April 4, 2025 • 11 mins
The Crusaders have received a chilling hand from Hockey New Zealand as they look to overcome the heat and humidity of Suva.
The Rob Penney-coached side play the Drua tomorrow afternoon, a team they've never beaten in Fiji since their 2022 Super Rugby inclusion.
The Crusaders are armed with several body temperature cooling mechanisms loaned by the Black Sticks, such as ice vests, yuyu bottles and slushy machines.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Darcy Waldegrave
from News Talk ZEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Good evening, Clarky, good evening. How are you going very well?
Speaker 3 (00:16):
Probably not quite at your level because you're going to
be in Fiji before you know it, calling as you
do habitually Fiji and Drawer taking on the Crusaders. This
is a dog of an away match for the Crusaders,
isn't it, greed.
Speaker 4 (00:30):
Well, Darcy, it's a dog of away match for all teams.
As we've seen over the last few years, terrible conditions
for visiting teams because not only do you have that
passionate crowd in your ear for not just the eighty minutes,
but for the warm up and everything else. They just
get into it from the moment they sit down on
(00:51):
the grass or in the stands. And also if it's
thirty degrees in Latoka or suber, it feels like it's
going to be forty degrees in the middle of the park.
So tough conditions, but you know, I think they've been
a great addition to Superbi Pacific, the Drawer and also Mowana,
so most players don't complain about it until they have
(01:14):
to get out of the middle. But everyone enjoys a
trip to Fiji, and including the fans days it because
it's now a bucket list trip.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
I would say.
Speaker 5 (01:22):
So I was just about to chime in with exactly that.
I feel now I have to follow the Crusaders over
there at some stage to watch I mean being to
Fiji on holiday we all have and when you're outside
of the North Auckland district of dinner, because that's what
it is, and you're actually watching the rugby for the
school kids, it's.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
Just fantastic to watch. These are such skilled athletes.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
They certainly are.
Speaker 4 (01:46):
And you know, the Chiefs, even though they lost last
time that they had, I reconized there was at least
one hundred fans that made.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
Their way over there.
Speaker 4 (01:55):
I know Aaron Cruden was there with a group of
either sponsors for the Chiefs or anyway. He was on
a bit of a junket and.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
He was enjoying himself in the crowd. And the fans
just love it because it's very unique.
Speaker 4 (02:09):
And I know it's easy for the drawer to call
their fans the best fans in the world, but no
matter where you go, Hong Kong Seven's for example, you
know there are just Fijians in the crowd everywhere you.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Go around the world, so they love their rugby. It
is a.
Speaker 4 (02:25):
Religion to them. And you know, I just love calling
the games there because it's it's just fantastic win, lose
or draw. You know, everyone has a great day at
the rugby and Fiji.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
Well that's all well.
Speaker 5 (02:37):
And good, but let's look at the elephant of the room.
They haven't been winning and this is something that will
be of utmost embarrassment to them, to the players, to
the management. They've got everything there, they just can't quite
get it over the line. What's lacking do you think
in the Fijian drawer?
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Well, it's twofold. First of all, they can't win on
the road and mcburn couldn't work it out any three years.
Speaker 4 (03:01):
Glenn Jackson hasn't been able to work it out so far.
It really is a mind boggling thing. The fact that
they can win at home, they can be competitive at home,
and then they'll go to Western Force in Perth and
get an absolute shellacking. And you've got to remember that
they won one from their six games so far, which
(03:22):
is not good enough. But in three of the losses
they were in front with five minutes to go and
they just haven't been able to close it out.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
They should have beaten the Brumbies in week one.
Speaker 4 (03:31):
They have should have beaten the Hurricanes, could have should
have beaten the Warritas, and.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
They were competitive.
Speaker 4 (03:37):
It was nil all after twenty minutes against the Brumbies
and while they lost by sixteen or seventeen in camera,
Glenn Jackson thought that he had them right, he had
them primed to finally win in Perth and they, as
you know, they were down by I think thirty three
points danil before halftime. So that's the first age. They
can't win on the road and that has to change
(03:58):
before they're going to be a genuine contender at home.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
Well, they just grow another leg. I just know.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
And I've been talking to coaches and officials this week
in Fiji and they've they've responded.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
To that, to hiding. They copped in in Perth and
they're rare and to go. They came back a couple of.
Speaker 4 (04:16):
Days early in the bye week. They've been bashing each
other training. So you will have a look tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
They'll be They'll be fired up, no doubt about that.
Speaker 4 (04:25):
So the key for the Crusaders is to take the
crowd out of it, to score early and to slow
the game down.
Speaker 5 (04:30):
Wasn't They're still licking their wounds from their last Pacific encounter.
No one saw that coming, and you mentioned that they
can't close games out. Mwana had the problem that they
were great for forty, they were great for sixty, but
there was a twenty minute period in there where it
all fell apart. Not last week, they learned how to
win and they did it against arguably the best. So
(04:51):
what are the Crusaders take out of that and try
and apply to fied g Because they're bitten.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
That's right that they'll be. They'll be hurting. And I
was saying, you do.
Speaker 4 (05:01):
Drew a head coach Glenn Jackson during the week and
he said the Crusaders didn't do them. Sorry, the Moana
didn't do them any favors by beating the Crusaders.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
So they'll be fired up for this one. They'll be hurting.
But on the other hand, the Mohana.
Speaker 4 (05:13):
Also showed the Fiji and Drew how to beat the Crusaders,
and that is you must win the collision up front.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
So it's going to be brutal.
Speaker 4 (05:20):
So that pact that Rob Penny is starting with. For
the Crusaders, they really have to front up from the
get go. If drew it forwards, get on a little
bit of a roll, win the early collisions and the
crowd gets involved, it's going to be a long afternoon
for the Crusaders. Teams that have beaten the Drewer in
recent years go back to the Blues a couple of
(05:42):
years ago and the Hurricanes last year. They slow it down,
they don't get involved in the Fiji drewer.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Style of play.
Speaker 4 (05:51):
If you will get out there and think you can
throw the ball around in those conditions as well as
the drawer, well you're dreaming. So you walk to every
line out, you walk to every scrum you've been down,
and if you're a prop and you do up your
bootlacers at every scrum, you just slow it down.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
As much as possible and you get your kicking game right.
Speaker 4 (06:08):
You've got to play it at the other end and
you invite the drewer to score from their territory and
sometimes at home they do that, well, they do it regularly,
but you know they're not going to do it every
time you kick it down into their twenty two so
you've got to be smart and I'm sure Rob Penny
has had a look at the last two years the
Crusaders have been to Toka.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
They've lost both of those games.
Speaker 4 (06:30):
Last year they didn't score a point in the second half,
you'll recall, And of course Moana showed a few chinks
in the Crusader's armor last week in christ Church.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
So yeah, it's going to be very interesting.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
But it's the battle up front that's where it's going
to be one. Obviously, both teams have got talent to
burn in the back line. It's going to be interesting
to see how sever Roos plays at thirteen. I read
that he had played there before moving to Canterbury. But
this is going to be a debut at super rugby
level for Cebu and the thirteen Jersey. Obviously there's Jordan
(07:04):
at the back and the Hackey and Mak Springer. What's
he scored seven tries already, So there's talent to burn
out wide.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
For the Crusaders.
Speaker 4 (07:12):
But it's scandal depend on just who wins that battle
up front. And I can't wait tomorrow afternoon. It'll be
a crackup the.
Speaker 5 (07:19):
Results of feedji in Drewer they're kind of mirrored by
the Blues or the reigning champions. And something I like
about what's happened in both of those cases is that
they've not been run over. There's been so many games,
as you've said, decided from a number of franchises in
the last five minutes. It says so much about the
(07:40):
quality and the jeopardy of this competition, doesn't I think
they've got it.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
Right, Greg, Yeah, up until now that they have.
Speaker 4 (07:48):
And you know, I was talking to Michael Collins, x
CEO and exprop for the Chiefs, who's one of the
directors on Super Rugby Pacific's board, and I said, what
about the future and he said, well, let's just get
the current situation right, and they're pretty happy with the
way things are going with the eleven team competition. Was
that blowout the Hurricanes over the Warratars, And while you
(08:11):
can't say the Crusaders were blowing off the park last week,
you know they did concede over forty points to Timuana
in christ Church, which is never used to be heard of.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
And we've had that blowout in Perth with the Force
over the drawer.
Speaker 4 (08:29):
So maybe we might start seeing a few of the
bottom teams sort of, you know, show a few chinks
in their armor.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
But so far it's been fantastic.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
And you know, the ratings are up in New Zealand
and Fiji there through the roof, and their ratings are
up in Australia as well.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
So so far, so good.
Speaker 4 (08:46):
But let's just see what this middle part brings, because
there are so many must win games, and now if
you want to make the top six, no, top eight,
as we all know anymore, top six is going to
be a lot harder. And that gap between the drawer
in eleventh and the sixth place team, the Force, I
believe there's about what eleven points now, I think so
(09:08):
so teams cannot afford to drop too many games here
on in.
Speaker 5 (09:12):
And one last thing. Greg Clark is the voice of
Phigji and Drew Off over there today, so that was
at the airport as we speak. He's going to be
calling that game between the Crusaders and Drewer. Who wins
the whole lot? Who do you like to actually run
away with the whole shooting match? Because I tell you
what that reads Chiefs game going on Tonight's a lot
on that one.
Speaker 4 (09:32):
Yeah, Well, if the finals in New Zealand. You know,
we all know that's that's just going to be so
so beneficial to the to the home team.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
I'm still leaning towards the Chiefs, you know.
Speaker 4 (09:46):
I think I think the Blues certainly have dropped a cold.
The Crusaders were going along pretty well until until last week.
Irelanders are there competitive hurricanes. We don't quite know whether
they've got their full act together yet, but.
Speaker 5 (09:58):
That's okay, they don't either, don't worry about it.
Speaker 4 (10:02):
I'm still leaning towards the Chiefs if the final is
in New Zealand. But I like the look of the
Reds and I think we're going to hear that Les
Kiss is going to be the Wallaby coach going forward,
taking over from Joe Schmidt, although Joe might stay on
as a consultant, but Les is the one that everyone's
(10:22):
got there of their money on. So that's going to
help the Reds players as well, because they know that
their boss at the moment is going to be the
Wallaby coach. So they're going to play their hearts out
for Les Kiss. So a few things are in their favor.
But you know, with Damian McKenzie, he stays fit and
of course Clayton McMillan is his last hurrah as well
before he goes to Ireland. I think, yeah, I'll put
(10:47):
my money on the Chiefs. Sorry long winded way of
saying Chiefs to win if it's in New Zealand.
Speaker 5 (10:52):
Gret Clark, thanks so much for your time. Make sure
you pack plenty of loose clothes, maybe the odds singlet
and anti perspirant, which I'm sure your residence over in
Fiji has plenty of. Thanks for your time.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
Okay, Bye Bull of Blacat.
Speaker 1 (11:09):
For more from Sports Talk, listen live to news talks
that'd be from seven pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Darcy Waldegrave
from News Talk ZEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Good evening, Clarky, good evening. How are you going very well?
Speaker 3 (00:16):
Probably not quite at your level because you're going to
be in Fiji before you know it, calling as you
do habitually Fiji and Drawer taking on the Crusaders. This
is a dog of an away match for the Crusaders,
isn't it, greed.
Speaker 4 (00:30):
Well, Darcy, it's a dog of away match for all teams.
As we've seen over the last few years, terrible conditions
for visiting teams because not only do you have that
passionate crowd in your ear for not just the eighty minutes,
but for the warm up and everything else. They just
get into it from the moment they sit down on
(00:51):
the grass or in the stands. And also if it's
thirty degrees in Latoka or suber, it feels like it's
going to be forty degrees in the middle of the park.
So tough conditions, but you know, I think they've been
a great addition to Superbi Pacific, the Drawer and also Mowana,
so most players don't complain about it until they have
(01:14):
to get out of the middle. But everyone enjoys a
trip to Fiji, and including the fans days it because
it's now a bucket list trip.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
I would say.
Speaker 5 (01:22):
So I was just about to chime in with exactly that.
I feel now I have to follow the Crusaders over
there at some stage to watch I mean being to
Fiji on holiday we all have and when you're outside
of the North Auckland district of dinner, because that's what
it is, and you're actually watching the rugby for the
school kids, it's.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
Just fantastic to watch. These are such skilled athletes.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
They certainly are.
Speaker 4 (01:46):
And you know, the Chiefs, even though they lost last
time that they had, I reconized there was at least
one hundred fans that made.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
Their way over there.
Speaker 4 (01:55):
I know Aaron Cruden was there with a group of
either sponsors for the Chiefs or anyway. He was on
a bit of a junket and.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
He was enjoying himself in the crowd. And the fans
just love it because it's very unique.
Speaker 4 (02:09):
And I know it's easy for the drawer to call
their fans the best fans in the world, but no
matter where you go, Hong Kong Seven's for example, you
know there are just Fijians in the crowd everywhere you.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Go around the world, so they love their rugby. It
is a.
Speaker 4 (02:25):
Religion to them. And you know, I just love calling
the games there because it's it's just fantastic win, lose
or draw. You know, everyone has a great day at
the rugby and Fiji.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
Well that's all well.
Speaker 5 (02:37):
And good, but let's look at the elephant of the room.
They haven't been winning and this is something that will
be of utmost embarrassment to them, to the players, to
the management. They've got everything there, they just can't quite
get it over the line. What's lacking do you think
in the Fijian drawer?
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Well, it's twofold. First of all, they can't win on
the road and mcburn couldn't work it out any three years.
Speaker 4 (03:01):
Glenn Jackson hasn't been able to work it out so far.
It really is a mind boggling thing. The fact that
they can win at home, they can be competitive at home,
and then they'll go to Western Force in Perth and
get an absolute shellacking. And you've got to remember that
they won one from their six games so far, which
(03:22):
is not good enough. But in three of the losses
they were in front with five minutes to go and
they just haven't been able to close it out.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
They should have beaten the Brumbies in week one.
Speaker 4 (03:31):
They have should have beaten the Hurricanes, could have should
have beaten the Warritas, and.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
They were competitive.
Speaker 4 (03:37):
It was nil all after twenty minutes against the Brumbies
and while they lost by sixteen or seventeen in camera,
Glenn Jackson thought that he had them right, he had
them primed to finally win in Perth and they, as
you know, they were down by I think thirty three
points danil before halftime. So that's the first age. They
can't win on the road and that has to change
(03:58):
before they're going to be a genuine contender at home.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
Well, they just grow another leg. I just know.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
And I've been talking to coaches and officials this week
in Fiji and they've they've responded.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
To that, to hiding. They copped in in Perth and
they're rare and to go. They came back a couple of.
Speaker 4 (04:16):
Days early in the bye week. They've been bashing each
other training. So you will have a look tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
They'll be They'll be fired up, no doubt about that.
Speaker 4 (04:25):
So the key for the Crusaders is to take the
crowd out of it, to score early and to slow
the game down.
Speaker 5 (04:30):
Wasn't They're still licking their wounds from their last Pacific encounter.
No one saw that coming, and you mentioned that they
can't close games out. Mwana had the problem that they
were great for forty, they were great for sixty, but
there was a twenty minute period in there where it
all fell apart. Not last week, they learned how to
win and they did it against arguably the best. So
(04:51):
what are the Crusaders take out of that and try
and apply to fied g Because they're bitten.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
That's right that they'll be. They'll be hurting. And I
was saying, you do.
Speaker 4 (05:01):
Drew a head coach Glenn Jackson during the week and
he said the Crusaders didn't do them. Sorry, the Moana
didn't do them any favors by beating the Crusaders.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
So they'll be fired up for this one. They'll be hurting.
But on the other hand, the Mohana.
Speaker 4 (05:13):
Also showed the Fiji and Drew how to beat the Crusaders,
and that is you must win the collision up front.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
So it's going to be brutal.
Speaker 4 (05:20):
So that pact that Rob Penny is starting with. For
the Crusaders, they really have to front up from the
get go. If drew it forwards, get on a little
bit of a roll, win the early collisions and the
crowd gets involved, it's going to be a long afternoon
for the Crusaders. Teams that have beaten the Drewer in
recent years go back to the Blues a couple of
(05:42):
years ago and the Hurricanes last year. They slow it down,
they don't get involved in the Fiji drewer.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Style of play.
Speaker 4 (05:51):
If you will get out there and think you can
throw the ball around in those conditions as well as
the drawer, well you're dreaming. So you walk to every
line out, you walk to every scrum you've been down,
and if you're a prop and you do up your
bootlacers at every scrum, you just slow it down.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
As much as possible and you get your kicking game right.
Speaker 4 (06:08):
You've got to play it at the other end and
you invite the drewer to score from their territory and
sometimes at home they do that, well, they do it regularly,
but you know they're not going to do it every
time you kick it down into their twenty two so
you've got to be smart and I'm sure Rob Penny
has had a look at the last two years the
Crusaders have been to Toka.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
They've lost both of those games.
Speaker 4 (06:30):
Last year they didn't score a point in the second half,
you'll recall, And of course Moana showed a few chinks
in the Crusader's armor last week in christ Church.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
So yeah, it's going to be very interesting.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
But it's the battle up front that's where it's going
to be one. Obviously, both teams have got talent to
burn in the back line. It's going to be interesting
to see how sever Roos plays at thirteen. I read
that he had played there before moving to Canterbury. But
this is going to be a debut at super rugby
level for Cebu and the thirteen Jersey. Obviously there's Jordan
(07:04):
at the back and the Hackey and Mak Springer. What's
he scored seven tries already, So there's talent to burn
out wide.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
For the Crusaders.
Speaker 4 (07:12):
But it's scandal depend on just who wins that battle
up front. And I can't wait tomorrow afternoon. It'll be
a crackup the.
Speaker 5 (07:19):
Results of feedji in Drewer they're kind of mirrored by
the Blues or the reigning champions. And something I like
about what's happened in both of those cases is that
they've not been run over. There's been so many games,
as you've said, decided from a number of franchises in
the last five minutes. It says so much about the
(07:40):
quality and the jeopardy of this competition, doesn't I think
they've got it.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
Right, Greg, Yeah, up until now that they have.
Speaker 4 (07:48):
And you know, I was talking to Michael Collins, x
CEO and exprop for the Chiefs, who's one of the
directors on Super Rugby Pacific's board, and I said, what
about the future and he said, well, let's just get
the current situation right, and they're pretty happy with the
way things are going with the eleven team competition. Was
that blowout the Hurricanes over the Warratars, And while you
(08:11):
can't say the Crusaders were blowing off the park last week,
you know they did concede over forty points to Timuana
in christ Church, which is never used to be heard of.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
And we've had that blowout in Perth with the Force
over the drawer.
Speaker 4 (08:29):
So maybe we might start seeing a few of the
bottom teams sort of, you know, show a few chinks
in their armor.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
But so far it's been fantastic.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
And you know, the ratings are up in New Zealand
and Fiji there through the roof, and their ratings are
up in Australia as well.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
So so far, so good.
Speaker 4 (08:46):
But let's just see what this middle part brings, because
there are so many must win games, and now if
you want to make the top six, no, top eight,
as we all know anymore, top six is going to
be a lot harder. And that gap between the drawer
in eleventh and the sixth place team, the Force, I
believe there's about what eleven points now, I think so
(09:08):
so teams cannot afford to drop too many games here
on in.
Speaker 5 (09:12):
And one last thing. Greg Clark is the voice of
Phigji and Drew Off over there today, so that was
at the airport as we speak. He's going to be
calling that game between the Crusaders and Drewer. Who wins
the whole lot? Who do you like to actually run
away with the whole shooting match? Because I tell you
what that reads Chiefs game going on Tonight's a lot
on that one.
Speaker 4 (09:32):
Yeah, Well, if the finals in New Zealand. You know,
we all know that's that's just going to be so
so beneficial to the to the home team.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
I'm still leaning towards the Chiefs, you know.
Speaker 4 (09:46):
I think I think the Blues certainly have dropped a cold.
The Crusaders were going along pretty well until until last week.
Irelanders are there competitive hurricanes. We don't quite know whether
they've got their full act together yet, but.
Speaker 5 (09:58):
That's okay, they don't either, don't worry about it.
Speaker 4 (10:02):
I'm still leaning towards the Chiefs if the final is
in New Zealand. But I like the look of the
Reds and I think we're going to hear that Les
Kiss is going to be the Wallaby coach going forward,
taking over from Joe Schmidt, although Joe might stay on
as a consultant, but Les is the one that everyone's
(10:22):
got there of their money on. So that's going to
help the Reds players as well, because they know that
their boss at the moment is going to be the
Wallaby coach. So they're going to play their hearts out
for Les Kiss. So a few things are in their favor.
But you know, with Damian McKenzie, he stays fit and
of course Clayton McMillan is his last hurrah as well
before he goes to Ireland. I think, yeah, I'll put
(10:47):
my money on the Chiefs. Sorry long winded way of
saying Chiefs to win if it's in New Zealand.
Speaker 5 (10:52):
Gret Clark, thanks so much for your time. Make sure
you pack plenty of loose clothes, maybe the odds singlet
and anti perspirant, which I'm sure your residence over in
Fiji has plenty of. Thanks for your time.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
Okay, Bye Bull of Blacat.
Speaker 1 (11:09):
For more from Sports Talk, listen live to news talks
that'd be from seven pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio
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