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September 12, 2024 7 mins

New Zealand Rugby GM of Community Rugby joined D'Arcy Waldegrave to discuss the recent hype of the Ranfurly Shield. 

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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the sports Talk podcast with Duncie Wildegrave
from news Talk Zed right now.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
On Sports Talker by Steve Lancaster, General manager Community Rugby
for in z are focusing on the joy of the MPC,
more specifically the rain Fairly Shield. Steve, how are you gee?
That's cracking along? That shield, isn't it? It just never dies
the attraction of those games. I don't know what it is.

(00:35):
Do you have any idea?

Speaker 3 (00:36):
Mate? And welcome Darcy, look, thanks and good to chat.
It's been a while, but yeah, the Renferlly Shield, it's well,
I mean it's special, right and I think the last
week has just shown that, you know, it hasn't well,
the result to start with the response in the community
and now the sort of server that's floating around about

(01:00):
men's challenges special and we we know that we love it,
but we preached the computed touch to get other people
the same thing.

Speaker 2 (01:08):
When you look at the shield and operates, how important
is it for end z are to claim more goodwill
around this as a vehicle for support for the game,
extraordinarily important. What do you do to encourage that?

Speaker 3 (01:23):
Well, I mean we try to do a bit obviously
and celebrating it and promoting it. But ultimately it is
the teams that play for it, the teams that hold it,
and their communities that do the biggest and best job
of celebrating and promoting it. And again, as I say,
like you know, I was starting on the weekends, well

(01:45):
because I'm biased about the outcome by any visure, but
just by the way that people responded to that result.
You know how the public and Taranaki responded, you know,
the team on the steps there in Nelson and the
local community around them.

Speaker 2 (02:01):
So you can be forgiven for calling Tasman Paraki. I'll
give you that. And you know they both start with
tea and this again something else to unbeaten teams at
the top, essentially playing for the shield. Again, the narrative
just gets better and bit you can't buy this kind
of stuff, can you see?

Speaker 3 (02:23):
No, No, you can't. And I mean there's another layer
intrigued it with the release of allbcks to play this weekend. Right,
so you've got two teams at the top of the
table and you've got wearing now fully proper and Ruben
Lovett tesman. So I would have tried to say feel.

Speaker 2 (02:40):
Yourself, No no, I hope him. He hasn't played, but
they haven't released him. Probably they don't want to give
tasmand the problem of going we might have to drop
Finley Christie again for no, I hope him. It wouldn't
work too well, would it.

Speaker 3 (02:54):
Well, I don't come again. I don't know if it
was at all, but I'm going to say that, and
suddenly Christie. They certainly don't miss the beat and the
way he's playing. Yeah, I mean it would have actually
been a bit of a deliver, wouldn't.

Speaker 2 (03:06):
They talk about the NPC in general, I'm really enjoying
the fact I'm watching these games at small grounds with
an engaged crowd that get right into it. It's taking
you back to the good old days. They're not packed
as in we're not talking twenty thousand people. But this
has got to be Is this good for New Zealand

(03:26):
rugby even though they're smaller to focus back on that province?

Speaker 3 (03:30):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely, And yeah, something we've lik really hard
on over the last couple of years to get more
often and kickoffs up the potential for those games to
be played that they're smaller venues and more regional venues.
And I like you. So, I mean the crowd numbers
probably aren't there different at all too what they would
be in a bigger venue, But you just get that

(03:50):
atmosphere and the proximity to the game, you know, of
the crowd, it just creates a whole different event.

Speaker 2 (03:57):
What does that say to you about the way the
drawers created You said that you're trying to have more
afternoon games, maybe taking them to smaller grounds, and do
you need to do more in this space? Is this
telling you what you should be doing with the NPC, you.

Speaker 3 (04:11):
Know, to find we continue to work on that. But
there's definitely a place for for bigger venue games. And
you know, as we're get into some of those bigger
seven and a half thous and don't maybe want I
think that's seven and a half thousand you on Thursday night,
you know, and that's a great venue. So you wouldn't
take that game to a smaller venue. But certainly through

(04:34):
the course of the competition, a lot of o there's
a litle opportunity to take games into local communities, take
them to smaller venues. But there's definitely still a place
for the for the bigger venues and those bigger matches
as well.

Speaker 2 (04:46):
Steve s GM community rugby joining us the fact that
there's there are all black breaks during the MPC season
by design or by accident, because this has got to
also help eyeballs because there's no all blacks on right.

Speaker 3 (05:02):
Yeah. Well, I'd like to say it's by design, but
the reality is the international program and gets set well
in advance, and it gets set several layers about us,
and so you know, we have a window at the
NPSC has played wither If your backs program correct windows
opportunities for players to be released in playing, then that's

(05:24):
great for the confidence. Great to see we've got an
all blacks management group that came to release players and
see them participating in it. So yeah, I'd love to
play credit for that. Says by design, but a lot
of us just about ximking the opportunity.

Speaker 2 (05:37):
Mate gave me the chance, didn't take it because you're
honest like that, Steve Hey. One last thing far a
Palmer cut. We cannot forget that because that appears to
be going from strength to strength as well. What are
your numbers telling you about engagement there, not only at
the ground but on the TV too.

Speaker 3 (05:54):
Yeah, it's going really well. I mean this, you have
to look at the table and the results is, you know,
some clear leaders in the competitions, they've got a following,
but the turns are up performing as well. They've also
got a real follow and I think what we see
is that it's a reflection of the growth and the
strength of the women's game. Our numbers just continue to

(06:15):
grow year on year at community level and there's real
passionate around the grounds at clubs and at schools for
the game. And then I think we just see that
bubbling up and to support and good, good matches at
SPC level.

Speaker 2 (06:28):
Why is that working like that? What have you done
to come behind that? You can take some credit here
what teams that are doing to lift the participation because
it's been growing.

Speaker 3 (06:39):
Yeah, well and again I mean I'd love to play
some credit, but really the credit goes to the provincial
unions as much as their thing. And look, we do
have dedicated staff with the ins ARE that work with
the provincial unions to support them around their plans for
growing the game forward. When it deals with we launched
our women and we started to do last year. We've
made a significant commitment behind that in terms of investment

(07:01):
and resource but all of that flows through the provincial
unions and where the growth is happening is the glass
and so you's safe. I mean, we just invested in it.
We recognize the opportunity. But we've got willing partners in
our twenty sixteens and they're standing at competitions and grades
and now the players are flocking to them. So it's
really heat.

Speaker 2 (07:21):
I'm pleasing keeping it real at provincial level. That's what
we need to general manage community rugby for ends a
Steve Lancaster, thanks for your time. Do enjoy the weekend
where it's real.

Speaker 3 (07:31):
Thanks Toving.

Speaker 1 (07:32):
For more from Sports Talk, listen live to News Talks.
It'd be from seven pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio
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