September 3, 2025 • 8 mins
CEO of Rugby Southland Hua Tamariki says winning the Ranfurly Shield has topped off a phenomenal few weeks for the Southland Stags.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:08):
In this time.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
We got supporters f half miles around, we got we
got the heart we're raised on. Yeah, we can't get
enough of the roaring pen, the sweeteaters. This is the
Muster on a Thursday afternoon. Who A Tamariki is the
chief executive of Rugby Southland. Who are welcome to the Muster.
(00:32):
It's fair to say your week would have been pretty
hectic to date.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's a good summary, mate. It's it's
been busy, very busy, but it's a good busy and
we we're loving it here at yourself in that moment.
But yeah, she's a busy old time.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
So on Sunday evening when the Stags run the shield,
is that when you went into planning mode or is
it a case of having a few celebratory drinks first before?
Thanks Captain de Gear.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Yeah, yeah, look, well I guess probably a moro was
probably well, so to speak. I was up there and
watched the team and lift it went down in the
change rooms, had had a quite beer with them, not
so much quiet, but straight away we kicked into some
(01:21):
some planning. So there's a few few phone calls made
on on Sunday after the game and we let the
team celebrate accordingly. But no, we got we got into
planning mode pretty quickly.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
And that's what you need to do on occasions like this, right,
you need to celebrate. The success is none more so
than a team like the Stags, which you know wants
to. Successes have been a rarity over the past few seasons.
But you're on a roll. You're on three in a
row and a winning streak as such. But lifting the
Red Freely Shield and talking about this with Morgan mitchell
Us today, it's something that a lot of players in
(01:55):
the NPC and all Blacks of that matter, they never
get to experience it.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Yeah, absolutely, absolutely right, And I recall I've heard recently
that uh and all to talk about playing for a
number of years and never actually having a crack at it.
So yeah, Morgan's dead right there. There's a lot of
professional players that sometimes will play their whole career and
never never get to experience either either playing for the
(02:22):
Shield of via shield.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
So uh, it's a it's a it's a special time,
it's a special it's very special trophy here in New Zealand,
and it means a lot, especially to the smaller regions.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Such as ourselves and particularly for our supporters who sick
and thin even through these sort of some dire years
stood by us and stood by the stag. So very special.
And then and I'm sure Morgie as well, like the player.
Like Morgie, he's he's stuck with the union being a
real contributor. Uh. And it's really really nice to see
(02:59):
him in the moment like that on Sunday while he's
still got the you know, when he's still wearing the
Stairs jersey. It's a couple of other players here too
that have put some decent shifts in over the years,
so so really really pleasing, really nice to see them
and enjoy that moment. So yeah, it's been great.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
Can you put a money value on what this is
worth to Rugby South and and South in a particular
by holding the shield, even if it is only for
seven or eight days, Yes, it'll be.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
It'd be difficult for me to try and put money
value on it. I think there's so much, there's so
much value in terms of it's probably how proud we
are as a problem as the people is the South Enders,
(03:48):
how we how we do get a bit of stick
nationally around living at the bottom of the mw Zeuman
how we've had some you know, we do. We do
struggle for results and we have done historically playing in
this top tier of the n PC. So the value
for me is to be able to give South enders
(04:09):
moments where they can stand a bit taller. What would
the smile in their face and be really proud to
be from southmand and and and and have a group
of men from South and go up and believe that
they are equal to us. Not then then a lot
of the teams that they play against, you know, and
the top of competition in New Zealand. So it's it'd
(04:33):
be hard, but to be honest, it's it's more around
making South and does feel proud and that's what we're
really were really stoked to be able to do or
we've got an opportunity to do that through the stag
so's that's more what it's about for me.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Now, Saturday, you talked at the start of the year
of the union, did T and K for Stag Day
just went under that figure? How confident are you're getting
ten thousand to Rugby Park on Saturday?
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Oh honest, I'm probably more confident regarding this shield defense
and that I was I was going into Stag Day.
I thought we traveled tracking well for Stag Day. But
you know, I looked, I looked at the crowd sizes
as we had when we lasted the Shield in twenty
eleven and particularly nine. You know those crowds they exceeded
(05:20):
ten k. Well, it truly exceeded ten k. Ah. I
think for redy Otago Shield Defense in Oline we correcked eighteen.
So put it, I'm confident. Put it that way, pretails
attracking really well. What I would what I would say
would be pleased if you are going to try, if
you are going to come to the game, then then
try and get that ticket. Try and buy that ticket
(05:42):
before the before the match, you would probably would have
seen a lot of the scenes on Stag Day. We
had somewhere around eight point five k here and it
was it was a very busy stadium. So we're not
sure if we'll have much more capacity outside a sort
of tentralleving case. So I would just encourage anyone that's
(06:05):
going to come along by those tickets early so we
can we can inform the public around how it's tracking.
But back to your original question, make you I'm confident.
I'm confident we'll get ten k plus.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
That probably leads some more frustration from your angle for
regarding that part of the grand stand that's out of commission.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
Yeah, look, there there's we have a frustration that's additional.
It's additional space, right that we could have people sitting.
So I think regardless of what the future holds for that,
you know, we can always grow the stadium through temporary
setting if we need to. But at the moment, our
crowd size is it's not too much of a factor,
(06:46):
but it is. It is a bit of an eyesore,
isn't it, Like sitting It's hard to watch our test
the stags on TV when you see such a big
portion of the stand that's, uh, that's out of use.
So these idea, I'm sure you're the public are here's
an outdoor stadium working group that's trying to solve you know,
(07:07):
what we do with the stadium and included and that
will be what that's what's happening with those seats. So yeah,
I agreed, Like it is a it's hard to had
to hard to have that area that just sitting empty
right when we're trying to trying to get as many
Southern supporters into the stadium. But we'll work with what
we have to.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
Yeah, but nonetheless it is going to be a hell
of an occasion on Saturday afternoon there at Rugby Park Stadium.
Appreciate your time on the must of us afternoon and
it's been a hectic week, no doubt for everybody involved.
Or this left is safe for Saturday. Is Antler's up?
Speaker 1 (07:39):
Absolutely? Mate.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
I appreciate that Eddie not that laugh out loud with
ad proud because life on the land can be a
laughing matter. Brought to us by sheer Well Data working
to help the livestock farmer my Countain south shredding cheese.
I wanted to blame somebody else, but then I remember
it with great power comes great responsibility. Great to catch
(08:08):
up a Hu Tamariki there, chief executive for Rugby Southland,
to put it into context from a Rugby sellphone perspective
regarding the week on in the Shield, that's us for
the afternoon rightfully, Shield Special coming up on the Muster tomorrow.
I'm Andy Muller. Enjoy the afternoon
In this time.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
We got supporters f half miles around, we got we
got the heart we're raised on. Yeah, we can't get
enough of the roaring pen, the sweeteaters. This is the
Muster on a Thursday afternoon. Who A Tamariki is the
chief executive of Rugby Southland. Who are welcome to the Muster.
(00:32):
It's fair to say your week would have been pretty
hectic to date.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's a good summary, mate. It's it's
been busy, very busy, but it's a good busy and
we we're loving it here at yourself in that moment.
But yeah, she's a busy old time.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
So on Sunday evening when the Stags run the shield,
is that when you went into planning mode or is
it a case of having a few celebratory drinks first before?
Thanks Captain de Gear.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Yeah, yeah, look, well I guess probably a moro was
probably well, so to speak. I was up there and
watched the team and lift it went down in the
change rooms, had had a quite beer with them, not
so much quiet, but straight away we kicked into some
(01:21):
some planning. So there's a few few phone calls made
on on Sunday after the game and we let the
team celebrate accordingly. But no, we got we got into
planning mode pretty quickly.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
And that's what you need to do on occasions like this, right,
you need to celebrate. The success is none more so
than a team like the Stags, which you know wants
to. Successes have been a rarity over the past few seasons.
But you're on a roll. You're on three in a
row and a winning streak as such. But lifting the
Red Freely Shield and talking about this with Morgan mitchell
Us today, it's something that a lot of players in
(01:55):
the NPC and all Blacks of that matter, they never
get to experience it.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Yeah, absolutely, absolutely right, And I recall I've heard recently
that uh and all to talk about playing for a
number of years and never actually having a crack at it.
So yeah, Morgan's dead right there. There's a lot of
professional players that sometimes will play their whole career and
never never get to experience either either playing for the
(02:22):
Shield of via shield.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
So uh, it's a it's a it's a special time,
it's a special it's very special trophy here in New Zealand,
and it means a lot, especially to the smaller regions.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Such as ourselves and particularly for our supporters who sick
and thin even through these sort of some dire years
stood by us and stood by the stag. So very special.
And then and I'm sure Morgie as well, like the player.
Like Morgie, he's he's stuck with the union being a
real contributor. Uh. And it's really really nice to see
(02:59):
him in the moment like that on Sunday while he's
still got the you know, when he's still wearing the
Stairs jersey. It's a couple of other players here too
that have put some decent shifts in over the years,
so so really really pleasing, really nice to see them
and enjoy that moment. So yeah, it's been great.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
Can you put a money value on what this is
worth to Rugby South and and South in a particular
by holding the shield, even if it is only for
seven or eight days, Yes, it'll be.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
It'd be difficult for me to try and put money
value on it. I think there's so much, there's so
much value in terms of it's probably how proud we
are as a problem as the people is the South Enders,
(03:48):
how we how we do get a bit of stick
nationally around living at the bottom of the mw Zeuman
how we've had some you know, we do. We do
struggle for results and we have done historically playing in
this top tier of the n PC. So the value
for me is to be able to give South enders
(04:09):
moments where they can stand a bit taller. What would
the smile in their face and be really proud to
be from southmand and and and and have a group
of men from South and go up and believe that
they are equal to us. Not then then a lot
of the teams that they play against, you know, and
the top of competition in New Zealand. So it's it'd
(04:33):
be hard, but to be honest, it's it's more around
making South and does feel proud and that's what we're
really were really stoked to be able to do or
we've got an opportunity to do that through the stag
so's that's more what it's about for me.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Now, Saturday, you talked at the start of the year
of the union, did T and K for Stag Day
just went under that figure? How confident are you're getting
ten thousand to Rugby Park on Saturday?
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Oh honest, I'm probably more confident regarding this shield defense
and that I was I was going into Stag Day.
I thought we traveled tracking well for Stag Day. But
you know, I looked, I looked at the crowd sizes
as we had when we lasted the Shield in twenty
eleven and particularly nine. You know those crowds they exceeded
(05:20):
ten k. Well, it truly exceeded ten k. Ah. I
think for redy Otago Shield Defense in Oline we correcked eighteen.
So put it, I'm confident. Put it that way, pretails
attracking really well. What I would what I would say
would be pleased if you are going to try, if
you are going to come to the game, then then
try and get that ticket. Try and buy that ticket
(05:42):
before the before the match, you would probably would have
seen a lot of the scenes on Stag Day. We
had somewhere around eight point five k here and it
was it was a very busy stadium. So we're not
sure if we'll have much more capacity outside a sort
of tentralleving case. So I would just encourage anyone that's
(06:05):
going to come along by those tickets early so we
can we can inform the public around how it's tracking.
But back to your original question, make you I'm confident.
I'm confident we'll get ten k plus.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
That probably leads some more frustration from your angle for
regarding that part of the grand stand that's out of commission.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
Yeah, look, there there's we have a frustration that's additional.
It's additional space, right that we could have people sitting.
So I think regardless of what the future holds for that,
you know, we can always grow the stadium through temporary
setting if we need to. But at the moment, our
crowd size is it's not too much of a factor,
(06:46):
but it is. It is a bit of an eyesore,
isn't it, Like sitting It's hard to watch our test
the stags on TV when you see such a big
portion of the stand that's, uh, that's out of use.
So these idea, I'm sure you're the public are here's
an outdoor stadium working group that's trying to solve you know,
(07:07):
what we do with the stadium and included and that
will be what that's what's happening with those seats. So yeah,
I agreed, Like it is a it's hard to had
to hard to have that area that just sitting empty
right when we're trying to trying to get as many
Southern supporters into the stadium. But we'll work with what
we have to.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
Yeah, but nonetheless it is going to be a hell
of an occasion on Saturday afternoon there at Rugby Park Stadium.
Appreciate your time on the must of us afternoon and
it's been a hectic week, no doubt for everybody involved.
Or this left is safe for Saturday. Is Antler's up?
Speaker 1 (07:39):
Absolutely? Mate.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
I appreciate that Eddie not that laugh out loud with
ad proud because life on the land can be a
laughing matter. Brought to us by sheer Well Data working
to help the livestock farmer my Countain south shredding cheese.
I wanted to blame somebody else, but then I remember
it with great power comes great responsibility. Great to catch
(08:08):
up a Hu Tamariki there, chief executive for Rugby Southland,
to put it into context from a Rugby sellphone perspective
regarding the week on in the Shield, that's us for
the afternoon rightfully, Shield Special coming up on the Muster tomorrow.
I'm Andy Muller. Enjoy the afternoon
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