Tom Parsons: Hawke's Bay Magpies captain discusses semi-final clash against Canterbury

The first half of the NPC grand final equation was solved last night with Otago defeating Bay of Plenty. Their opponent will be decided tonight in the second semi final between Hawkes Bay and Canterbury. 

Hawkes Bay will be wanting redemption, having made it all the way to the final two seasons ago but falling just short. Tom Parsons is the captain of the Magpies and he spoke with Adam to preview the semi final clash and reflect on the season the team has had. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldegrave from News Talks.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Edb MPC Semi Finals and Otago really asserting their dominance
last night under the roof over the Bay of plenty
Steamers last night, big win for them forty one seventeen
in Dunedin and some of those players that have been
talked about a lot during the week, the likes of
Dylan Pledger again showing his capability are in particular and
scoring a great try and producing some great plays. So

(00:34):
who is going to meet Otago in next weekends to
side up the two teams trying to fill that final
spot in the final next week, Hawks Bay and Canterbury
the semi final in christ Church tonight. Let's head into
the Hawk's Bay camp now and Captain Tom Parsons is
with us morning as a ramped up for you and
the team at training as you prepare for this huge
ask this weekend.

Speaker 3 (00:55):
Yeah, obviously it's a big task, so finals forty brings
that extra edge and the boys have really adjusted to
that I think well and embracing it and enjoying it.
So squads preparing well.

Speaker 2 (01:08):
You've been a part of many successful Magpies teams over
the years. What adjustments do need to be made at
this time for these crunch games.

Speaker 3 (01:16):
I think just you've got to be just the little
extra one percenter's help obviously. Yeah, and the boys were
a quite knit group, and I think this year probably
tighter than ever in a working harder for each other
than some of the ones in the past. But yeah,
I've been lucky enough to be part of some pretty
good hawks By teams, so yeah, this one's no different.

Speaker 2 (01:38):
The quarterfinal last week, your defense was tested very early
on by Taranaki. You guys held firm. How much confidence
did that give you? I guess not only for the
rest of that game to be able to start controlling things,
but also heading into the next phase of the playoffs.

Speaker 3 (01:54):
Yeah, I was really good. The boys dug deep for
each other there, and then those first fifteen minutes there
we were tested and it's something that we've been working
really hard at as our connection and our defense. So yeah,
it was great to see if I'm working hard for
each other there, and I think, yeah, it gives us
great confidence going up against Cannery, probably one of the

(02:17):
better defend defensive teams in the comfort at the moment,
so it'll be interesting to see how we go and
so they night, and I.

Speaker 2 (02:23):
Know the Magpie's last trip down there was a pretty
successful one. Do you take much motivation from that or
look back to that occasion as to hey, you could
prepare for this weekend.

Speaker 3 (02:34):
Obviously, Yeah, I think you look at it a little
bit and see what went well with those games down
there where we have been successful. But we're a different
team and we just need to tap into what's been
working well for us this year as a squad, and
I think trying to get us just limiting the error
rate so we don't allow them in our twenty two

(02:55):
and defects working hard through the middle of the field,
they're just blocking them out.

Speaker 2 (03:00):
You mentioned that the work ethic and the passion that
the team's had this year on the field. What has
been the Magpie bigger strengths. Do you think that's got
you to where you are now?

Speaker 3 (03:10):
I think ow, yeah, I mean our attack at the
moment is just growing from strength to strength, and when
we can get game line and good clean ball for
for louder playoffs, it's it's helping us. So I think
when we look really good as when now defense is
really connected and we're stopping teams getting gang line and
especially that phase one to three from set piece there.

(03:31):
When we're able to stop those attacks coming, I think
we get great confidence and you can feel the energy
and the team building on the field when that happened.

Speaker 2 (03:39):
And the Cantabs have been forced into a few injury changes,
which means Zach Gallagher tall timber usually in the locks
is at number six. What kind of challenge does that
put on your loose forwards to make sure that you're
cater for the extra height they have on their hands.

Speaker 3 (03:53):
Yeah, they are a tall pack there with Yeah, running
a lock at six helps them a little bit throughout
the line out and yeah, there are good solid forward
packs from young fellows there that go pretty well.

Speaker 2 (04:05):
You've been a part of this competition for a very
long time, as you said, Tom, I think twenty twelve
was your first season as part of the back with
the Magpies. Then tell us about the MPC this year.
I mean the games have been fantastic. As a player,
how is this season and I guess the passion the
tight contests compared to previous seasons, Yeah.

Speaker 3 (04:25):
It's probably for me, it's probably been one of the
most enjoyable seasons and you can really tell that it's
sparked New Zealand rugby and you saw there for a
bit that anyone could be anyone from top to bottom.
So yeah, it's something special that we have in New Zealand,
the NPC Rugby and the fans really get behind it too,

(04:46):
as we saw last week back at home. For us,
it was just it was a great crowd, yeah, in
quite a vocal crowd, so yeah, it's good fun playing
out in front of crowds like that.

Speaker 2 (04:56):
We know, how Bruce, all the Canterbury crowds can be
expecting much of a traveling contingent with some Magpies colors
in the stands tonight.

Speaker 3 (05:05):
Yeah, we usually get a few travel so and that
usually pretty vocal too, but you know, yeah, it's definitely
pretty one eyed obviously down there in Kennery, so it'll
be interesting to see what the response is. But yeah,
we'll just be focused on ourselves on the field pretty much,
and yeh see how we go.

Speaker 2 (05:24):
It's a tough season, crammed into a short space of
timers and it's brutal contests, very short turnarounds. How do
you make sure you're at this point, not just with
the tank almost empty, not just a quarter full, but
ready to peak at the right time when you get
closer to playing off of some silverware.

Speaker 3 (05:39):
Yeah, it is a sprint in the old NPC, and
I think as you see throughout the season, it's pretty
much the team that can survive the injury list the
best at times, and we've been pretty pretty lucky that
we've had everyone sort of coming back at the right
end of the season. We had a bit of a
tough hatch through the middle period there, and that's when

(06:01):
our performance has dropped a little bit, but we've been
able to reach ant through that and build towards the
playoffs nicely.

Speaker 2 (06:09):
I think, yeah, absolutely. And yourself, Tom being able to
celebrate your century milestone for the Magpies last month, how
much has that added to I guess you know, your
your enjoyment of the season, your passion for the jersey
is you get to the final four now.

Speaker 3 (06:24):
Yeah, it's been pretty special for me and my family.
It was a it was a different one, was it.
We had the week been about me a little bit,
but the day was. The day was very special and
obviously we got a great result there and playing the
afternoon Hawks Bay Boys seemed to go pretty well and
afternoon footy, so yeah, it was a it was a
really special day and yeah it's made this season extremely

(06:47):
special and if we could go the full way to
be something in Hawks Bay history.

Speaker 2 (06:52):
Well, Tom will let you get back to your prep.
Thanks for joining us, mate. All the very best traveling
down there to christ Church this weekend. I know most
of New Zealand's probably outside Canterbury. You are probably behind
you guys.

Speaker 3 (07:03):
Yeah, yeah, and yeah we've had plenty of people sit
down and tell us to go down there and do
a job. So that's the main goal. But we know
that it's a tough task for head, so yeah, we'll
have to be on for it to happen.

Speaker 2 (07:16):
Awesome mate, you go well, thanks for chatting this morning,
so cheers to that.

Speaker 1 (07:20):
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