November 11, 2024 • 11 mins
Famed rugby commentator Grant Nisbett called his 350th All Blacks test over the weekend during the team's clash with Ireland in Dublin.
The 73-year-old has been well regarded as the voice of New Zealand rugby - and he's been there for lots of big moments.
He joined BK to discuss his career highlights.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Is the Country Sport Breakfast with Brian Kelly on Gold Sport.
We're talking rugby on the show. Now more importantly commentators
and last weekend fame commentator Grant is but called his
three hundred and fiftieth three hundred and fiftieth All Black
Tests when the All Blacks beat Ireland. He joins me
(00:21):
on the show This Morning newsbo First off, congratulations mate, that's.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
A hell of a number, Thanks very much, Brian. Yet
it is. It's a bit scary in anyways, isn't it,
Because it's over fifty percent of the number of test
matches the Orbeliks have ever played. I hadn't done any
when you and I worked together as young, like teenagers,
young in our twenties. Maybe yes, but it all started
(00:44):
back in eighty four. It was so forty years. I
know you've been a broadcasting forever and forty years doesn't
sing that long, does it.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
No? Well, I guess when you're doing something you love,
and I know you love doing what you're doing, you
don't really worry too much it, even though people need
you a bit and say isn't it about time you're
retired and things like that.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Yeah, they do, Yeah, I do. Well, it's the old story.
You've got to have a passion, don't you. And it
doesn't really feel like a job. It's when you wake
up in the morning you think, do I want to
do this again? If the answer is yes and you're able,
why not just carry on and do it? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (01:19):
Absolutely So can you remember your first television commentary you
mentioned it. It was nineteen eighty four, that was at
Lancaster Park, wasn't it.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Yeah, look, it's a bit hazy, to be fair, it's
quite funny. I guess forty years on it it would
be a bit hazy. But I do remember a few
weeks after going on a tour to Australia with you
All Black. So that was my first all black tour
in those days, and it happened three times during my career.
We did pull in tours of Australia, which sounds a
(01:48):
bit silly, but you went to places that you don't
normally associate with rugby, like Perth and Adelaide and in
those days Melbourne, although of course Melbourne has become more
InVogue recently. But yeah, a tour to Australia, so I've
probably got big up memories of that. And I have
of Test number one.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
And being on your first tour with the All Blacks,
you would have been in awe of the abs. I
mean there were big names back then, were there?
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Yeah? And of course I was sort of of the
age where if I've been good enough, I might have
been able to play for them. Although strangely enough, for
those days the All Blacks they had a bare minimum
of players, so you had fifteen on the park, and
even on a tour you might have only had twenty
five twenty six players on the entire tour, one manager,
(02:36):
one coach, and I think possibly a medical man. So
you know, when you see all the number of support
staff they have these days, it's quite phenomenal. But I
remember once sort of jogging around the Sittney University Oval
just to sort of maintain a bit of fitness, and
the All Blacks were doing a bit of scrum practice
(02:58):
and they called me over and said, which you mind
sort of making up the numbers here? And I actually
politely declined. I've never been asked since. Thank Evanston, I
sort of thought, do I really want to be mixing
physically with these blogs. I hadn't played rugby myself for
quite some time, so I gave it a miss.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
You did play a bit of rugby. Your club is Pernik.
I think it still is in Wellington, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
It is? Yep, yep. I was like when I left school,
I managed to fit in four years of senior rugby.
I played one game of first class footy for the
Wellington Colts against I think it was horror Feno and
I think it's I think it's in the nineteen seventeen.
He's in an almanax. If you don't believe me, gone
to have a look. And that's my claim to fame.
(03:42):
And then I and then of course broadcasting, as you
well know, particularly sports broadcasting being a weekend thing. Yeah,
I had to flag it away. I couldn't put as
much pressure on my fellow broadcasters. I had to do
my share of work and that was the end of
That was the end of my rugby three. Sadly you
did a bit.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
I mean you started out as a radio commentator for rugby.
Which of the two do you prefer? Do you prefer
calling it for rugby for radio or for TV?
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Well, look, it's a very interesting question because we all
started those of us who moved on to television in
later life. We all got our grand grounding in radio
without indied out, and it was the the best place
to get any grounding. And even today when young fellows
ask me how do you go about all this, I
always say, get some time in radio, because it's it'll
(04:28):
be the best grounding you'll ever have. But the transition
to television was was pretty big, and I think if
you go back and have a look at some of
those early test matches, I probably took my head off,
whereas you have to work out in television that it's
you know, it's a medium where people can see what's happening,
and you really need to just add to the pictures
(04:49):
if you like. Radio commentary is totally different. When I
jump in my car and I'm driving along and I'm
listening to a radio commentary of rugby, I need to
know are three or four things I need to I
know which team is playing left to right and right
to left. I need to know the time gone. I
need to know the score. Now, all of those things
on unnecessary on radio, but on television, of course, you
(05:11):
can see all that, So that's the big difference. Really.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
I remember the legendary Bob Irvine, who himself was a
remarkable rugby commentator, always used to tell us when he
was teaching us how to be commentator, to paint a
picture for a blind man.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Yes, isn't it so true? Absolutely? Yeah? And you know,
every now and again you'll find yourself in a position
where you can't get to a TV set and there's
a rugby match on of some sort. You might be
driving somewhere. I'm not sure, but those are the things
you really have to know. You have to know, you
have to have the picture they painted for you, exactly.
(05:46):
And on television, of course, you're sitting there watching the game,
and so it is a totally different skill. I guess let's.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Talk about the most memorable three hundred and fifty tests
you've called. You have one standout test that you've called?
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Yeah, Look, I get to ask that a lot, Brian.
I think probably the World Cup Final and two fifteen
at Twickenham when the All Blacks won over Australia. The
reason it was such a great game is because whenever
you play Australia, you've got two like minded teams, two
teams who have worked out that scoring tries is far
better than kicking penalties and drop goals and all the
(06:26):
rest of it. Often World Cup finals are a little
bit boring to watch because teams are afraid to make mistakes.
But when you get the All Blacks and the Wallabies together,
you very rarely get a boring test. And to have
them together in a World Cup final was just wonderful, really,
and it was such a great game. You probably remember it.
(06:46):
I mean, we looked as though were going to win
quite handsomely, then we got a yellow card. They scored
a couple of tries and all of a sudden we're thinking,
oh no, and then of course right at the end
Bote and Barretts scored that try which that won us
the cup. And it was just a great game that really,
I mean, that would probably be the one game. There
are others. I mean, winning the Test series in South
Africa in ninety six, to be in Pretoria when that
(07:08):
happened was fantastic. The Test in Sydney when Jonas scored
in the last minute. You know, they are a list
of them, but I think probably I'd have to isolate
that two fifteen World Cup final.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
In Sport, we meet so many wonderful, wonderful players and
competitors through our job. I mean, is there any one
standout all black to you that you've met and befriended
or whatever over the years.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Well, yeah, Look it's funny because I've never been one
to mix with the players so much. I mean, I
do my job. I don't. If I have to do
an interview, I'll go and do an interview, but I don't.
Never have sort of socialized with players, if you like.
And often you don't meet these guys properly until they
retire and some of them join you in the commentary box.
(07:54):
And true, one of those is my favorite player, and
that's Christine Tallon. As a player, I didn't really know
that well, he was quite a shy bloke. Actually wasn't
a great interview. But years later I was able to
meet him, and he spent a couple of years in
the commentary box, and he proved to be a really,
really good analyst. But I admired him because he was
just the complete rugby player as far as I was concerned.
(08:16):
And I mean, I'd be lucky to commentate you the
Michael joneses, Ricky McCaw's, the Dan Carter's, But I think
of the one standout. It would be Christian Callen.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
The game's changed a fair but as Bow, do you
still like the way it's going?
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Yeah, and bits, there's a bit that I changed about it. Brian.
I absolutely loathe the rolling mall because to me, it
goes against all the laws of rugby. All those players
who are in front of the ball carrier are offside,
and it just it just annoys me that it's been
kept on the books. I don't like it at all.
I mean, and the game, the game is quite defensive,
(08:54):
it tis these days. Some teams prefer not to even
have the ball, to be honest with you. But overall overall,
you know, I still love the game obviously, and they're
endeavoring to speed it up, which is good. The referees
got on board. I thought this year's MPC was fantastic.
I know your boys made the final back Plenty and
that was just wonderful. I had really divided law Tills
(09:17):
in that game. Obviously, I'm from Wellington, But Richard what
is I've had Richard what on my favorite list for
many years. There was a good, solid paniky boy, good
Wellington Feller and to get to the top and Bay
of Plenty was wonderful. So I had real divided loyalties
in that final, although I guess in the end I
was pretty happy that Wellington won it.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
Well were you sitting in the grandstand there in Wellington
watching that match. The weather didn't help us much, but
it was a bloody good final in the end of terrific.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
Yeah, and it's good. It's good. You know, rugby and
the provinces is what it's all about, you know. I
was lucky enough to do a game and Todaroma this year,
and I got around other venues, you know, Napier and
New Plymouth and that's what I really like about our rugby.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
And of course rugby's not your only love. You're a
member of the Seatoon Bowling Club, so you've got you've
got old man's marbles to take care of.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
Well, I'm still a member at Seatoon, but I sort
of played more of my bowls out at nine I
these days because they've got an indoor arena out there,
and one day, when they built it about seven or
eight years ago, a few mates said one they can
come and play a bit and winter bowls and the
rest of it. So I sort of played twelve months
a year now and so I might have sort of
quietly shifted my loyalties with it, but I love it.
(10:32):
My favorite nationals and you actually turned up a couple
of times, was in Tator, and I hope they get
it back up there because we actually qualified in the
fours and we thought we were pretty damn good. It
is a great game. But I sound like I'm a
super salesman here, but a really good game. I got
sick of golf after a while because I wasn't getting
(10:52):
any better and I was getting frustrated with it. And
you don't have to walk so damn far either.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Absolutely well, I'm looking forward to meeting on the bowling
because I've taken it up as well in Nisbo.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
So I'm good.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
Mayby hear it, mate, Nice to catch up, and well
done on your three hundred and fiftieth tests.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
May there be many more good idea Brians mate, absolute
legend of course.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
Twenty eighteen, he was honored and the Queen's Birthday Honors
List appointed a Member of New Zealand Order of Merit
for services to sports broadcasting. So well done, Nismo
Is the Country Sport Breakfast with Brian Kelly on Gold Sport.
We're talking rugby on the show. Now more importantly commentators
and last weekend fame commentator Grant is but called his
three hundred and fiftieth three hundred and fiftieth All Black
Tests when the All Blacks beat Ireland. He joins me
(00:21):
on the show This Morning newsbo First off, congratulations mate, that's.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
A hell of a number, Thanks very much, Brian. Yet
it is. It's a bit scary in anyways, isn't it,
Because it's over fifty percent of the number of test
matches the Orbeliks have ever played. I hadn't done any
when you and I worked together as young, like teenagers,
young in our twenties. Maybe yes, but it all started
(00:44):
back in eighty four. It was so forty years. I
know you've been a broadcasting forever and forty years doesn't
sing that long, does it.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
No? Well, I guess when you're doing something you love,
and I know you love doing what you're doing, you
don't really worry too much it, even though people need
you a bit and say isn't it about time you're
retired and things like that.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Yeah, they do, Yeah, I do. Well, it's the old story.
You've got to have a passion, don't you. And it
doesn't really feel like a job. It's when you wake
up in the morning you think, do I want to
do this again? If the answer is yes and you're able,
why not just carry on and do it? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (01:19):
Absolutely So can you remember your first television commentary you
mentioned it. It was nineteen eighty four, that was at
Lancaster Park, wasn't it.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Yeah, look, it's a bit hazy, to be fair, it's
quite funny. I guess forty years on it it would
be a bit hazy. But I do remember a few
weeks after going on a tour to Australia with you
All Black. So that was my first all black tour
in those days, and it happened three times during my career.
We did pull in tours of Australia, which sounds a
(01:48):
bit silly, but you went to places that you don't
normally associate with rugby, like Perth and Adelaide and in
those days Melbourne, although of course Melbourne has become more
InVogue recently. But yeah, a tour to Australia, so I've
probably got big up memories of that. And I have
of Test number one.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
And being on your first tour with the All Blacks,
you would have been in awe of the abs. I
mean there were big names back then, were there?
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Yeah? And of course I was sort of of the
age where if I've been good enough, I might have
been able to play for them. Although strangely enough, for
those days the All Blacks they had a bare minimum
of players, so you had fifteen on the park, and
even on a tour you might have only had twenty
five twenty six players on the entire tour, one manager,
(02:36):
one coach, and I think possibly a medical man. So
you know, when you see all the number of support
staff they have these days, it's quite phenomenal. But I
remember once sort of jogging around the Sittney University Oval
just to sort of maintain a bit of fitness, and
the All Blacks were doing a bit of scrum practice
(02:58):
and they called me over and said, which you mind
sort of making up the numbers here? And I actually
politely declined. I've never been asked since. Thank Evanston, I
sort of thought, do I really want to be mixing
physically with these blogs. I hadn't played rugby myself for
quite some time, so I gave it a miss.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
You did play a bit of rugby. Your club is Pernik.
I think it still is in Wellington, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
It is? Yep, yep. I was like when I left school,
I managed to fit in four years of senior rugby.
I played one game of first class footy for the
Wellington Colts against I think it was horror Feno and
I think it's I think it's in the nineteen seventeen.
He's in an almanax. If you don't believe me, gone
to have a look. And that's my claim to fame.
(03:42):
And then I and then of course broadcasting, as you
well know, particularly sports broadcasting being a weekend thing. Yeah,
I had to flag it away. I couldn't put as
much pressure on my fellow broadcasters. I had to do
my share of work and that was the end of
That was the end of my rugby three. Sadly you
did a bit.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
I mean you started out as a radio commentator for rugby.
Which of the two do you prefer? Do you prefer
calling it for rugby for radio or for TV?
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Well, look, it's a very interesting question because we all
started those of us who moved on to television in
later life. We all got our grand grounding in radio
without indied out, and it was the the best place
to get any grounding. And even today when young fellows
ask me how do you go about all this, I
always say, get some time in radio, because it's it'll
(04:28):
be the best grounding you'll ever have. But the transition
to television was was pretty big, and I think if
you go back and have a look at some of
those early test matches, I probably took my head off,
whereas you have to work out in television that it's
you know, it's a medium where people can see what's happening,
and you really need to just add to the pictures
(04:49):
if you like. Radio commentary is totally different. When I
jump in my car and I'm driving along and I'm
listening to a radio commentary of rugby, I need to
know are three or four things I need to I
know which team is playing left to right and right
to left. I need to know the time gone. I
need to know the score. Now, all of those things
on unnecessary on radio, but on television, of course, you
(05:11):
can see all that, So that's the big difference. Really.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
I remember the legendary Bob Irvine, who himself was a
remarkable rugby commentator, always used to tell us when he
was teaching us how to be commentator, to paint a
picture for a blind man.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Yes, isn't it so true? Absolutely? Yeah? And you know,
every now and again you'll find yourself in a position
where you can't get to a TV set and there's
a rugby match on of some sort. You might be
driving somewhere. I'm not sure, but those are the things
you really have to know. You have to know, you
have to have the picture they painted for you, exactly.
(05:46):
And on television, of course, you're sitting there watching the game,
and so it is a totally different skill. I guess let's.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Talk about the most memorable three hundred and fifty tests
you've called. You have one standout test that you've called?
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Yeah, Look, I get to ask that a lot, Brian.
I think probably the World Cup Final and two fifteen
at Twickenham when the All Blacks won over Australia. The
reason it was such a great game is because whenever
you play Australia, you've got two like minded teams, two
teams who have worked out that scoring tries is far
better than kicking penalties and drop goals and all the
(06:26):
rest of it. Often World Cup finals are a little
bit boring to watch because teams are afraid to make mistakes.
But when you get the All Blacks and the Wallabies together,
you very rarely get a boring test. And to have
them together in a World Cup final was just wonderful, really,
and it was such a great game. You probably remember it.
(06:46):
I mean, we looked as though were going to win
quite handsomely, then we got a yellow card. They scored
a couple of tries and all of a sudden we're thinking,
oh no, and then of course right at the end
Bote and Barretts scored that try which that won us
the cup. And it was just a great game that really,
I mean, that would probably be the one game. There
are others. I mean, winning the Test series in South
Africa in ninety six, to be in Pretoria when that
(07:08):
happened was fantastic. The Test in Sydney when Jonas scored
in the last minute. You know, they are a list
of them, but I think probably I'd have to isolate
that two fifteen World Cup final.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
In Sport, we meet so many wonderful, wonderful players and
competitors through our job. I mean, is there any one
standout all black to you that you've met and befriended
or whatever over the years.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Well, yeah, Look it's funny because I've never been one
to mix with the players so much. I mean, I
do my job. I don't. If I have to do
an interview, I'll go and do an interview, but I don't.
Never have sort of socialized with players, if you like.
And often you don't meet these guys properly until they
retire and some of them join you in the commentary box.
(07:54):
And true, one of those is my favorite player, and
that's Christine Tallon. As a player, I didn't really know
that well, he was quite a shy bloke. Actually wasn't
a great interview. But years later I was able to
meet him, and he spent a couple of years in
the commentary box, and he proved to be a really,
really good analyst. But I admired him because he was
just the complete rugby player as far as I was concerned.
(08:16):
And I mean, I'd be lucky to commentate you the
Michael joneses, Ricky McCaw's, the Dan Carter's, But I think
of the one standout. It would be Christian Callen.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
The game's changed a fair but as Bow, do you
still like the way it's going?
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Yeah, and bits, there's a bit that I changed about it. Brian.
I absolutely loathe the rolling mall because to me, it
goes against all the laws of rugby. All those players
who are in front of the ball carrier are offside,
and it just it just annoys me that it's been
kept on the books. I don't like it at all.
I mean, and the game, the game is quite defensive,
(08:54):
it tis these days. Some teams prefer not to even
have the ball, to be honest with you. But overall overall,
you know, I still love the game obviously, and they're
endeavoring to speed it up, which is good. The referees
got on board. I thought this year's MPC was fantastic.
I know your boys made the final back Plenty and
that was just wonderful. I had really divided law Tills
(09:17):
in that game. Obviously, I'm from Wellington, But Richard what
is I've had Richard what on my favorite list for
many years. There was a good, solid paniky boy, good
Wellington Feller and to get to the top and Bay
of Plenty was wonderful. So I had real divided loyalties
in that final, although I guess in the end I
was pretty happy that Wellington won it.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
Well were you sitting in the grandstand there in Wellington
watching that match. The weather didn't help us much, but
it was a bloody good final in the end of terrific.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
Yeah, and it's good. It's good. You know, rugby and
the provinces is what it's all about, you know. I
was lucky enough to do a game and Todaroma this year,
and I got around other venues, you know, Napier and
New Plymouth and that's what I really like about our rugby.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
And of course rugby's not your only love. You're a
member of the Seatoon Bowling Club, so you've got you've
got old man's marbles to take care of.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
Well, I'm still a member at Seatoon, but I sort
of played more of my bowls out at nine I
these days because they've got an indoor arena out there,
and one day, when they built it about seven or
eight years ago, a few mates said one they can
come and play a bit and winter bowls and the
rest of it. So I sort of played twelve months
a year now and so I might have sort of
quietly shifted my loyalties with it, but I love it.
(10:32):
My favorite nationals and you actually turned up a couple
of times, was in Tator, and I hope they get
it back up there because we actually qualified in the
fours and we thought we were pretty damn good. It
is a great game. But I sound like I'm a
super salesman here, but a really good game. I got
sick of golf after a while because I wasn't getting
(10:52):
any better and I was getting frustrated with it. And
you don't have to walk so damn far either.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Absolutely well, I'm looking forward to meeting on the bowling
because I've taken it up as well in Nisbo.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
So I'm good.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
Mayby hear it, mate, Nice to catch up, and well
done on your three hundred and fiftieth tests.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
May there be many more good idea Brians mate, absolute
legend of course.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
Twenty eighteen, he was honored and the Queen's Birthday Honors
List appointed a Member of New Zealand Order of Merit
for services to sports broadcasting. So well done, Nismo
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