Full Show Podcast: 25 April 2026

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from NEWSTALKSTB. It's been fifteen years since Caterbury lost so much.
It is with sincere regret that I have to announce
that all of the twenty eleven Rugby World Cup games
scheduled to be played here in christ Jurge.

Speaker 2 (00:27):
To be moved.

Speaker 3 (00:28):
With regret, we are saying that we will not be playing.

Speaker 4 (00:31):
Rugby here on this ground.

Speaker 3 (00:33):
It's obviously very disappointing.

Speaker 5 (00:35):
We have it hard to see if we can find
a way through this.

Speaker 6 (00:37):
Lancas the Park, once the prime sporting venue in christ Church,
is to be pulled down.

Speaker 3 (00:43):
This weekend a new chapter is launched.

Speaker 6 (00:47):
The most Excellent News for christ You're titled I thought
Chelseil signed off on the case for the multi use arena.

Speaker 7 (00:52):
Years of waiting are almost over for christ Church. With
the cities six hundred and eighty three million dollar News
Stadium on the brink of opening.

Speaker 6 (00:59):
It is going to be just unbelievable to be there
with thirty thousand people seeing the Crusader's Disiga's going to
be amazing to be there in July to SAVI All
Blacks versus strants.

Speaker 1 (01:12):
A monumental milestone for christ Church, a new home for events,
a new home for sport, a place for a new
legacy to be built.

Speaker 3 (01:22):
Christ Church is one. N Z Stadium is here and
the perfect way to.

Speaker 1 (01:27):
Open it in style, Super Rugby Pacific Super Round celebrating
the biggest weekend in rugby. It's Weekend Sport with Jason
Vine live from Robbie's Litchfield Courtyard in Christchurch, on your
home of Sport News Talk said by.

Speaker 7 (01:45):
Yes Indeed Kyoto. Good afternoon and welcome into a very
special edition of Weekend Sport on News Talk, saidb on
a momentous and poignant weekend for the entire country and
a truly historic one for sport in the proud region
of Canterbury. We're coming to you live from the Garden City,
specifically from Robbie's Litchfield Courtyard, the new home of Live

(02:05):
Sport in christ Church. Great food, cold beer, heaves at TVs.
We're being superbly hosted by Mark and his team as
we celebrate the opening of one New Zealand Stadium at Dekaha,
a venue years in the making, rising from the heart
of a city that knows better than most about resilience,
rebuild and renewal. And this weekend, this wonderful arena finally

(02:27):
takes its place on the sporting map of New Zealand.
The stadium isn't just steel in seats. It is a statements,
a symbol of how far christ Church has come and
where it is heading next. But as we celebrate the future,
it's also important to acknowledge the past. For generations, the
spiritual home of rugby here in the Garden City was

(02:48):
Lancaster Park or Ami Stadium or Jade Stadium, depending on
your era, a place where legends were made, where the
Crusaders built a dynasty, and where unforgettable moments became part
of New Zealand's sporting folklore. Then, in the wake of
the twenty eleven earthquakes, rugby found a new home across
town at Addington. Smaller, more intimate, but full of heart.

(03:10):
It carried the city through years of transition, proving the
spirit of christ Church was never about bricks and mortar.
It was always about the people. But now the next
exciting chapter begins. Super Rugby's Super Round as the honor
of opening this brand new stadium, three days, six teams
and a festival of rugby with the Crusaders kicking things

(03:32):
off last night with a thirty five twenty victory over
the Waratars in front of a sellout crowd, and today
we are right in the middle of it. We're live
from Robbie's Litchfield Courtyard, right next to one New Zealand
Stadium at Taka. It is literally a stone's throw away.
I'm Jason Pine. Show producer Andy McDonald. This is Weekend

(03:52):
Sport on News talks EDB, your home of super Round,
as we celebrate a new era for christ Church Sport.
We have a stellar lineup for you this afternoon as
we reflect not only on last night and the opening
of this incredible new venue, but also the past of
one of the most famous jerseys in New Zealand Sport,
and we look ahead to what the future might hold.

(04:14):
Please join the show whenever you like, Come and see
us at Robbie's Litchfield Courtyard. If you are in the area,
you can give us a call on eight hundred and
eighty ten eighty. We'll send you text messages through to
nine two nine two. In particular, if you were there
last night, and there were plenty there last night, I
would love to hear your thoughts. I got the chance

(04:35):
to chat to a couple of fans on site. We've
got that audio for you. But if you were there
last night and you want to call and give us
your give us your experiences, how you found it, your
emotions as you walked in, and a bit on the
rugby too. I guess we could talk about the rugby.
I think the Crusaders would say it wasn't their best performance,
but they'll take the win. The win is the thing, absolutely.

(04:55):
But if you were there eight hundred and eighty ten
eighty nine two nine two for your texts emails to
Jason at NEWSTALKSEB dot co dot nz. Coming up twelve
past midday.

Speaker 3 (05:06):
The big Names and the big.

Speaker 1 (05:08):
Calls on your home of Sport, Weekend Sport with Jason Fine,
News Talks, mb.

Speaker 8 (05:14):
Mcmichell, Boats to Duty and the First Acts at one
inst Stadium, Takaha as a winning one for the Crusaders
and Enter taty eighty minutes, ends with the home team victorious,
Quintal score thirty five tweefteen, Crusader.

Speaker 7 (05:36):
Hit the Job, dut Nicknam, Nick Bill Live with the
Call last night and Historic One with John Haggart alongside
and Craig kurd down on the sideline. A wonderful call
and a wonderful game to start things off. I wandered
down onto the field afterwards. There was a sense of
real celebration, a bit of relief as well, but excitement
about this new venue finally having its debut. Last night,

(05:58):
I caught up with a couple of players. First up,
spoke to a man who's seen a lot in his career,
Crusaders and All Blacks hooker Cody Taylor.

Speaker 9 (06:06):
It was tough, but it's tough. Came, you know, the
Warrior's eyes really put up a good fight that first
half and we sort of caught it back and then
I'm really proud of the way we responded and.

Speaker 10 (06:16):
That second half.

Speaker 11 (06:17):
You know, that's been I feel yourself for us.

Speaker 10 (06:19):
A little bit the last couple of weeks.

Speaker 9 (06:21):
So so we come out and score a few tries,
put the pressure on.

Speaker 11 (06:25):
It's good to see.

Speaker 12 (06:26):
What did it change?

Speaker 7 (06:27):
Do you think from previous weeks we're s sacic and
have everything monk quite the way you want to hpe
what happened tonight. There's a lot of talk in.

Speaker 9 (06:34):
The in the week around you know, this isn't a
crusade of life. We had to look in the mirror
quite hard, to be honest, and the coaches really put
it on us all week. You can tell that there
was a rock in this through but rightly so, you know,
we want to go out there and win games as
the most teams, but the Crusaders is a little bit different.
So I'm glad, glad we responded tonight, especially in front

(06:56):
of our fans.

Speaker 7 (06:57):
You talk to me about that, because it must have
been hard to keep your mind on the job during
the week or wasn't at heart.

Speaker 9 (07:03):
Uh personally know, but you know, for the team, we
got the training on Wednesday, so we've got to soak
up with the stadium. Was like the atmosphere, I suppose
it's not the atmosphere, but just.

Speaker 10 (07:15):
The scenery and what we would expect.

Speaker 9 (07:18):
But hey, this was for Christius tonight.

Speaker 11 (07:22):
Like we drove through the city what's got smoke while.

Speaker 9 (07:25):
The earthquake you know, fifteen years ago and whatever it was,
And it was awesome just to try through that city
and see all the new new belt buildings and then
come to this place which is going to have been
Crossius together.

Speaker 7 (07:37):
It's awesome. Well said, mate, and a try A try
on your day, Bill on this ground the first of
MENI hopefully.

Speaker 9 (07:44):
Hopefully mate, always on the back of a more so
I can't flank some.

Speaker 13 (07:48):
Birthdays.

Speaker 7 (07:49):
That is Cody Taylor after the game. He was beaten up,
actually had a headband on, but a blood coming from
a cut. Not unusual of course for Cody Taylor. The
big selection story, of course, heading into last night was
the selection of Leicester fighting Anuku as an open side flanker,
a guy we know more as a back line play.
But he started for the first time in the number

(08:11):
seven jersey just as I was a bit I'll just
start talking to less to. The first voice you'll here
on this track is Crusader's scrum coach, Dan Perrin. They
just had a long discussion. Dan Parrien, as he was
walking away, said this, ask him about scrubs. So Dan
parents asked me to asking about scrums. How will they
I love.

Speaker 14 (08:31):
To enjoying it?

Speaker 10 (08:31):
Yeah? Did he packed the punt there?

Speaker 13 (08:33):
But good night for a year.

Speaker 7 (08:35):
How did you find it overall made? There was so
much talking the lead up to this. I know you
probably ignored most of it, but how did you find
it playing with the seven on your back.

Speaker 15 (08:42):
Yeah, I'm all those I know you're pretty crazy guy,
you know, just whatever the job was that tire hand
and you know, try to missing Gordon obviously asked be
named this sing a start a week, which was a
bit of a oh alright.

Speaker 10 (08:53):
Let's go.

Speaker 15 (08:54):
But yeah, obviously the challenges I definitely enjoyed them. That
one focus was not stuffing up the mauls or scrums
the line after. I know, big boys prided themselves are there.
So yeah, it was such a sort turn. One day's prep.
P read it well but yeah, yeah, not too short
fineou reviews.

Speaker 7 (09:08):
So yeah, I guess you what I hate you said
during the week, if there's a body in front of you,
it doesn't matter what number you got on your back,
because that the approach you're took it into the game.

Speaker 15 (09:14):
Yeah, I figure every week I think one thing about footy.

Speaker 10 (09:17):
You can be any prepare as best you.

Speaker 15 (09:19):
Can, but you never know where what to expect when
the day arrives. So for me, it's just always a
make sure I'm ready for anything they're throwing. Yeah, like
I saying that the early in the week and our
bodies of body and just the game of footy.

Speaker 10 (09:30):
You know, you run your tackle and end of.

Speaker 11 (09:31):
The day you try to to that white line.

Speaker 7 (09:33):
So yeah, was there any thought when sev Reese pulled
out late that you would go back out to a
backline position? I mean, dullas McClard came in waited, Well,
was it always you at seven? And only seven?

Speaker 16 (09:43):
Man?

Speaker 14 (09:44):
I've heard those days.

Speaker 10 (09:44):
I just don't know where I'm going to end up, really,
so I.

Speaker 15 (09:47):
Think every week for me, it's just making sure I'm
prep got the tools ready in the toolbox, and keep
watchipping away on my crauff. And I believe that season
like this, you didn't know what to expect through injuries
or anything o that. So for me to have to,
I guess offer their service, you know somehow prot myself fine,
and you haven't.

Speaker 7 (10:01):
Continue to serve that So all right, and just to
finish this place, this atmosphere, this how was the night
in that regard?

Speaker 13 (10:08):
Oh man?

Speaker 15 (10:08):
Honestly, sniffinitely up there, I think such a special place.

Speaker 10 (10:13):
It's become the heart of our city. And honestly, even
coming in.

Speaker 15 (10:17):
And the plus is so special, seeing the mouse, the
porters coming in, I feel it just sort of reminds
you while we play. You know, it's first place and
owners for us to play by thing. It's many for
the people who know. It's a place in unity and love.
And she had to perform in front of the crowdlight
vers in a special place listen, specially in love.

Speaker 10 (10:30):
I think we'll ever take for granted for this, Sir Well.

Speaker 7 (10:33):
Said, make congratulations, thanks for the chat. See you so
much now, that is I asked. I told him never
a good weekend too. That was at least a fight
ing and Luku, I thought he gave a really good
account of himself in that unfamiliar position. Just before we
go to the lines, oh, eight hundred and eighty ten eight,
he got a couple of calls standing by to chat
to us about their experiences last night. Let's hear it
from Crusader's first five Taha, Kimona, how did he find
the experience last night? I'm honestly speechless.

Speaker 17 (10:56):
Light Man running out today was was obnestly pretty emotional.
To be fair, see the City of Christian show out
tonight and man like the sole occasions like for the
tout for the city, I think it's bigger than us.
All we had to do is do our part. And
get a win for the city, and man, what a
special occasion then. Yeah, I'm just proud to be a
fu saide at the moment.

Speaker 7 (11:13):
You know, I can see it, man, And it's felt
this way all day. I've been here all day, You've
been here a long time. Now, what's it felt like
in the lead up to this occasion. It's just been
sitting in the calendar, just waiting for everybody to all
ride one hundred stand light.

Speaker 17 (11:25):
As soon as we knew that they of when this stadium.

Speaker 18 (11:28):
Was going to be ready.

Speaker 17 (11:29):
Man, all of us circled the calendar, obviously with jobs
at hand first, but man, honestly, it's probably beyond our
wild streams what we thought.

Speaker 7 (11:36):
This was going to be.

Speaker 17 (11:37):
The atmosphere even driving in on the bus, like, man,
the whole city was a pumping, not just today but
all week obviously all weekend as well. And man, I'm
honestly like, yeah, um.

Speaker 7 (11:47):
Speeches to be fair. So god, hell was the haka
before the game? Man?

Speaker 17 (11:50):
Oh man, it's so crowd, particularly being moldy and being
able to sort of stay calme market a new stadium
before the game as Crusaders, and obviously led by someone
like Cody Taylor is special and now for our crowds
getting behind it and get arounder us specially.

Speaker 7 (12:03):
Here and crucially what you like to play in I
mean it's so common here compared to Eddington, and you
know what's it like to play and there's a first
five as a game driver.

Speaker 17 (12:11):
Oh, I love it to I don't have to worry
about the wind and the counting for the wind, so man,
it's awesome. I think all week you know it's the
Rhad was pretty cold and we'll I don't really have
to worry about it. So but man, the weather on
sort of the endof facilities also men, whilsto on top
of that, the crowd is another level way.

Speaker 7 (12:27):
Congress, my great night and first of many, thank you
very much. That is Taha Kimera, who ran the cutter
for the Crusaders last night nineteen minutes past twelve. Really
keen to hear your experiences. If you were there last night,
what did you make of it? How did you feel
walking in there? Maryan, good afternoon, Good afternoon.

Speaker 5 (12:44):
I must say I actually watched it in the comfort
of my home. That's it was. It was just like
the heart got put back into Christ. It really truly
was after what we've endured. And I must say that
I was a little concerned with the commentations for the

(13:06):
game with number seven being put in in his position.
They were a little skeptical and when he was interviewed
and he did good, he did really well. But I
had to say at the end of the game, he
was interviewed and I was very very proud of him.
He not only talked about the resilience of Cantabrians building

(13:31):
rebuilding from the earthquake and the resilience, but he also
mentioned I was very proud of him. Anody else said
the ensurance that we had all experienced the Pike River
and my girlfriend looked at part and a peete in
site river and I was working just around the corner
from the must chusing and he mentioned those two things

(13:55):
that also brought Canterbury together as well. And I think
that last night was just sort of broke the camel's
back on those three grateful things that happened, and I
think that it's just got the heart gets back into
christ Church and Canterbury and South Island. Actually, I think

(14:19):
it was an incredible game. Yes it was, you know,
some hery moments and but it was. It just feels
so fantastic to be a Crusader supporter and a christ
Church girl and aporter. But I was really proud of

(14:40):
him because nobody else had actually mentioned the resilience of
the other things that we had endured. And I'm really
glad that he managed to try a spore is what
he did, A score a try. So well done him.

Speaker 12 (14:54):
Yeah, well done.

Speaker 7 (14:55):
Mary, and well said, Look, you're right. I mean this
region has been through so much when we think about
the earthquakes, don't we and what the effect was. But
you're right, there have been other traumatic events in this
region and in the South Island as well. And yeah,
I think Lista spoke very well after the game. I
heard his television interview as well, and yeah, I agree
he was. He was very very good. Thanks for calling in, Mary,

(15:15):
I'm glad you enjoyed it. From the company you couch
it texts from Jason. I grew up watching rugby at
Lancaster Park. When I walked into One New Zealand studium
last night, I don't mind admitting I tear it up,
very proud, very happy. Thank you Jason Graham. Did you
enjoy it?

Speaker 2 (15:31):
Oh?

Speaker 19 (15:31):
I loved that Jason. More importantly, I've got the win.
That was someone said to me, oh, would be a
great occasion. I said, but they've got a one, so
that what was about. Yeah, yeah, no, it's wonderful stadium,
as he acknowledged. And yeah, I thought the whole Yeah,
the whole package that they put on last night with

(15:52):
the former players, a couple of them I caught up with,
and and the team was, you know, doing what they
normally do, come home and talk to the fans afterwards
and saying autographs and getting selfies and yeah, no, it
was just fantastic And yeah, it was a I thought
it was a good game of rugby. It was some
great tries and people like Dallas McLeod, maca Springer and

(16:16):
Leicester Foganuku who Yeah, I think I don't think it'd
be a permanent move, but I think he Yeah, I
think it was a good thing to change things up
after a couple of losses. Yeah, and I think that
you know, it worked and that's what you want. You
want a bit of innovation and it's week by a week.
But it was a great occasion Jason, as you well know. Yeah,

(16:38):
and a long time coming.

Speaker 7 (16:41):
Yeah, and I think that yeah, I think that's it.
I think that's it great And that was the That
was a phrase I heard a lot last night was
this has been a long time coming. You know, christ
Church sports fans, Crusaders and can of rugby fans like
yourself have had to be very patient with with the
build of the stadium, and even goodness may you'll remember
this the fact that you know, was it even certain

(17:01):
that it would be built, because I know there was
doubt that it would even be stood up. I had
been stood up just just awesomely. Yeah, at least the
thing interests me. I'm yeah, as you say, you don't
think it'll be something that they persevere with. I mean,
is he but is he going to be a true
hybrid player? Now we know we know how good a

(17:22):
back line you know, exponent he is. But I think
he showed last night. You know what if you had
to put him in there, you know, it's a pretty
big game, Graham, you know, you know I thought he
did well.

Speaker 19 (17:34):
Oh, I know absolutely. I don't see that the permanent
s just I think people get a bit carried away.
But you know, in terms of positions and that, and
some players are like that, and he can be a
bit of a king of chaos and come off the
bench or start. And we've had a lot of options

(17:55):
in midfield with Dallas McLeod and Brandon en Or, and
Dallas went to the wing, you know, and people would say, oh,
what's this I mean, But the thing is, you know
he was probably the man of a mat its. Yeah, no,
I think I think it's just here's a hybrid. It's
used like that in France. I think for to long
was the club you played for, And yeah it worked.

(18:19):
I mean I think he was outstanding. Yeah, but there's
a lot of a few players coming back, which is good.
So yeah, we've got a lot of tough games ahead.
So yeah, I'm not getting carried away from that point
of view. But they got the win and it was
a great occasion for all of us fans. You know,

(18:39):
me going back to Lancaster Park in the early seventies
when I first went to watch Canterbury with my parents
here and so it seems I was sick and of
all that last night. Yeah, it was quite you know,
if they were around now, they wouldn't believe it.

Speaker 7 (18:54):
Yeah, amazing. I thought I thought of you last night, Graham.
Actually I thought of you and a couple of other
you know, regular callers from this part of the country,
and I thought, how cool for you. You know, as
you say, you've been through it all. You go back,
probably a bit for other than some of the others,
to the as you say, the Lancaster Park days, well
pre Super Rugby, you know, Lancaster Park, am I Stadium,

(19:14):
Jade Stadium, whatever, then out to Addington and here we
are now in this in this new stadium. It's it's
not necessarily a reward for you, but I think it's
really cool that you get to experience it. So thanks
for calling, mate. We can chat next weekend after your
Crusaders play my Hurricanes on Friday night. Let's see how
that goes. Good to you, mate, Ben. You were part
of the the build of the stadium.

Speaker 20 (19:34):
Yeah, yeah, just the just the joinery.

Speaker 2 (19:36):
Mate.

Speaker 20 (19:37):
I'm not going to claim to fame for all the
fancy concrete and still, but I do. I'm a I'm
a I'm Captain Wood. So if you need anything build out,
you must need a new a new guest here in
the old maybe.

Speaker 7 (19:54):
Absolutely, mate.

Speaker 5 (19:58):
Who to call?

Speaker 7 (19:59):
I'll know who will Now I've got a note here
from my producer Andy, who says, ask being about the toilets.

Speaker 21 (20:07):
Yeah, look, we it. It's funny because it didn't hit
me until I got to go. I had to go
to the bathroom. I had a few beers, and and.

Speaker 20 (20:22):
You know when you're usually doing it outside of your
own bathroom, and mind you, it is it is more
flesh than mikeswill it at home.

Speaker 3 (20:32):
I'll just put it that way.

Speaker 20 (20:34):
Uh And and my homes are pallace, but this place
is it's she's pretty square of me. And yeah, it
just sort of hits you. And a few beers so
you you instantly sort of sober up and you start thinking, right,
oh and and I don't know, there's just it's something
hit me where I just sort of you know, it's

(20:56):
like you're at It's not it's not like you're in
another stadium. You know, it's not like you're at. Yeah,
it's it's a flash place, man, Like it's it's just flash.

Speaker 11 (21:10):
Yeah.

Speaker 7 (21:10):
Yeah, it looks it looks at It looked amazing from
what I where I was. I must have, but I
didn't go to the bathrooms. It's amazing that you had
the that you had this moment in the bathrooms when
you thought, man, these are real flash, really flash. Yeah, yeah,
really cool man.

Speaker 20 (21:26):
All the mod cons, all the mod cons, and and
and uh just just what a what a place, man,
what a place? And and yeah, no, I can't wait
for the day. I can't wait for tomorrow. What a
way to christen it. Thank god, thank god the old
Crusader has got the wind, because it was it was

(21:47):
the one thing on the mind, yep, was what if
that doesn't happen? But look if.

Speaker 21 (21:58):
Yeah it's just just walking into a flash place, this place.

Speaker 20 (22:00):
Establishment by day doesn't doesn't do something for you, then
I don't know what does.

Speaker 7 (22:06):
Yeah, good man, Ben Well, Well said, Mate, Well said,
I'll look out for you this afternoon. Mate. We've we've
got a commentary of the two games today and tomorrow
on gold Sport and iHeartRadio. Good to chat him.

Speaker 22 (22:15):
Mate.

Speaker 7 (22:15):
Only if you check out these bathrooms, walk in there,
and then I'll imagine your bathroom being a downgrade on it.
Good on you, mate, Thanks for calling, and O eight
hundred and eighty ten eighty. We'll get some more calls
on the air in just a minute. Jason says Chris
can't wait for the first All Blacks game against France there.
I'm sure you'll be down. Yes, indeed, Chris, I'm planning
on coming down for that. Another Chris says Piney, I

(22:37):
loved it. I was quite emotional seeing it lit up
and at capacity, very small wait times, incredible seeing all
the fans from different teams. We had chiefs and Brumby
supporters around us last night. The Hucker was incredible and
you could tell it meant everything to the boys. The
team means so much to us and the way they
talk about the Jersey and the city and what we
went through is really special. Good on you, Chris, I

(23:00):
love that. I eight one hundred and eighty ten eighty
is our number nine two ninety two for your text
messages back in a second weekend sport coming se your
live today from Robbie's Litchfield Courtyard right in the very
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Speaker 1 (24:21):
Live from Robbie's Litchfield Courtyard for Super Rugby Pacifics super
Round in christ Church. We cand sport with Jason Vine
on your Hope of Sport News Dogs MV.

Speaker 7 (24:32):
Coming up twenty six away from one taking calls If
you were there last night and you want to give
us your experiences Carlton, how did you find it?

Speaker 23 (24:40):
I sounded amazing, I just said before your producer. When
I walked into that stadium, I said to myself, Gosh,
I feel old because when I was at Jade Stadium
when it came to the end, I was just, you know,
in my teens and walking in there and I'm in
my thirties.

Speaker 13 (24:58):
Now.

Speaker 23 (24:59):
That's the first thing I said to myself is God,
I feel old.

Speaker 7 (25:04):
How was it for getting in an hour? I don't
know if you had any food and beverage, you know,
just sort of the stadium experience outside of the sport itself. Carlton,
was it a pleasant one?

Speaker 23 (25:14):
Yeah? Everything ticks through fine, there weren't The cues were
pretty quick and getting through the tennis dollars as fast
as well.

Speaker 7 (25:21):
So yeah, excellent, and the Crusaders won even better for you.

Speaker 21 (25:26):
Yeah, it's a good way to check it off.

Speaker 23 (25:29):
Things have come full circle for me because the first,
the first Crusaders game I ever went to was the
Crusaders and war tharsand two thousand and two, so that
game will always be special to me. So yeah, it
was just great to be there.

Speaker 7 (25:43):
Was that that ninety pointer?

Speaker 15 (25:45):
Yeah?

Speaker 7 (25:45):
It was what a game to be at Jay you were,
you were spoilt in your first in your first Crusaders game. Yeah.
I heard a couple of people say they would have
enjoyed it if it was a similar scoreline last night.
I don't think that was ever going to happen. Glad
you enjoyed it, Carlson, Thanks indeed for your call. I
had the chance during the night last night, before and
after the game to chat to a few fans who
were there just to get their experience. Here's a couple

(26:07):
of fans so I spoke to before kickoff last night.

Speaker 24 (26:11):
This is unbelievable, mate, this is incredible. I mean, this
is fantastic from the Dylan and for grit Church. Are
you from Crossitch No, I'm from Auckland. I'm done with
some customers. We're taking them out to show them around.
It was as soon as we're sitting out the invite,
it was gone, like they love it, that they really
want to be here.

Speaker 25 (26:26):
So I'd really exciting.

Speaker 7 (26:27):
So Crusaders warris Us and who do you? I mean,
surely you can't be cheery for the Crusaders. I mean
I set this up on I'm wearing Crusader's shirt. I
want them to win, but maybe it's hard to get up.

Speaker 12 (26:37):
Who knows?

Speaker 7 (26:38):
What about you?

Speaker 25 (26:38):
Are you?

Speaker 7 (26:39):
Are you with him?

Speaker 2 (26:39):
Are you?

Speaker 14 (26:40):
I'm with him?

Speaker 26 (26:40):
He's taking me along to the game tonight and yeah,
kennebry all the way.

Speaker 7 (26:44):
How long has this been? Sort of sitting there this
weekend and this stadium and what was your first thought
when you saw him?

Speaker 12 (26:51):
Very impressive.

Speaker 26 (26:52):
I was living here during the earthquakes, a momentous event
for everybody. I went to the first game at the
older Polo Stadium, very emotional knife at Cantabrians having super
rugby back. But to come along tonight to this and
kind of almost close the book on a chapter of
all lives and sat a new one.

Speaker 27 (27:09):
I'm from Northern Ireland originally, but I came over to
New Zealand just in time for the earthquakes back in
twenty ten, so I've only I knew Lancaster bart briefly
for two games, and then of course I've had the
whole time in Apollo Projects Stadium and now finally coming
to this stadium and it's a bit of an upgrade.

Speaker 18 (27:29):
But you know what.

Speaker 27 (27:29):
We were, what Apollo Project Stadium was, I've been led
to believe it was the most successful rugby stadium where
any professional sport teams stadiums in history. So we're leaving
behind a legacy and hopefully we can build a new
one here in this new stadium.

Speaker 7 (27:50):
Let us quite fax your right. I mean all those
championships under Riser and even before that. But yet, what
is the feeling as you walk into this brand new
arena in SUSI You look forward to the start of
a new era for this time.

Speaker 11 (28:03):
I'm just impressed, you know.

Speaker 12 (28:06):
You know, I just look around.

Speaker 27 (28:08):
And I think it's just the right size for a
city of christ Church's size. You know, what we want
to do is encourage as many people to come to
this stadium as possible. And you know, a lot of
the time we're competing with people's couches. Will have got
no excuse anymore because they've got this immense stadium that's
nice and warm. We won't have to put up with

(28:30):
a blustery wintry weather. It's got all the mock cons
and comfort. And how can you complain when you've got
these beer fridges beside your seat, it's all the comedians.

Speaker 7 (28:42):
What could you ask for more?

Speaker 11 (28:43):
We're probably a bit I've addressed this evening giving the cover.

Speaker 7 (28:47):
I guess that's the hangover from upoline projects. Have you
watched a lot of rugby at the the edit of.

Speaker 4 (28:52):
Y We go frequently and there's been some cold nights
here and some very of evil knights and it's great to.

Speaker 11 (28:58):
Be here and it's it's beautiful. The build quality is amazing.
So yeah, just a special occasion.

Speaker 7 (29:04):
Really, There you go, there's some of the things. Last night.
There was just an overwhelming feeling of excitement, of joy,
of expectation before the game. Obviously I had to chat
to a couple of fans afterwards. I'll play that audio
for you as well, but if you were there. Eight
hundred and eighty ten eighty Jack Mesley is with us
after one o'clock this afternoon. He is, of course the
CEO of Super Rugby Pacific, also joining us after one

(29:26):
here at Robbie's Litchfield Courtyards a trio of absolutely superb
Wallabies over three hundred test caps combined. Would you believe? Adam, Ashley, Cooper,
Drew Mitchell and Matt getto with us on the show
after one, and Carle Budge is going to pop in.
He's on Enemy territory, the CEO of the Blues. How
does he enjoying that role? How is he engaging fans?

(29:49):
What is his vision for the future of Super Rugby Pacific.
But your calls and correspondence continue to be welcome between
now and one o'clock, particularly if you want to give
us a view on the stadium experience, even if you
watched it on TV. What did you make of it
in terms of what you could see? What did it
look like to you? A questions about it? Maybe I'll
be able to answer those for you. Eight one hundred

(30:09):
and eighty ten eighty Congrats christ Church. You deserve that stadium,
says Andy, curious to know how it compares to the
new stadiums in Sydney for fan experience. I guess I
can ask the Wallabies boys. I just spoke about about that.
And also does Forsyth Bar Stadium now become heavily redundant? Look,
I've said this a couple of times. I might have
even said it last week on the show. I don't

(30:31):
think the spells the end of big events for Dunedin
if we're talking all Blacks tests specifically. That's the thing
about Dunedin Dunedin's experience on Test match weekend is iconic. Really,
it's very different from the likes of Wellington, Auckland, even
christ Church. When you go to Dunedin on Test weekend,

(30:53):
you know it is Test weekend. They embrace it fully.
They love their rugby and Dunedin absolutely love it. A
lot of people come from parts of the South to
come to Dunedin and then when you get to the game,
when you get to the stadium, Forsyth Pass Stadium is
a magnificent place to watch a game of rugby. It's

(31:14):
got a roof, it's rectangular, there are no bad seats
in the entire place. Honestly, when you're dishing out Test matches,
I think Dunedin is still on the menu. Of course,
we know that Eden Park's always going to get the
big ones because of its capacity. So let's say Eden
Park gets two every year. Christ Church will get one

(31:35):
a year from now on and rightly so. In fact,
they may even look to get a couple here, depending
on how many there are. But let's say there are
five Test matches home Test matches a year, two in Auckland,
one in christ Church. So then the likes of Dunedin, Wellington,
Hamilton and maybe some of the smaller centers the likes
of a New Plymouth or even a Nelson would be

(31:56):
bidding for those other Test matches. I honestly believe Dunedin
is as good a place to watch a rugby Test
as Wellington is, and in fact, in many ways, if
you just take the stadium experience, the fan experience, I
think Tonedan's better. It's rectangular, got a roof on it,
it's warm, you're nice and close. You can't say that

(32:18):
about Wellington. Yes, it's got more seats and there's greater
infrastructure around in terms of accommodation and such like. But
I still think Dunedan has a huge part to play,
and I would hope that those in charge of Forsyth
Bar Stadium would still vigorously pitch to host Test matches.
They don't just look up the road and say, right,

(32:39):
clearly there's only going to be one South Island Test
match in christ Church? Is going to get that? No,
don't say that. Say to yourself, you know what, we
should have two South Island Test matches every year, one
in christ Church, one in Dunedin. Oh eight hundred and
eighty ten eighty is our number ninet two ninety two
for your texts. Broadcasting life from Robbi's Litchfield Courtyard in

(33:01):
the shadow of One New Zealand Stadium at Takaha. We're
back in a Second's eighteen away from one.

Speaker 1 (33:10):
Live from Robbie's Litchfield court Yard. Christ Church is a
new home of live sport. It's Weekend Sports with Jason
Fine News Talks.

Speaker 7 (33:17):
That'd be yes, we are twelve forty five back in
a sec to your calls. Ross. Hold there for a second.
It's got a couple of questions on text which I
think I can answer pretty quickly. Jill says, Pony, is
there a screen at each end? The one we could
see on TV didn't look that big? Yes, Jill, bang On,
there's a screen at each end. One in one court.
It's in a corner, and then the dangly opposite corner
has also got one, So regardless of we are sitting

(33:40):
in the ground, you can see a screen. So yep,
that's bang On. There are a couple, Kelly says, Pony,
watch from home stadium looked amazing well on christ Church.
Can you explain though, why they left one end open?
I can Kelly, because that is where they will have
concerts rather than have a I have to put a
stage on the playing surface. One end is open and

(34:02):
it's called the Langcaster Pad. I think I'm not obviously
to Acaster Park. They've left that open so that they
can drop a stage into that area without having a
stage on the playing surface. Brilliant idea, because we know
what staging can do to playing surfaces. You know, you
look at Eaton Park or Henry Stadium or name any
stadium and putting staging down on the grass it must

(34:25):
drive the turf managers mad. They don't have to do that.
Good question though, Kelly, glad you enjoyed it, ross mate.

Speaker 28 (34:33):
Yeah, I'm just stuck in traffic here in Auckland. They're
having a lovely head Xact day. But I wonder whether
they I love the design on the seats when it
was just starting to fill up. I thought that was fantastic,
But I wonder where they missed a trick because we
know when you go to Henry Stadium, you know where
the empty seats are and whether that's good for TV

(34:54):
and good for promotion of the sport. And the best
stadium that got that perfectly was McClay Park where they
digitally designed and inserted different colored seats and a random pattern.
And you that's your head to think, is there are
a crowd there or not? And you know that most
of the time there probably isn't. But I thought it
was fantastic and I'd go I'm not from or clan,

(35:15):
I'm going away from it, but I would go down
to christ Church because of the stadium as much as
the event.

Speaker 14 (35:23):
Ross.

Speaker 7 (35:24):
Then in that case, then the stadium designers have nailed it.
If you and I think you're right, it's something. And
this happened in Wellington too. When Wellington first got got built,
people went along because it was new. Heye, we'll get
along to the stadium, doesn't matter what was on, This
place will be exactly the same. People will come to
Takaha because of the event and it'd be great to

(35:44):
see you down here.

Speaker 12 (35:46):
Yeah.

Speaker 7 (35:46):
And the seats is you're right, I mean, I reckon
if they had their time again in Wellington, they wouldn't
paint the whole thing yellow because I mean, nothing stands
out more than empty yellow seats. Yeah, good man, Ross,
hope the traffic clear. As for you, mate, appreciate you
calling through eight hundred and eighty ten eighty as a number.
Dave says, are we now never going to your home

(36:06):
game in christ Church played in the rain? No, we're not,
Dave All under cover, just like we don't get rain
and Dunedin anymore. Back to the players who participated last night,
had to chat to a couple of them after the game,
including Crusaders fallback Johnny McNicol to find out how the
experience was for him.

Speaker 13 (36:24):
Oh it was awesome, man, a really emotional.

Speaker 29 (36:28):
Say really, I didn't expect the fields to hit me
so hard when I was running out, but yeah, real emotional,
like're very happy to have the stadium, mate.

Speaker 12 (36:35):
How did that?

Speaker 7 (36:36):
But did it just hit you as you ran out
and saw the people? I mean, you've been training in
here this week, You've known this day is coming, but
it still hit you when you ran out.

Speaker 29 (36:42):
Yeah, I had to have sent like me when I
got off the bus, just having the people in here,
like for the people when we were training in here alone,
it was really cool. But like you realize it's not
just for us, It's for everyone and for the people
to have this awesome stadium and the feeling and may
it was awesome. I didn't realize it was going to
help me, but like, I fill my eyes welling up.

Speaker 7 (37:02):
I love that, man, I love that. And what you
like to play on our great surface.

Speaker 29 (37:07):
Crowd was eat Like, yeah, definitely, you get that extra
for the noise and you know it's a different influence
for us to play better.

Speaker 7 (37:15):
And I mean, let's talk about the game itself. First half,
I guess it, it was pretty even. Second half. One
of the messages at a half time that led to the
second half performance, do I think.

Speaker 13 (37:23):
Just back in our defense.

Speaker 29 (37:25):
Like first half we gave away one try, two penalties,
but we did feel like our defense was going quite well,
so we thought we'd just keep back and that and
that feed the energy to then run away with it
in the last fifteen.

Speaker 7 (37:35):
There and launching beat I mean the game next week
you're up to Wellington to play the Hurricanes. Yeah, I
guess there's launches year there. But you're still you'll soak
us in for a.

Speaker 29 (37:44):
For a few moments yet surely yeah, I won't be
thinking about Wellington for at least twenty four hours.

Speaker 7 (37:48):
Mate. Yeah, yeah, soak this in and enjoy it.

Speaker 12 (37:51):
Enjoy it.

Speaker 29 (37:51):
First time in tokahe there won't be another first time
here for us, so definitely just going to enjoy the moment.

Speaker 7 (37:56):
That's Johnny McNichol, who of course grew up in christ
Church but played little of rugby overseas represented Wales, but
interesting to hear the emotion that came back when he
ran out there last night as one of the first
Crusaders players to play on the new One New Zealand
Stadium at Tikaha. Teen to one on News Talk shad B.
Weekend Sport coming to your live from Robbie's Litchfield Courtyard
today as we built towards two more games in Super

(38:18):
Round this afternoon. Jack Mesley, CEO of Super Rugby pacificas
live with us after one o'clock. We'll take a break.
Be back after this.

Speaker 1 (38:29):
Flave from Robbie's Litchfield court Yard in christ Church on
day two of Super Rugby Pacific Super Round. It's Weekend
Sports with Jason Vines on your home of sports.

Speaker 7 (38:39):
US Talk sat B, coming up six away from one,
broadcasting live from robbie s Letzfield Courtyard, the new home
of Live Sport in christ Church, just right next to
One New Zealand Stadium at Takaha, Jack Mesley after one
super rakby Pacific CEO Adam Ashley Cooper and Matt Ghetto,
Drew Mitchell joining us in the second hour of the

(39:00):
show as well, and Carl Budge, CEO of the Blue
Stun to fill up here with some punters looking forward
to the afternoon. Speaking of punters, I spied a fan
last night after the game in a Hurricanes jersey and
he was alongside a Blues fan and a Crusaders fan
and a Chiefs fan, and so I wanted over and
chatted to these guys, and Malcolm was the Crusaders fan.

(39:22):
I had a quick chat to Malcolm and yeah, I
just wanted to play the audio back for you. Here
is Malcolm, the Crusaders fan after the game last night.

Speaker 30 (39:30):
Even now thinking about it just tears, you know, so
good to be here have friends. I've travel around the
country with these boys for all Black Tests in Auckland
and Wellington, and I've never had them home to my
place and come down here and be here for this
is so good.

Speaker 7 (39:49):
I love that. I love the emotion And how long
has this weekend been sitting in your calendar?

Speaker 30 (39:54):
Then Keith brought tickets quite some time ago, three months ago,
and says we're going and it's just fantastic, you know,
like Christ, you has just gone off in.

Speaker 7 (40:04):
The last two weeks.

Speaker 30 (40:05):
We had the Supercars last week, I did three days there.
We're going to do five games here this weekend. How
good is Canbarry? How good is Christ?

Speaker 7 (40:14):
It's fantastic And that's what it feels like too from
an outside of coming in, the city's got its vibe again.
It always had a vibe. Does it feel complete again?

Speaker 16 (40:22):
Now?

Speaker 30 (40:23):
Yeah, it feels complete from the point of view. We're
here to have a good time. We're here to have
be friends with everybody and just enjoy it and love it,
you know, like it's it's a great place.

Speaker 7 (40:35):
Canary is a great place.

Speaker 25 (40:36):
You know.

Speaker 30 (40:38):
One guy here, he's sleeping in the We've got the
Todd Blackhead a room.

Speaker 7 (40:44):
We've at our house.

Speaker 30 (40:45):
We've got the Ritchie mccor twen house, we've got the
Chris Wiley.

Speaker 13 (40:51):
Sweet is great.

Speaker 7 (40:55):
I can see how they're being allocated, Yes, I can
see how they been. Just to finish, were you worried
your team wouldn't win first half?

Speaker 30 (41:01):
Smit tight, Never worry about the Crusaders, mate, Never.

Speaker 7 (41:06):
It's so good.

Speaker 30 (41:07):
Thanks for coming you guys, thanks for being here there.

Speaker 7 (41:10):
That's Malcolm, very emotional talking about being able to welcome
all of his mates to christ Church to his house.
As you heard him say, He's traveled around watching all
Blacks test matches and all those other cities and finally
he gets to welcome his mates into christ Church. And
I'm sure they'll be back for the first Test at
One New Zealand Studium at Takaha in early July. It's
approaching our news at one o'clock. After one, I'll let

(41:34):
you know how you can win tickets to today's game
Games plural and tomorrow's games at Takaha. We'll let you
know how to do that after one.

Speaker 3 (41:48):
Bringing you the Builder, the Battle, Battle, Battle.

Speaker 1 (41:53):
And the Banter Banter as we count down today two
of Super Round Pacific super Round, and it's Weekend Sport
with Jason Pinine live from Robbie's Litchfield Courtyard in christ Church,
your home of Sport and News Talks EDB.

Speaker 7 (42:09):
Yes, welcome back into the show. Welcome to Weekend Sport
on News talks 'B very special edition for a Zach
Day as we celebrate the opening of one New Zealand
Stadium at Takaha. We're coming to your live from the
Gardens City, specifically from Robbie's Litchfield Courtyard, the new home
of Live Sport in christ Church. Great food, cold beerload
to TVs and the punters are starting to flow in.

(42:32):
They're fully subscribed for lunch here this afternoon. Everybody building
towards two more games this afternoon five o'clock. It's the
Hurricanes against the Brumbies, followed by the Blues against the Reds.
It's a wonderful opening for a wonderful new venue. Let's
bring in the man in charge of shaping the future
of the professional game in this part of the world,

(42:53):
from competition format and fan engagement to broadcast growth and
global relevance. Super Rugby Pacific CEO Jack Mesley is with us.
Welcome to interview number four hundred and twenty six for
you this weekend, mate.

Speaker 11 (43:05):
Mate, your first on my list. You decided Saturday not Friday.

Speaker 7 (43:11):
I'm great, Jack, great to see you, mates. How was
last night for you?

Speaker 11 (43:15):
You know, couldn't be happier?

Speaker 18 (43:17):
Really?

Speaker 11 (43:19):
Yeah, I knew it was going to be a success.

Speaker 4 (43:21):
You could see sort of ticket sales data and things
like that. But I probably underestimated the level of the
motion that it meant for everyone from this part of
the world, and it just turned into a party really,
you know. So yeah, couldn't couldn't have been prouder of
everyone involved to get it up, you know, and deliver

(43:43):
an event. I guess from a super ugly Pacific point
of view, there was a bit of pressure to deliver
for the opening of the stadium, the venue had a
heap of pressure to deliver operationally, and yeah, it went.

Speaker 11 (43:56):
It went bloody well, so it's really exciting.

Speaker 7 (43:59):
Yeah, that's a great summary. How closely in contact have
you been with Caroline Harvey Tier at Venues al Tatahi
Heard team have you been checking and weekly, for example,
over the last six months or so since super Around
was announced.

Speaker 11 (44:12):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (44:13):
So we had a local organizing committee that met regularly
and then under that workstreams and working groups getting into
the details. So yeah, at a local local organizing committee level,
all the heads of all of the different parties involved,
be that you know, the Crusaders, myself, Caroline christ Church
New Zealand, and then Emergence, all the heads of emergency

(44:33):
services and everyone.

Speaker 11 (44:35):
So yeah, it's been a massive undertaking.

Speaker 4 (44:37):
I mean park building, the stadium, but in terms of
just event planning, it's been a big undertaking, largely because
it was the first. You know, it was the first,
and then we as you know, as we were talking
off their you know, you can have an opening of
a stadium, which is a big deal, and then you
can have three days in a row five games of
rugby with all of the entertainment around it to add

(45:02):
some add some complexity to it. So you had lots
of planning. But I've got to say, you know, as
soon as we announced that it was on, everyone's just
jumped in and you know we were always going to
make a success. Everyone just everyone you know, was invested
in the project. Now, even just watching the broadcast replay
here in the bar, you know, Sky just did such

(45:23):
a good job last night.

Speaker 11 (45:24):
They threw everything at it.

Speaker 4 (45:25):
They had got ninety six people down in here, more
cameras than I think we've ever had on a Super
Rugby Pacific game.

Speaker 11 (45:32):
And you know, I think you could just see what
it looked like last night.

Speaker 7 (45:35):
Super Rugby Super Round as a concept, Jack, is it
something that will become an annual thing or is that
TBC what's your view on that.

Speaker 11 (45:43):
Yeah, I certainly want it to be.

Speaker 4 (45:45):
I think you know what we've what we've shown here
is what a great occasion it can be. You know,
rugby is an international game. Rugby is about touring. You
can just see in the bar here, how many how
many different jerseys we've got. Yeah, it's a very special
part of our code and you know, great for super
Ugga Pacific if we can help facilitate that and add

(46:07):
value into you know, our code, right, hopefully heap of
value for the city.

Speaker 11 (46:14):
Bars like this that were full last night.

Speaker 4 (46:17):
Yeah, we can play a role in that, but we
can also play a role in generating more revenue for
us to build and help promote ourselves better. So yeah,
I really want it to be a permanent fixture on
the calendar. You know, there's a lot that has to
go into it. It's not a simple as simple that's
you know. Yeah, it's on me to decide it happens.
We decide we want to happen, and then we've got

(46:37):
to line everyone and get it funded to make it happen,
because it costs a hell of a lot of money
to fly in ten teams and you know, ninety six
broadcasts and all of that.

Speaker 11 (46:47):
So it's a big undertaking.

Speaker 7 (46:48):
And so just for clarity, so this was a one
year thing for christ it's for twenty twenty six. Could
it come back here? Could it go somewhere else? For example?
Is it something that's movable you know, among different centers.

Speaker 4 (47:02):
Yes, and yes, yeah, so yeah, one year, one year
deal here, It could go somewhere else, you.

Speaker 11 (47:09):
Know, but you know, we've got to do a full
review here.

Speaker 4 (47:12):
See if everyone was happy with it, here, see who
else is interested, you know, hopefully. And sentiment last night
with the people I were with was that everyone was
pretty happy with how it's when you know, we've got
a full stadium today and a full stadium tomorrow. Center
of town is going crazy right now, so you know,
we can see that, and we know we've got about

(47:33):
fourteen thousand people that have traveled in, about four thousand
of those internationally, about ten thousand from other parts of
New Zealand.

Speaker 11 (47:41):
So that's a good start.

Speaker 4 (47:43):
And by the look of these guys here, they're all
spending big and adding a favit of value into the
local economy.

Speaker 7 (47:49):
Absolutely right. So on a night like last night, are
you operationally active as your phone on for any number
of things that might need your attention.

Speaker 4 (48:02):
No, luckily, I mean my phone is on. But you know,
we've got great teams, be that Rugby operations, teams that
are running everything that's happening on the ground. The Crusaders
were running all the matchday terms of the sports presentation.

Speaker 11 (48:16):
Then the venue are running the venue.

Speaker 4 (48:17):
So yeah, I mean we were there largely to make
sure all of our stakeholders were looked after. So you know,
we're lucky enough to be up in the suite with
the Prime Minister, with christ Church in New Zealand, with Sky,
with Rugby Australia, New Zealand, Rugby, our club chairman and s.
So yeah, I'm there on standby, you know, should need be,

(48:40):
and really pleasingly I wasn't needed to be, So my
job was just to make sure everyone was happy up
where I.

Speaker 7 (48:48):
Was when you talk to the clubs about Super Round,
because I was out in the in the live site
yesterday and it was clear that the clubs had you know,
had been had been told or it was part of
the deal that they would bring their players out to
meet the fans. I know that that's happening today as well.

Speaker 2 (49:05):
Is that.

Speaker 7 (49:06):
Is that something that you talk with them about, say, hey,
we're going to make this happen, not just the rug beat,
but everything wrapped around it. Yeah.

Speaker 4 (49:13):
Absolutely, So you know, I guess when we knew we
were having this, you know, we knew as a competition
and so all of us needed to show up and
show our best versions of ourselves. So yeah, there are
conversations about that. You know, a special part of this
weekend is about making our players accessible and so that

(49:36):
if you come, if you travel from Sydney and you're
a Crusaders fan or a Warratarz fan, you can come
away and have a great experience that you won't necessarily
get going to a home game.

Speaker 11 (49:47):
And that's about seeing your team.

Speaker 4 (49:48):
It's also about meeting the other team. So clubs have
been wonderful the fact that all captains runs were at
local schools. Every club is going down to the live
site for a signing session. I think you could see
both teams last night. Signing autographs are a fair bit of
time around the around the ground and as I was
walking here to the bar, the Hurricanes were throwing the

(50:11):
ball around.

Speaker 31 (50:12):
You know.

Speaker 7 (50:12):
Just a good team, Jack, very good team.

Speaker 11 (50:15):
Just that they were throwing around.

Speaker 4 (50:17):
Well I'll give you that, but you know people are
just that that's just in a square out in public,
and there's a heap of fans just gathering around having
a look at it. So yeah, accessibility is really important,
you know. And you know we asked, I sent a
message guys, please make sure you are, you know, running
at your best teams. Let's turn it on, you know,

(50:39):
And not that they need any encouragement to turn it on,
but certainly you know we've all been working to do
that and you know, making sure we're is accessible to
the media, making sure that we were promoting it all together.

Speaker 11 (50:51):
And you know, if you do a.

Speaker 4 (50:53):
Quick cliance of all of the Superclub's social pages over
the last couple of days, it's been wonderful.

Speaker 11 (50:58):
We're all kind of trying.

Speaker 4 (50:59):
To create value in our ecosystem because it benefits us ultimately,
but we want to add value to the the sort
of one two step out of our ecosystem.

Speaker 11 (51:09):
We wanted to impact our cities.

Speaker 4 (51:11):
Now we want to be a positive contributor to the
environments in which we play in and to the fans
ultimately who pay for us to exist.

Speaker 7 (51:21):
So World Rugby Chair Brett Robinson is here. I'm sure
there are others. In fact, I'm almost positive all of
the all of the CEOs of the super rugby clubs
so here. Have you had the opportunity to get together
and discuss some meaty issues during the weekend as well?

Speaker 4 (51:36):
Yeah, absolutely so your spot on World Rugby here, the
New Zealand Rugby Board we're here, the New Zealand Rugby
Executive Team, Rugby Australia Executive Team, every chair, every CEO
including the force are here and so in and around
all the fun and games. There's been a lot of meetings,

(51:57):
a lot of catching, a lot of connecting which is wonderful.
And I'm sorry I was a little bit late. We
had a Super Rugby Pacific board meeting this morning next
all to us in the in the meeting facility where
Highlanders were having a board meeting. I know all the
CEOs having a lunch as we speak. So that's a
great thing about it. You know, on Thursday night we

(52:17):
had all the media together for a drink and you know,
in a world of zoom and you know, being able
to connect the over the computer, you just cannot be
getting together and so you know, yes, we can get
through some business, but the most important thing is just
connecting and connecting over rugby. You know, it's been great

(52:41):
to have Brett Robinson here, having a vier with him
last night. He's so proud of Super Rugby this weekend
For a guy that you know.

Speaker 11 (52:48):
Was an ignored inaugural.

Speaker 4 (52:50):
I can't say that word captain of Super Rugby with
the Brumbies. You know, he's here having been the playing
played in christ Church many many times, you know, so
it's great to bring all that back together. All the
players are loving it, you know, the alumni all catching up,
you know Phil Will, it's just catching up with all
of his old mates from his teams and from the

(53:11):
opposition and it's just you know, that's what it's all
about this weekend.

Speaker 7 (53:14):
Can ask about more on a pacificate obviously, you know,
terrible news in the last couple of weeks that they,
by the looks of it anyway, will not exist beyond
the season. Is there a scenario under which they will
exist beyond the season?

Speaker 11 (53:29):
Yep, there is, yeah. Pm A.

Speaker 4 (53:31):
The current owners of more one A Pacifica have said
that they are not in a position to take the
franchise forward, but they are trying to actively look for
someone else to take that forward, and so that's a
process we're in at the moment.

Speaker 11 (53:47):
There is a there is a chance.

Speaker 4 (53:49):
I can't give you a how likely that is, but
there's a chance and there's a window. So we hope
that that happens. And yeah, I mean more on a
Pacific are in town. You can see their fans about.
I was with their their chair and CEO last night,
and they're looking forward to playing tomorrow. They're a proud
organization and they're going to do their best through the

(54:11):
remainder of the season, through difficult times. And we're absolutely
thinking of the players and thinking of all the administration around.

Speaker 11 (54:18):
The players, and we're hopeful.

Speaker 4 (54:20):
We're hopeful, but we've also got to be diligent in
our planning in case our hope doesn't isn't fulfilled.

Speaker 11 (54:28):
And so we're doing all the work in the background
to make sure that.

Speaker 4 (54:31):
We're ready for what might life look like in the
competition without a one pacificate.

Speaker 7 (54:37):
So that's a team team competition. Presumably you're not looking
to expand or bring anybody else in. So a team
team competition is that you know, what does that look
like for Super run Pea.

Speaker 4 (54:50):
Yeah, I mean, I mean, there's lots of different options.

Speaker 11 (54:55):
And that's what we're working through.

Speaker 4 (54:57):
And we're not going to talk publicly about those options
out of respect for the process that we're going through
with Mawana Pacifica and trying to find new ownership, So
you know, that wouldn't be appropriate for us to do. So, Yeah,
I'd rather not go into that detail. But we're looking
at a lot of different possibilities of a ten team.
You're right, we're not looking to bring new people in

(55:18):
in twenty twenty seven right now.

Speaker 11 (55:20):
Our focus is on stabilizing our.

Speaker 4 (55:22):
Core and getting that right, and you know, we'll turn
an eye to you know, possible future expansion.

Speaker 11 (55:32):
Once we've done that job. But our job is pretty clear.

Speaker 4 (55:34):
You know, we've got to get it right here with
our eleven clubs or ten if the case may be.
That's not an easy task, but weekends like this give
us confidence that we can we can get that right.

Speaker 7 (55:51):
In terms of the model moving forward commercially, are tweaks needed,
is change needed? And in terms of the way clubs
are owned commercialized that sort of thing.

Speaker 4 (56:03):
Yeah, yes, I mean, I think you know, and we're
trying to do some of that change without the radical
structural change, right, And so that's been our focus over
the last.

Speaker 11 (56:12):
Of the two season three seasons, and.

Speaker 4 (56:15):
I still think there's a lot of growth to be
had from those continual improvements. The way that we present ourselves.
The shape of our game is in a much better place.
Our clubs are doing enormous work around you know, stadium
environment and how to make that better. And then Wellington
you would have seen that, you know, this year has
seen some enormous improvements and that's reflected in our MPs

(56:40):
scores for all the fans that go there. So there's
some real improvements in our match day. Our broadcasters are
doing a fantastic job. And then we've got to we've
got to do the heavy lifting on be more visible
and helping bring more fans into the event, into our class.

Speaker 11 (57:00):
So there's all of those things.

Speaker 3 (57:02):
There are more.

Speaker 4 (57:03):
Structural, foundational things that I know some people want to
look at.

Speaker 11 (57:08):
I think there's a willingness to do that.

Speaker 4 (57:11):
They're complex, but you know, I think there's a lot
of conversations happening about that sort of stuff that a life.

Speaker 11 (57:19):
He enjoyed the job, but I love it. Yeah, what's
not to love. Hey, you know.

Speaker 4 (57:25):
My first year of UNI studying sports administration was nineteen
ninety six.

Speaker 11 (57:29):
It was in Canberra. You know, the Brumbies were amazing,
you know.

Speaker 4 (57:34):
And I've had a great, great experience working in different sports,
lucky enough to work in golf, rugby, league football, but
to be back in the code that I love is excellent.
Great people involved. I think that's what for me sets
rugby apart is things aren't always easy and it's difficult.

(57:54):
Sport is difficult, it's political, but there's just good people
involved that want to get in, mucky in and do
it for the right reason. So yeah, that's really pleasing.
And you know the whole environment around suder Ragua zibits
just filled with great people that want the best for
the code and for our fans and for the people

(58:15):
that support our code and fund our code.

Speaker 11 (58:17):
So that gives me a lot of hope, mate, It
gives me a lot of energy.

Speaker 4 (58:20):
And we've had some great wins, you know, like we're
not sitting here staring down that I've got a scorecard.
I've growth last year, growth the year before in our
season this year is looking really good. So whilst we
like to doom and gloom around the code. There's also
a lot of facts about the growth of attendance, growth
of TV audiences, growth of commercial revenues. Now we're not

(58:41):
where we need to be, but we're on the right path.
And again, you know what a proof point this weekend
is for us.

Speaker 7 (58:48):
Great to see you, mate, Thanks for stopping and I
know you're very busy. You've got all sorts of other
things going on. Appreciate you taking time for us.

Speaker 11 (58:53):
No problem anytime, PNY, Good Jack.

Speaker 7 (58:55):
Thanks to d Jack Mesley, the chief executive of Super
Rugby Pacific, joining us on Weekend Sport Live from Robbie's
Litchfield Courtyard as we celebrate the opening of one New
Zealand State at te Kah and Super Rugby pacifics super
Round one twenty four. You can probably hear from the
background noise that it is starting to really pump here

(59:15):
at Robbie's Litchfield Courtyard. So many screens, so many food
and beverage options, and so many punters wearing all sorts
of different shirts. I can see Crusaders fans, Chiefs fans,
Hurricanes fans. I think I saw a couple of Waratars
fans before They were a brave coming out after last night.
But I guess you have to carry on regardless of
what happens. One twenty four US let's take a break.

(59:38):
We're joined by speaking of Australian Rugby, some Australian Rugby Royalty.
When we come back.

Speaker 1 (59:46):
In christ shirts for Rugby's biggest, funny super Rugby Pacifics
Super Round. It's Weekend Sport with Jason Pine live from
Robbie's Litchfield Courtyard News Talks at b.

Speaker 7 (59:57):
It is pumping here at Robbie's Litchfield Courtyard one twenty
seven on News Talks, there'd be on Jason Pine. Lots
of fans here. Jordan has has sidled up. Jordan the
Crusader T shirt would tell me all I need to know.
How did you enjoy last night?

Speaker 18 (01:00:12):
Mate?

Speaker 12 (01:00:13):
It was epic.

Speaker 32 (01:00:14):
It was such a good venue. It's so easy, so straightforward.

Speaker 18 (01:00:18):
I mean, the boys put on a show, didn't they.

Speaker 7 (01:00:20):
They did put on a show. Were you at all
worried at halftime it hadn't gone exactly to plan in
the first half. Did you think to yourself they're going
to lose the first game at this new venue or
were you not worried.

Speaker 18 (01:00:33):
There was a bit of doubt in it.

Speaker 32 (01:00:34):
There was, There was lots of worrying stress. Yeah, I
mean that's that's what the Crusaders do to us.

Speaker 3 (01:00:40):
So they keep us on the edge to the very end.

Speaker 7 (01:00:41):
But what they also did was win championships. How long
have you followed this team?

Speaker 5 (01:00:46):
Ah?

Speaker 11 (01:00:47):
Over ten years?

Speaker 18 (01:00:48):
Over ten years.

Speaker 7 (01:00:49):
Yeah, so all you knew before last night was Addington,
was Apollo Projects, Orange Theory Ami and all. What's different,
guys is can you tell us about the rugby viewing
experience at that ground?

Speaker 10 (01:01:03):
Oh?

Speaker 32 (01:01:04):
It was just you know, so close to the stadium,
a good venue, very clear as well, very good, easy
to get in, you knew where you were going.

Speaker 18 (01:01:14):
And yeah, friendly people who doesn't want any even more right?

Speaker 7 (01:01:17):
Absolutely so? Was there any emotion leaving the old place
and come to your new place?

Speaker 32 (01:01:22):
Absolutely has loads of memories, loads of history. You know
that that dropped gold from Mitch Hunt and you know,
loads loads of memories. And I mean unfortunately the horses,
I mean that was a great send off for them too.
We weren't sure about that, but yeah, I mean it's
loads of memories, loads of championships. The raisor Robertson dance
smooths and yeah, definitely it was.

Speaker 7 (01:01:44):
A nice way to finish it off. All those championships,
I mean the pylon, the floodlight pylon man and all
of these championships. I'm a Hurricane span it would have
only needed one line for me, just twenty sixteen only
to move out the horses. Obviously from outside of christ here,
so we all watched and listened with interest when that

(01:02:05):
decision was made. What's that a blow to Crusaders fans?

Speaker 14 (01:02:11):
I think it was. I think it was.

Speaker 32 (01:02:13):
We definitely didn't expect it till the very last minute.
And yeah we'll miss them, but I mean the spirit's
still there. We love the guys, you know, they've got
us through earthquakes and all sorts, and we'll just that
community feel, you know, it's, yeah, that's what we laugh
for here in christ Church.

Speaker 7 (01:02:31):
Well I felt that last night. I think the overriding
emotion I've said to a few people was joy there
last night, but also a real sense of community. You
look around here and me, you know, there's there's I
can see a Hurricanes fan over there. There are Chiefs fans,
a couple of Brumbies fans, were here earlier. I know
you're a welcoming community much as you love your own teams. Yeah,

(01:02:52):
I think you like inviting other teams in just so
you can beat them. Will that be fair?

Speaker 28 (01:02:56):
Yeah?

Speaker 11 (01:02:57):
Yeah, we love people.

Speaker 32 (01:02:58):
Coming over and you know, yeah, it's it's always a
challenge and it's not over until that final whistle.

Speaker 7 (01:03:03):
Ay, that's right, that's right. So now you can you
can give me a harshal predictions on today's two games,
now that your Crusaders have won. Hurricanes Brumbies, what are
you expecting?

Speaker 11 (01:03:13):
I want the Brumbies to win that one.

Speaker 7 (01:03:14):
Settle down, Jordan, settle down, mates.

Speaker 18 (01:03:17):
Yeah.

Speaker 32 (01:03:18):
I think it's going to be a close game though.
I think the Hurricanes will just nudge it. But I mean,
you know, the Brumbies, I want them to win.

Speaker 7 (01:03:26):
Yep, I can understand why. But what about the Blues
against the Reds? Do you want the Reds to win
that one?

Speaker 11 (01:03:32):
No, the Blues, the Blues that one? O, Yeah, got
to go to.

Speaker 14 (01:03:37):
The Blues that one.

Speaker 10 (01:03:38):
Who you?

Speaker 7 (01:03:39):
Who you are?

Speaker 12 (01:03:39):
Who you're here with today?

Speaker 7 (01:03:40):
Give a shout out to your mates, my mate Joe
yeah yeah, yeah. Another cancebrity looks like he's wearing a Reds.
He's boring the Reds tonight. I was going to read tonight,
got it? Yea, like he's in another seat right, well,
exactly right, exactly right, Jordan. Hey, thanks for stopping and mate,
enjoy the rest of your thinking on you There you go.
There are all sorts of fans here at at Robbie's

(01:04:03):
Litchfield court Yard. As I say there, there are in
all all sorts of different shirts. I mean, I guess
this is what super Round is. It's the equivalent of
Magic Round for the NRL or Gather Round for af owl.
It's when all the teams from all of the different
tea the fans from all the different teams come together,

(01:04:23):
mix and mingle where their colors with pride and win,
lose or otherwise enjoy themselves. They as they watch on
from this brand new stadium. It is one thirty two.
We're going to take a break and then from across
the Tasman. Speaking of that, we've got some Australian Rugby

(01:04:44):
Royalty and they're part of the Kickoffs and kick Ons podcast,
a sports show like no other. Or take a break
and then introduce them to you here at Robbie's Litchfield
Courtyard on.

Speaker 1 (01:04:55):
Weekend Sport, all the trays, all the celebrations and all
the calls. Weekend Sport with Jason Vine Live and christ
Church for Super Rugby Pacific, Super reved upon, your home
of Sport, Youth TALKSB.

Speaker 7 (01:05:10):
News, Talks AB and Weekend Sport coming to your life
from Robbi's Litchfield Courtyard and christ Church. And what an
honor to invite in three massive figures in Australian rugby,
not physically but physically as well. Over three hundred test
caps combined, all part of a generation of Australian rugby
excellence and now the co host of Kickoffs and kick Ons,
a sports show like no other. Let's introduce them. A

(01:05:33):
true utility back in every CeNSE, one hundred and twenty
one test for Australia four Rugby World Cups, Durable, dependable,
always delivering on the big stage and scored more Test
tries against the All Blacks than anybody else. Adam Ashley Cooper,
how are you mate?

Speaker 12 (01:05:48):
I've made I am super well after that internal excellent?

Speaker 7 (01:05:52):
Love excellent if it's also bringing a man who combined
electric pace, sharp instincts and a knack for scoring when
it mattered the most seventy one games for the Wallabies,
three Rugby World Cups, thirty four tries, fourteen of those
at will Cups, one of the most dangerous finishes the
Wallabies have ever produced. Drew Mitchell can I mate.

Speaker 10 (01:06:11):
No, thank you very much, thanks for having me.

Speaker 7 (01:06:13):
Good to have your here, and a playmaker.

Speaker 10 (01:06:14):
Iditate you around with me all the time. Just keep
introducing me people.

Speaker 7 (01:06:17):
I'll send you out these intros. A playmaker, leader, fierce competitor,
equally at home pulling the strings at first five or
directing traffic in midfield. Just the seventh Wallaby to play
one hundred tests, one hundred and three in fact for Australia,
three Rugby World Cups, and the man for who Australian
Rugby changed their eligibility criteria for overseas players and a
law that would bear his name. When a rugby's smartest minds,

(01:06:40):
Matt gets a hollo.

Speaker 18 (01:06:41):
Mate, piney, what an intro?

Speaker 31 (01:06:43):
I love it.

Speaker 18 (01:06:44):
I'm great, mate, I'm great.

Speaker 7 (01:06:45):
It's so good to have the three of you here.
Let's start with kickoffs and kick ons. Adam, tell us
about that for starters? You know where did it come from?
And what has it become.

Speaker 33 (01:06:54):
Well, probably I want to maybe throw it to Drew
because it was essentially Drew's making to get us all together,
create some schedule time on a Monday afternoon couch time
bears and talk a bit of rugby dribble.

Speaker 16 (01:07:06):
Yeah, I mean obviously very close mates going through our
footy together and spending a lot of time together on
tours and training and games and whatnot. But when we
were retired, it was almost like, you know, to have
scheduled time together, and this was just an opportunity. And
I always thought, you know, because of how close we are,
doing something together was always going to be, you know,
something that we wanted to do. We started with the

(01:07:27):
wine label back line win is that that doesn't actually
exist anymore.

Speaker 12 (01:07:31):
That was during COVID, I mean launch at the best time.

Speaker 14 (01:07:35):
Yeah.

Speaker 10 (01:07:36):
Normally people talk about pairing wines that go well with food.

Speaker 16 (01:07:39):
Ours went well in food. So then we're like, Okay,
that didn't work, what's next?

Speaker 10 (01:07:45):
And then a few different.

Speaker 16 (01:07:46):
Opportunities sort of popped up with the podcast. A couple
were like saying, for for example, myself and Gits or
Adam and Gittz, or Adam and I or whatever, but
we always just sort of felt for us as well,
it's just better if we do it together.

Speaker 10 (01:07:58):
And yeah, and so we went down that path.

Speaker 16 (01:08:00):
We started as the Good, the Bad and the Rugby Australia,
then sort of part ways and sort of start their
own thing. Let the fans choose the name Kickoffs and
kick ons. It's you know, it's a bit of a playoff.
You know, you kick off your night and then you
kick on you tonight, but also maybe kick off your
rugby career.

Speaker 10 (01:08:13):
And then kick on with your career.

Speaker 16 (01:08:14):
So yeah, I mean it's it's selfishly, it's more just
schedule time with your mates. It's in the calendar with
the boys, families and that sort of stuff, and we
get to hang out and have a few beers.

Speaker 12 (01:08:24):
It's interesting.

Speaker 33 (01:08:24):
Throughout our rugby career and our time together, we always
knew we'd do something post footy. We just didn't know
what that looked like. And when I guess Drew kind
of started to rally the troops for this idea of
a podcast. I was reluctant at the start one because
I played for a good part of twenty years and
I thought, you know, once you call time and hanging
the boots up, you don't. I wanted to completely step

(01:08:46):
away from the grass and kind of immerse myself in
something completely foreign and work and learn about the real world,
understand how how you kind of operate in that space.

Speaker 12 (01:08:55):
But now that we're what two three years.

Speaker 10 (01:08:58):
Down the track and we've learned that the real world suck.

Speaker 33 (01:09:01):
I am absolutely grateful that, you know, I get to
take up opportunities like this to talk too.

Speaker 7 (01:09:06):
Gentleman like you said, Oh, that's very kind of you, Matt.
Were you reluctant at all, I feel like you would
have been a very enthusiastic participant from day.

Speaker 18 (01:09:12):
One, day one, you know.

Speaker 34 (01:09:14):
You know, so I think for me, I make the
trip from Camber up to Sydney. For me, I get
away from the family. Love my family, love my wife.
But I also love these boys. So you know, Sydney
it's only three hours away. But I'd go a few
months without catching up with them. So whereas this is
like a weekly thing, I get in there early. We
suck it, you know, we knocked back a beer or

(01:09:34):
me and Drew doo swoop. He's on the straight and arrow.
He's fit at the moment, so well, he's.

Speaker 13 (01:09:39):
Fit for forever.

Speaker 12 (01:09:40):
I was in that retirement paddick for a little too
long and it got the better of me.

Speaker 2 (01:09:43):
Mate.

Speaker 33 (01:09:43):
I stood on the scales at the start of the
year and saw a number I've never seen before my life.

Speaker 10 (01:09:47):
Yeah, and you won't see it again. Well since years.

Speaker 7 (01:09:52):
I was just thinking, how good you look? I mean
not saying you didn't be.

Speaker 33 (01:09:57):
Eighteen kilosah, I mean I can't do anything in halves, mate,
And so at the start, after the upper cart put
on wait out of not in half.

Speaker 35 (01:10:06):
It was just.

Speaker 33 (01:10:07):
Basically a self deal, self promise that I'd go to
the gym every day, I'd keep my calorie and take
under a certain amount, you know, your ten thousand steps,
and just kind of lay off off the soup. And
it just makes smarter, healthier decisions. Because what we do
realize in our second chapter is healthy is wealth, Mate.

Speaker 18 (01:10:25):
Absolutely it is.

Speaker 34 (01:10:26):
And the good thing is Adam, he's looking great and
we've brought back a new dynamic like it's in the
girls that have flocked to the Pride since Sweeps got
in shape.

Speaker 18 (01:10:37):
Crazy.

Speaker 13 (01:10:38):
Well, the admin on that is a whole.

Speaker 7 (01:10:43):
Right be Queas for all three of you, what is
it like playing against the all Blacks.

Speaker 33 (01:10:47):
Well, I mean I'll kick it off for me. I
think I've played the most for Australia against all blacks
out of these two. So I mean I had a
record of I think I played them at maybe thirty
five times.

Speaker 12 (01:11:00):
I won five and drew twice. Now the record is
not that great. However, for me, playing the Ax was
the ultimate test.

Speaker 33 (01:11:07):
I love playing for my country and I love playing
against other nations, but to play against your blacks it
is the ultimate test because it felt like as an
Australian growing up, the Bledislow was the number one. Yes,
there was the World Cup. The Bleddeslobe was just a
different category. It was a different league and we had
a lot of success when I was growing up watching
the Wallabies. I think it was around the time I
started playing for the Wallabies. We never saw the bledder Studer.

Speaker 7 (01:11:28):
I don't think the two things are.

Speaker 33 (01:11:30):
Related, but for me it was a respect thing and
if you played well against your blacks, it kind of
gave you that bit of validation around you.

Speaker 20 (01:11:38):
Doing all right.

Speaker 10 (01:11:39):
Yeah, I mean I always enjoyed playing against them.

Speaker 16 (01:11:42):
The challenge I think was the most enticing thing is
you know you're going you're going there and you're lining
up in.

Speaker 10 (01:11:47):
The tunnel before you run out, or you're doing the anthems,
or you're.

Speaker 16 (01:11:50):
Facing the Harker, which I think is a really you know,
just a real pivotal part of our game as well
as to sit there and face that and some of
those core memories just facing it and the lightning strikes
and behind.

Speaker 10 (01:12:02):
At Eden Park and those sort of things will stick
with me for a long time.

Speaker 16 (01:12:04):
But it was just a genuine measure of where you
were as a player, but also as a team. And
you know, I mean obviously we've you know, we didn't
have great success against the All Blacks. You know, the
hardest one for us to swallow was the twenty fifteen
World Cup final that we're all three of.

Speaker 10 (01:12:17):
Us were involved in.

Speaker 16 (01:12:18):
But in some ways it's sort of like a little
bit easier to sort of swallow when you understand that
they're they're in the conversation perhaps being the best team
that has ever played and somebody you just got to
tip your hat, you know, like we did our best
against them, and you know, far too often it just
we came up short.

Speaker 10 (01:12:31):
But you know, I guess there's a little bit of
solce in the fact that you know that.

Speaker 14 (01:12:35):
They were just such a good side. It's hard to
tip your hat though.

Speaker 10 (01:12:38):
But you know what when you were saying the two
things aren't related.

Speaker 16 (01:12:41):
In two thousand and one, I was in the Australian
school Boys and I went to the Australian Rugby headquarters
and at the time we were the holders of the
Letterzow Cup and the World and the World Cup, and
I had a photo with both of them in my hands.
I know, and they always say that unless you earn
the right, you should never hold it, and I've never
been able to hold them since.

Speaker 10 (01:13:03):
I think I'm the jinks you are.

Speaker 34 (01:13:05):
Yeah, what have if you only suddenly decide to explose yourself.

Speaker 16 (01:13:09):
Well, I just want to prop up Piney Show and
just give him an exclusive.

Speaker 12 (01:13:14):
Thanks Drew, you've had it again.

Speaker 34 (01:13:16):
I think if from my experience they were as Sweet said,
you know the litmus test, you know how you were
faring internationally. You know, if you played a great game
against them or someone that they wanted to mark or watch,
that you knew you were doing the right thing, you know.
I think unfortunately, and fortunately as Drew touched upon maybe
ten of their fifteen players that we played against will

(01:13:38):
go in the Hall of Fame. They were an unbelievable
side and for me as a ballplayer, they always made
me think. So you would have a game plan, how
you think you're going to explose the all blacks. It
may work for twenty minutes, but then they adjust. Now
as a game controller, you've got to try and adjust.
And it was just always mentally a really tough battle
for me.

Speaker 16 (01:13:58):
You said ten of the fifteen would be future Hall
of famers, Yeah, which five aren't making it?

Speaker 7 (01:14:03):
I would say, so the fight for me would be
Richie again.

Speaker 2 (01:14:09):
The way.

Speaker 7 (01:14:09):
Yeah yeah, all right, Well let's let's look at your
side of the tests and then how confident how optimistic
do you feel about the Wallabies of twenty twenty six,
particularly with a Rugby World Cup next year.

Speaker 33 (01:14:19):
I'm feeling fairly optimistic. I know we've been in a
dark place as a rugby nation and a support community
over the last couple of years, but I feel like
when Joe Smith took over, he kind of went back
to basics and you saw a team that went from
kind of throwing some loose footing, inability to hold onto
the ball, probably not getting your attacking detail right, particularly
at the attacking right. So a team that was confident

(01:14:40):
getting over the advantage line, using the balls with in
certain sequences of the game and playing is a smarter,
tougher game with a little bit more speed and a
little bit more rhythm. I think that that has kind
of filtered down to the Super rugby level in the
last two years.

Speaker 12 (01:14:54):
It's probably the most competitive.

Speaker 33 (01:14:56):
We've been from an Australian Super rugby perspective, and I
think gets touched it on in our live show just
an hour ago, so that it's the most It's a
very open and competitive Super rugby competition at the moment.

Speaker 23 (01:15:08):
Yep.

Speaker 12 (01:15:08):
I know the Canes are up there, probably sitting at
the top of it.

Speaker 33 (01:15:10):
However, anyone can win on a weekend and so I
think where we are generally speaking, I think we're in
a good place. It's just a matter of you know,
Le's kids coming in and making sure that the transitions
move and he gets the motiv gets the.

Speaker 12 (01:15:23):
Motivation and the drive out of the boys.

Speaker 14 (01:15:25):
Yeah.

Speaker 10 (01:15:25):
I mean, look, I think we've got the core nucleus
of a good squad there right.

Speaker 16 (01:15:29):
I mean, obviously our issues around that nine and ten
position we've got to nail down and we need to
tend to step up and say this is my spot.

Speaker 10 (01:15:35):
I'm going to drive the team around and make it
so that the coach has no other option. At the moment.
There's a few guys sort of putting their hands up
here and there, but then you know, maybe not so
much in the next week.

Speaker 16 (01:15:46):
You need someone to be dominant in that position to
really see that team around moving into the World Cup
next year.

Speaker 10 (01:15:50):
That's outside of that, you know, like our Ikey Towers
and ours.

Speaker 16 (01:15:53):
Jorgenson's going amazingly tom right if he comes back to
where he was before he did his knee, he's now back.

Speaker 10 (01:15:58):
So you know, I mean our back lines got our
back row is really competitive. Valatini and Wilson. Now Charlie
Cales announced.

Speaker 16 (01:16:04):
Himself phrasement right like we've got we've we've got some
good players, but we just need someone to really see
the ship and really own that team and you know,
effectively quarterback. And you know, if we get that right
and if one of those sort of four or five
candidates put their hand up and just own this team.
And like Stirling said on our show a couple of
weeks ago, there's going to be some hurt in the
lead up in the next eighteen months, but they do

(01:16:24):
it together and we stick that together rather than just
chopping and.

Speaker 10 (01:16:26):
Changing all the time.

Speaker 16 (01:16:27):
They've got to go through the ups and downs together
so that when they get into the cauldron and the
under the heat of a.

Speaker 10 (01:16:33):
World Cup, that they've been through those positions before and
they bind together rather than split off.

Speaker 34 (01:16:37):
I feel like the Abs are in a similar position,
like who would be there nine and ten right now?

Speaker 7 (01:16:42):
Well, cam roy Gard's the number nine now that we
can all accept that, but number ten, okay, Richie Mwonga
is coming back, Bowden, Barrett, Damien McKenzie, Reuben loves the
new kid on the block. I don't think you've.

Speaker 18 (01:16:51):
Got a lot of the shape for New Zealand.

Speaker 11 (01:16:53):
He's off the ten.

Speaker 34 (01:16:53):
Yes, so you're nine while roy Yard obviously he's having
a great season. You do need to solidify who that
ten is going to be and show actually push through
that pain, which I feel in New Zealand lately we're
probably more used to that pain, so we've got a
little bit more patience to push through for a ten.

Speaker 11 (01:17:13):
I don't know whether in New Zealand have.

Speaker 7 (01:17:15):
That team backy man, you are banging, don't. We're not
a patient rugby public as you know.

Speaker 5 (01:17:20):
Lad.

Speaker 7 (01:17:20):
It's so good to see you. Thank you for stopping
and enjoy the rest of your stay. Kickoffs and kick
ons as your shower across socials at Emshally Cooper, Matt
getto Drew Mitch'll great to see you. Cheers mate, there
you go. What I highlight to have these three fine
gentlemen with us here at Robbie's Litchfield Courtyard. It is
twelve away from two news talks edb.

Speaker 1 (01:17:40):
Lay from Robbie's Lynchfield Goodyard for Super Rugby s Pacifics
Super Round in christ Shirt Weekend Sport with Jason vine
on Your Hope of Sports.

Speaker 7 (01:17:49):
News dog ZMB one fifty one coming to your life
from christ Church from Robbie' Letsfield Courtyard. I feel like
I'm in him in enemy territory. What about Blue CEO,
Carl Buds? How are you mate? Very very well?

Speaker 14 (01:18:00):
Well?

Speaker 7 (01:18:00):
How good's the weekend?

Speaker 18 (01:18:01):
Mate?

Speaker 7 (01:18:01):
When did you get hit town? And what have you
been soaking up since you've been here?

Speaker 35 (01:18:05):
I got in on fry and yeah, just been catching
up with a few of the other CEOs trying to
look at the future of Super Rugby, but a few
sponsors down here as well.

Speaker 14 (01:18:14):
And yeah, it's been bloody cool walking around.

Speaker 35 (01:18:16):
I'm not sure I'll ever see as many Blues jerseys
and christ churches as we are this weekend.

Speaker 7 (01:18:21):
I mean we should talk about the game. We might
do that on the moment though, but you've been very
forthright and your desire to reconnect people with Super Rugby.
What are the keys to doing that?

Speaker 35 (01:18:32):
Yeah, Look, I think we've just got to be a
lot more fan focused. I think rugby is a sport
hasn't been nearly fan focused enough probably for a couple
of decades, and you know, I think we're probably, yeah,
having to pick that up now. But I think the
work that is happening at the moment, I think you
can start to see that there is a lot more
effort around being more fan focused, trying to make more
of an effort to not just be about the outcome

(01:18:53):
of the game.

Speaker 14 (01:18:54):
Certainly at Eden Park that's been a huge one for
us this year.

Speaker 35 (01:18:58):
I thought Friday Night was probably as good an entertainment
experience as you could possibly get. Light shows, laser shows,
drax projects, lego giving awe one hundred and sixty dollars
sets of lego. It was awesome and all of that
from nineteen bucks. I think we've probably got to Yeah,
debuses Demith, a few of those thoughts out there that
how hard and how expensive rugby is.

Speaker 7 (01:19:20):
How have you enjoyed the role. It's different for you.
You're obviously a hugely successful sporting administrator in your previous roles.
Anything that surprised you coming into this.

Speaker 35 (01:19:30):
One, Yeah, there's lots actually, Piney, and I'm still learning
every day.

Speaker 14 (01:19:34):
Yeah, look, it is really different. You don't probably have
a couple of natural levers that you had another sports.

Speaker 35 (01:19:40):
You know, if we wanted to do something around fans,
you could go and pay for Venus Williams to come
and know that you were going to get them and
then if I did my job right.

Speaker 14 (01:19:48):
You could hold them. We don't quite have that in rugby.

Speaker 35 (01:19:52):
And so yeah, looks that's been an interesting one that
we you know, we've had to work a bit harder.
I genuinely think for those that have come out and
come to a Blues game this year, I don't think
you could fault us against Warriors or an Auckland FC,
who are.

Speaker 3 (01:20:06):
Doing cracking job.

Speaker 14 (01:20:07):
I think our experience stacks up right next to them.

Speaker 35 (01:20:10):
But we've certainly got to work harder to tell that
story than they do. And so that's certainly something I'm
efting to learn that. Yeah, we can't just go to
one hundred. We've probably got to go one hundred and
thirty to get the cut through.

Speaker 7 (01:20:20):
They play it at go Media Stadium, it's rectangular, it
holds what twenty five thousand, Let's say, how do you
do that? At Eden Park that holds twice that and
is a bit cavernous on occasion.

Speaker 35 (01:20:32):
Yeah, look, we've got to see that as a privilege too.
You know, I'm someone that's always glass half full. It's
you know, I've come from sports where you had no space.
You know, we worked our butts off, you know, if
you think back to the tennis, we spent a million
bucks on scaffolding a year to create space.

Speaker 14 (01:20:48):
You know, we've got it in spades at Eton Park.

Speaker 35 (01:20:50):
And so yeah, when you yep, it's always been the
problem around how do we feel that coming in from
my background and go, wow, I've got all of this room.
Anything we want to do we can do, We've got
no I look at what we could do on the
other oval for every game, We've got a whole out
of oval that could be activated. Maybe that's just a
great area for people come and enjoy a Friday night,

(01:21:11):
let alone enjoy rugby. And I kind of go like
that's these are all things that are at our disposal
at Eden Park. So yep, lots of challenges and we've
got to work harder. At twenty thousand crowd for us
feels different than the twenty thousand.

Speaker 14 (01:21:23):
Crowd at go Media.

Speaker 35 (01:21:25):
But it also Yeah, I can sort of hide behind that,
or we can go do our job and fill it
the best we can and try and turn it into
a positive that you know, we've got the space to
come and entertain people in really different ways.

Speaker 7 (01:21:36):
Can you be fan centric in a high performance environment.
You've got the high performance team that we've got to
win rugby matches, but you you know, can you can
you be both?

Speaker 14 (01:21:44):
I think you have to be.

Speaker 35 (01:21:46):
There's not much point winning championships if no one's watching,
and so yeah, yeah, I think we have to be
that and I think we've got to prioritize it that
it must be. You know, the Blues is an organization
need to be a ticket selling business that plays rugby,
and so we've got to really change how we act
and how we view. But I think we're starting to

(01:22:08):
see that we had a net promoter score. Sorry to
talk marketing jargon, but you know, we had a net
promoter score at the start of the season at around
twenty that the tennis sort of peaked at eighty three,
to put that into context, And after our Friday night
game against the Islands.

Speaker 14 (01:22:23):
We're at sixty five.

Speaker 35 (01:22:25):
We've tripled that score in five games, and so just
to me, it shows that this appetite, Dear. There's obviously
a lot of negativity out there at times, but I
think for those that have actually come out and experienced it,
the evidence are saying.

Speaker 14 (01:22:38):
They're having a great time. We've just got to earn
that trust back that we're.

Speaker 35 (01:22:42):
Doing at game after game after game, and then I
think you'll start see that, Yeah, there's no reason why
we can't be averaging twenty five thousand people every game
at the Blues.

Speaker 7 (01:22:50):
Well, the right man's at the Helm budget we've run
out of time to talk about your team. I think
they'll be okay against the Reds tonight. Great to see
you mate, Thanks for stopping and enjoy the rest of
your weekend.

Speaker 14 (01:22:58):
Yeah, thanks fiddy, good on you mate.

Speaker 7 (01:22:59):
Carl Bud's their CEO of the Blues, doroing great work.
They're engaging fans, connecting the fan base to his team
and up those seats at Eden Park. Coming up two o'clock.
Robbie Deans is on the show after the News at.

Speaker 3 (01:23:11):
Two are.

Speaker 36 (01:23:18):
Bringing you the Builder, billund Good, the Battle, Battle, Battle
and the Banter Banter Banter as we count down to
day two of Super Rugby Pacific Super Round.

Speaker 1 (01:23:29):
It's Weekend Sport with Jason Pine live from Robbie's Litchfield
Courtyard in christ.

Speaker 3 (01:23:35):
Church on your Home of Sport, your News Talks hed B.

Speaker 7 (01:23:38):
The two oh seven Here on News Talks HEADB. Weekend
Sport coming to you live from Robbie's Litchfield Courtyard, which
is absolutely pumping at the moment as we build towards
two more games in Super Rugby's Super Round. That Brumby's
Hurricanes from five Blues against the Reds from seven point
thirty tonight this hour we're going to hear from one
quarter of the White Locks. Those are the Rugby playing

(01:24:00):
White Locks of course. Adam Whitelock go to pop in.
Phil Ward is also with us, the Chief Executive of
Australia and former Wallaby himself, of course, But what a
pleasure to open the hour of a couple of Crusaders legends.
One of the architects of the Crusaders, tynesitee and a
man who helped set the standard for sustained excellence in
the city. Nine years as head coach of the Crusaders,

(01:24:21):
he guided them to seven finals, winning five Super Rugby titles.
He played one hundred and forty six times for Canterbury,
nineteen times for the All Blacks. Deeply respected voice in
the global game, still coaching of course in Japan. Robbie Deans.
Great to see her. Robbie, thanks for stopping in.

Speaker 18 (01:24:37):
Good to be here. Thanks.

Speaker 7 (01:24:38):
Jason and the ultimate workhorse in Red and Black are
relentless open side flanker who played one hundred and forty
one games for the Crusaders across nine Super Rugby seasons,
second only to Karen Reid among loose forwards for the
team titles. In his last three season, seventy two games
for Canterbury, twenty five tests for the All Blacks. Tough
tilis always team first and now an assistant coach with

(01:24:59):
the Crusaders. Matt Todd good a, Matt, thanks having me long.
It's good to be here. How was last night?

Speaker 2 (01:25:04):
Oh?

Speaker 25 (01:25:04):
Special?

Speaker 22 (01:25:05):
Like from the bus rider and we hit it along
Manchester Street and just seeing the punters outside the bars
and the amount of people walking to the stadium and
then pulling into the stadium, the bus was surrounded by
fans cheering the boys off and that sort of it
bought you back to when you played see roby games
in Africa, used to get that feeling. But to have
it here in our own city and you know then

(01:25:27):
just to be in that stadium, that the atmosphere. You know,
the city has been waiting a long long time for
that and it's great it's here now. And I guess
you know it was great.

Speaker 25 (01:25:37):
We got the one. There's obviously a few bit of
nerves around the group.

Speaker 22 (01:25:40):
It was an important night, but great yet we were
able to get the win and open that stadium.

Speaker 7 (01:25:46):
On the right note, I was going to ask you
that about about the occasion. How did you remove the
hype of the occasion from your week of prep or
did you not do that?

Speaker 25 (01:25:56):
I think you've got to address it. It's there, embrace it.

Speaker 22 (01:26:00):
But we've got some experienced guys in our team that
have played a lot of big games, So you lean
on those sort of guys that have been in those occasions.

Speaker 25 (01:26:07):
And you know, end of the day, once all the
hype and that's out of the way.

Speaker 22 (01:26:12):
You've got to perform. You've got to do your job
on the footy field, and I think we did a
good job at that. We you know, use the occasion
and to get us I guess meansely where we need
to be, but we were in overalled and didn't let
the emotion get the better of us.

Speaker 25 (01:26:25):
So it was it was credit to the group.

Speaker 22 (01:26:27):
They got that balance right and put in a performance
that you know, opened the stadium nicely.

Speaker 7 (01:26:33):
Robbie back in a city that is very special to you.
I know, how was it for you last night watching
and how's it been? You're only here for a short time,
obviously got a bit of a break, but you've got
to get back to the back end of your season.
How has it been being in christ Church?

Speaker 18 (01:26:46):
Brilliant? Just great to see the city in such good shape.

Speaker 37 (01:26:51):
It's it's unrecognizable from when you look back at what
we've been through here. It's just it's brimming and there's
been a long time coming. There's been a lot of
work put into it. But credit to everyone that's got
this job done because it's this facility is going to
be a real asset.

Speaker 18 (01:27:09):
For a long time and the public will get the
benefit of Yeah, it's great to be here.

Speaker 7 (01:27:13):
The city says, buzzing, isn't it.

Speaker 12 (01:27:14):
I don't know what.

Speaker 7 (01:27:15):
You've obviously been walking around probably shaking hands with every
second person. Does it feel like the city's going to
real vibe about it this weekend?

Speaker 18 (01:27:21):
Absolutely? Yeah, and that they understand what they've got here.

Speaker 37 (01:27:25):
I think because it's a special venue, it's unique, and
you look at the weather this weekend, it's a great
promotion for the area.

Speaker 7 (01:27:34):
It's ironic, isn't it. There's a roof on the stadium
and out there and now it's a beautiful day. It's
a beautiful day. I actually we've just received a text
and while we've been doing the intro, Robbie and I
need to ask this question. Could I Jason, you've got
Robbie Deans on the show, could you ask him about
the and I was going to the two thousand and
six Fog Final. I drove the team to the game

(01:27:57):
that night. See is Michael brilliant? What do you remember
about the fog Final?

Speaker 37 (01:28:03):
It was a unique occasion as every but I was
talking to Casey La Lala about that very topic because
Casey played and scored and I still haven't seen that try.

Speaker 18 (01:28:13):
There was only one angle that we could see. It
was the lowest angle.

Speaker 37 (01:28:16):
There's about ten meters of visibility apparently, but from the
coach's box we could see nothing. I arrived in the
tunnel pregame and the hammershreekt. The CEO was coming up
the tunnel looking pretty destroyed and suggesting that we were
going to have to call the game off, and I
just said, get out of the way, mate, We're playing.

(01:28:37):
The boys have got this and unfortunately that's the way
it turned out.

Speaker 34 (01:28:41):
Well.

Speaker 7 (01:28:42):
I mean, I was there that night. I'm from Wellington,
I'm a Hurricanes fan. I flew in to christ What
would you have been, Matt, Were you at that game?

Speaker 5 (01:28:48):
Now?

Speaker 25 (01:28:48):
I wasn't at that game.

Speaker 22 (01:28:49):
I remember watching on TV or trying to watch it
on TV what you couldn't see, But I think I
was about eighteen eighteen, But I do remember watching on
TV or trying to watch on TV, and you know,
being able to watch very little of it.

Speaker 7 (01:29:03):
Yeah, I mean, as I said, I was there, I
was clear on afternoon, flying at about four o'clock in
the afternoon. It was fine, and then all of a
sudden he just arrived.

Speaker 13 (01:29:11):
Did it?

Speaker 7 (01:29:12):
It didn't dilute the achievement though, Robbie did it Still
a Super Rugby Championship another one.

Speaker 18 (01:29:16):
Yeah, the Crusaders absolutely not. It's etched in history and
that's what it's about. You get one crack, you get
one career, and we've been.

Speaker 37 (01:29:24):
Lucky to be part of some special occasions and there's
many more ahead of us. I think looking at the
response last night, that was a good performance under the circumstances.
The Weretars have given them, the Crusaders, a bit of
grief over the years, so it was good that we
blanked him.

Speaker 7 (01:29:37):
How much time had just been with Leicster fighting Anooku
this week as he wore the jersey that you wore
so often, and he's not even an open side flanker.

Speaker 22 (01:29:47):
Really, Yeah, I guess he's just one of those guys
that he loves the big occasion. So we knew it
was going to be a special occasion and he's done
a little bit obviously in France. He's had a little
a couple of little tastes laden games in the loose
Ford trio and you know, for what we needed in
that game.

Speaker 25 (01:30:04):
We thought he was a perfect man for it. And
you know, there's a little bit there's a little.

Speaker 22 (01:30:08):
Bit I guess of around the set piece and some
defensive stuff to work from him through. But you know,
he's a smart footballer and he understands, you know, what
he needs to learn and get over and he makes
sure he takes the time to get it right and
and then he just plays his natural game and you
saw out there last night.

Speaker 18 (01:30:24):
You know what he can do ball in hand.

Speaker 22 (01:30:26):
That this extra dynamic I guess he gives your team
when he's wearing the seven jersey and attack and he's
physical in the collision areas, which is what you need
from a seven. And he's got a big engine on him,
so you know, he's got all the attributes that can
do the job.

Speaker 25 (01:30:39):
And it's just I guess the way.

Speaker 22 (01:30:41):
You know, you look at the game up north and
you see it more and more and it's been open
to it and seeing you know what's best for your
team week to week, so you know it won't be
an all the time hanging, but it's it's something we
can use depending on you know, what we that week requires,
or injuries or the makeup we're looking for.

Speaker 14 (01:30:59):
In the team.

Speaker 7 (01:31:00):
I feel like you could have been a hybrid player.
You know, we saw you mainly in the loose forwards.
Did you play in the backs growing up?

Speaker 22 (01:31:06):
Was it something that you ever entertained when I was younger,
I did, but once it sort of got to any
type of competitive footy, it was always in the fords.

Speaker 25 (01:31:16):
Didn't really have a lot of speed or a lot
of extects, so.

Speaker 14 (01:31:20):
Not a great back.

Speaker 7 (01:31:22):
Attributes really, Robbie, your record, I mentioned it at the
top of the chat. All those championships, does one particular
side that you coached or one particular championship that you
won stand out.

Speaker 18 (01:31:36):
They're all special.

Speaker 37 (01:31:38):
In my opinion, it's dutile to differentiate because they're all
special for their own reasons, and that's what the game's about.

Speaker 18 (01:31:45):
It's about just stacking up moments that you remember.

Speaker 37 (01:31:49):
And I've been very lucky through my career worked with
some great players, some great people, and off the ground,
and yeah we've won some titles, but we've also had
a lot of great chair moments that didn't end that way,
but they're still special. Just the fact you're out there
doing it. As I can say to my group, if
you're not up to the humiliation, you're not most used

(01:32:11):
to me. So it's about just putting in, having a
crack together and sharing the challenge.

Speaker 7 (01:32:17):
And were those sorts of things the common threads that
ran through those sides, the championship winning ones, but also
the ones that didn't quite get across the line.

Speaker 18 (01:32:24):
The work ethic totally. It's a tough games.

Speaker 37 (01:32:29):
It's the ultimate team sport apart from rowing. My wife
tells me, but it's a tough game and you can't.
No one can survive and thrive as an individual. So
you've got to work hard at it collectively and with
professionalism and the transfer knowledge and training methods, it's a

(01:32:50):
lot more even than it used to be. But the
one thing that really delights me is it's still the
same things that are defining that. What I call the
invisible fact is the human elements. It's not the best
resource that when super Aggly told us, it's not the
best resources that win World Cups. It's those where the
meaning goes deepest and long may that be the case

(01:33:11):
for Regy.

Speaker 7 (01:33:12):
Does that reson up with you, Matt?

Speaker 25 (01:33:13):
Yeah, absolutely, it's off and the stuff you don't see or.

Speaker 22 (01:33:18):
You know, it's the behind the scenes stuff, the connection
the group builds, the you know, the the connection between
the older boys and the younger boys coming and then
parting their wisdom on them. They speed that process up,
the the young guys coming in and just soaking that
knowledge up, or the older guys taking the time to
welcome the new guys in. And you know, the fun

(01:33:40):
behind the scenes stuff that you don't see that when
it gets tough, because it will get tough throughout the season,
throughout the game. That's what I guess you can fall
back on in which, you know, the quality teams are
able to deal with the adversity, to deal with the
challenges because they've put the time into that stuff and
they've built those connections and bonds throughout the year.

Speaker 7 (01:34:01):
How did you find the transition from player to coach?

Speaker 37 (01:34:04):
Now?

Speaker 25 (01:34:04):
Enjoyed it like it's.

Speaker 22 (01:34:07):
I guess you know, people talk to you about it,
but until you actually do it, you're not quite sure
how it's going to happen in that, but it's a
learning curve and you know, fortunate that the fellow coaches
that I've worked with have helped me out, and even
the players, you know, you get the honest feedback from
them around you know what you can do better or
what's going well, so you learn from them. And I
think it's like any hang as long as you go

(01:34:28):
on there and you're open to learning and you know
you know where you need to get better. You don't
have to have all the answers. You just got to
be able to try and find them. And then that's
a big one, like you're not expected to know everything,
So find the people that do have the answers. Work
with the players you're trying to work with, understand the
players and their strengths, and try and bring the best

(01:34:50):
out of them.

Speaker 7 (01:34:51):
Robbie, at what point in your playing career did you
start thinking about coaching.

Speaker 37 (01:34:56):
I didn't really, but I guess I was probably coaching
while I was playing. I was at the club that
was low on numbers. One of their best years, we
only had sixteen players in the senior group. So a
good thing was he guaranteed some game time, but we
just had to maximize what we had, you know, and
that's what the game's about.

Speaker 18 (01:35:15):
As Matt said, how.

Speaker 7 (01:35:19):
Did you how did you enjoy seeing some of your
Wallabies boys before?

Speaker 34 (01:35:23):
Yeah?

Speaker 18 (01:35:24):
Wow, it's great. Yeah, they're looking good.

Speaker 7 (01:35:26):
How do you reflect on your time as Wallaby's coach?

Speaker 37 (01:35:28):
Oh, it was a great experience, you know, it's it's
challenging for many and varied reasons. We won't bore you
with here, but it was fantastic, great for me as
an individual, as a person, as a as a coach,
and great for the family, you know, and we basically
Sidney's home for us pretty much.

Speaker 2 (01:35:48):
Now.

Speaker 37 (01:35:48):
The kids followed us there and they're they're living and
working there, so we probably won't be far from.

Speaker 18 (01:35:53):
Them now, three green kids and the other on the way.
So the wheel keeps turning.

Speaker 7 (01:35:58):
It feels like you're I don't know, looks like looks
like feels like listening to you still got a lot
of gas in the tank, I hope. So yeah, I mean,
have you have you ever thought about when you might
not do it anymore? Or is that just not even
a thought of your minds?

Speaker 37 (01:36:12):
Well, we're trying to pull back. You're probably sure, I
have just taken on the Harlequins. I'm trying to pull
back and spend more time with the Green kitchen.

Speaker 18 (01:36:19):
Reached out. My cricket career.

Speaker 37 (01:36:21):
I've played for the Sexties and Hamilton this year and
representing New Zealand at sixty five in Tasmania later in
the year. How good, which is great. You know, I
plan you're playing sport for the right reason, but it's
very tough on the body. Believe me, when you haven't
done it for a while.

Speaker 7 (01:36:34):
You were a good cricketer too, I remember, no, no, yes,
you were absolutely better.

Speaker 25 (01:36:39):
Yeah no, definitely not a good cricketer. Enjoy watching it.
But that's about it.

Speaker 7 (01:36:43):
So leta's talk about this season then and what lies ahead.
I mean, yeah, those two losses in Australia I win
last night. Do you feel like that? Or springboard?

Speaker 29 (01:36:51):
Do you?

Speaker 10 (01:36:51):
How do you?

Speaker 38 (01:36:51):
How do you?

Speaker 7 (01:36:52):
For you feel your place as we head into the
sort of the back end of the season. But game
next week against the Hurricanes.

Speaker 22 (01:36:58):
Absolutely, like you say, coming off a couple of tough losses,
we knew how important this game was for our season
but also the stadium as well, So good to get
you know, back into that winning feeling. But yeah, Hurricanes
waiting week, it's going to be a massive task. So
at our best we can compete with anyone. We've just
been too inconsistent this year. That's the big one.

Speaker 25 (01:37:16):
So it was pleasing last night.

Speaker 34 (01:37:19):
You know.

Speaker 22 (01:37:19):
We enjoy big occasions and as we come into the
business end of the season, the occasions get bigger.

Speaker 25 (01:37:24):
So we're we're confident in.

Speaker 22 (01:37:26):
That, but we've got to be consistent. You know, that's
day to day at training. Our training habits need to
get a little bit better. We need to be better
around there and you know, just yeah, be more consistent
through the game. We're having good moments then were getting
none done by easy moments that are well and control
that we're not quite getting right. So we'll you know,

(01:37:46):
reflect on last night, what was successful, what work, grow
on that and get excited by the challenge of going
to well into and against the top of the table
Hurricanes next week.

Speaker 7 (01:37:54):
Look forward to seeing it. And Robbie, for you, what
is the immediate future hold for you? When are you
out of here.

Speaker 18 (01:37:59):
Tomorrow morning?

Speaker 7 (01:38:00):
Yeah?

Speaker 37 (01:38:01):
There, so we're getting to the business end of the
competition in Japan.

Speaker 18 (01:38:04):
Yes, so I'll be back there for that too. After today.

Speaker 37 (01:38:09):
We play later today, then there's two more rounds in
playoffs and then I'll get started up at Harlequins.

Speaker 18 (01:38:14):
Yeah, but looking forward to watching.

Speaker 37 (01:38:16):
These boys round out the campaign really well placed. I
think you've got a great facility here. It's going to
lift the group. You do have a tough itinery, but
that will serve you well. You get through that and
you take some stopping. So looking forward to watching.

Speaker 7 (01:38:31):
Yeah, I think we all are guys. Thanks for stopping
and I know it's a busy weekend you've got other
things on your minds gogat to last sight Mat Robbie.
Great to see you made. It's just so good to
catch up with somebody who's so deeply ingrained in the
rugby in this city. Thanks for stopping and really appreciate
both of your time. Thanks to rur checks having us
Robbie Deans and Matt Todd joining us here on Weekend

(01:38:51):
Sport Live from Robbie's Litchfield courtyard, where it is absolutely
going off with fans of all shaped, sizes and colors.
In terms of the colors they're wearing two twenty two
here at news Talks there b phil war is going
to join us before three o'clock. Next up, one of
the White Locks, Adam Whitelock, who was one of the
four of course who played for the Crusaders during a

(01:39:14):
period of dominance for that family, is going to bop
him for a chat after.

Speaker 1 (01:39:17):
This Live from Robbie's Litchfield court Yard, christ Church's new
home of live sport. It's Weekend Sport with Jason Vine
News Talks, EDB.

Speaker 7 (01:39:29):
News Talks at B and Weekend Sport coming to your
life from christ Church. We're in the shadow of One
New Zealand studium at Takaha at Robbie's Litchfield Courtyards, and man,
it really is the vibe here, the vibe in the city,
the vibe in this establishment. Just the exuberance and the
joy that you feel in christ Church at the moment

(01:39:49):
is it's quite something. It is quite something and a
real privilege actually to be here now. It's a family
name that's become synonymous with toughness, consistency and excellence in
New Zealand rugby, from grassroots beginnings to the biggest stages
in the world. The Whitelock brothers out outstanding careers across
the professional era. Sam, of course one of the most

(01:40:11):
decorated players on the history of the All Blacks, our
record test appearance maker with one hundred and fifty three.
George brought grits and leadership to the loose forwards, playing
for the All Blacks and captaining the Crusaders, playing eighty
six games for the team. Luke was a seven test
All Black, fifty one game Crusader, still playing in France,

(01:40:32):
and Adam Whitelocke made his mark with his versatility and
work ethic across the back line during his fifty six
matches for the Crusaders and also played for the New
Zealand sevens team. It is a delight to welcome Adam
Whitelock into the show. Nice to see you mate. Thanks
for Anya, No, it's great to see you now. You
described yourself as just sat down as the only back,

(01:40:53):
but a back in a forwards body, and I know
what you mean. Was it always a back line position
for you?

Speaker 18 (01:40:59):
Yeah?

Speaker 38 (01:40:59):
I started in the backs, but George and Luke also
started in the backs. Sam was a Ford. I think
it was a way of dead knowing. We sat in
the backs develop our skills, but as it's our body
that's got a bit bigger, and we matured then those
three Altho those who went into the forwards here, did.

Speaker 7 (01:41:14):
You ever ever entertain that possibility as well?

Speaker 38 (01:41:17):
Yeah, I had a run around and loose forward and
a few years there, but just ended up saying in
the backs.

Speaker 7 (01:41:22):
Take us to the to the white lock backyard, if
you would. I mean we often hear. I mean it's
all all Kiwi families growing up in the backyard. You
you play against your brothers, your neighbors, whatever. Yeah, what
was it like in the white locked backyard?

Speaker 13 (01:41:35):
Good question.

Speaker 38 (01:41:35):
It's normally Sam and I versus George and Luke's Sam
and I the middle too. George was the oldest and
Luke was the youngest, just playing until we were called
in for dinner and normally end up in a few
tears or a bit of a punch up. So it's
a typical rural upbringing. And uh, yeah, you had to
just get through it. And and yeah, just normal normal

(01:41:56):
kid upbringing on a farm.

Speaker 7 (01:41:58):
Was was it quite physical?

Speaker 38 (01:42:03):
Just two v two is just a big wrestle fest
on the trampoline. But a lot of you know, just
made up games in the backyard.

Speaker 7 (01:42:09):
And yeah, and four quite different, although similar journeys in
terms of the paths that you all took. When did
it become obvious to you personally that that rugby could
be something that you could be quite good at, played
for the Crusaders, played for the seventh team at what
age do you think our.

Speaker 13 (01:42:27):
High school dad got involved, helped us a lot.

Speaker 38 (01:42:29):
And then right after high school came down met Sex
and showed me around Canterbury. And then I came down
to study university and got a spot in the academy,
and then my brothers all followed me down here.

Speaker 13 (01:42:39):
George's and Dunedin's had a few years.

Speaker 38 (01:42:40):
There, and he came came up, and then Sam and
Luke came down a year or two after I was here.

Speaker 13 (01:42:45):
So we all ended up here.

Speaker 38 (01:42:46):
Having a grand dadd who played for Canterbury, Nelson, Dalzell
and North Canterbury and played for the All Blacks. That
was probably you know a bit of a calling back
to Kenbury and mum's from here of course, So yeah,
we all ended up here and we probably would have
never been half the players we were if we didn't
come here, because great coaches, great great team and he
could thrive.

Speaker 7 (01:43:06):
So yeah, what are your fondest memories, and the Crusaders.

Speaker 38 (01:43:11):
Shit fondest memories. Once playing against the Stormers in Cape Town.
We won tough against a team that was on fire
and at the end of the game I had my
three brothers on the field and even a cousin, Ben Fanell.
I can't remember the score, but it was tough, and
I think Toddy behind me here might have scored a
try so against a lot of South Africans and the

(01:43:31):
team and just just looking around and for your brothers.
Obviously winning those tight games, a lot of games in
christ Church and during twenty eleven taking it to the provinces.

Speaker 13 (01:43:41):
I remember them.

Speaker 38 (01:43:42):
I've seen a few photos on social media last week
or so, but you know, playing up in Nelson and
down into Maru, all those sort of games.

Speaker 7 (01:43:49):
How challenging a time was that. I mean it's a
challenging time for the whole city right there around twenty eleven.
Of course as a rugby team though, trying to keep
things together, to run a high performance environment with such disruption.
How challenging was that?

Speaker 2 (01:44:03):
Oh?

Speaker 38 (01:44:03):
Look, it was a challenge and we were well where
people lost their lives. Business as had been crushed and
you know, the devastating for the city, but at the
end of the day, I remember after a week the
key leader said, it's what's happened. We can focus on
playing good. Let the city and the region support something.
So we just made no excuses, no excuses on travel.
We just got on, got on with it. And I

(01:44:23):
still use that analogy today when I'm in real estate
and just just get on with it, don't don't wallow
on it, you know, acknowledging that it was a tough time,
but we were sort of beacon a hope for the
city here.

Speaker 7 (01:44:36):
Robbie talked before and Matt reiterated at the successful teams
that Robbie's been involved in, and Matt they talked about
doing the invisible things, well, the stuff that not necessarily
captures the headlines, but the almost indefinable stuff that does
that resonate with you as well, particularly with the Crusaders.

Speaker 13 (01:44:52):
One hundred percent. Yeah.

Speaker 38 (01:44:53):
Leaders would get up quite often, Richie, Andy Ellis, you know,
you know Toddy in the background.

Speaker 13 (01:44:59):
I'm sure he's doing it now.

Speaker 38 (01:45:00):
It's all those things that the public don't see, but
we know deep down, or you know deep down, if
you miss.

Speaker 13 (01:45:04):
That weight sessions or that their reheab session.

Speaker 38 (01:45:08):
Our teammates will know, and so if those standards start slipping,
it's going to slip on the field. So you know,
get your own house in order and don't don't leave
a stone unturned.

Speaker 7 (01:45:18):
How did you know because you played obviously over in Bayon?
How did you know because you were quite quite young
when you finished. How did you know it was time?

Speaker 13 (01:45:27):
Yeah, came back where we had a birth of first child.

Speaker 38 (01:45:30):
You know, I had a few concussions piling up then,
which probably you know, I finished it a few years
before I would.

Speaker 13 (01:45:36):
Have liked to, but.

Speaker 38 (01:45:38):
Had a good career here with playing for my brothers,
and just found it was time to go overseas and
give it a good crack, and you know, proud of
what I'd done, but probably you can always felt like
you could have had a few more seasons. But now
I'm sort of keeping fed and you know, doing a
few fitness challenges and in the body is still in
good shape, so that's all good.

Speaker 7 (01:45:55):
I was going to say it, you know, you look
like you could still get out there today and play,
But the golden oldies have that still a thing. I'm
not sure. How did you find the transition from from
rugby player to the your life after rugby.

Speaker 38 (01:46:07):
Yeah, I had a degree and you know, from a
dairy farm, so had plenty of options. But it was
tough because I knew I was still probably could have
keep playing, but now it's all good. I had to
see it as a fan and you know, last night
go and watch it, watch the game and reconnect with
the old rug old teammates through the alumni network. The
Crusaders a class outfit like they make it to feel

(01:46:28):
super welcome and bringing we've you know, I had it.
We had my kids there and my nieces and nephews,
George and Samuel's kids, so it was pretty special.

Speaker 13 (01:46:34):
But it was tough finishing.

Speaker 38 (01:46:36):
I mean, I mean, I can't speak for Samuel, but
he finished disappointing to lose the World Cup final, but
you know, he had pretty much achieved everything you could
do one hundred and fifty three tests and a couple
of World Cup wins, so he was probably finished, you know,
with achieving just about everything. Where it was quite tough
for me because I still reason me young and fit
and and just probably probably you know, I had to

(01:46:58):
finish up a bit before I wanted to year.

Speaker 7 (01:47:00):
Yeah, I mean sports sometimes writes fairy tales, doesn't it,
But but as often it writes things. And did you
feel a sense of of what you might have accomplished
or were you able to find peace with it? Pretty quickly?

Speaker 34 (01:47:12):
Now?

Speaker 13 (01:47:12):
Peace was it? You know in a humble way.

Speaker 38 (01:47:14):
But over one hundred games for the Red and Black Set's,
Caterbory and Crusaders combined, there must have been bloody shorter
of numbers of my day, Pinty. But like you know,
if you're off the bench and a few starting, it
doesn't matter. Like obviously went back and paid a bit
of crub like club rugby in that time, but it's
probably a few years out. Once you reflect and you know,
you get with the old teammates last night, you realize
how special it is and rugby is not everything, but

(01:47:35):
as a massive part of your journey. But you know,
I'm my father now and working in Bailey's realistate and
do lots of charity work and on the Crusader's Alumni committee,
so that's really proud of that and all the money
we raised for charity in the community. So I felt
like when I was a player, you know, it was
Andy Allis and I on the entertainment committee and did
a lot of things off field. And of course you've

(01:47:55):
got to perform on the field and do your job,
and you know, first and foremost, but I always like,
you know, helping off the field as well. And you
know the public doesn't see those things, but you know,
deep down those things to make it a call to you.

Speaker 7 (01:48:06):
Know, Yeah, that Crusader's alumni, I know that. You know
a number of the super rugby teams have it. The
Hurricanes alumni. Mike Russell was an amazing alumni in the
Hurricanes region. What is the what is the aim of
the Crusader's alumni is it? Is it to you raise
some money? But is it also to keep Crusaders connected
to one another beyond their playing days?

Speaker 38 (01:48:25):
I think it's your first and foremost, you know, keeping
us connected, you know, so then you can easily drift
and lose touch with each other. But yeah, connected first,
because if you don't have the boys connected, then how
do you get together to help raise money? So that's
first and foremost. And and a lot of the boys
bring your partners these days, which is great, you know.
Robbie Dean started that with you know, keeping the partners involved.

(01:48:49):
But then secondly, like I've mentioned before, it's you know,
raising money to give back because you know people supported
us and giving back to communities.

Speaker 13 (01:48:57):
Good for you, good for the team's soul.

Speaker 6 (01:48:59):
You know.

Speaker 7 (01:48:59):
Yeah, are your kids into sport?

Speaker 13 (01:49:01):
Yea one hundred percent swim every week.

Speaker 38 (01:49:04):
And but at tennis, the boys are just my five
elves are starting reprorected this year and I've got a
three year old boy.

Speaker 13 (01:49:08):
I bet she just got them into.

Speaker 38 (01:49:09):
Jiu jitsu to lead off a bit of steam nice
probably like I got there through wrestling on the tramp
with my brothers and like I said, end and the
punch up or a few tears. But yeah, they're in't
a bit of that. But look they're just young, and
just support them and you know that, just be a
good parent and keep it pretty simple.

Speaker 7 (01:49:25):
Yeah, do you think this we're looking wee way head here,
But do you think the surname would ever become a burden?
I mean, what if your boy becomes really goody he's
a white lock. Of course he's going to be good.

Speaker 13 (01:49:33):
Yeah, good question. You probably have are stared there in
these things as apologies.

Speaker 38 (01:49:36):
He's over touring around the peninsula and you know, George
and Samuel were going to come down, but they've literally
flown out because I've got cows to milk and cheap
to move and all that sort of stuff.

Speaker 13 (01:49:46):
But yeah, I don't know how to answer that.

Speaker 38 (01:49:49):
I know Dad thought, you know, with work being the youngest,
that could could help him or it could be a burden,
maybe because he's got three older brothers that have done
good things and maybe done a few bad things on
the field as well.

Speaker 13 (01:49:58):
So who knows. I can't answer that fair enough.

Speaker 7 (01:50:01):
Fair enough in the stadium, I mean, it's just over
my shoulder. We're literally in the shadow of one New
Zealand Stadium at Takaha. The phrase I've heard a lot
is it's been a long time coming, but it must
be amazing to have it finally stood.

Speaker 13 (01:50:13):
Up one hundred percent.

Speaker 38 (01:50:14):
I was lucky enough to play in the last game
of Lencaster Park and then the earthquake happened, so to
be there as a special for me. To be there
with the kids, my kids and nieces and nephews is
also special the alumni. But how good for the city.
You know, it's about it's about the people. The Crusaders
always about the people. So it's just looking around and
seeing the red and black in the atmosphere. Proud, proud

(01:50:35):
to be there and a new generation and there's going
to be so many awesome occasions there year.

Speaker 7 (01:50:40):
There certainly will be. Adam, Thanks for stopping and mate,
great to see you all the best with your continued
work with the alumni in real estate with Baileies and
as a as a proud former crusader.

Speaker 13 (01:50:50):
Good to see you, mate, Thanks for having me down here.

Speaker 7 (01:50:53):
No good to see Adam. Thanks indeed, Adam Whitelock joining
us as we continue our build up towards two more
games in Super Rugby pacifics Super Round today and then
two more tomorrow. We're coming to you live from Robbie's
Litchfield Courtyard. We are back after this on News Talks
heed B. It's twenty three to three.

Speaker 1 (01:51:11):
Lay from Robbie's Litchfield Court John in christ Church on
d two of Super Rugby Specific Super Round. It's weekend
Sports with Jason Vibes on your home of sports News
Talks at B.

Speaker 3 (01:51:25):
It's time for a sporting chance thanks to TB.

Speaker 7 (01:51:29):
Yeah, twenty to three A good thing. Andy's here producing
the show because I've completely forgotten and all the excitement
of Super Rounds that we had to get somebody to
play a sporting chance with a tab. I'm going to
offer you the choice of three bets short, evens or long.
You decide which one you want. We will place a
one hundred and fifty dollars bonus bet on your behalf

(01:51:51):
if it comes home. The winnings minus the initial one
to fifty are all yours. If you would like to
play and you are over eighteen oh eight hundred eighty
ten eighty, will take call a number five to play
a sporting chants. Just looking at the choice that we
have assembled, there is an NRL, a Super Rugby and

(01:52:12):
another Super Rugby option, and we're gonna go straight to
the lines and say good out to Luke.

Speaker 2 (01:52:18):
Hello, Luke, good afternoon.

Speaker 7 (01:52:21):
Good afternoon to you, Luke. Where are you calling from?

Speaker 2 (01:52:24):
I'm calling from Mosile down in Dunedin.

Speaker 7 (01:52:26):
Wonderful Luke. Okay, so do you understand how this works.
I'm gonna give you three options. You just have to
choose one. That's pretty simple. A I think I can
do that, yep, okay, all right, see I would struggle,
but I'm glad you're on the line. Okay, here is
your short option. The I don't think the captin curse
extends to Rugby League Special Warriors Dolphins Warriors. To win,

(01:52:48):
it's paying a dollar fifty. Therefore, you would collect seventy
five dollars. That is your short evens. The I rarely
hope you make the mcwright choice. I can see what
Andy's done there, Blues verse reds. Anytime try scorer Fraser mcwright,
he's paying three dollars, you would win three hundred and

(01:53:08):
forty five dollars. And the long is the no weather
equals no defense Special Hurricanes Brumbies, the race to forty points.
If the Brumbies get to forty points before the Hurricanes do,
it's paying twelve dollars. You would win one thousand, six
hundred and fifty. So worry is to beat the Dolphins,

(01:53:30):
you'd win seventy five Fraez To make right to score
a try, you'd win three forty five Brumbies. To get
to forty points before the Hurricanes do, you would win
one thousand, six hundred and fifty. Which of those would
you like to go with?

Speaker 14 (01:53:44):
Luke?

Speaker 2 (01:53:45):
Oh I reckon, We're just going to go then let's
go to Brumbies go on.

Speaker 7 (01:53:51):
I mean from a Hurricanes' point of view, I mean
I hope they do get to forty, but we get
to fifty. But from your point of view, I hope
the Brumbies do get there because sixteen hundred and fifty
dollars would land in your bank account. Of that actually happens, well,
I don't think the Brumbis canl as bad as they
did last week, So good luck to us exactly. Luke,

(01:54:11):
good on, your mate, Just stay there and he's gonna
make sure he's got all of your details and everything
he needs to get that bet placed. Appreciate you your
calling in mate. All the best here, Luke, good luck
as we play sporting chants with the tab. I can't
quite take Luke off the air there, and you might
have to do that for me. Okay, we'll we'll bring

(01:54:32):
him down so that he doesn't interfere in the show anymore.
But Luke, hold there, please, mate. We are with you
very very shortly a sporting chance with the tab. We
placed the one hundred and fifty dollars bonus bet every
week on your behalf. If you get the result, the
winnings minus the one hundred and fifty, of course, will
be all yours. Get form guides at your fingertips with
the tab app see how teams and players have performed

(01:54:56):
in the last five games to help you make smarter bets.
We'll do it all again next week thanks to our
mates at the tab Luke. We will be back in
touch to make sure that we get all of your
details and get that bet placed. Please, as always, bet responsibly.
What are we time wise one rather two forty three?

(01:55:19):
I just want to take you back to last night
at Takaha One. You still in stadium at Takaha, had
the opportunity to chat to a few fans before the game.
I got another little montage of some of them to play.
Here are some of the fan reaction before the game
kicked off last night.

Speaker 39 (01:55:37):
Been Crusader's fan from day dot and things, and yeah,
it's just been, you know, one of those things that
when they talked about it, it was like awesome and
then a bit like down in toneaed and I suppose
it dragged on and on and on, but to finally
get to that point and just to have seen it
being built and everything, it's been really cool. So and
you just got to listen to the buzz and stuff,

(01:55:59):
and you know, the smiles on everyone's faces, and that's
it's pretty awesome.

Speaker 7 (01:56:03):
So, yeah, you've Narlva Ross, you really have. So you
would have watched the Merusaders in the Lancaster Park days,
the Ami Stadium days.

Speaker 39 (01:56:10):
Yep, Yeah, definitely, yep, so way back in the day,
and you know, with my kids when they were little
and stuff, and obviously all the you know, the horses
and things, and.

Speaker 10 (01:56:20):
You know there for the ninety six nineteen routing of
the war. It is, so hopefully we can do that
again tonight. That'd be awesome.

Speaker 7 (01:56:27):
Well, I'm sure, I'm sure most fans would love it.
What's the expectation being? I mean, because Eddington treated you
really well, right, you won a lot of championships there
under Razor. Is there any danger that the occasion might
get the better of these guys tonight?

Speaker 39 (01:56:41):
We were at the super lunch earlier today and obviously
they were talking about that, and I think just I
think the guys themselves know that they probably haven't been
playing up to scratch, you know, and so I think
I think the guys are going to have a lot
of resolves.

Speaker 13 (01:56:55):
And they obviously want.

Speaker 39 (01:56:56):
To want to want to kick off the kick off
the new era, if you like, with a win, so
for for not only themselves, but for everyone that's going
to be in here.

Speaker 10 (01:57:05):
So you know, pretty exciting times. I can't wait.

Speaker 39 (01:57:07):
And just you know, the roar when they run out
is going to be awesome. So we'll be outside for
that one definitely, but enjoying it in here at the moment.
But you know, just yeah, it's just a buzz, you know.
So yep, I've been waiting a long time, and it's
just great for the whole city and and things, and
just the fact that everyone else saw those other teams
get to see it as well. It's pretty cool and

(01:57:28):
great for christ Church, I think, so yep, which is
a good thing after all they've been through, So I
think so.

Speaker 31 (01:57:34):
Nate Brenniant, I'm actually lost for words, Bunny. It's got surreal,
isn't it? After your Lancaster Park seems like a long
long time ago.

Speaker 7 (01:57:42):
How long has this been anticipated? How long has this
weekend been been waited for by the by the rugby
folk and the people of christ Church.

Speaker 31 (01:57:50):
Well may not have been driving past it every day
and driving home and We've just seen it coming out
of the ground and watching the progress and defense coming down.

Speaker 13 (01:57:58):
A week ago.

Speaker 31 (01:58:00):
Yeah, just surreal because we waited for so long and
we're all a bit blown away by it, Like why
is this in this country? It's so great. It's like
something you'd expect to see in London. That's just so
bloody good.

Speaker 7 (01:58:13):
That is you're so right, and the vibe around town
as well. I only came into town today, but you
must be feeling it or have felt it building to
this point, have you.

Speaker 31 (01:58:21):
I've just said the last two weeks, the Rue Boono
last week there was so much energy in town and
the screens by the aven and today with all the
visitors Extrawdredy's just what a crowd and what sports does
for a town. Just ye, just the hype in the
energy in christ Church just keeps on building. We know
we're lucky in Olivia.

Speaker 7 (01:58:41):
Those are some of the fans I tended to last night.
More to come now. We have secured a double pass
to this afternoon's two matches and tomorrow's two matches. You
must be in christ Church. We can't get you here.
If you would like that double pass to watch the
Hurricanes Brumbies, followed by the Reds against the Blues tonight
and then tomorrow's two games as well. Text the word

(01:59:03):
super to nine two nine two, super to nine two
nine two when it will be contacted and will you
know how to redeem those tickets? So text the word
super to nine to nine two. Let's bring in a
Crusaders fan who I'm sure wasn't even worried last night
when it was so tight at half time. Louis, get
a mate, right, I'm just going to turn you. Sorry, mate,

(01:59:26):
that was my fault. Technical issues.

Speaker 12 (01:59:27):
Get a mate.

Speaker 7 (01:59:28):
How are you j I'm very good, Louis. Thanks for
joining us, mate. Now tell us about this this piece
of memorability you've brought with you. It's a it's a
Crusader's hoodie with a lot of pretty famous signatures on it.
Limited edition, you were telling.

Speaker 40 (01:59:40):
Me, limited edition, Jason. So it's a Crusaders authentic pro
line is the name of it. It's a Russell collab
with the brand Russell. I actually got it for those
of you who know the area of Papinui at a
sam Vincent de Paul one Wednesday. It cost me one dollar,
one dollar, one dollar and it is full of signatures.
It's a limited edition to twelve hundred pieces. I've got

(02:00:02):
Karen Reid here, I've just got Matt Todd today, Robbie Deans,
I've got Richie Mulwanga, Joe Moody. Any Crusader is probably
on here. I actually had a signature from Johnny McNichol.
I was at the game in Brisbane against the Reds a.

Speaker 7 (02:00:16):
Couple of weeks ago and he came up.

Speaker 40 (02:00:19):
I got his signature and he signed it, and then
he interrogated the piece itself and he.

Speaker 7 (02:00:24):
Who who's there?

Speaker 25 (02:00:25):
He looks down and he sees this.

Speaker 40 (02:00:27):
He sees this faded signature and he says to me, mate,
and I said, yeah, Johnny. He said, You've already got
my signature. And I said, oh really yeah. It's probably
about eight years old though, but I'll just do it
again for you. And I was like, I apologize, but
thank you so so much. He's like, yeah, it's a
lovely piece, thanks for the support. And that was there
and I was just yeah, it's great.

Speaker 7 (02:00:48):
How good you strike me as a very dedicated Crusaders fan.
What was it like last night?

Speaker 40 (02:00:55):
It was emotional. Yeah, it was definitely emotional, but great emotions.

Speaker 14 (02:00:59):
I was.

Speaker 40 (02:01:00):
I've been living in Brisbane for a year and a
half now and I've come over for this, and building
up to the game, I was quite quite worry. And
the best way is any diehard supporter would be that
I was thinking, oh, what a great night, what a
great day, It's going to be a fun day with
friends and family, food and drink. And then leaning up
to the game, and it just the thought of a

(02:01:21):
loss debilitated me just for a little bit.

Speaker 7 (02:01:25):
And you look so relieved now.

Speaker 40 (02:01:27):
Yeah, I can't tell you how relieved I was. Up
by one point a half time. It was great with
friends and family, everybody in the new stadium. It was
just something that I hadn't experienced before. The atmosphere, everybody
was on the same level.

Speaker 13 (02:01:41):
Excited.

Speaker 40 (02:01:41):
Everybody's saying hello, whatever colors you had on, you were saying,
go the Crusaders, go, the Blues, got the Reds, got
the Hurricanes, you know everything.

Speaker 13 (02:01:50):
It was amazing.

Speaker 40 (02:01:51):
And walking into there, sitting down watching their game, it
just felt like the box had been tipped, you know.
Just I find it hard to describe right now because
it was just something that I didn't think would ever
happen in christ Church, having such a stadium, having such
a piece that everybody seems to be behind, everybody seems

(02:02:13):
to be supporting what we have here, and then the
Crusaders getting up seeing not as a strong team as
what we could a field to get up and beat
the Warrantars ended up being convincively, but the roller coaster
of emotions through the game was just I couldn't have asked.

Speaker 7 (02:02:31):
For more, Louis, I just love the passion of a
genuine Crusaders fan who has obviously enjoyed himself immensely. You'll
be able to sort of watch the remaining games this
weekend with a high degree of just calmness and tranquility.

Speaker 40 (02:02:44):
Mates, Absolutely, I'm going to be able to appreciate the
rugby that's going to be played. The Hurricanes, fast paced
running game, tries from the wingers, you know, the Brumby's
forward pack getting those, and then those sneaky fullback tries
coming through the Blues, with a set piece that seems
to be coming together and something that seems to be
abouble to appreciate. The Highlanders are such a volatile team,

(02:03:05):
but they seem to be playing well and the game
on Sunday. I hope people can get there for it.
I hope everybody can get behind the South Island seam.
I think everybody in christ which everybody in Canterbury has
a due diligence to get behind the Highlanders, you know,
just being a South Island teams.

Speaker 7 (02:03:21):
Well, great to see you, mate, I love the passion
and the enthusiasm. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. Ho
you get a few more signatures, Thank you very much, funny,
thank you, thanks mate. Leve be joining us here at
at Robbie's Litchfield Courtyard, Away from three. News Talks d B.

Speaker 1 (02:03:36):
Christs for Rugby's biggest funny super Rugby pacifics super Round.
It's weekend sport with Jason Vine live from Robbie's Litchfield Courtyard.

Speaker 3 (02:03:46):
News talks ed B.

Speaker 7 (02:03:48):
Coming Coming Up, Coming Up, four away from Coming up,
four away from three here on News Talk.

Speaker 13 (02:03:55):
Sad B.

Speaker 7 (02:03:58):
Like, I am on, I just couldn't hear myself, Thanks Andy,
I'm on, I just couldn't hear myself because it was
getting loud on here. I think it's time that we vacated,
got across to the stadium and h and got ready
for Hurricanes Brumbies a bit later on. Huge thanks to
any McDonald for pulling the show together this afternoon. It's
a chaos here, Andy, you get up, You've chosen a
trink will exit song.

Speaker 30 (02:04:19):
Bring me along with you next time scriber is our
exits on christ Dute obviously halftime show Icon of the City.

Speaker 7 (02:04:27):
What a weekend, Tim Beverage after three. We'll see tomorrow
from Tikaha for our midday to three weekend sports show
five an out.

Speaker 1 (02:05:01):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine. Listen live
to News Talk said B weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.

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