the team. He
basically came in because Jimmy Spittle had moved or had
left to start up the Italian syndicate along with the Brazilians.

(39:57):
The Italians are the other new syndicate in season five,
so Taylor Canfield sort of dropped in halfway through the season.
He's the full time We're going to get the to
get the full time drive this season, so he's with
us a bit later on, as is Dylan Fletcher. Speaking
of full time drive, he has taken over from Giles
Scott as the driver of the Great Britain team. So

(40:19):
as we've been talking about with Peter Berling and with
Jason Waterhouse there and with Chris Reeve. There is now movement,
real movement between these teams. It's an open market, a
transfer market, if you will. So you see, you know,
some really experienced sailors leaving the teams that they've been
with often since the start of Sale GP and into

(40:40):
other teams, helping to upskill the other teams. In Jimmy
Spehill's case, to start up a new team. I don't
think Jimmy himself is on the boat, but certainly he's
the driving force behind the new Italian team. Speaking of
Jimmy Spittle, he will be on the show with us
tomorrow as well, so we've got a real all star lineup.
Andy Maloney also one of our guests tomorrow. As we

(41:02):
approach at one o'clock, we're going to shift our focus
away from the sailing after one because one of the
other big stories floating around this week has been the
renewal of the broadcast rights for New Zealand Rugby, All Blacks, Tests,
Super Rugby and NPC. The current dealer is up at
the end of this year. The next deal is a

(41:23):
five year deal from twenty twenty six through to twenty
thirty and all reports are that Sky have put a
much lower offer on the table. The current deal is
one hundred and eleven million dollars a year and Gregor
Paul and The Herald before Christmas was reporting the new
deal or the new offer was around eighty five million.
Lots of reasons for that. We're going to talk to

(41:44):
former chair of Rugby Australia and media writes expert Hamish
mcclennan about this.

Speaker 2 (41:48):
After one, it's Formula one on the water.

Speaker 1 (41:53):
It fast, it's furious and it's happening on Aten's way
to Mata Harbor, live from the Sale GV Village in
the City of Sales. It's Weekend Sport with Jason Price
on your home of Sports News Talks, Envy.

Speaker 3 (42:07):
Kid to good afternoon, Welcome in or welcome back as
the case. Maybe this is Weekend Sport on News Talks.
Here'b on Jason Pine. Seven past one. We're hit till three,
which is an hour before the action proper starts out
on the water here on the Waitamata Harbor. Speaking of
action on the water, some of the boats that are
currently cruising past our vantage point here looking out on

(42:29):
the race course are quite something to behold, all different sorts,
some of them near the top end. As far as
what you can spend on a boat, apeels to me
looking out here, as though there wouldn't be an upper
limit to what you could spend on a pleasure craft
out here, so many boats out out on the harbor.

(42:52):
Bring your own boat was a ticket option. I spoke
to Angus on ZB yesterday afternoon. He sent me an email, Jason,
look out for us on the water. I've attached to
photo will be on the top left of the course.
The offer is still there to join us. I'll take
the offer under advisement Angus. Thank you very much indeed,
mate for getting in touch. So just to give you

(43:15):
the rundown of what's going to happen this afternoon four o'clock.
There are three fleet racers starting at four o'clock, featuring
all eleven teams out on the race course at the
same time. So all eleven will start each of the
three races, and then tomorrow two more before the top
three go into a winner takes all three boat finale.

(43:37):
The way that the points work is you get between
eleven points and one point depending on where you finish.
So if you're first you get eleven points, second ten
points and so on, and all of your points are
tallied up. The top three go into the winner takes
all three boat finale tomorrow afternoon. The new development, of course,
that exciting new development this weekend the introduction of the

(43:58):
titanium T foils replacing the l foils that the boats
have used up until now. They've only had about four
to get used to them. We heard Jason Waterhouse, the
flight controller from the Australian team before one o'clock say, look,
it's nowhere near enough time to get right up to
speed with them. But that's the beauty of it. It
is going to be learn as they go. And with

(44:20):
the weather conditions well at the moment looking out here,
a spectacular vista, a beautiful day in Auckland, just a
bit of high cloud, easterly breeze, perfect racing conditions. There
are reports that the wind will get up even more tomorrow,
which when Jason Waterhouse was talking to us before one
o'clock he seemed quite excited about. He said, I'm looking

(44:41):
forward to seeing what happens out there. There's going to
be a bit of carnage. But he wasn't saying it
in a bad way. He was saying it as if
it was something he was looking forward to. The t
foils make the boats more stable and more efficient, and
they raised the prospect of the speed record being broken.
The fastest any of these boats has ever gone in
competition is ninety nine point four kilometers per our ninety

(45:05):
nine point four coli per our. France did that last year,
but that magical one hundred kilometer per our mark is
on the minds of these sailors this weekend, although Peter
Berling did say he wasn't quite sure where the conditions
would allow it anyway. We'll move back to sal GP
after two o'clock more guests, but I wanted to kick
off this hour with another big story this week, and

(45:27):
that's New Zealand rugby in the throes of negotiating their
next broadcast deal. It's been reported SkyTV is offering eighty
five million dollars a year for the domestic rugby rights
from twenty twenty six through to twenty thirty inclusive. That
includes all Blacks tests, Super Rugby and in PC matches.

(45:47):
That's well below the existing one hundred and eleven million
dollar annual deal that expires at the end of this year,
so from one hundred and eleven million down to eighty
five million dollars a year. That is reportedly what SkyTV
is offering New Zealand Rugby. The last deal was signed
before the twenty nine seen Rugby World Cup, when Spark

(46:08):
Sport was in the market and they were chasing broadcast
rights for live sport vigorously. The competitive tension existed and
therefore the New Zealand Rugby could ramp up the ramp
up the price. That is no longer the case, of course,
Spark Sport are no more and really it feels of
those Sky Sport are the only genuine bidder for rugby

(46:29):
rights to kick this around and I want to get
your views soon on particularly the concept of free to
air rugby and what part that should play. Let's bring
in former Chair of Rugby Australia Hamish mcclennan, also chair
of digital advertising company Area Group and ARN Australia. Hugely
experienced media and marketing executive with an unrivaled understanding of

(46:53):
the changing media landscape as it relates to the broadcast
of live sport. Hamish, thanks for joining us on news talks.
He'd be this afternoon. In general terms, to start, how
important are broadcast deals for the overall health of a
sports organization like New Zealand rugby.

Speaker 13 (47:11):
It's probably the central pillar in terms of how you
drive the game beyond pathways and grassroots, because that is
a platform in the vehicle which should.

Speaker 7 (47:20):
Promote the game.

Speaker 13 (47:21):
And if I look at where Rugby and Australia stumbled,
they did an exclusive.

Speaker 7 (47:27):
Deal with a PATV provider in Australia and.

Speaker 13 (47:32):
For twenty years it was behind the paywall, and so
the challenge is you want some free to wear exposure
in my opinion, and if you look at the competitive
landscape here, the AFL and the NRL had probably forty
percent of their coverage on free to wear and so
participation awareness, creating personalities out of the game really drove

(47:59):
the popularity of those sports, where rugby probably stuffered a
little bit.

Speaker 7 (48:03):
So it's something that New Zealand.

Speaker 14 (48:05):
Have to.

Speaker 3 (48:07):
In fact, that is the key thrust I think to
the entire conversation is the free to wear part of
it because at the moment, as you know, very little
of any of the top rugby is free to wear
over here. How robust are those conversations when pay per
view broadcasters probably don't want any content available on free
to wear.

Speaker 13 (48:25):
Well, New Zealand is a bit different to Australia, so
we have a law called the Anti Stiffening law. So
the premium tier one sports have to show certainly like
our tests are on tree Aware, but the rest can
sit behind a paywall. So for New Zealand, you know,
do you take the money or do you try and

(48:45):
ensure that you reach the masimumount of views? Now aeropian
New Zealand is different because it is these sports where
Australia has probably you know, Sydney has the most competitive
winter sports market in the world if you include soccer.
So I personally think I'm free to Our exposure is important,

(49:08):
but you know you've faced with with ens that are
you know you've got you've got to fund the organization.
Plus they brought a private equity, a very credible private
equity firm, Silverlake in as a part owner of the sport.
Then they've probably promised them an uplifting revenue and ultimately
they want to get a return on their capital.

Speaker 3 (49:27):
So what then do you perceive those conversations around the
table to be like Because you're so right. I mean
they're not. Everybody has access to pay per view sport
and you know many of us grew up, you know,
connecting with the sports we love by watching them on TV.
If that's not available to young people then then you know,
I'm not sure what the future looks like, what the

(49:49):
what do the conversations around that table generally look like?

Speaker 13 (49:53):
Look, I think you know, private equity typically will work
to a five to ten year horizon, and the administrators
of Rugby and New Zealand have to take a twenty.

Speaker 7 (50:03):
Year of you. So the challenge for them is how
do they how do they balance the two And the.

Speaker 13 (50:10):
Conundrum they've got is that the Sky is really the
dominant platform in New Zealand and with any media righte
negotiation you need to.

Speaker 7 (50:20):
Have competitive tension.

Speaker 13 (50:21):
So in Australia, you know, we have you know, more
just because of our scale, more more media organizations that
can test those sporting rights. So if there's no competitive
tensions to Sky, they'll try and drive the price down.
You know, your blacks is the and sort of rugby

(50:42):
is the premium sport on that platform. But they've got
a business to run and a subscription TV around the
world is under pressure because you've got all the tech
giants getting into streaming and you might have heard that
Foxtel in Australia just got sold to an overseas streaming platform.

Speaker 7 (50:58):
Called Dasen or daznes. So it's changing, it's changing rapidly.

Speaker 13 (51:04):
The issue is, can Mark Robinson bring in a competitor
like das and to provide that tension to try and
keep the value of the rights up high.

Speaker 3 (51:15):
You know, well, that's certainly what happened last time with
Spark Sport, the now defunct Spark Sport. They were chasing
you know, live Sport rights got the twenty nineteen Rugby
World Cup and so there was a genuine, a genuine
competitive tension. When there is only one genuine bidder, how
much different do the negotiations become.

Speaker 13 (51:34):
Oh they're much more difficult. There's absolutely no doubt about that.
So you know, you know, in blunt terms, if you've
got two or three competing for a property, you know
that's going to be a better big environment.

Speaker 7 (51:50):
If there's only one platform. You know, if you can
save twenty million on the value.

Speaker 13 (51:55):
Of the media rights in New zeal And, that goes
straight to your bottom line, And if you're a CEO
or a board you know you've got shareholders, then you
look good if you can do it, but you also
don't want to destroy the value of the game.

Speaker 7 (52:07):
And you know what I was dealing with when I.

Speaker 13 (52:09):
Was at rugby in Australia was you know, there are
whole lot of legacy issues and I don't want to
sound defensive, but as you as your revenue declines, and
broadcast rights are one of the few leavers that you
can pull that if you get it right, you can
you can drive incredible value in terms of awareness and

(52:30):
obviously money. But then if your revenue is going south,
then you've got less to put into grassroots or pay
the top players.

Speaker 7 (52:38):
So so you know, over the decades we've lost in
Australia a lot of really good.

Speaker 13 (52:44):
Players overseas, and so if you can't, if you're competing
against French and English and Japanese clubs who paying top
dollar and you don't have that money in the kiddie,
then it's going to be very challenging.

Speaker 3 (52:56):
Indeed, indeed, the streaming side of things, do you perceive
that that will be something that happens more and more
in the short term, or are we more likely to
see the likes of a traditional broadcast. I like Sky
Sport continue to have the rights to be here, So
you know.

Speaker 13 (53:17):
Facebook are waiting into various sports around the world, and
you're gonna it's very hard for the traditional players to
compete against the tech platforms because they've just got a
completely different model. So it is it is challenging, and
perhaps that's one of the reasons why fox Tell thought

(53:38):
that they should consolidate with.

Speaker 7 (53:41):
Daesn't overseay.

Speaker 13 (53:43):
So in the short term, I mean, obviously Sky will
do everything to hang on to those key sports. And
then as the new entrants come in, you know, the
sporting code of ends that I have to reconcile a
new player coming in with.

Speaker 7 (53:58):
The audience that they can deliver. So it's a bit
of a rubis Q.

Speaker 13 (54:03):
It's always hard because if you trans addition to another player,
can they delive you the same sort of numbers? Because
what then sits behind the numbers are the eyeballs, And
you've got sponsors who are sort of demanding and wanting
growth and they want to know that they're hitting the
maximum amount of people, and you've got as many viewers

(54:23):
watching the game so that the sport remains relevant. Again,
New Zealand's different because it's not as competitive from a
media point of view, and rugby is the number one sport.

Speaker 7 (54:33):
But there are all things that you've got to consider.

Speaker 3 (54:36):
You mentioned the anti siphening legislation before in Australia. Does
that work well in your view?

Speaker 13 (54:42):
So that's a great question, and it creates divided opinion,
but I think it's actually a good thing because it
sort of puts a ring fence around certain premium sports
so that it doesn't matter if you're rich or poor.
You can get it on free to wear, and our
free to wear industry in Australia, as challenged as it is,

(55:03):
is incredibly high quality and so it just means that
if you can't afford a subscription to a PayTV service,
you get to watch premium sports, and that includes parts
of the Olympics and other big events.

Speaker 7 (55:17):
Around the world. So there are a lot of people.

Speaker 13 (55:20):
Who say to they look, in a fully competitive environment,
you should just make it a free for all, and
some sports like it because they think they can drive
the maximum dollar value for the sport and there is currency.

Speaker 7 (55:35):
In that argument.

Speaker 13 (55:36):
I don't deny it, but I'm of the view that
I think in some instances the anti sastening law is beneficial.

Speaker 3 (55:44):
And can you see a time, Hamish, where New Zealand
Rugby or any national rugby union takes their broadcasting in
house and sells direct to consumer.

Speaker 7 (55:54):
Yeah. Absolutely.

Speaker 13 (55:55):
So there are sports here like supercars, the eight Supercars
that do it all in house, like the tennis in Australia,
produce it and then they on.

Speaker 7 (56:05):
Sell the broadcast.

Speaker 13 (56:07):
But if you look at the traditional of the existing model,
it's pretty good for the sport because you you know,
if you negotiate well and you get a good check size,
then they do all the production and so you know,
I think for some sports, you know, ones like rugby,
where you've got it being played all over the country,

(56:27):
you don't have to worry about the production side of it.

Speaker 3 (56:31):
It's such a fascinating topic, Hamous, You've lent us some
great expertise, lots for our listeners to think about and
to chat about. Thank you so much for joining us
across New Zealand today. Cheers, thank you, no, thank you, Hamish.
Hamish McLennan, former chair of Rugby Australia. But huge insight
and understanding of the changing media landscape, particularly as it

(56:52):
relates to sport. I wanted to get your thoughts on
that you've heard from Hamish mcclennan. I'm keen to get
your reaction on eight hundred and eighty ten eighty and
in particular on the subject of free to air rugby.
Now we all know that the days of all rugby
being freeoware are gone. Broadcast revenue is simply too important

(57:16):
to the financial health of New Zealand Rugby, and even
as it stands, New Zealand Rugby are looking at a
short fall of twenty six million dollars if the figures
being reported our ACRA. That's twenty six million dollars per
year one hundred and eleven million dollars per year under
the current deal. Reportedly eighty five million is the latest

(57:41):
offer that's being reported for the next five years. But
if the example of cricket has taught us anything, it's
that free too wear coverage of your sport is absolutely
vital to the ongoing health of your sport. Not everybody
has Sky, not everybody has access to watching sport on
pay per view. Many of us developed our love of

(58:03):
sport or the sports we follow by watching them on TV.
So if the sport isn't there to watch, if it's
not accessible, then how can that happen? How can we
develop a love for that sport if we can't see it?
So what is the best balance? How do New Zealand

(58:24):
Rugby keep enough of their content on pay per view
in order to get the best possible deal from Sky
while at the same time having enough rugby on free
to air to draw in as much of the population
as possible. It is a balancing act and I'd be
keen to hear your views on how best they do it. Oh,

(58:45):
eight hundred eighty ten eighty nine two nine two if
you would like to send a text, We're back with
your calls after this on new Stalks you'd be and
weekend sport, there can be no doubt about it. It's
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(59:06):
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Speaker 11 (59:45):
For it.

Speaker 3 (59:47):
On news talks, there'd be eight hundred and eighty ten
eighty as we talk sports rights, rugby rights, sport on
free to wear television and the best balance for all concerned.
Hello Trevor, thanks for calling and thanks for holding Hey fining,
how you made very good, Trevor, very good?

Speaker 8 (01:00:02):
Yes, yeah, I find it's interesting.

Speaker 14 (01:00:04):
It's be spoken about us for a long long time
and I just want to compare New Zealand rugby to
a world class competition in Australia called the NRL. And look,
you know, I know there's more money in Australia and
more people, but I'll tell you what.

Speaker 8 (01:00:19):
The competition for.

Speaker 14 (01:00:20):
Viewing dollars is red hot. And it's quite amazing that
New Zealand Ranby has been totally dominated everything in New Zealand,
and I just think they're going in the wrong direction.
I think the key about the NRL is the NRL
said some of our games are free. They have a
Friday night game free on Channel nine, a Sunday game
free and over. You notice when you get State of

(01:00:41):
Origin it is Channel nine. And you know the quality
of both those, you know, Fox and Channel I mean
Channel nine Free to wear. I mean, look, we're talking
about Ray Warren, We're talking about Peter Sterling, We're talking
about Full Gold. You know, we're talking about the well
the Footy Show when I was on absolutely high class
delivery to everybody.

Speaker 3 (01:01:03):
Who wants to watch it.

Speaker 14 (01:01:04):
And I think that's where they just very very clever.
I mean, they'll always put the State of Origin on
free to wear. Oh it doesn't matter what money Fox
come up with, they'll always because they know that as
long as you get the general sports fan, not the
addicts like me who are just engrossed in the NRL,
you know, they're getting the average sports fan just enough

(01:01:25):
rugby league to keep them happy with their two games
a week and all the big games. So I just
think these rugby got to be a little bit careful
and they able to look more at the popularity and
the viewing eyes of rugby because I think the numbers
are going down.

Speaker 3 (01:01:42):
Yeah, and look it's the balance to be struck, Trevor.
And as you know, I mean obviously bigger market over
in Australia, so they can you know, there are more
you know, more potential pay per view customers over there,
but that but you're I just think if the cricket
example has taught us anything, and that happened really by
chance more than anything, it happened because of the demise

(01:02:05):
of Spark sport that as you know, all the cricket
went to TV and Z all of the cricket is
on free to wear across the summer. We can watch
the Black Caps, we can watch the White fans, watch
the domestic super smash. All these eyeballs on it that
wouldn't ordinarily have been there. And therefore the health of
the sport has to be enhanced by that. It's happened
by good fortune, but it has provided a really good example,

(01:02:26):
and it's the first thing Hamus M. Clinton said, you've
got to have some on free to wear.

Speaker 13 (01:02:30):
You have to you do.

Speaker 14 (01:02:32):
And it just surprises me really that New Zealand ranby.
Don't look across the bitch and see how we've you know,
you've put it there. There's a lot more people, a
lot more money, but the competition it's much much hotter there.
And when you think about New Zealand rugby has had
total total domination of sponsorship, money, TV rights everything in

(01:02:52):
New Zealand and in the positions and now I just
doesn't I don't think of bodes well. And I would
love to see this guy that's running the URL now,
who's just got this world class competition going, going expanding.
They're off the Las Vegas. I would like to get
home to run not just New Zealand rugby, world rugby,

(01:03:13):
and I'll tell you what it'll be on a different level.

Speaker 7 (01:03:16):
Mate.

Speaker 3 (01:03:17):
Thanks for a call, Trevor, as always good chatting to you.
Oh eight hundred and eighty ten eighty. I'm just very
very keen to try and find the balance here because again,
as Hamish Mutendan said, we're talking about broadcast rights here
by the way, because the New Zealand rugby rights are
up for all blacks tests, for Super rugby, for MPC,
and they are a key plank in the revenue of

(01:03:40):
New Zealand rugby, of any professional sporting organization. The revenue
streams are broadcast, sponsorship and ticket revenue and merchandise that
sort of thing. So it's such a key plank. And
when you're losing, when you've got a twenty six million
dollar hole, that's got to be filled somehow or you

(01:04:01):
have to cut your cloth to suit. And what that'll
mean is that we don't have as much money to
keep our top players here because the big competitions in
the Northern Hemisphere, up in Japan, even in the United
States now have a checkbook that they can throw around.
So we have to have a war chest here which

(01:04:24):
enables us to compete, enables us to pay our top
players and therefore have them stay here in New Zealand.
So revenue from broadcast is important. But and here's the butt,
there must be rugby on free to wear television. I
just don't see how there can be any other way.
We have come full circle with this now and that

(01:04:48):
unless you had sky in recent times outside of World Cups,
where there was where there were matches that were broadcast
on free toware you were not able to watch the
All Blacks play, You're not able to watch your Super
Rugby team play, You're not able to watch NPC. And look,
I grew up in a time and you may have

(01:05:09):
as well where it was all free. And I'm not
getting misty eyed and saying we need to go back
to those days where all rugby was on free to
wear TV. It's a different world now. The professional game demands,
as I just said, revenue from broadcast. You simply must
put some behind a paywall in order to get revenue
from someone like Sky. But where is the balance to

(01:05:32):
be struck? It has to be struck, and that is
the really interesting part of this conversation. Oh, eight hundred
and eighty ten eighty Hello, Jason, Now I am good.

Speaker 11 (01:05:44):
I've got an interesting one. A period of a fifteen
year old Clint. He's a leading rugby school and from
the team last year most in this rugby team played
league on Sundays for outside of school. Last year, five
of the kids from his team were offered rugby league

(01:06:04):
contracts in Australia and from his team. When I ever
see them together, they're all wearing rugby league uniforms and
none of them go to any of the Auckland Blues
games first and foremost of the rugby players, but they're
also league fans. But there's no engagement and attraction with
the product that's been offered by New Zealand Rugby to
these young kids.

Speaker 7 (01:06:25):
Of those five kids that.

Speaker 11 (01:06:26):
Got offered, three of them took up scholarships and two
of them are now living in Australia and the third
one is moving across there this year.

Speaker 7 (01:06:34):
The other two have decided not too.

Speaker 9 (01:06:37):
So.

Speaker 3 (01:06:38):
And is there from your point of view, Jason, can
you see any desire by them or by other members
of your son's team to follow a career into professional rugby.

Speaker 11 (01:06:52):
Yes, but they it's amazing watching these kids who are
playing rugby, you know, good rugby at a high level
for their school, but they love rugby league and if
they had a choice to watch games and weekend they're
watching rugby league. They're wearing rugby league material and they're
not engaged with you know, as we were as fans

(01:07:13):
of rugby. And it feels to me that the ife
I call it the product. The stories aren't there, the
heroes aren't there, and the kids aren't engaged. They play
rugby because it's the only sport offered at their school,
but if league was offered that probably the majority of
them would be playing rugby league.

Speaker 3 (01:07:31):
That's so interesting, so interesting, and if.

Speaker 11 (01:07:35):
You don't go back and engage kids at that level,
you know, it's as fans later on.

Speaker 3 (01:07:40):
Why do you think it is?

Speaker 15 (01:07:41):
What?

Speaker 8 (01:07:41):
What?

Speaker 3 (01:07:42):
What form does the engagement take? Why is it that
they are so much more invested in watching, you know,
the Bulldogs and the rabbit Oos than the Blues and
the Chiefs.

Speaker 11 (01:07:50):
Oh jeez, A million dollar question. Is New Zealand rugby
knew that. I think you've got the I think the
simplicity of the league competition, it hasn't changed the same
every year. You've got the traditional rivalries and all those
wonderful things. And if you're a fifteen year old kid
and you've been following rugby for ten years, the format's

(01:08:12):
changed on you three or four times, so you don't
know who to support, and those traditional rivalries are there,
and then the product is just for the kids. It's
just not presented in the way that's engaging to them,
whether it's the heroes or I really don't know that
it's more.

Speaker 7 (01:08:30):
I was just calling you to go.

Speaker 11 (01:08:31):
This is one of the most interesting situations I've ever
seen where you've got these high performance young kids coming
through the next round of All blacks coming through, or
you know, provincial players or club players, but on bulk
they wear rugby league agear, they watch rugby league instead
of Super rugby. They will most of them play rugby

(01:08:53):
league on Sunday, not for the school because the school
doesn't offer it, but for other teams. And at the
same time you've got rugby league groups from Australia coming
over and five kids from this one team last year
offered scholarships. Two of them took it up in the
third ones taking it up this year and moving to

(01:09:14):
a space interesting.

Speaker 3 (01:09:15):
Just what I've got just on the SU just on
the subject of the and and engagement of courses, the
overarching umbrella under which we're chatting here, but the because
n R else not free to wear either, is it?
We can't you know, if you want to sit down
and watch an rally here, you can't watch. You can't
watch your free to wear, So uh is free to
wear a big part of engaging young people.

Speaker 11 (01:09:35):
In your view, I'm sorry, I haven't got an opinion.

Speaker 7 (01:09:40):
I don't know.

Speaker 3 (01:09:42):
I don't either, That's the thing I don't either, like
my gut feelers that it does, because you can't be
it unless you can see it. But yeah, but I again,
I understand that you know the the finances and the
mechanics of the whole thing. You've got to have money
to drive the game and to keep the best players here.
But yeah, what you've brought into the conversation is interesting. Jose,
Thanks mate, all the best to you and your boy.

(01:10:05):
Thanks mate, bye bye. Eight hundred and eighty ten eighty
is our number. Yeah, keen to just just to find
the balance, and it's a balance, I'm sure. I speaking
to Scott Weenink about this, the CEO of New Zealand Cricket,
and I want to come back to the cricket example
because I've got a couple of texts on it that
that's you know, what has been shown to them by accident,
more than anything else is the value of free to

(01:10:28):
wear coverage of their sport. You all know what's happened here.
Sparksport got the rights to cricket Sky had had it
for ages. Sparksport came into the market aggressively and were
sold the rights to international and domestic cricket by New
Zealand Cricket. So test matches here in New Zealand, one
Day internationals, tweet t twenty internationals, all of the super

(01:10:50):
smash stuff that was all on Spark. Then, as we know,
Spark fell over, Spark ceased to exist, ceased to operate.
Not Spark the company, but Spark Sport. Don't panic, Spark
is still a company. Spark Sport is not. No need
to panic anyway. The upshot was TV and Z took
on all the cricket it's free to wear. But New

(01:11:12):
Zealand Crickets still got the money from Spark Sport. They
honored the contract and therefore New Zealand Cricket are getting
the best of both worlds. They are getting free to
wear cricket and the money owed to them by somebody
who's paid for pay per view cricket. It is an unusual,
unique situation, and I've got a text here that says

(01:11:32):
lok the free to wear discussion lacks transparency. The cricket
rights won't stay with TV and Z because they won't
pay the money Spark is subsidizing at present. Yes, that
stops very soon. Sky's the only option TV and Z
won't pay, and money is essential for the sport to continue.
See this is the very very big Gnali conversation that

(01:11:54):
those at New Zealand Cricket are going to have to
have very very soon. Next summer I think, in fact
I know, is the last summer of this deal. So
Cricket will be on free to wear next summer the
summer of twenty five twenty six. Beyond that the rights
are up for grams again and New Zealand Cricket, with
Sky being the only real player in the market, will
have to go back to them almost cap in hand

(01:12:17):
in some ways because they they I don't think treated
Sky particularly well last time. I remember speaking to David
White on the old Radio Sport when these rights were
awarded to Spark Sport and he said, I said, well
when did you tell Sky? And he said, we told
them this morning. So the day they found out, on

(01:12:38):
the day that Spark were awarded the rights that they
hadn't got them. So I'm not sure that that relationship
ended particularly well. Obviously, people move on and I'm sure
Sky will want to be in the market for Life
Cricket again because there's great content for them. But it's
a very interesting conversation to have. And again, where does
the free to wear elements come into this? You simply

(01:13:00):
must have some free to wear segments of your sport
for me, and I'm not talking about necessary already on
Sky Open on the on the Sky platform which is free.
You can tune in on normal TV to it. But
I certain think people either want to or know how
to TV and z to game changer has been for

(01:13:20):
cricket and will be for any other sport that gets
themselves onto TV and z oh eight hundred and eighty
ten eighty our number. We'll chat about this a bit longer.
Get you across the Tasman to talk Assie open before
two o'clock. Hello David, Hi, pony.

Speaker 10 (01:13:37):
Mate.

Speaker 3 (01:13:37):
What's going on right?

Speaker 16 (01:13:39):
Yeah? About the rights? I stream my art and I
think I can't. One way is I can't get the
watch in our app directly, and that's why I don't
ask I sport now as there's so many repeats. If
I want to watch in l I should be able
to watch, go download watch you know our app and
subscribe directly. Same with aufl Anys all the American codes.

(01:13:59):
I can subscribe to their apps directly.

Speaker 3 (01:14:03):
David. It's a great point and I mentioned that to
Haimer at the end of our chat. Look New Zealand Rugby,
I'm sure have looked at it. With injured, our.

Speaker 16 (01:14:13):
Injured, our class years one subscribed, I should be able to.

Speaker 3 (01:14:17):
So in your view, David, you watch it, I want
to watch, yes, like.

Speaker 16 (01:14:23):
Phoenix, I don't want to. I want to subscribe to
Phoenix stood.

Speaker 3 (01:14:28):
So in the so, in the ideal world for you, David,
all sports would sell direct to consumer.

Speaker 16 (01:14:34):
Yeah, that's that's partnering. The problem is you left so
many subscriptions juggles and then there's a lot a lot
of other pocket costs. It's the only issue I face.
But for me, I would rather go direct because it's
money going to the game directly and have them global
writes rather than done on a zone basis. I mean,
anyone could watch it like you could do in New Zealanders,

(01:14:55):
missing out on supporting your teams back home because.

Speaker 11 (01:14:58):
They can't watch it.

Speaker 3 (01:14:59):
Yeah. So that the problem with with with sports organizations
doing it in the house, David, is that they have
to produce the coverage themselves, and that is a cost,
a huge cost which is worn by the broadcaster. That's
why it's so clean and easy for someone like New
Zealand Rugby to say, right, Sky, give us a whole
bunch of money and then you look after the broadcast
of it. So but there is that conversation to be had.

(01:15:24):
If New Zealand Rugby thought that they could produce the
coverage themselves and then sell enough subscriptions that that would
cover the cost of broadcast and be big enough to
make it a meaty number into their coffers, they would
do it. I just don't know whether there there is
an appetite for it. I don't know whether they whether

(01:15:45):
they would like would want to do it. I just
think it's a massive cost. It takes a lot of
expertise to put a live game of rugby on the air,
let alone games plural across a whole season. But as
you say, there are you know American sports that do it.
My son's got NFL pass. He basically pays the NFL
for NFL coverage. That's common in the United States, much bigger. Obviously,

(01:16:09):
Will it happen here? Might It's a possibility. Sixteen away
from two. When we come back, we're at the Aussie
Open with our Australian correspondent Adam Peacock.

Speaker 1 (01:16:18):
The most exciting racing on Water Leaves the most exciting
sports radio show Weekend Sport with Jason five live from
Sale GV and when You're Pointed Auckland with GJ Gunnos,
New Zealand's most trusted home Builder News Talks, Evy.

Speaker 3 (01:16:35):
News Talks thirteen to two more from Sale GP. After two,
let's get you across the Tasman to catch up with
Australian correspondent Adam Peacock, who's been covering the Australian Open
into its third and fourth rounds Adam Novak, Djokovic, Alexander's
Varie through to the fourth round on the men's side,
Carlos al Karez as well top Sid Yarnick Center in
third round action tonight. Have you landed on a favorite

(01:16:55):
from what you've seen in week one?

Speaker 15 (01:16:58):
I haven't piney And firstly, apologies for the voice that
I think the hotel air conditioner has got hold of
it started playing games with it. But maybe Yeah, it's
a hard one to say because the I tipped out
cloths before. I'm not going to change that. But the
top guys have performed so well, apart from Danil Medvedev,

(01:17:21):
who's the guy to go. But yeah, Novak looks okay
last night, but physically he was affected by a bit
of look like a bit of pollen or something flying
around the air, so he didn't looked completely physical comfortable,
physically comfortable, but he can look all right. But yeah,
that the men's draw where they before the third round
they was fifteen at the thirty two seeds. The top guys,

(01:17:43):
the ones that are meant to come here and contend
at the end of next week, have looked pretty.

Speaker 3 (01:17:47):
Good as far as the Australians are concerned. Alex de
Mineure still there isn't his third round action this afternoon
against the Argentinian Francisco Karen Dolo. He should be okay, there, shouldn't.
He isn't Demonue eighth.

Speaker 15 (01:18:00):
Seed is that right, should be and he's acting like
it as well. Sometimes sometimes Demon gets into little battles
out here in the first.

Speaker 11 (01:18:08):
Week of an opener, takes the juice out of the tank.

Speaker 15 (01:18:10):
But his first two matches have been fantastic, so yeah,
I do think that there's a pretty good opponent for
him fingers crossed to get through. But you never know.
With the men's tour that in particular, and the women's
too are showing it as well. All of a sudden
it turns into a battle that you're not expecting. And
that's happened a few times this week with the guys

(01:18:31):
outside that four that we mentioned in sin al KaAZ
Zverev and Djokovic, the ones outside that can get into
little scraps that I don't need to, so hopefully Demon
can avoid that fate. But I will say that Demon
in his first two matches has looked as good as
I've seen him full stop. Ever, in Australian Open.

Speaker 3 (01:18:52):
We lost at Kriosphile early on. No great surprise there, No,
he just didn't have the base.

Speaker 15 (01:18:59):
So then he picks up a little neagle his stomach.
He did have a stomach strain, which unfortunately saw Naimi
Saka yesterday retire, so she can't quite get a body right.
But yeah, Nick Nick just didn't have the miles and
the legs, and he played a guy who played a
stack of matches last year and Jacob Turnley and he
rocked up and was rock solid and Nick couldn't quite

(01:19:21):
find away with his immense talent. So hopefully he kind
of gets ready for I think the grass court seasons
he's seeing in the middle of the year. Might play
some hard course stuff over in the States, But yeah,
at the moment, he's not quite with it in terms
of being at the level of base fitness that the tour.

Speaker 3 (01:19:38):
Tour us of you and the women's singles Coco golfer
in a Sebalinka safely through to the fourth round, and
the women's draw neither has dropped a seat. I think
they're on target for a semi final meeting. If it
was golf against Sebolenka GoF the third seed Sebleinka, double
defending champion, top seed, would Coco Goff be a pretty
good shout.

Speaker 15 (01:19:58):
Yep, Yeah, I'd probably on what I've seen, put it
just in front of that one Seblenka. Yeah, she got
to and show it, says yesterday. I get Clara Tolson,
but she wasn't dominant, like she had some issues and
played a player that can hit the ball really hard.
So yeah, I don't think she looks completely in tune,

(01:20:20):
and we're only judging that on the standards she set
herself in the last couple of years, which has been
out and it spectacular. So yeah, she's close, but I
would say Cocoa Golf has just danced her so far.
She's looking pretty good.

Speaker 3 (01:20:32):
Coco And just to finish, there's been a bit of
chat about crowd behavior, decorum, or perhaps lack of. Some
of the players seem to like it and play out
to it. Others are getting a little bit annoyed. What's
the overall view over there?

Speaker 15 (01:20:46):
Yeah, Daniel Collins who plays later tonight and gets Madison
Keith in the semi file on Rod Laver Arena, so
I think she'll be okay with that. Crowd is gaucus,
but because they pay big money to get in Rod
Labor and they seem to behave themselves a bit more
than say Key Arena or Caught three. But yeah, it's okay. Yeah,
it's fine when they play an see, everyone gets a

(01:21:07):
little jumpy obviously. Alex Vurkic he played a long match
last night against Jack Draper. He had the support of
the crowd and Jack was up against it. But it's
pretty crowd behavior basically. It's yeah, that's what it is,
and I don't think any of the players have a
massive problem with it, because I think they're just thankful
to planes. It's one of such passionate fans. But some

(01:21:30):
reacted in certain ways, like Jack Draper walked off court
and really enjoyed it last night despite just coppying it
through the crowd. But as Daniel Collins was giving it
back and saying, well, you're paying for my holiday. So
there's different ways to copy.

Speaker 3 (01:21:43):
Another interesting week ahead, a very interesting week. Get that
voice rested. A couple of throat lozenges. Adam, thanks as
always for joining us though on ZB this afternoon.

Speaker 15 (01:21:52):
Thanks Mane have ay good one.

Speaker 3 (01:21:53):
You have a good one too, Adam Peacock, A slightly
croaky Adam Peacock, our Australian correspondent, fully invested in the
coverage of the Australian Open and well the loser of
one voice by the sounds of it. Hopefully it'll come
right quick. They're back out on court at rod Laver
or on rod Laver Arena, also Margaret Court Arena around

(01:22:13):
the surrounding courts as well. We'll bring you up to
date with scores. One of the most interesting games is
on rod Laver right now. IGIs Fiontech the second seed
and the women's singles up against Emma Ruddakanu currently Siontic
ahead by a game to Love on Serve. So very
early in the piece in that one seven to two
U s talk.

Speaker 2 (01:22:31):
Sippy getting you closer to the action at sale GP.

Speaker 1 (01:22:37):
Weekend Sport with Jason Pine live from Win you'd points
and US talks EDB four.

Speaker 3 (01:22:42):
Away from two on us talks EDB we cand Sport
continues after two o'clock and we put our focus well
and truly back on to sale GP Auckland with which
is now just a couple of hours away from getting
underway on White to Harbor. The gates are open here,
the crowds are starting to flood in and the action
will be hot as anything on the water. After two

(01:23:03):
o'clock we'll get inside the Great British camp with their
driver Dylan Fletcher, also American driver Taylor Canfield and the
owner of the new Brazilian SALGP team, Allan Adler.

Speaker 1 (01:23:18):
Eleveneams from across the globe converge on the way to Mataba.
Sale GP returns to New Zealand and we've got all
the big names in sailing straight sprint of its weekend
Sport with Jason Pine live from the sale GP village
and win your point on your home of Sport news DOGSB.

Speaker 3 (01:23:37):
Yes, excitement is building here at Winyard Point. We're in
the media center for sale GP Auckland will less than
two hours away from racing getting underway. As these eleven
boats hit the water would have been twelve. Unfortunately the
French syndicate unable to participate this weekend. They will, all
things being equalll be back for the next leg of

(01:23:58):
SALEGP which is in Sydney. They will be awarded some
points for this regatta even though they will not sail
in it. It's a way of keeping things equal for
those who beyond their control have not been able to sail,
and that's the situation with the French team this afternoon.
But the other eleven are all set to go. They
will race three fleet races today starting at four o'clock

(01:24:21):
inside a broadcast window of ninety minutes. And the way
it works, if you're just joining us in a new
to Sail GP, you get points for where you finish
and each of the races, all eleven boats out there
together and depending on where you finish you get from
eleven points down to one. Top team gets eleven, second
team gets ten, etc. Etc. And at the end of
five fleet races, three today, two tomorrow, the top three

(01:24:43):
go into way winner takes all final, just those three
boats on the race course, which will be extremely different
from eleven boats out there. Already this afternoon we've heard
from Peter Berling, great to get the chance to catch
up with the black foils driver Jason Waterhouse out of
the Australian team, the flight controller, and both talked about

(01:25:03):
the new T foils which have been the big tour
looking point this week in terms of the change to
previous sal GP seasons and in fact the first end
of season five today is the first time that we
are going to see the tfoils in action, the titanium
foils which basically make the boats go faster. But there's

(01:25:24):
quite a bit for the flight controllers, the drivers, the strategists,
everybody involved with the sailing of these boats to get
to terms with to sell the tfoils or to make
the best use of the T foils. They're all learning together.
I think it's the message that we're getting. So this
hour we're going to get the thoughts of a couple

(01:25:45):
of the drivers. Taylor Canfield out of the United States
sale GP team is going to pop in. He dropped
into the team halfway through season four when Jimmy Spittel
departed to set up the Italian sal GP syndicate. So
it was a bit of a baptism of fire in
many ways for Taylor Canfield last season. But he's got

(01:26:05):
the rain from the start, did really well and the
opening events of season five, so Taylor Canfield going to
pop in for a chat as is. Dylan Fletcher has
been a change at the helm of the Great Britain
team as well, with Giles Scott departing. He is now
driver for the Canadian team. So Dylan Fletcher is the

(01:26:27):
man into his shoes if you like. He has sailed
sal GP before, has worked extensively alongside Cyndic Good owner
Sir Ben Ainsley, so it's nothing new to Dylan Fletcher,
but something that I guess is new to him this
season and straight away up onto the t foils he'll
have to go. So Dylan Fletcher this hour as well,

(01:26:49):
just to look ahead to tomorrow and incident there were
we'll broadcast live again by which stage we will have
another we'll have the racing from today to review. But
Sir Russell Cook's going to join us just after midday tomorrow.
Of course, is the mastermind behind all of this. Key
to understand from Sir Russell what his vision is for

(01:27:09):
these events moving forward. We have fourteen events now with
twelve boats. He's talked already about a split fleet because
twelve boats on the same race course can be problematic,
so there's talk about a split fleet which has been
trialed this week. Also tomorrow on the show Live, Mackay
going to join us. Out of the Black Foils, we'll
talk to Jimmy Spittle, the aforementioned who is now in

(01:27:32):
charge of the Italian syndicate. Hannah Mills, the most decorated
female Olympic sailor of all time. She is the strategist
for the Great Britain team. She's on the show tomorrow.
And Andy Maloney. This is a really really interesting story.
Andy Maloney, who has been with the Black Foils since
the start pretty much and his very close friend and

(01:27:53):
ally of Peter Berling and Blair Chuke, has now joined
up with the new Brazilian sal GP syndicate. They are
a startup syndicate and he is now with them. So
how difficult was that decision to make and how did
he go about making it? But first up this hour
we are going to shortly be joined by speaking of

(01:28:14):
the Brazilian sale GP syndicate, the owner and CEO of
the brazil sal GP team, Alan Adler, himself an Olympian,
three time Olympium, former Star Class World champion and a
man involved in entertainment and promoting big events including the
Salpalo Formula one Grand Prix. Alan Adler is on his

(01:28:37):
way to us. Just while we're waiting for his arrival,
I can update you on some live sport we heard
during the news of the Super Smash women's game in
Otago in Dunedin, where it's basically been a continuation of
Otago's excellent form. A seven wicket win over the defending

(01:28:58):
champion Wellington Blaze. The Blades restricted to one hundred and
twenty for five and they're twenty overs and Otago getting
there after a teenover is one hundred and twenty three
for three. So very very comprehensive really from Otago, who
increased their lead at the top of the table. They
have played more games than everybody else, but twenty four

(01:29:18):
points from their eight games. Now for the Otago side,
who look every inch the team to beat as far
as the women's competition is concerned. Now the men are
about to get underway. So the supersmatch is always of
course the men and the women back to back, and
so the Otago and Wellington men's sides are about to

(01:29:39):
do battle. News Talk s head beat. It is twelve
past two. There are two new teams in sal GP
this season, Italy with legendary sailor Jimmy Spitzel in charge
there and Mubadala Brazil, the first South American entry into
sal GP. Owner and CEO is three time Olympian, former
Star Class world champion sailor Alan Adler, also owner of

(01:30:02):
entertainment firm IMM CEO of Brazil Motorsports, the prom of
the Cell Palo Formula one Grand Prix. Ellen lovely to
say you, thank you for stopping and now it's a
busy time for you. What was your motivation for entering
the world of Cell JP.

Speaker 17 (01:30:17):
Well, first time I saw the event, I know it
was in Sentropez. I think last year I was really
impressed with what I saw with the value proposition of CELGP.
You know, I think have all the elements to succeed.
It's a close, racing, drama, adrenaline, it's sustainable, you know,

(01:30:37):
and I think it's it's really there is the aim
to involve and more and more females into the sports. Look,
I really love and I think that it's made also
for the broadcasting, which is very important to engage the audience.

Speaker 3 (01:30:54):
So all the elements.

Speaker 17 (01:30:55):
And now I'm a guy that used to work with
many sports franchies and I saw the CLGP, I.

Speaker 3 (01:31:01):
Say, look, this is really cool. Let's get involved. So
once you made the decision and to get involved, how
did you say it about putting a teen together?

Speaker 17 (01:31:10):
Yeah, so I think the first thing was really too
and the key think was about Martin. You know, I
think this was key first because not she's a female,
because she's the best sailor nowadays in Brazil.

Speaker 3 (01:31:25):
So Martin was an obvious choice.

Speaker 17 (01:31:27):
And when you put together a proposal, a commercial proposal
where you're going to have the first team led by
a woman, you know, competing face to face to the
best athletes in the world, I think this is very
it's very attractive, you know. And when we discussed that
with our investors and also with our sponsors like Mubadla.
I mean they bought it right away. They said, wow,

(01:31:49):
this is amazing, let's do it. And we have a
long term relation with them and many other sports. So
I'm so happy to be here, you know, in this
place is amazing place, Aukland.

Speaker 7 (01:31:58):
This is so beautiful.

Speaker 3 (01:31:59):
Yeah, now we were delighted to have you here. Just
on Martain Grayle, It's a wonderful story, sajipays. First EVA
female driver. Do you think she falls under a bigger
microscope because of that then the than the male drivers.

Speaker 17 (01:32:13):
Look, I think it's natural. It's natural, you know, because
it's unique. I don't you don't see in any other sports.
Tell me NBA and fl IF we'll see a female
competing the same level. So I think, yeah, that's natural.

Speaker 3 (01:32:27):
What were your emotions as you as you watch your
team line up for the first time in Dubai in November.

Speaker 17 (01:32:35):
Of course I was quite tense. Yes, I am a
very I have a very competitive nature myself.

Speaker 3 (01:32:42):
I love sports.

Speaker 17 (01:32:43):
I love to compete and I want to have a
competitive team, you know, I really want Brazil the team
to succeed. So I was really it was all about expectations.

Speaker 3 (01:32:54):
You know, what will happen.

Speaker 17 (01:32:55):
We're going to be less a lot, so we're gonna
be second less, which happened.

Speaker 3 (01:33:00):
But at the end of the day, you know, we
did well.

Speaker 17 (01:33:02):
I think for the first race, not much training. You know,
we be the Italian team which was also like us
at their first event. And I can be wrong, but
my guess is that we're going to have a great
surprise here in Auckland.

Speaker 3 (01:33:17):
Well, I don't know. It won't be a surprise because
all reports have the team sailing very well out here
and training across the wake. How have you managed to
get such quick improvements? I want to talk some more
about Dubai, but let's talk about the week past. You
have you managed to improve so quickly?

Speaker 17 (01:33:37):
That's a good question, and I think we learn a
lot from Dubai. We learn a lot from the data
we receive. We have an amazing team now with a
lot of experienced sailors, and also our sports director is
an amazing guy that did I don't know how many
Americas cup, but he's a very good in analyzing data.

(01:33:59):
So I think we improve a lot on that from
our mistakes, not much training, but the guys are good.
You know, we have a great team, and I think
it's all about human resources. So I was quite impressed
by the way yesterday with our results.

Speaker 3 (01:34:14):
So just back to Dubai. You're right, eleventh and tenth
and the first three races, race three though Martine overtook
five teams to go from last up to sixth, and
the third fleet race, how or how exciting, But how
encouraging was that for you? No, I think it was.

Speaker 17 (01:34:29):
Encouraging for me and for the whole team, you know,
because it raised our motivation.

Speaker 18 (01:34:34):
And that day was the first day.

Speaker 17 (01:34:36):
But again you know, it's it's those boats are tough
to sail in those conditions, you know, so we really learned.
And for me, here will be another And how can
I say when it will be again a new event,
because we will say with much more wind. So for
me again here would be it would be like the

(01:34:57):
first day in Dubai, you know, because of course we
did well training, but you know, training is one thing
and competition is another thing.

Speaker 3 (01:35:05):
I saw some footage of watching the races in Dubai.
You've probably sayen the same footage. You look, you look
pretty calm, but what are the emotions going through, especially
in an exciting race like Race three, when Martinez overtaking
on the outside, What are the emotions like for you? Look,
it's all about you know how it is.

Speaker 17 (01:35:23):
It's a little bit of tension with you know, expectations
and at the end of the day, this was a
good one and then you vibrate. I know, it's amazing. Yeah,
you celebrate and all like a Brazilians, we'd like to celebrate.

Speaker 3 (01:35:36):
And you got a New Zealand to two. You've got
Andy Maloney and the team. How did you How did
the conversation go to get home across to your team?

Speaker 17 (01:35:43):
Yeah, this was not easy one to get Indy, you know,
because Andy was I mean good good friends with all
the team had been with them for a long time.
It was it was not easy, you know, it was
not an easy one. I was so happy to convince him,
you know, to change, to start something new. I think
everybody in his motivation.

Speaker 3 (01:36:05):
So it worked out.

Speaker 17 (01:36:06):
He's amazing, not only as a character but as a sailor.
And we are so happy to have any on boards.

Speaker 3 (01:36:12):
Yeah, because I'm sure it must be about more than
just money. It must be about a desire within a
sailor to teach themselves, to challenge themselves. Is that how
you sold it to him?

Speaker 7 (01:36:22):
Yeah?

Speaker 17 (01:36:22):
I fully, fully agree. He knew that it's not about
the money only you need motivation. Otherwise you don't perform
and you say why what I'm doing here every day?

Speaker 3 (01:36:30):
So you need that, you need the purpose.

Speaker 17 (01:36:32):
And I think Andy felt that he could really really
be valuable for our team, you know, and which is amazing,
and he has.

Speaker 3 (01:36:39):
Been very valuable. Ellen, What will success look like for
you in season one for Brazil and Sole JP? What
will you be satisfied with at the end of that
of the season.

Speaker 17 (01:36:51):
Honestly, I would love to not finish last, because that's
what happens with most of the teams when they start.
So I think this will be easy to you know,
to expect. I mean, not a big esque but if
we want to go a little bit, you know, more aggressive,
I would expect us to arrive in the top. Let's

(01:37:14):
see eat That would be amazing.

Speaker 3 (01:37:16):
And we get to see Sale GP and Rio in
may Guanabara Bay in front of the Rio skyline, Sugar
Oaf Mountain. How much are you looking forward to that? Beautiful?
We need to find a way to get the radio
show there. In terms of beauty, we're going to win
for sure. Love it. Ellen, Congratulations on everything you've done

(01:37:38):
to get Brazil and to sale GP. All the best
for a wonderful couple of days out here on Wamata Harva.
Great to have you in town and thanks for joining us.
Thank you very much, Thank you, Ellen, Ellen Edler there,
lovely to meet your mate, Ellen Edler, the owner of
the Brazil sale GP team, who have the first ever
female driver Martine Grail at the at the helm and

(01:37:58):
what a job she's doing, absolutely amazing. We're going to
take a break here on news Talks. He'd be back
in a sec where we'll catch up with the driver
of the Americans, Taylor Canfielder is with us on news Talks.
Heb right after this.

Speaker 1 (01:38:10):
Fast faced sport with a splash play from Win Your
Point at SALGB. It's Jason five on Weekend Sports with
GJ gun Homes, New Zealand's most trusted home builder.

Speaker 2 (01:38:22):
News Talk ZIB.

Speaker 3 (01:38:23):
Two twenty four going to get you back inside a
couple of the sole GP teams shortly Taylor Canfield from
the United States team and Dylan Fletcher from Great Britain
to come. But let's get you out on the water
because there are hundreds of spectator boats getting lined up
ready to watch the action from on the water, including Angus,
who I spoke to yesterday on z B told me

(01:38:45):
all about his plans to get out on the water.
Did you make it out okay? Mate?

Speaker 19 (01:38:49):
Piney hey gun hoy mate. The officer still there to
come join you too late, So we're now to go.

Speaker 3 (01:38:53):
Oh mae. I honestly, I honestly would love to. Unfortunately,
I think the scheduling of a football matchup Mount Smart
might be against us, but I'll be thinking of you.

Speaker 7 (01:39:03):
Yeah, I appreciate it. Now it's all go here.

Speaker 19 (01:39:04):
So I'm pretty good so far, pretty your organized. Yeah,
we found a pretty good I'm so sure.

Speaker 3 (01:39:09):
We're on the list end side of the course yea.

Speaker 19 (01:39:11):
And yeah there's a pretty good flow toill there. Everyone's
being pretty good so fast, so yeah, no no complaints.

Speaker 3 (01:39:16):
So as you go out, are you sort of told
in no uncertain terms where you can and can't go?

Speaker 8 (01:39:22):
Yeah?

Speaker 19 (01:39:23):
It essentially we're right pretty early we lifted about maybe
just before one.

Speaker 7 (01:39:27):
We're on the course.

Speaker 19 (01:39:27):
By properting pass and straight away we're.

Speaker 4 (01:39:30):
Met to buy a course.

Speaker 19 (01:39:30):
Marshal looked at our flag and was like, yeah, pretty
much go over here kind of thing, and gave us
some guidance and then we just kind of found a
spot and we just yeah, put the anchor down and
now now we settled in.

Speaker 3 (01:39:39):
So you're just stay in the same place the whole time.
Do you think you haven't got your desire to move
around or nah?

Speaker 19 (01:39:44):
I think it's the plan. We're pretty much if you
look at like, if you're thinking like a stadium, we're
probably sick in row. We've got a couple of small
boats ahead of us, but no, we're actually we've got
a really good view. You've got the music on, the
drinks flow and yeah, no.

Speaker 3 (01:39:54):
Complaints mate, this just sounds so good. How many have
you got out there? How many on your boat?

Speaker 10 (01:40:00):
Mice?

Speaker 19 (01:40:00):
We're a thirty footo, we've got about twelve on board,
so yeah, well we wouldn't want much too much more.
I looking at some of the sixty but us, you know,
they got probably upwards of about twenty next to us. Yeah,
with these a boat probably next to us as a
sixty foot I'm looking at about twenty on there. They're
probably having a good time as well. But yeah, no,
it's really good. Yes, it's going great.

Speaker 3 (01:40:16):
A here I saw, I mean there is. There's some
serious money out on the water today, both in the
racing but also in some of the spectator craft. I
think I saw, and I'm sure this is doesn't matter
if this is wrong. I think I saw the Mowbrays boat.
Have you seen it, that big one?

Speaker 2 (01:40:29):
They're really big.

Speaker 19 (01:40:29):
Gand no I know the family, Yeah no, I have
seen them around the phone around so yeah, no they're here.

Speaker 3 (01:40:34):
So yeah, so good a mate. Every part of me
wishes that I could be out there on the water
with you, mate, But thanks for painting the picture for
our listeners. Enjoy your day and maybe we can chat
to we can chat. Are you going back out again tomorrow?

Speaker 8 (01:40:48):
Yeah?

Speaker 19 (01:40:48):
Absolutely, yeah, two day pass Yeah yeah, going back out
tomorrow or probably won't be a sunny but but yeah no,
we'll be a all right.

Speaker 3 (01:40:54):
We'll keep your phone on mate. We might well come
to you again tomorrow afternoon.

Speaker 19 (01:40:58):
Gets finely, appreciate it.

Speaker 3 (01:40:59):
Good on, youngest, Thanks mate, you go one of our
listeners out on the water, by the sounds of it,
having an absolute ball. He and eleven others out on
the oh man, so good, so so good. What are
we to twenty seven? Let's get back to some of
those who all been out on the water, but in
a competitive capacity. Great to welcome in a man who's

(01:41:19):
been competing as a professional match racer and fleet racer
since graduating from Boston College in twenty eleven. Seven time
world champion, one of the best match races in recent memory.
United States Sale GP team driver Taylor Canfield is here.
Great to see you, mate, Thanks for stopping by.

Speaker 18 (01:41:37):
Yeah, thanks for having me. It's great to be here now.

Speaker 3 (01:41:39):
Of course, you're appointed driver of the US team midway
through season four, which added in Christchurch a year ago
or thereabouts. How are you feeling ahead of event too?
In your first full season as driver?

Speaker 7 (01:41:51):
So excited?

Speaker 20 (01:41:52):
You know, I just have the opportunity to drive one
of these incredible.

Speaker 18 (01:41:54):
Machines, is you know it's a dream come true?

Speaker 7 (01:41:59):
Yeah?

Speaker 20 (01:41:59):
And you know, to be able to travel around the
world to you know, locations like this, in this racetrack,
in front of this amazing city.

Speaker 3 (01:42:06):
Uh, you can't beat it. How challenging was it dropping
into the team midway through season four?

Speaker 21 (01:42:12):
Yeah?

Speaker 20 (01:42:13):
I mean there's no words to really explain it to
to hop into a new new class and uh, and
competing against the best boats and the you know, the
best sailors in the world and the fastest boats in
the world.

Speaker 18 (01:42:24):
Yeah, it's it's full on. Uh, I think that's the
best word to say.

Speaker 20 (01:42:27):
And but yeah, you know, we're making do and uh,
things are definitely coming along and uh, you know, the
progress we made as a team is awesome so far.

Speaker 18 (01:42:35):
But you know, I know there's a lot more to
come as well.

Speaker 3 (01:42:38):
You want to talk about the progress and the good
start to to this season, but what were the big
lessons like iss you took personally out of season four
or your part in season four?

Speaker 20 (01:42:49):
Well, for me probably uh, you know, just trying to
be as consistent and concise as I can with my communication.

Speaker 13 (01:42:57):
You know.

Speaker 20 (01:42:57):
It's so everything is happening so quickly in in this racing,
in this format. Uh, you just need everyone on board
to be on the same page and and that usually
creates environment for things to go well. So it's uh,
you know, I say it a lot that we're raising
ourselves out there.

Speaker 11 (01:43:14):
Again.

Speaker 18 (01:43:14):
The boats are so complex.

Speaker 20 (01:43:15):
Every maneuver requires so much concentration and just pure finesse
with everyone on board.

Speaker 11 (01:43:22):
That.

Speaker 20 (01:43:23):
Yeah, we need everyone super tuned in and ready to go.
And if if you have good communication that everyone knows
what's coming and usually things go well.

Speaker 3 (01:43:29):
I love it. You we use the word finice. I
think that's the first time I've heard that would use
in relation to the fifties. I wean't to talk about
the new t Folds in a moment, but I understand
there was quite a bit off season training for the
for the USA team, Is that right?

Speaker 20 (01:43:41):
Yeah, super fortunate. We had a great training camp in Bermuda.
I mean, what what a spot. I'll take that for sure,
and then some great training leading up to Dubde. You know,
the first event of twenty twenty five season. We spent
Thanksgiving over there, which is a bit controversial, but it was.

Speaker 18 (01:44:01):
It was fun.

Speaker 20 (01:44:01):
You know, we had our good, solid group and their
culture is incredible in our team, so that was nice
to have, you know, what felt like family surrounding us
for that.

Speaker 3 (01:44:10):
Well, it obviously worked third in Dubai. How happy were
you with that?

Speaker 20 (01:44:15):
Yeah, you know, ecstatic to be on the podium. Uh,
it's it's this is just ruthless sailing, you know, it's
We're gonna have our ups and downs, but a great
way to start the season, and you know, to win.

Speaker 18 (01:44:26):
When the first race of the.

Speaker 20 (01:44:28):
Twenty twenty five season, Uh, that's that's something called too.
I hope that we wrapped everyone up for the season
to come.

Speaker 3 (01:44:34):
Absolute. It must have been a buzzy because first, the seventh, seventh, sixth,
second to qualify third for the final. So what makes
the difference between a first and a second or a
sixth and the seventh.

Speaker 20 (01:44:45):
Yeah, let's let's forget about the middle races, you know. Yeah,
it's hard to bring it up till No, it's all good.
It's a game, it's a game of inches. It's again,
it requires so much, I guess, just teamwork and uh,
you know, it doesn't take much for things to go
you know, completely bad. So yeah, it's just about execution

(01:45:08):
and and everyone doing their jobs on board, and and
and making sure that again everyone's ready for that that
next thing. So the more foresight we can all like
we can have as a team on board, the better
it's gonna go.

Speaker 3 (01:45:19):
How much, uh is it or how different is it? Sorry?
With the new high speed t foils, what what adjustments
have you hit to Mike.

Speaker 20 (01:45:28):
Uh, there's definitely high speeds, we can confirm that, but yeah,
you know, it's not too much has changed. Uh, some
of the jobs on boards have changed. The flight controller's
job has gotten more complex. You know, before we just
had the rake of the foils fore and aft, and
now we have the rank of the foils in and
out as well, so you know, we've added this three

(01:45:48):
dimensional uh kind of take to the new hydrofoils and
it really affects the balance of the boat.

Speaker 18 (01:45:55):
And yeah, yeah, you know, the how much helmload.

Speaker 20 (01:45:58):
We're getting For me personally, it's been a big change.
So just getting used to that and trying to figure
out new ways to be you know, innovative.

Speaker 18 (01:46:07):
To you know, just get the most out of these boats.
But yeah, pretty cool.

Speaker 20 (01:46:12):
I mean they're fast, they accelerate really quickly. You know,
I think we're going to see more g forces. We
can really throw the boats around. There's there's a lot
of grip we like to call it, where the boat
feels really attached to the water.

Speaker 18 (01:46:24):
So yeah, it's uh, it's a work in progress for everyone.

Speaker 20 (01:46:27):
It seems like, you know, watching some of the teams
and and and ourselves going around the racetrack yesterday. There's
it could be some Reavy moments. So everyone hold on
and yeah and enjoy the show.

Speaker 3 (01:46:38):
So you're kind of learning as you go in some
ways with with the new foils.

Speaker 20 (01:46:42):
Yeah, absolutely, it's uh it's a new game and we're
all adjusting and figuring it out quickly. And you know,
this shared data source for for sale GP just makes
it that much uh, the learning process that much quicker.
But there's a lot of ideas out there right now,
and you can see it in the data that people
are trying different things on on crazy radical ends of
the spectrums, and you know, not not always. You come

(01:47:05):
back in after a day sailing and you go through
all the data and you're like, well, that didn't work,
so you got to go back to the drawing board
and try something new. But you don't always have to
try the things, which is nice because other teams are
doing that for you as well.

Speaker 3 (01:47:17):
Yeah, so that I can make your mistkes for you
and say, well we'll rule that out, we won't do that. Yeah,
you've had quite a bit of experience in the m
thirty twos, who describes as a kind of a slow
down version of an fifty. So is your experience in
the M thirty two has helped and you'll in racing any.

Speaker 20 (01:47:32):
Fifty Yeah, absolutely, and I think a lot of uh,
you know, I guess some of our starting, starting success
out of the racetrack has come from the M thirty
two class and that routine that we've set up in
something I've sworn by for for many years.

Speaker 18 (01:47:46):
But yeah, you know, it's it's been a progression for.

Speaker 20 (01:47:49):
Me from you know, the slow Monohl match racing to
the you know, the apparent win M thirty two sailing
nonfoiling to now this, you know is uh, it's been
It's been really cool and it's taken a lot of
getting used to it for sure, you know, and have
seventy knots apparent win on the on the face, you know,
trying to community with your teammates.

Speaker 18 (01:48:07):
It's pretty full on.

Speaker 3 (01:48:08):
Absolutely, I'll see you had Liam Lawson in your in
your team base. Was that yesterday? How do you reckon?
You go with a driver swamp scheme, you reckon, You
get behind a Formula one car and he could drive
this thing out of here?

Speaker 2 (01:48:20):
Oh man?

Speaker 18 (01:48:21):
Uh, did you just I would definitely give it a go.
How cool would that be?

Speaker 16 (01:48:27):
No?

Speaker 3 (01:48:27):
Liam.

Speaker 18 (01:48:28):
You know what a great guy.

Speaker 20 (01:48:29):
Uh, super pumped for him to have the seat uh
in the Red Bull car this season, and uh yeah,
we'll be following him. You know when when you meet
someone and you get that extra special bond with them
and meeting them in person and they're seeing their personality.

Speaker 18 (01:48:42):
So that'll be really cool.

Speaker 20 (01:48:43):
I'll be rerooting for him this season and uh yeah,
hopefully we can get them out later for a run
on one of these on these boats and seey things.

Speaker 3 (01:48:49):
And what it doesn't surprise me you jump in the
race car because you strike me as a bit of
an adrenaline junkie, if your Instagram is to be believed.
Bungee jumping off the skytower this week.

Speaker 20 (01:48:59):
Yeah you know, landed in uh in Auckland, I think
nine thirty am and we're on the top of the
sky tower at eleven o'clock.

Speaker 18 (01:49:06):
Uh, straight into it.

Speaker 2 (01:49:09):
Uh, I love it.

Speaker 18 (01:49:09):
I love the extremes.

Speaker 20 (01:49:11):
And uh I used to jump off you know, these
rocks and cliffs as a little kid down in the
Virgin Islands. And yeah, I for some reason, I don't know,
it doesn't doesn't trigger my brain to to have the
fear when I'm up high like that. Very lucky in
that in that sense, I guess, but I was ready
to go. It's coolstanding probably helps you out here as well. So, hey, a,
you're feeling a few hours out from from the start

(01:49:31):
of of sol GP Oakland.

Speaker 18 (01:49:34):
Uh, just pumped.

Speaker 20 (01:49:35):
I mean we were sailing out there yesterday. I was
looking back at the Grand Standard.

Speaker 18 (01:49:39):
This is so cool.

Speaker 20 (01:49:40):
The fact that you know, this, this sport here in
New Zealand is just, you know, such an incredible thing.

Speaker 9 (01:49:45):
Uh.

Speaker 20 (01:49:46):
It's part of their culture and you know, I'm pumped
to see how everyone's you know, gonna gonna be here
rooting us on. And you know, we've already acquired a
few Kiwi fans. They've come through the base and we've
we've turned them from the Kiwi team.

Speaker 3 (01:49:59):
Uh.

Speaker 18 (01:50:00):
So that's uh, that's cool to see that people are
here even in New Zealand rooining for us.

Speaker 20 (01:50:04):
And uh, the race traction of being in cradible, it'll
be tight, eleven boats, it's going to be full line
out there.

Speaker 3 (01:50:11):
Well, we just can't wait. Hey, Taylor, I'm sure you
learn a lot more fans across the weekend. It's great
to get the chance to catch up at you again
all the best here in Auckland and for the rest
of season five of sale GP.

Speaker 18 (01:50:21):
Yeah, thanks so much, and yeah be sure to tune
in and we'll put on a good show.

Speaker 3 (01:50:26):
Yeah, I'll bet you well. Thanks mate. Taylor Canfield there
from the US team. He's the driver of the US
entry in sale GP. The show is coming to you
live from White Tomata Harbor or looking out onto White
Tamata Harbor. We're actually in the drink. Don't worry about that,
we are. The gear probably wouldn't work quite as well
out there. My on site tech agrees, so I think

(01:50:48):
where we are at the moment on dry land is
probably the best place for us. Still in Fletcher, the
driver of the Great Britain team, going to join us shortly.
Barry says, I met Taylor at Northport when sale GP
began their original training program using the US. If fifty
are cheerful and a muse character, he certainly is. You
can just tell from chatting to him their barriers. I'm

(01:51:10):
sure you found out when you met him. A wonderful guy.
In fact, I have to say that, without exception, the sailors,
the members of the teams, those involved, the owners, everybody
involved with sale GP has been extremely accommodating to us
as we've been putting these two shows together, asking them

(01:51:30):
if we could chat to them at various times. They've
almost without exception, gone out of their way to make
things work for us, and I think that is a
big part of the success of sale GP and probably
a lesson for a lot of sports. They know they
are not the only game in town. They know that
they are in a battle for discretionary eyeballs, discretionary sponsorship,

(01:51:55):
broadcast dollars, merchandise, all of that stuff. We've each all
only got so many hours in our day and so
many dollars in our wallet, and they're in a battle
to try and get some of that, to get our
eyes on sour GP, to get us to reach into
our wallets to buy tickets, to buy merchandise, to support

(01:52:16):
things like this. And so it just feels to me,
and whether this is deliberate or whether it's just something
that the sailors intrinsically understand, they know their part to play,
They know their part to play. They answer questions with intelligence,
with humor, with insight, and look, I've just thoroughly enjoyed

(01:52:37):
being here today and I'm sure the same can be
said tomorrow as well, chatting to those who are going
to be sailing these boats around the race course here
at Watamata Harbor in the next couple of hours or so.
Just in terms of a time frame, four o'clock this
afternoon is when racing gets underway. Three races inside the
broadcast window, which is ninety minutes, the points will be
totted up, and then tomorrow two more fleet races again

(01:53:00):
from four and then the finale a three boat winner
takes all finale, which I guess we can probably estimate
we'll go sometime after five o'clock tomorrow afternoon. The wind
is set to get up a bit tomorrow. It is
going to cause all sorts of intrigue out there on
the water, but there's intrigued today as well as a
lookout look. I'm I'm no I was going to say,

(01:53:22):
I'm no nautician. Is that even a word? The fact
that I don't even know whether it is or not
would probably suggest that I'm not one. I'm no expert
on nautical matters. But looking out there now, it looks
like it's a perfect afternoon for sailing. So in about
an hour and twenty minutes. We're going to get the
chance to see it here at sale GP in Auckland.

(01:53:42):
Let's get a breakaway twenty one away from three when
we come back. Dylan Fletcher, driver of the Great Britain
sal gpting.

Speaker 1 (01:53:50):
Hella Furious on and after Water Live from sale Gping
in Auckland. It's Weekend Sport with Jason Fine and GJ Gunnomes,
New Zealand's most trusted home builder.

Speaker 2 (01:54:01):
News Talks at b.

Speaker 3 (01:54:03):
Coming up seventeen away from three on News Talks EB
and Weekend Sport Line from sle GP Auckland. Let's bring
in another of the drivers, another very handy sailor, Olympic
champion and Tokyo Moth World champion, co driver of Veneus
Britannia in the Summers America's Coup alongside Immirates Great Britain
CEOs of Ben Ainsley. He drove the British team in

(01:54:24):
salgp's first ever season and is back for season five,
replacing Giles Scott who is now with Team Canada. Dylan
Fletcher is with us. How are you feeling ahead of
SALGP here in Auckland.

Speaker 21 (01:54:36):
Yeah, buzzin can't wait to get out there and get
on the race course.

Speaker 3 (01:54:40):
The tefoils are on everybody's mind. Everyone's been talking about
them this week. Tell us about your experience with the
new titanium tefoils.

Speaker 21 (01:54:48):
Yeah, it's fantastic to get them mine. It's obviously a
bit more similar to what we're using have in Barcelona.
So there's been plenty of interesting differences between the teams.
I'd say that there's been a little bit more looseness
out there, some more crashing. So I think it'll be
a great weekend for the fans.

Speaker 3 (01:55:03):
That does it bring into sharper focus the skill of
the sailors we're going at, you know, at faster speeds.

Speaker 21 (01:55:12):
I think that the fastest speeds will be great, but
I also think it's about how we learn and adapt
to these new tfoils and how the boat behaves. So
there's certainly plenty for us to get on top of.
And we've seen some, as you say, some differences, and
we're all trying to work out the best way to
get the boats around the race course.

Speaker 3 (01:55:28):
What are your experiences with them, what have you it
to adjust the most.

Speaker 21 (01:55:32):
There's some different settings that we can play with and
the cant so the angle that it drops at is
very similar in reality again to the sort of the
seventy five the aight forties, So trying to work out
where we can bring the experience from the Cup, but
also how different it is in cel GP with the
f fifty Catmaran. So there's plenty going on.

Speaker 3 (01:55:52):
So you're beckon to in to sell GP. Obviously you
know the change of dry has that been relatively seamless
as far as you're consuit.

Speaker 21 (01:56:00):
I think it feels good to be back in Emirates GVR,
but obviously the team's very experienced. I know that the
level has gone at massively since season one, so I'm
very much just hanging off what the team's telling me
and trying to do the best job I can.

Speaker 3 (01:56:15):
You must obviously have kept a close eye on cel GP,
though as you say you were involved in season one,
you clearly have kept an eye on its development over
over seasons two, three, four into five.

Speaker 21 (01:56:24):
Now, yeah, certainly kept an eye, and I was even
sort of working behind the scenes in season three. So yeah,
it's great to finally be back driving, and the boats
have got a lot faster, a lot better. The teams
are a lot better, and I think that. It's just amazing,
to be honest, you know, I think this event here
really shows CELGP at its best. We've got, you know,
eight thousand you know, seats in a grandstand right by

(01:56:46):
the race course, the tech areas right here, we've got
all the moorings which are really closed. It's amazing to
see all the fans here already. So I just hope
that we put on a great show for everyone.

Speaker 3 (01:56:55):
I don't think there's any any danger of that not happening.
Obviously you've come and for Giles Scott, who's gone to
the Canadian team. Can you tell us how that conversation happened?
Who run you? Was it an easy years?

Speaker 21 (01:57:06):
I was very fluid and it was quite late, to
be honest, Ben knows. I've always been pushing to get
back on the boat or back in in f fifty
ever since that first season. And you know, I guess
I was slightly surprised at first when Garles went to
the Canadians, but it all fell into place quite nicely
at the end of my time in Barcelona, with Ben
saying that you know, I'd got the gig and I

(01:57:27):
was driving, So yeah, an exceptional end to an exceptional summer.

Speaker 3 (01:57:31):
What has Subbin like to deal with formidable?

Speaker 21 (01:57:36):
But he's really nice, to be honest, and you always
know where you are with him, and yeah, I certainly
have a good relationship.

Speaker 3 (01:57:42):
So Dubai the season opening into Dubai Seek and there,
you must have been pretty happy with it, were you.

Speaker 21 (01:57:50):
Yeah, I guess pretty happy. He's a probably a good
way of putting it. Certainly, we know it's a long
season in CELGP and we're all about getting into that
Grand Final by at the end of the day, we're
trying to win every event, and to be honest, I'm
still sort of slightly annoyed at myself for part of
that in terms of I just wanted to win, and
you know, being being by the keywis is something I
don't enjoy.

Speaker 3 (01:58:12):
Well, you'll probably enjoy it list out here with eight
thousand if it happens, of course, with eight thousand cheering.
So what were you annoyed personally? It's something you did
or didn't do.

Speaker 21 (01:58:22):
Yeah, we were leading the race sort of halfway through
and you know, a little mistake from myself on you know,
open the door for Pete and I know that you know,
he'll take any opportunity you get. So it was a
frustrating one, but yeah, we'll live and lane.

Speaker 3 (01:58:36):
Well, let's talk about the conditions out here across the
next two days. You've obviously been training practicing out here.
What impact do you expect the conditions to have on
racing to them tomorrow.

Speaker 21 (01:58:46):
I think it's gonna be very hectic and close. The
last two days we've been racing with fleets of five
or six boats, and today is the first time we've
got all eleven on the race course and it felt
small with six boats, So eleven it's going to feel
real small. So I'm expecting plenty of furs and spills
and crashes, and yeah, just trying to keep keep on

(01:59:06):
its feet is going to be the important part.

Speaker 3 (01:59:08):
So actually you're going into the racing expecting that there
will be some carnage.

Speaker 21 (01:59:13):
Yes, hopefully no one actually touches, but you know, we've
seen plenty of crashes. The Germans, you know, nearly put
it in a tide yesterday around the bottom mark. I
think of Brazilians nearly put it in the tide. So
there's plenty going on.

Speaker 3 (01:59:26):
What's it What is it like though? With with other boats,
high speed, close proximity, low margin for era. How how
cool headed do you have to be in situations like that?

Speaker 21 (01:59:38):
Yeah, I guess you've got to keep your call. But
to be honest, I think this is what all of
us live for. We absolutely love it out there and
having eleven boats and going you know, ninety k's and
now one hundred ks now hopefully, is that's.

Speaker 7 (01:59:48):
What we live for?

Speaker 3 (01:59:49):
You reckon you had one hundred, I hope so, and
what about rounding the marks because again, you know that
very close proximity. They talk about getting elbows out, don't
they things like that? As you know, you're ready for
that sort of thing this afternoon and tomorrow as well.

Speaker 7 (02:00:04):
Yeah.

Speaker 21 (02:00:04):
I think it's that famous quote. You know, if you
a gap, you've got to go for it, otherwise you're
no longer a racing driver, so you'll be giving it everything.

Speaker 3 (02:00:11):
The FIFTI saw do they compet to the other craft
that you've seldom.

Speaker 21 (02:00:15):
They're you know, they're formidable really as well. They're just
the speed is high. It's not as quick as some
of the others, but it's the fact that you're very
exposed open you're having to run across the boat when
you're doing you know, seventy eighty ks now, which is
is pretty full on so and I think for me
the main thing is just the fact that we've got
ten of the boats on the race course. It's super tight,

(02:00:37):
its ever changing, so it's some of the best racing
in a while.

Speaker 7 (02:00:41):
To be honest.

Speaker 3 (02:00:41):
In the start obviously important, you know, doubly so with
so many boats, not a lot of room or time
to overtake. So if you don't get the start right,
can you still put together an impressive performance beyond the
start line? If you get my.

Speaker 21 (02:00:56):
Drift, yeah, I think that you saw, you know, if
you look back at Dubai from a sort of the
stats and everything, and asselves, I think the keyis were
baths davertakers and we're with the second bass day overtakers
and neither of us started particularly well. So I guess
it's that balance. Idaarly, you start well, but if you
don't start well, make sure you overtake well fair enough.

Speaker 3 (02:01:16):
You're excited, Yeah, looking forward to great to see you, Dylan,
all the best out there today and tomorrow. Thanks for
stopping him for a chat. Thanks as Dyllan Fletcher, he's
the driver of the Great Britain team. You better get
out there, mate. I think some of the other boats
are already out on the water. Thanks for stopping in
so close to race time. It's ten to three with
racing set to go from four o'clock this afternoon, and
looking out onto the Wattamata Harbor here at SALGP headquarters

(02:01:39):
at when you point, can see a number of the
boats are making their way out there for some practice runs,
just getting themselves ready for a four o'clock Start's going
to be absolutely sensational viewing for the spectator craft and
those on shore. The eight thousand seat stadium has been
erected here and is going to be absolutely chokers today

(02:01:59):
and tomorrow. Can see the Italian syndicate just flying past
on their foils as I speak. It's just absolutely magnificent
stuff here at SALGP in Auckland. Night away from three
in Newstalk sebbe.

Speaker 1 (02:02:14):
We backing of Black Foils Weekend Sport with Jason Fine
live at sale GP in Auckland and you talk at b.

Speaker 3 (02:02:22):
Just on six Away from three. That is pretty much
US four weekend sport for today on day one of
Sale GP in Auckland. We're back tomorrow between midday and
three by which time, of course we've had have had
three fleet races starting in around an hour or so,
So review what happens on day one and look ahead
to day two on the guest list tomorrow, we lead

(02:02:44):
off after midday with Sir Russell Coots ready looking forward
to chatting to him. Actually, his son is on the
show tomorrow as well, because he's a fairly handy sailor
as well, a world champion no Less in the moth
class recently mattaas Coots also on the show with us tomorrow.
We'll get back inside the Black Foils camp with Live McKay.
New Zealand strategist Jimmy spital Is with us tomorrow on

(02:03:08):
the New Italian Syndicate, Andy Maloney as well, who has
recently left the New Zealand team to link up with
the Brazilian Syndicate, and Hannah Mills out of Team Great
Britain as well. So an all star cast tomorrow plus
of all all of your reflections and particularly would like
to chat to you tomorrow if in fact you took
in or are about to take in some of the

(02:03:30):
action today. Thank you for tuning in. Huge thanks to
Bevan Joe back in the Studio for producing on site
production from Bryce and Liam. Absolutely magnificent work from you.
Thank you for tuning in the weekend collective coming up
after three taking us out of a talking heads we
will see tomorrow at midday.

Speaker 18 (02:03:49):
By fore now.

Speaker 2 (02:04:14):
Re o stay.

Speaker 22 (02:04:18):
That's animal upon the wall says the State ball. Your
not about love. It as a die of I A
you the color the

Speaker 1 (02:04:43):
N For more from Weekends Sport with Jason Fine, listen

(02:05:19):
live to News Talk Set B weekends from midday, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.

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.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}Stuff You Should Know

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Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

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Full Show Podcast: 18 January 2025

Stuff You Should Know