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Transcript

Rugby Direct - Episode 157 · Rugby Direct

• 0:09
  Speaker 1: You're listening to a podcast from News Talks ed B.
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: Follow this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.
• 0:19
  Speaker 2: Straight down the middle of dry score, try get inside
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: the game from every angle.
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: It's Rugby Direct with Elliot Smith and Leam Napier, powered
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: by News Talks EDB.
• 0:37
  Speaker 3: Welcome into Rugby to repowered by Habit Health, tackling all
• 0:39
  Speaker 3: your aches and pains from sports and work. Back again
• 0:43
  Speaker 3: for another week. Elliott Smith with me Liam Napier as
• 0:46
  Speaker 3: always to wrap up the week that has been in
• 0:49
  Speaker 3: rugby across the globe and in Super Rugby and Big
• 0:53
  Speaker 3: Buller to you, Liam Napier, Welcome to the podcast.
• 0:56
  Speaker 4: It's Buller Buller Toss, Drawer Toss.
• 1:00
  Speaker 5: My drawer didn't quite get up, but no, I will
• 1:03
  Speaker 5: say if if you have a rugby bucket list that's
• 1:08
  Speaker 5: tending a game in Fiji should be right up there.
• 1:10
  Speaker 3: We'll get into the nuts and bolts of the game
• 1:12
  Speaker 3: in a wee while. But the experience, what was it
• 1:14
  Speaker 3: like up there? I know you sort of said that
• 1:17
  Speaker 3: you wanted to go see these the crusaders up close
• 1:19
  Speaker 3: and see if they were the you know the same
• 1:23
  Speaker 3: the British product again under Rob Penny, what did you
• 1:26
  Speaker 3: see up close and what was the atmosphere like?
• 1:29
  Speaker 5: Yeah, that I guess touched on the atmosphere and what
• 1:32
  Speaker 5: it's like from an experienced point of view. It's very authentic.
• 1:37
  Speaker 5: I think the big takeaway for me was that just
• 1:40
  Speaker 5: reminded me what true fandom is. The Drawer were down
• 1:45
  Speaker 5: thirty one nil and the fans get their two hours
• 1:50
  Speaker 5: before the game. They've got their umbrellas out because it's hot,
• 1:54
  Speaker 5: it's humid, there's grass, embankments, you can see the coast
• 1:57
  Speaker 5: right there.
• 1:57
  Speaker 4: This is in Suva. They play in Lautoka as well.
• 2:02
  Speaker 5: Just a bit of a backstory that the first year
• 2:04
  Speaker 5: with the Drawer, when they beat the Crusaders the first time,
• 2:07
  Speaker 5: in lowtime, people were climbing the trees outside the ground
• 2:11
  Speaker 5: and one of the trees actually broke and fell into
• 2:14
  Speaker 5: the crowd.
• 2:15
  Speaker 4: So that's how keen they are to watch their team.
• 2:18
  Speaker 5: But as I mentioned that, they're down thirty one nil
• 2:22
  Speaker 5: and then they score a try and the decibels in
• 2:25
  Speaker 5: the ground. There's only ten twelve thousand people there and
• 2:29
  Speaker 5: it feels like fifty thousand. They're up, they're chanting, they're
• 2:34
  Speaker 5: there till the end. Of the game in New Zealand,
• 2:37
  Speaker 5: if your team's down thirty one nil, half the crowd's
• 2:40
  Speaker 5: probably leaving and they're disengaged. The drawer were very very poor,
• 2:46
  Speaker 5: dropped so much ball. They were never really in that contest,
• 2:49
  Speaker 5: and yet the crowd is there there hanging off every moment.
• 2:54
  Speaker 5: The cheering, scrums and lineouts is a very unique atmosphere.
• 3:00
  Speaker 5: So you know, it's a tough climent. We live and
• 3:04
  Speaker 5: financially and I had assistance to get there on these
• 3:07
  Speaker 5: sorts of things. But you are going there for a
• 3:09
  Speaker 5: holiday or you do have a Rugby bucket list, you know,
• 3:11
  Speaker 5: twicking them and Alice Park. There's magic experiences, but from
• 3:15
  Speaker 5: a pure fandom point of view, is very special.
• 3:20
  Speaker 4: Could hold a Super Round Fiji possibly in time.
• 3:24
  Speaker 5: I think there would need to be a lot of
• 3:27
  Speaker 5: work around infrastructure in terms of there is lighting and suva.
• 3:32
  Speaker 4: The pitch probably needs a bit of work to.
• 3:36
  Speaker 5: Maintain or be able to sustain what would it be
• 3:40
  Speaker 5: six odd games, and then a hotel infrastructure what professional
• 3:46
  Speaker 5: teams need on a day to day. I think that
• 3:49
  Speaker 5: the Crusaders stayed in the holiday in They flew in
• 3:52
  Speaker 5: on the Thursday and out on the Sunday, so it's
• 3:54
  Speaker 5: a pretty quick trip and it is a very brutal
• 3:58
  Speaker 5: place to play from a condition's point of view. The
• 4:01
  Speaker 5: Crusader's prepped really well for that. I think they this
• 4:04
  Speaker 5: year from pre season. They've been wearing vests and beanies.
• 4:08
  Speaker 5: They wore the white jersey with the Fijian cultural markings
• 4:15
  Speaker 5: on it, but it was white and that was clearly
• 4:19
  Speaker 5: a lesson from previous experience.
• 4:23
  Speaker 4: So they did it really well this time.
• 4:24
  Speaker 5: They stacked their bench Ethan Blackheader, Ficture, New Quentin Strange,
• 4:30
  Speaker 5: LeVar Moore, like some real heavy hitters, James O'Connor. So
• 4:35
  Speaker 5: they did it very well the Crusaders this time around.
• 4:39
  Speaker 5: Look the super around there would be amazing from an
• 4:42
  Speaker 5: atmosphere point of view.
• 4:43
  Speaker 4: I think people would go, but I don't think they're
• 4:47
  Speaker 4: ready for it yet.
• 4:48
  Speaker 5: I don't think it's realistic, particularly if they do bring
• 4:51
  Speaker 5: it back next year.
• 4:52
  Speaker 3: We'll get into the nuts and bolts of that game
• 4:54
  Speaker 3: in a week while here on Rugby Direct. Let's go
• 4:57
  Speaker 3: back to the final game of the weekend, Force and
• 5:01
  Speaker 3: Highlanders twenty nine to twenty. The Force beat the Highlanders.
• 5:05
  Speaker 3: This felt like a game at the Honders was there
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  Speaker 3: for the taking and they had a twenty points to
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  Speaker 3: seven lead and just opened the door for the Force
• 5:13
  Speaker 3: before halftime, and the Force barreled on through that door.
• 5:17
  Speaker 3: Sean Witheri gets red carded. Just felt like the Holanders
• 5:22
  Speaker 3: spun out of control a little.
• 5:23
  Speaker 4: Bit in that game. What did you make of that one?
• 5:26
  Speaker 5: Yes, a bit of a story of the Highlands season.
• 5:28
  Speaker 5: Isn't that letting games slip? I think we've touched on
• 5:30
  Speaker 5: this in previous weeks. That game was there for the taking.
• 5:34
  Speaker 5: The red card prove costly. I thought it was a
• 5:37
  Speaker 5: wee bit harsh, but you do leave your seat to
• 5:40
  Speaker 5: the head though you lift himself open exactly. There's not
• 5:43
  Speaker 5: a lot of choice. Many point would be it's not intentional,
• 5:48
  Speaker 5: but it almost doesn't matter, does it. When you put
• 5:50
  Speaker 5: yourself in that situation it was avoidable and so yeah, yeah,
• 5:56
  Speaker 5: you put yourself outside under massive pressure. Sewn Withy's had
• 5:58
  Speaker 5: a great season, but that was really costly and unfortunately
• 6:02
  Speaker 5: that's I think you draw a line through the Highlands
• 6:05
  Speaker 5: making the top six because of that result, they've got
• 6:08
  Speaker 5: the drawer in Dunedin I think this week and need
• 6:11
  Speaker 5: back them to win that game. I think guys like
• 6:14
  Speaker 5: Jacob Ratamvuki Nepkins are coming back through Club Rugby and
• 6:18
  Speaker 5: be great to see him back after his k neck injury.
• 6:20
  Speaker 5: You know, anytime it's a nick injury fears for players futures,
• 6:25
  Speaker 5: so great to see him back. And I think Fukatava
• 6:27
  Speaker 5: is making his way back as well. So some reinforcements
• 6:30
  Speaker 5: coming for the Honders, but does feel like a bit
• 6:33
  Speaker 5: too little, too late. And the impact that Jamie Joseph
• 6:36
  Speaker 5: made at the start of the year, where Henders really
• 6:38
  Speaker 5: did seem like they had a bit more resilience and
• 6:43
  Speaker 5: they were really competitive against the Kii opposition more than
• 6:46
  Speaker 5: they had been in recent years, seems to be tailing away.
• 6:49
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 6:49
  Speaker 3: I fin hearly injured as well last few weeks as
• 6:51
  Speaker 3: Super Rugby season is over. He was one of the
• 6:53
  Speaker 3: sparks early on in that campaign. Tabatava naw Way as well,
• 7:00
  Speaker 3: is a player that I think started the season well
• 7:04
  Speaker 3: but has maybe been figured out a little bit by
• 7:06
  Speaker 3: opposition defenses to this point in the season. So yeah,
• 7:11
  Speaker 3: it feels like the Hondas just have lost a little
• 7:14
  Speaker 3: bit of momentum out of their campaign. You know. The
• 7:16
  Speaker 3: thing back to that Reds game, you know, which they lost,
• 7:19
  Speaker 3: which was imminently winnable on that afternoon, and so same
• 7:24
  Speaker 3: with the Hurricane. Yeah.
• 7:26
  Speaker 4: Absolutely.
• 7:27
  Speaker 3: So There's been fixtures where I could have won, there's
• 7:29
  Speaker 3: been missed opportunities, and it feels like that might be
• 7:32
  Speaker 3: the tale of the season now. And ninth the Force,
• 7:34
  Speaker 3: who you draw a line through in terms of winning
• 7:37
  Speaker 3: the comp last week up to fourth?
• 7:39
  Speaker 5: Yeah, lookout Western Force fans occurring, but look I think
• 7:45
  Speaker 5: come there into the AR. I still do not expect
• 7:47
  Speaker 5: them to be in the top six, but they are
• 7:50
  Speaker 5: a force at home.
• 7:51
  Speaker 4: Well done, well done.
• 7:53
  Speaker 3: Let's go back to the Blues Hurricanes on Saturday evening
• 7:57
  Speaker 3: at Eden Park and Army saw this one. The Blues
• 7:59
  Speaker 3: went by one. The only team that've beaten this year,
• 8:01
  Speaker 3: the Hurricanes have done it twice. It felt to me
• 8:05
  Speaker 3: like the Blues kind of reverted back to what they
• 8:07
  Speaker 3: played last year and they figured that that was going
• 8:10
  Speaker 3: to be the way to victory. Played very narrow, They
• 8:13
  Speaker 3: get the ball inside opposition territory and just play narrow
• 8:16
  Speaker 3: one out plays, strike, strike, strike it into the twenty two.
• 8:19
  Speaker 4: Apply pressure that way.
• 8:21
  Speaker 3: They only scored one try in the game, but it
• 8:23
  Speaker 3: felt like they didn't really want to work the game
• 8:26
  Speaker 3: on the edges, which is where the probably the Hurricanes
• 8:30
  Speaker 3: were looking to play with their wingers, you know, kenningda
• 8:32
  Speaker 3: Holler didn't have much of an impact. Nanny Punuai as well.
• 8:36
  Speaker 3: Reuben Love wasn't able to strike around the edges that
• 8:39
  Speaker 3: we've seen him play in recent times. So the Blues
• 8:42
  Speaker 3: kept it narrow. They drew penalties. I mean, when was
• 8:44
  Speaker 3: the last time Boden Barrack hit four penalties in the game.
• 8:48
  Speaker 3: Would have been a long time ago, So I thought
• 8:51
  Speaker 3: it wasn't pretty from the Blues, but it was a
• 8:53
  Speaker 3: game they had to win, and they pulled the Hurricanes
• 8:56
  Speaker 3: into an army wrestle, and the Canes just couldn't get
• 8:59
  Speaker 3: out of it and play the style that they wanted
• 9:00
  Speaker 3: after running in fifty plus points the previous weekends the warritors.
• 9:04
  Speaker 3: I give credit to the Blues because they just pulled
• 9:08
  Speaker 3: the Hurricanes into is it say an army so or
• 9:11
  Speaker 3: that probably the Hurricanes didn't want to get into.
• 9:14
  Speaker 5: This felt like a game where there was this season
• 9:17
  Speaker 5: on the line for both teams, didn't it It was tense,
• 9:19
  Speaker 5: it was tights, and they didn't really open up and
• 9:25
  Speaker 5: have a crack either team. It felt like that the
• 9:28
  Speaker 5: Hurricanes certainly tried to use the ball more and be
• 9:31
  Speaker 5: a bit more expensive, but you're right, the Blues definitely
• 9:35
  Speaker 5: reverted to type, and Boden Barrett postmatch did suggest that
• 9:41
  Speaker 5: there's been a lot of hard conversations and that they'd
• 9:43
  Speaker 5: figured out what they wanted to do, and I think
• 9:46
  Speaker 5: that was referring to what you were suggesting that they
• 9:49
  Speaker 5: have gone back to type. The Blues wingers Mark Tlea
• 9:52
  Speaker 5: and Caleb Clark, two of the most potents attacking struke
• 9:56
  Speaker 5: weapons in the game, they barely touched the ball. Caleb
• 9:59
  Speaker 5: Clark gets the ball off the restart, but otherwise they're
• 10:03
  Speaker 5: basically contesting kicks most of the game and it worked
• 10:09
  Speaker 5: enough for the Blues, but it wasn't convincing and they
• 10:13
  Speaker 5: were fortunate in some regards. Patrick two polo to Clark
• 10:16
  Speaker 5: laid law a Hurricanes's coach came out and was livid
• 10:19
  Speaker 5: that that wasn't a red card, and I think there's
• 10:22
  Speaker 5: a case for that. Yes, there was mitigation, but it
• 10:25
  Speaker 5: was clear shoulder to the head contact and in the
• 10:28
  Speaker 5: modern game, you put yourself at the mercy of the
• 10:32
  Speaker 5: powers that be when that happens. The Blues I think
• 10:35
  Speaker 5: were on the wrong side of the penalty count something
• 10:37
  Speaker 5: like fourteen to eight, so the discipline was an issue
• 10:41
  Speaker 5: and the difference for me, there's two points here, Boden
• 10:45
  Speaker 5: Barretts and Riley Juhepper poles apart and their influences on
• 10:51
  Speaker 5: the game. As you'd expect to a certain degree from
• 10:54
  Speaker 5: a one hundred odd test veteran, Boden was in a
• 10:57
  Speaker 5: class of his own. But also the Blues got some
• 11:00
  Speaker 5: good pay off their bench and their squad depth I
• 11:03
  Speaker 5: think helped them. Angus Tarval made a big impact off
• 11:06
  Speaker 5: the bench, certainly one one scrump penalty and had the
• 11:09
  Speaker 5: Hurricanes under pressure. Hurricanes front row under under big pressure
• 11:14
  Speaker 5: other times as well, So the Blues bench made a
• 11:18
  Speaker 5: big impact, but Boden was ultimately the difference he was.
• 11:21
  Speaker 3: And in a week where Damie mckenzie'd resign with New
• 11:25
  Speaker 3: Zealand Rugby, you know a bit of a statement from
• 11:27
  Speaker 3: Boden Barrett that he can play the tight games as
• 11:29
  Speaker 3: well and get his team across the line. Whether this
• 11:34
  Speaker 3: is the win that kick starts the Blue season, I
• 11:36
  Speaker 3: think the jury is out on that. It wasn't like
• 11:38
  Speaker 3: they completely rolled the Hurricanes. They pit them by a point,
• 11:41
  Speaker 3: could have lost that on a different night. It felt
• 11:44
  Speaker 3: like when the Hurricanes scored through Punavia that maybe they
• 11:46
  Speaker 3: were beginning to get on top but just couldn't quite
• 11:49
  Speaker 3: take hold of that advantage. Didn't see enough to suggest
• 11:52
  Speaker 3: that things have turned around from the Blues, though, And
• 11:54
  Speaker 3: they've got more wider Pacifica this week. Who you know,
• 11:58
  Speaker 3: give them forty minutes and they'll absolutely, you know, knock
• 12:01
  Speaker 3: your socks off. So that looms is a pretty big
• 12:05
  Speaker 3: game in context of the Blues season.
• 12:07
  Speaker 5: It does, and I totally agree and not convinced that
• 12:10
  Speaker 5: the Blues are back in any way, shape or form.
• 12:13
  Speaker 5: They did some good things well, but there's not enough
• 12:18
  Speaker 5: from that performance. And the Hurricanes, on the other hand,
• 12:21
  Speaker 5: this was a gut wrenching loss to lose to the
• 12:24
  Speaker 5: Blues in similar circumstances, similar margins. They'll be kicking themselves
• 12:30
  Speaker 5: because that game was there for the taking. They spurned
• 12:34
  Speaker 5: a few opportunities. I thought Baalen Sullivan was good, but
• 12:39
  Speaker 5: many of the attacking weapons were blunted. Wasn't Duple Carifi's
• 12:43
  Speaker 5: best match and they I think the Blues blunted them
• 12:49
  Speaker 5: up front.
• 12:49
  Speaker 4: That was the big the Hurricanes came.
• 12:51
  Speaker 5: They wanted to be physical, they wanted to go through
• 12:53
  Speaker 5: the middle, and the Blues didn't allow them to do that.
• 12:56
  Speaker 5: So that's probably the big takeaway for the Blues. If
• 12:59
  Speaker 5: they can replicate that that four dominance, that's the platform
• 13:02
  Speaker 5: they want to create. But the Hurricanes are really hitting
• 13:06
  Speaker 5: miss this year and it looks a bit of a
• 13:10
  Speaker 5: long road back.
• 13:10
  Speaker 3: Without wanting to pile on Ridy Hill Hooper too much,
• 13:14
  Speaker 3: the Hurricanes are down to what their third choice first
• 13:17
  Speaker 3: five with pretty Cameron gone for the season Harry godfree
• 13:20
  Speaker 3: Art at the moment for I think four to six.
• 13:22
  Speaker 3: He's probably had two three weeks now of that. So
• 13:26
  Speaker 3: I almost wonder whether you go to Rubin Love. I
• 13:28
  Speaker 3: know he's come back from injury, so you know a
• 13:30
  Speaker 3: lot of responsibility for the young man. But he's an
• 13:32
  Speaker 3: all black, one test all black. You know, plays on
• 13:36
  Speaker 3: the right wing, can play wing, sorry, plays full back,
• 13:38
  Speaker 3: can play on the wing as well, but also as
• 13:40
  Speaker 3: a playmaker. Almost wonder whether you handed him the keys
• 13:43
  Speaker 3: in this team, and with the Crusaders coming up this week,
• 13:46
  Speaker 3: whether they actually look to give you know, someone like
• 13:49
  Speaker 3: Rubin Love more touches at the ball because we know
• 13:51
  Speaker 3: what he can do and steer the team around the park.
• 13:53
  Speaker 3: It almost it was like they have got nothing to
• 13:54
  Speaker 3: lose at this point by installing someone like Love at ten.
• 13:58
  Speaker 5: Yeah, I'd like to see that, or even Callum Harkin.
• 14:02
  Speaker 5: I thought he was really good in the NPC and
• 14:05
  Speaker 5: he's quite a robust player. He could play for coming
• 14:08
  Speaker 5: at fullback for the Hurricanes. I know they're struggling with
• 14:12
  Speaker 5: depth and their outside backs have lost a lot of
• 14:14
  Speaker 5: players there in recent years with Celesie Rowsy and Josh
• 14:22
  Speaker 5: Morby and some big outs there and that has really
• 14:25
  Speaker 5: affected the balance of that back three and then the
• 14:29
  Speaker 5: outs at first five that you mentioned. But Riley hall Hepper,
• 14:33
  Speaker 5: I thought he was good the week before, but he's
• 14:36
  Speaker 5: not the answer.
• 14:37
  Speaker 3: Not in big games. No, these are Derby's. There's a
• 14:40
  Speaker 3: test match like intensity to an extent. Yeah, and you
• 14:44
  Speaker 3: saw that couple of big kicks.
• 14:45
  Speaker 5: He missed some misstackles and he's just a bit of
• 14:50
  Speaker 5: a vulnerability and teams will target that. The Crusaders will
• 14:53
  Speaker 5: know him well, they'll know his game, his weaknesses, his strengths,
• 14:57
  Speaker 5: and they'll come for that channel. And they've got some
• 14:59
  Speaker 5: big ball runners they'll come for him all day long.
• 15:03
  Speaker 5: So I think it is time for the Hurricanes to
• 15:05
  Speaker 5: make that switch. It needs to happen now because they're seasons.
• 15:10
  Speaker 5: It's make or break time.
• 15:11
  Speaker 3: Yeah, they're in seventh as it stands, two points outside
• 15:13
  Speaker 3: the top six. Let's go to that game that you're at,
• 15:16
  Speaker 3: Crusaders and Chiefs A sorry, Crusaders and Fiji and Drewer
• 15:19
  Speaker 3: thirty one to fourteen. The Crusaders win, first time they've
• 15:21
  Speaker 3: won in Fiji, and that includes games they've played against
• 15:26
  Speaker 3: the Chiefs there as well a couple of losses to
• 15:29
  Speaker 3: the Drewer along there, and kind of felt like obviously
• 15:33
  Speaker 3: mentioned the white Shirts that was probably a real big
• 15:36
  Speaker 3: factor in it, but also started really strongly. And we've
• 15:40
  Speaker 3: seen Crusaders teams in the past and visiting teams, you know,
• 15:43
  Speaker 3: once that heat gets into your fifty five sixty sixtieth minute,
• 15:46
  Speaker 3: it becomes really really hard and if you switch off,
• 15:48
  Speaker 3: they can score. Well. We saw that for an extent
• 15:50
  Speaker 3: and ten minute period where Drewer got a couple of tries,
• 15:54
  Speaker 3: but the Crusader's already banked a number of points at
• 15:57
  Speaker 3: that point and just sort of were comfortable playing the
• 16:01
  Speaker 3: style they wanted to. I thought, you know, didn't didn't
• 16:08
  Speaker 3: overplay their hand. I suppose is the way i'd phrase that.
• 16:11
  Speaker 3: They weren't trying to do too much with too little.
• 16:14
  Speaker 3: They just played what was in front of them and
• 16:17
  Speaker 3: kept it relatively basic and that was enough for the victory.
• 16:21
  Speaker 5: It was a very smart, tactically stute victory from the Crusaders.
• 16:27
  Speaker 5: They slowed the game down at every opportunity, They ground
• 16:32
  Speaker 5: Fiji down, They lived off their mistakes, they went up
• 16:36
  Speaker 5: the middle, they kept it tight, they used their kicking
• 16:38
  Speaker 5: game really well, and they took their opportunities. And I
• 16:45
  Speaker 5: think if you haven't been there, it is quite hard
• 16:48
  Speaker 5: to grasp just how hard and energy sapping it is.
• 16:51
  Speaker 5: At every break, players down on their haunches, hands on hips.
• 16:56
  Speaker 5: And you mentioned the Crusaders fatigue at the end, and
• 17:00
  Speaker 5: that was very evident, and I think the bench played
• 17:03
  Speaker 5: a big role in just helping them cling on. Basically,
• 17:06
  Speaker 5: but they've done enough to that point. So a big
• 17:10
  Speaker 5: one for the crises. As you mentioned that it's historic,
• 17:12
  Speaker 5: and I think that was a big target for them,
• 17:15
  Speaker 5: having not gone to Fiji and one before, so I
• 17:19
  Speaker 5: know they took a lot of pride in that, and
• 17:21
  Speaker 5: they've got Fijians in their team, shave Fiahaki, Seever Reese,
• 17:25
  Speaker 5: George Bauer, and they were really disappointed with their performance
• 17:29
  Speaker 5: the week before against Mowana. I spoke to Rob Penny
• 17:33
  Speaker 5: afterwards and he described their season to date as a
• 17:35
  Speaker 5: bit schizophrenic, and I think that's probably a good term.
• 17:39
  Speaker 4: What do you make of where they at bither.
• 17:41
  Speaker 3: Thing they needed to string together consistent performances. You know,
• 17:43
  Speaker 3: they came off that Blues performance a couple of weeks ago,
• 17:45
  Speaker 3: were very poor against Mowana Pacifica. Now they've put a
• 17:49
  Speaker 3: stake in the ground, gone to Fiji and won for
• 17:51
  Speaker 3: the first time. They played the Hurricanes on a six
• 17:53
  Speaker 3: day turnaround. The Canes also have that obviously six day turnaround.
• 17:57
  Speaker 3: The Canes have had to fly from Auckland back home.
• 18:00
  Speaker 3: The Crusaders have had to go to Fiji and the
• 18:02
  Speaker 3: energ that that sapped out of them, but they need
• 18:04
  Speaker 3: to back it up. They need to keep backing up.
• 18:06
  Speaker 3: We've got a few more derbies to come at the
• 18:08
  Speaker 3: Blues the following week. I think from memory, the Chiefs
• 18:11
  Speaker 3: on the horizon at about three four weeks time. They've
• 18:14
  Speaker 3: got a lot of Derby still to come the Crusaders,
• 18:17
  Speaker 3: so they've got some tough games to come and if
• 18:21
  Speaker 3: they want to be at the point end of the season,
• 18:23
  Speaker 3: they need to finish in the top two because I
• 18:28
  Speaker 3: think that's the path the victory. Hard to see anyone
• 18:30
  Speaker 3: winning the Super Rugby comp If you're not in the
• 18:32
  Speaker 3: top two at the season, you might be able to
• 18:34
  Speaker 3: go and beat a team in a one off in
• 18:37
  Speaker 3: a final to v one two, but I think the
• 18:41
  Speaker 3: path becomes very very hard if you're coming from five
• 18:43
  Speaker 3: or six in the in the plutoff. So backing it up,
• 18:46
  Speaker 3: I think the key to this year is I have
• 18:47
  Speaker 3: been consistency in selections for the Crusaders. You know Taha Kima,
• 18:53
  Speaker 3: they've trusted him this year. By this point last year,
• 18:55
  Speaker 3: I think they've played three or four players at first five.
• 18:59
  Speaker 3: Kyle Preston's been there half back. He's out injured at
• 19:01
  Speaker 3: the moment. Now. I hope them slot soon. You've got
• 19:03
  Speaker 3: an all Black coming in there. You've got Christian leer
• 19:06
  Speaker 3: Willi at number eight. You've got consistent playing very well. Yeah,
• 19:09
  Speaker 3: So consistency of selections. Last year was a lot of
• 19:12
  Speaker 3: chopping and changing, trying to find the winning formula, but
• 19:15
  Speaker 3: that doesn't happen. You can't chop and change your way
• 19:17
  Speaker 3: to victories. This year they've been a bit more consistent
• 19:21
  Speaker 3: and it's delivering results, but they need to keep backing
• 19:23
  Speaker 3: it up.
• 19:23
  Speaker 4: A couple of points I want to pick up on there.
• 19:25
  Speaker 5: I think what we're seeing from the Chiefs and the Crusaders,
• 19:29
  Speaker 5: not so much the Crusaders because they lost the week before,
• 19:31
  Speaker 5: but you're going to need to find and prove you
• 19:35
  Speaker 5: can win in different ways now. The Chiefs on Friday
• 19:37
  Speaker 5: night driving rain, they had to keep it tight. I
• 19:40
  Speaker 5: had to grind it out and as we move into winter,
• 19:43
  Speaker 5: that's what we're going to need to see. And the Crusaders,
• 19:45
  Speaker 5: who have been quite expansive this year, usable offloaded. Their
• 19:49
  Speaker 5: attack has been a real feature. This was a stylistically
• 19:52
  Speaker 5: very different performance. Their defense was exceptional. They frustrated the drawer,
• 19:58
  Speaker 5: force mistakes, use their kicking game and so tactically it
• 20:03
  Speaker 5: is very different and that's what there'll be a big
• 20:06
  Speaker 5: takeaway for them.
• 20:08
  Speaker 4: He was very impressive Nahoam. I thought he controlled the
• 20:10
  Speaker 4: game well.
• 20:11
  Speaker 5: His kicking game was put a lot of pressure on
• 20:13
  Speaker 5: the doer's outside backs. Kim I just want to pick
• 20:18
  Speaker 5: up on that as well. You mentioned a lot of
• 20:21
  Speaker 5: faith there and there is a bit of rocks and
• 20:23
  Speaker 5: diamonds about him, and I know there's a bit of
• 20:25
  Speaker 5: criticism out there and the loyal crusader's fan base for him.
• 20:31
  Speaker 5: Would you stick with him and back in because it's
• 20:33
  Speaker 5: not he pulled off of fifty twenty two early missed
• 20:36
  Speaker 5: the number of kicks. I think you might have sent
• 20:39
  Speaker 5: one out on the fall. You know, he's a long
• 20:42
  Speaker 5: long way from the finished product, he.
• 20:43
  Speaker 3: Certainly is, but I can see something and he's still
• 20:46
  Speaker 3: very young. Ye know, his name has been around for
• 20:48
  Speaker 3: a few years, but he's still very very young in
• 20:51
  Speaker 3: terms of a first five and running a super rugby team.
• 20:54
  Speaker 3: And you only get better by having rips in time
• 20:58
  Speaker 3: under the belt. Last year, flicking him back to Wakato
• 21:01
  Speaker 3: Club Rugby, what's he going to learn there? Probably not
• 21:04
  Speaker 3: much This year he's learning his goal kicking is an
• 21:07
  Speaker 3: absolute work on. Needs to get better on that front.
• 21:11
  Speaker 3: To give it to Shaffi Hackey, Well, I don't know
• 21:13
  Speaker 3: why they haven't, but I almost think, sorry, I know
• 21:16
  Speaker 3: why they haven't because they want to trust hard to
• 21:18
  Speaker 3: be back you to get this right. We're back you
• 21:20
  Speaker 3: because we know you're going to Ego can write you
• 21:21
  Speaker 3: take it away from him, similar to last year. We
• 21:23
  Speaker 3: don't back you to do this on the big stage.
• 21:25
  Speaker 3: So I think there's a bit of trust there from
• 21:27
  Speaker 3: Rob Penny going we trust that you'll get this right
• 21:30
  Speaker 3: at some point. But again, how many points do you
• 21:33
  Speaker 3: leave out in the park And we saw Fee Hackey
• 21:35
  Speaker 3: a tent one from what was it you there sixty
• 21:37
  Speaker 3: four meters out?
• 21:37
  Speaker 4: You did it easy, had to have the distance, just
• 21:41
  Speaker 4: didn't quite go through the uprights, but it wasn't far away.
• 21:44
  Speaker 4: Got to kick those if you're an all Black mate.
• 21:46
  Speaker 3: Sixty four out yeah, I mean, but again that put
• 21:49
  Speaker 3: the drawer on a little bit of notice that if
• 21:52
  Speaker 3: it's on, you know they'll have a have a crack
• 21:55
  Speaker 3: at that. So yeah, I think you stick with them.
• 22:00
  Speaker 3: And I know there's been clamoring for James O'Connor, but
• 22:02
  Speaker 3: I just think that the trust element there. In terms
• 22:05
  Speaker 3: of building Taha Camada, I think you got put him there.
• 22:08
  Speaker 3: What do you make a SIV center, by the way,
• 22:11
  Speaker 3: didn't have a lot of impact on the gar I
• 22:12
  Speaker 3: think it was fine. I mean, it didn't have as
• 22:15
  Speaker 3: many touches as you probably because the Crusaders get really narrow,
• 22:18
  Speaker 3: really tight, would have had a lot more touches.
• 22:20
  Speaker 4: On the wing on a game like that. Didn't put
• 22:23
  Speaker 4: too much of a foot wrong from what I saw, though, No, it.
• 22:25
  Speaker 5: Wasn't that style of game. He did what he had
• 22:28
  Speaker 5: to do. I don't think it's his long term position.
• 22:30
  Speaker 5: He has played there coming through the ranks, but I
• 22:33
  Speaker 5: think he's better suited to the wing because he is
• 22:35
  Speaker 5: a guy that naturally gets involved from there. Anyway, just
• 22:39
  Speaker 5: casting a head to next week sounds like David Hevilly's achilles,
• 22:43
  Speaker 5: very touch and go. I would be surprised to see
• 22:45
  Speaker 5: him against the Hurricanes. Scott Barrett much more of a chance.
• 22:50
  Speaker 5: So maybe the Crusader's midfield stays at it as it
• 22:54
  Speaker 5: is interesting to see what they do with seven. I
• 22:57
  Speaker 5: think that is also a reflection of Macha Springer's form
• 23:00
  Speaker 5: and Rob Penny wanting to keep him in that team.
• 23:04
  Speaker 4: That's right.
• 23:06
  Speaker 3: Saturday afternoon more Wanda Pacificus the Warrior has forty five
• 23:09
  Speaker 3: twenty eight. This was a heck of a game and
• 23:13
  Speaker 3: Mwana again, you know, first time they've got two wins
• 23:16
  Speaker 3: in a row in Super rugby and deserved. Wasn't looking
• 23:19
  Speaker 3: that way at halftime. But as I said earlier, you
• 23:21
  Speaker 3: give them one to forty minutes, they are going to
• 23:23
  Speaker 3: tea the shreds and that's what they did on Saturday afternoon.
• 23:27
  Speaker 5: Our second half team, aren't they. We've seen this before
• 23:30
  Speaker 5: against the Highlanders when they lost and the Chiefs in Pukakoi.
• 23:36
  Speaker 5: They need to fix that, and I think this time
• 23:39
  Speaker 5: it was probably more a mental come down, trying to
• 23:43
  Speaker 5: get off the high I've beaten the Crusaders, their greatest
• 23:47
  Speaker 5: win in their short history, the expectations that come with that,
• 23:51
  Speaker 5: the hype, and so a bit of a false start
• 23:55
  Speaker 5: and not a lot went right in that first stuff,
• 23:58
  Speaker 5: but they regrouped and man, they can score some points. Yeah,
• 24:02
  Speaker 5: forty five points and they have done that consistently this year.
• 24:06
  Speaker 5: Defensively they haven't been as good, but when they're on,
• 24:10
  Speaker 5: they will come through you. They can go around you.
• 24:14
  Speaker 5: They have a number of attacking threats. So the Blues
• 24:17
  Speaker 5: will be very nervous this week for that local derby.
• 24:21
  Speaker 3: Yeah, the Mourner are the kings of regrouping, because you
• 24:24
  Speaker 3: look at the deficit and go game might be slipping
• 24:27
  Speaker 3: away from them, but doesn't seem to matter for them.
• 24:28
  Speaker 3: But the ruck speed when they're on the ruck speed
• 24:31
  Speaker 3: that they play with when they give their you know,
• 24:33
  Speaker 3: players like fire Lungy Tuptlor Savia of course a crack.
• 24:38
  Speaker 3: When those forwards get going, they have very, very hard
• 24:41
  Speaker 3: to stop. We saw that the prop score three tries
• 24:44
  Speaker 3: on the weekend. They've got some great outside backs and
• 24:48
  Speaker 3: when they click that they're just really dangerous to play it,
• 24:51
  Speaker 3: and not many teams can hang with them.
• 24:53
  Speaker 5: No, and Patrick PELAGREENI very good. Again, he's the glue
• 24:56
  Speaker 5: that's that's holding that together. And just want to pick
• 25:00
  Speaker 5: up great recruitment and great coaching. You'd have to say,
• 25:04
  Speaker 5: to bring a guy up to speed that was playing
• 25:06
  Speaker 5: second division and English club rugby. And yeah, isn't it
• 25:11
  Speaker 5: great to see more on a history made and validation
• 25:15
  Speaker 5: further legitimacy. After that went over the Crusaders, it wasn't
• 25:19
  Speaker 5: a one off. They are here to compete.
• 25:21
  Speaker 3: Yeah, and you think back to the questions around their
• 25:24
  Speaker 3: long term viability in this comp and whether they can survive.
• 25:26
  Speaker 3: And the Webbys had some ownership changes here and there
• 25:30
  Speaker 3: through the last couple of years. But though the whipping
• 25:32
  Speaker 3: boys for a while and you go, this could be
• 25:34
  Speaker 3: a team that could easily be flecked at some point. Well,
• 25:39
  Speaker 3: now they're top six contenders, if not further and it's
• 25:44
  Speaker 3: hard to imagine Super Rugby without them now, which is
• 25:47
  Speaker 3: the great thing saying with the Fiji and Drawer, you know,
• 25:49
  Speaker 3: they've got to the point where these teams are legitimate
• 25:52
  Speaker 3: contenders to win rugby games. They're not just the whipping boys.
• 25:55
  Speaker 3: They're not there to make up the numbers. So in
• 25:58
  Speaker 3: terms of when one has got to that's exactly where
• 26:01
  Speaker 3: you want them to be in this competition.
• 26:04
  Speaker 5: And that's why we don't want to change the competition
• 26:07
  Speaker 5: right now because teams like Maayana are having these victories
• 26:12
  Speaker 5: knocking over well established teams the Waratas the Crusaders, and
• 26:16
  Speaker 5: it has taken them sometime where the Drewer were competitive
• 26:20
  Speaker 5: from the outset. And I think it is an advantage
• 26:24
  Speaker 5: being a one nation team. You've got that national support,
• 26:30
  Speaker 5: you have a pool of sponsors. I think they've got
• 26:34
  Speaker 5: fifteen local sponsors propping up the Drewer and their player
• 26:39
  Speaker 5: pool is much more concentrated. Smuana has taken them time
• 26:44
  Speaker 5: to find their identity, to develop their culture, to get
• 26:47
  Speaker 5: a good coaching team, to find a home base, to
• 26:51
  Speaker 5: understand what it takes to win at this level, to
• 26:54
  Speaker 5: recruit well. And they've still got a long way to go,
• 26:57
  Speaker 5: but getting someone like Ardie Severe was massive getting tana
• 27:00
  Speaker 5: Umag on board. So it has been a very slow,
• 27:03
  Speaker 5: gradual process, but most startup teams need time and we're
• 27:07
  Speaker 5: seeing that growth nowe on and off the field. They
• 27:12
  Speaker 5: I saw some stats that they have the most engagement
• 27:17
  Speaker 5: in social media than any other team in Australasia. So
• 27:23
  Speaker 5: the engagements there, they're building a fan base and then
• 27:27
  Speaker 5: the results are coming. So it is magic to see
• 27:31
  Speaker 5: something come to fruish and like that long mat continue.
• 27:35
  Speaker 5: They're not the finished product, but they are setting expectations
• 27:38
  Speaker 5: and look, isn't it amazing to sit here and say
• 27:42
  Speaker 5: it would not be a shock to see them knock
• 27:43
  Speaker 5: over the Blues this week.
• 27:44
  Speaker 4: Absolutely, that's what we want out of this competition. The Waratas.
• 27:47
  Speaker 3: I'm not sure if they went home between the Hurricanes
• 27:50
  Speaker 3: or not, but tough old trip for New Zealand. Two weeks,
• 27:52
  Speaker 3: one hundred and two points conceded and Suwa Lei is
• 27:56
  Speaker 3: the bright spot for them. But there's not much else
• 27:59
  Speaker 3: going on in that war Retars team at the moment.
• 28:01
  Speaker 5: No, they've fallen off a cliff. They are three and
• 28:04
  Speaker 5: zero at home, so they will be desperate to get back.
• 28:08
  Speaker 5: But it can't be that simple. You've got to win
• 28:11
  Speaker 5: on the road. And yeah, I'm not sure what's gone
• 28:15
  Speaker 5: wrong there because they were horrific against the Hurricanes and
• 28:18
  Speaker 5: then got belt in that second half, so maybe there's
• 28:24
  Speaker 5: some mental challenges there. They've got stack squad, yeah, full
• 28:28
  Speaker 5: of Wallabies. They should be playing and performing a lot better.
• 28:32
  Speaker 4: They should be.
• 28:33
  Speaker 3: Friday night, first game of the round final game, we'll
• 28:36
  Speaker 3: discussed Chiefs and Reds twenty seven to fifteen, driving rain.
• 28:40
  Speaker 4: It was horrible weather. I have much in New Zealand.
• 28:42
  Speaker 3: Thursday Friday bucketed down and it was just a niggli
• 28:47
  Speaker 3: old game. The Chiefs twenty seven to fifteen winners at
• 28:50
  Speaker 3: the end. It was ten all at halftime, the Reds
• 28:54
  Speaker 3: scoring a great try through Joe Brile just before the break.
• 28:57
  Speaker 3: Can chase, but really hard to get a sentence in
• 29:01
  Speaker 3: those kind of conditions and the Chiefs I think just
• 29:03
  Speaker 3: managed the game a little bit better. The Reds will
• 29:05
  Speaker 3: take a lot out of that, a lot to like.
• 29:08
  Speaker 3: Not sure McLachlin. Phillips attends the answer for them, Liner
• 29:11
  Speaker 3: looks like a better bet, but top of the table clash,
• 29:18
  Speaker 3: they gave their all I think the Reds. But the
• 29:21
  Speaker 3: Chiefs are just a little bit too clinical when it
• 29:23
  Speaker 3: counted on the night with a silly yellow card for
• 29:27
  Speaker 3: Jeffrey tu Munger Allen, which is again for the evidence
• 29:29
  Speaker 3: at the TMO needs to just be cast aside. But
• 29:34
  Speaker 3: good one for the Chiefs keeps on top of the
• 29:35
  Speaker 3: ladder and the Reds, you know, a couple losses Crusaders
• 29:39
  Speaker 3: a few weeks ago to the Kiwi teams the Chiefs
• 29:42
  Speaker 3: as well, not far away but not quite there yet.
• 29:45
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 29:46
  Speaker 5: I think it is an important one for the Chiefs,
• 29:49
  Speaker 5: and the Reds have been their bogey team in recent years.
• 29:52
  Speaker 5: I think the matches tighter than the twenty seven fifteen
• 29:56
  Speaker 5: score line suggests. I agree about Liner, he needs to
• 29:59
  Speaker 5: be starting for the Reds, and I do just wonder
• 30:02
  Speaker 5: about the chief strategy of stacking their bench of all blacks.
• 30:05
  Speaker 5: I think maybe that needs to change as a season
• 30:08
  Speaker 5: goes on, because they have been a They're performing well
• 30:12
  Speaker 5: at the back end of matches, but they're not quite
• 30:14
  Speaker 5: starting as well, so bringing guys like sommersny Takiajo some
• 30:19
  Speaker 5: of a penny female off the bench.
• 30:20
  Speaker 4: These there's a bit of a waste, isn't it.
• 30:23
  Speaker 3: It is, But we've seeing the bench, you know, think
• 30:25
  Speaker 3: about the bombs squad and that's what everyone goes to.
• 30:27
  Speaker 3: But the last thirty minutes I think now in matches
• 30:29
  Speaker 3: is just as important as the first fifty. And I
• 30:33
  Speaker 3: think we almost need to get past the idea of
• 30:36
  Speaker 3: bench being a relegation bench being you're not good enough
• 30:40
  Speaker 3: to be in the starting team. I think we need
• 30:42
  Speaker 3: to embrace the concept of finishes. You know, look at
• 30:44
  Speaker 3: Malcolm Marx and what he does for the spring Box
• 30:47
  Speaker 3: and how good he is replacing bon Gain but Nambi
• 30:50
  Speaker 3: the couple of world class players there, but Marks is
• 30:52
  Speaker 3: in my mind a better hooker comes off the bench.
• 30:54
  Speaker 3: The last thirty minutes absolutely bosses things. So from a
• 30:57
  Speaker 3: strategy perspective, I don't necessarily mind it. I think the
• 31:02
  Speaker 3: thirty minutes that count of the back end of the games.
• 31:04
  Speaker 3: If you're in the first fifty, that's going to close
• 31:06
  Speaker 3: out the games. And probably we we said a lot,
• 31:09
  Speaker 3: you know, an experience off bench teams change things you
• 31:14
  Speaker 3: know Royga goes off the bench, it comes off on.
• 31:17
  Speaker 4: There was a weekend weird substitution.
• 31:18
  Speaker 3: Yeah, Idianadi comes on with what fifteen to play? You know,
• 31:21
  Speaker 3: roy Gard had been very, very good. I thought in
• 31:22
  Speaker 3: that game the drop off between Royguard and Eddie and
• 31:25
  Speaker 3: Ardi is big massive. But I'm not advocating for Rutguard
• 31:28
  Speaker 3: to start, but sometimes sorry to come off the bench.
• 31:31
  Speaker 3: I'm not over going for Rodyard to come off the bench.
• 31:32
  Speaker 3: Played last thirty minutes, but it's such a big part
• 31:35
  Speaker 3: of the game now that I don't necessarily mind it.
• 31:39
  Speaker 5: From the Chiefs, Roygard should have played the eighty that
• 31:42
  Speaker 5: there's you don't need to make sub substitutions and mean
• 31:46
  Speaker 5: he was playing well, and yes, half back to get fatigue,
• 31:49
  Speaker 5: but there are certain games that they can play eighty.
• 31:52
  Speaker 5: And I understand where you're coming from, and it is
• 31:56
  Speaker 5: a lot more common the Crusaders that are in Fiji,
• 31:59
  Speaker 5: and I think and that's climates.
• 32:02
  Speaker 4: It makes sense.
• 32:03
  Speaker 5: But for me, the Chiefs line out struggled a wee
• 32:06
  Speaker 5: bit and takeyo Ho for me is a much better
• 32:09
  Speaker 5: hooker than Brody McAllister. I'd like to see him for fifty,
• 32:13
  Speaker 5: not twenty or thirty and same with Summer Penny Female.
• 32:18
  Speaker 5: It's an interesting strategy and I just it's going to
• 32:20
  Speaker 5: be interesting to see how that evolves throughout the for
• 32:23
  Speaker 5: the Chiefs and other teams like the Crusaders, and we've
• 32:25
  Speaker 5: seen it from the Blues. It is much more common,
• 32:29
  Speaker 5: like you say, to target those finishers because it's been
• 32:34
  Speaker 5: an issue for teams. The Blues have struggled losing games
• 32:37
  Speaker 5: late and they tried to stack their bench. Didn't really
• 32:39
  Speaker 5: work for them. They've gone back the other way. So yeah,
• 32:42
  Speaker 5: there's a bit of trial and error as well.
• 32:44
  Speaker 4: Yeah, there certainly is.
• 32:45
  Speaker 3: That'll bring up the end of the first half of
• 32:48
  Speaker 3: Rugby Direct back with the second half including the final four.
• 32:50
  Speaker 3: After this, I could see our friends at Habit Health.
• 32:53
  Speaker 2: This is Rugby Direct, a podcast for real rugby fans.
• 33:00
  Speaker 4: Every try try and sixty sec every tackle to tackle,
• 33:03
  Speaker 4: tackle get up again, I thank him before it's Rugby Direct.
• 33:10
  Speaker 2: Ladies.
• 33:11
  Speaker 4: You're back with Rugby Direct powered by a Habit Health.
• 33:14
  Speaker 3: Time now for the second half of the podcast and
• 33:16
  Speaker 3: our final four topic number one, should more be done
• 33:19
  Speaker 3: to spread talent around the franchises?
• 33:22
  Speaker 4: Liam?
• 33:23
  Speaker 3: I suppose we look at the Blues on the weekend.
• 33:24
  Speaker 3: They're pitiphetic coming off the bench. Harry Plumber all black
• 33:28
  Speaker 3: Cap last year, not in their twenty three. You know
• 33:33
  Speaker 3: the teams they're crying out for tens. You think back
• 33:35
  Speaker 3: to the Crusaders and twenty years ago and they had
• 33:38
  Speaker 3: major Mertons Carter period after that had Colin Sad any
• 33:43
  Speaker 3: number of tens. So it's not a new issue. But
• 33:45
  Speaker 3: do you think something should be done to prevent quote
• 33:48
  Speaker 3: unquote stockpiling of plays?
• 33:50
  Speaker 4: Yeah?
• 33:50
  Speaker 5: I would like to see New Zealand Rugby be more
• 33:53
  Speaker 5: influential in the space to try and push players in
• 33:58
  Speaker 5: certain directions. I think we see the success of it
• 34:01
  Speaker 5: with guys like Caleb Tunguey Tao and the Highlanders throughout
• 34:05
  Speaker 5: Super Rugby. You know the mod An era of players
• 34:09
  Speaker 5: getting opportunities and grabbing them.
• 34:13
  Speaker 4: On the converter.
• 34:14
  Speaker 5: On the contrasting side, players go backwards and don't get
• 34:19
  Speaker 5: opportunities to push for high honors when they're not playing.
• 34:22
  Speaker 5: And is it beneficial for New Zealand Rugby to be
• 34:25
  Speaker 5: stockpiling three tens and you've effectively got six quality tens
• 34:32
  Speaker 5: and two franchises and the Highlanders Tane Robinson not the answer, unfortunately,
• 34:39
  Speaker 5: and the Hurricanes are forced to go to Riley horheapper.
• 34:43
  Speaker 5: How much better off would the competition be if the
• 34:46
  Speaker 5: Holanders had caleber Trusk or the Hurricanes had Stephen Peterfefer
• 34:50
  Speaker 5: who was sitting on the bench and played what fifteen
• 34:52
  Speaker 5: minutes at the weekend. I understand the challenges around it,
• 34:57
  Speaker 5: and telling players where to go is not ideal, but
• 35:01
  Speaker 5: look look at the NBA players get traded on a whim.
• 35:03
  Speaker 3: Should the ends should ins o, though, be playing god
• 35:08
  Speaker 3: on a professional competition with integrity.
• 35:11
  Speaker 4: To go you go there, you go there. I don't
• 35:13
  Speaker 4: know if you can be that dictatorial about it, but
• 35:15
  Speaker 4: we do see it.
• 35:15
  Speaker 5: An Irish rugby Joey Carberry went from Leinster to Munster
• 35:22
  Speaker 5: and that there are other examples up there of where
• 35:24
  Speaker 5: they I don't think they are saying I don't think
• 35:28
  Speaker 5: they do say you must go there, but they say, look,
• 35:31
  Speaker 5: your your career is going to be enhanced if you do.
• 35:34
  Speaker 3: I would like to see the old school draft system
• 35:38
  Speaker 3: come back. And for those that don't recall it, it
• 35:41
  Speaker 3: was in the days early from right the start of
• 35:45
  Speaker 3: Super rugby until maybe the mid two thousands at a
• 35:48
  Speaker 3: guess where this is when the NPC teams are more
• 35:51
  Speaker 3: aligned with Super Rugby, be you could protect a certain
• 35:53
  Speaker 3: number of players from your patch, from your regions, and
• 35:57
  Speaker 3: then once you've done that, you had to fill up
• 35:59
  Speaker 3: your squad with players from the draft. So any number
• 36:02
  Speaker 3: of players that weren't contracted to go there. I would
• 36:04
  Speaker 3: like to see a return to that. Say you could
• 36:07
  Speaker 3: contract eight to thirty players and to make up the
• 36:10
  Speaker 3: rest of your thirty eight man scored, you go to
• 36:12
  Speaker 3: a draft and so you've got a planet advance a
• 36:15
  Speaker 3: bit because you want to have Boden Barrett for three
• 36:17
  Speaker 3: four seasons. Well, you know that's one player in your
• 36:20
  Speaker 3: twenty eight that you have to account for, but you
• 36:22
  Speaker 3: can protect that you can protect, and obviously when you
• 36:26
  Speaker 3: make signings around protecting players, you know that there's going
• 36:31
  Speaker 3: to be some jepardy and there's going to be some
• 36:32
  Speaker 3: players that you can't protect that you can only cap
• 36:35
  Speaker 3: at twenty eight or whatever the number is. And that
• 36:38
  Speaker 3: would then bring those players that aren't contracted to a
• 36:42
  Speaker 3: Super Rugby team and say say it's ten spots available
• 36:46
  Speaker 3: in each roster, Well that's if you include one to
• 36:49
  Speaker 3: PACIFICA sixty spots that could be filled at a point
• 36:52
  Speaker 3: in the year, whether it's after the NPC, midway through
• 36:54
  Speaker 3: the NBC, whatever it is, and that means that tactically
• 37:00
  Speaker 3: you are more likely to be able to go. Let's
• 37:03
  Speaker 3: say Harry Plumber is staying in you see on Rugby,
• 37:05
  Speaker 3: but Harry Plumber, maybe not protected by the Blues, could
• 37:07
  Speaker 3: end up at the Highland, could end up that and
• 37:10
  Speaker 3: you take those opportunities there. I would like to see
• 37:12
  Speaker 3: a return from that, and what it does do as
• 37:14
  Speaker 3: well would keep Super Rugby in the headlines those teams
• 37:17
  Speaker 3: in the headlines throughout the rest of the year. Yeah,
• 37:19
  Speaker 3: they're not playing. There's a lot of talk around, well,
• 37:22
  Speaker 3: we know that player X is on a five year contract,
• 37:26
  Speaker 3: so they'll definitely be part of that twenty eight. Will
• 37:29
  Speaker 3: they'll take up an option to keep this player in
• 37:31
  Speaker 3: the twenty eight Who knows? So it just keeps those
• 37:33
  Speaker 3: storylines going but also helps level the playing field a
• 37:36
  Speaker 3: little bit.
• 37:37
  Speaker 4: Yeah, I like it. The last point I'm going to
• 37:38
  Speaker 4: pick up on.
• 37:39
  Speaker 5: The one thing Super Rabi could do to really shoot
• 37:42
  Speaker 5: itself into lights is have a competition wide draft and
• 37:46
  Speaker 5: there are massive logistical challenges with that with players New
• 37:52
  Speaker 5: Zealand players going to Australian teams and your pathways and
• 37:56
  Speaker 5: all those sorts of things. But what you're suggesting is
• 37:59
  Speaker 5: a bit of a compromise. You protect X amount of
• 38:02
  Speaker 5: players and then there's a pool that you could market
• 38:08
  Speaker 5: and people would be fascinated by engaging with that.
• 38:12
  Speaker 3: We look at the Big Bash League and they do
• 38:15
  Speaker 3: the overseas player draft and various other things that go
• 38:19
  Speaker 3: around as a televised program. You know, couldn't tell me
• 38:22
  Speaker 3: that Sky Sport, couldn't tell me that US here wouldn't
• 38:25
  Speaker 3: want to do some sort of event coverage around it.
• 38:28
  Speaker 3: When teams are going to pick you know, their players
• 38:31
  Speaker 3: to fool their squads. Yeah, they're not the pick of
• 38:33
  Speaker 3: the crop, the cream of the crop, these players because
• 38:36
  Speaker 3: they're not protected. But there is you know, a lot
• 38:38
  Speaker 3: a lot of interest around who goes where and what
• 38:41
  Speaker 3: decisions he made and look, you know, maybe a team
• 38:43
  Speaker 3: needs an extra first five, an extra halfback, whatever it is.
• 38:47
  Speaker 3: There's a lot of you know, genuine strategy and tactics
• 38:50
  Speaker 3: that would go into it.
• 38:51
  Speaker 4: Yeah, and the narratives and storylines that flow out of that.
• 38:54
  Speaker 5: Look at a guy like Preston and the impact he
• 38:56
  Speaker 5: made scoring three tries on Debous for the Crusaders now
• 39:00
  Speaker 5: he was picked up out of NPC and Wellington and
• 39:04
  Speaker 5: so some of those fringe guys can actually have a
• 39:07
  Speaker 5: massive impact. Tongueytail is another one and we've seen it
• 39:10
  Speaker 5: with the Honders with the holo going down there over
• 39:13
  Speaker 5: the years. And yeah, a third string first five at
• 39:18
  Speaker 5: the Chiefs or Blues as a starter.
• 39:20
  Speaker 4: Right now for the Hurricanes and Highlanders. So I like
• 39:23
  Speaker 4: the concept.
• 39:24
  Speaker 5: I think there does need to be some sort of
• 39:27
  Speaker 5: caveats or notion for pushing players and spreading the talent
• 39:33
  Speaker 5: and it's only going to enhance the competitiveness of the competition, which.
• 39:37
  Speaker 3: Is exactly what we want. And it's not like it's
• 39:38
  Speaker 3: not competitive at the moment, but just that talent spread
• 39:40
  Speaker 3: could be could be spread better. Topic number so the
• 39:43
  Speaker 3: Orpecky Final Blues and Matter two seven o five on
• 39:46
  Speaker 3: Saturday evening. We talked abouit last week about the scheduling there,
• 39:49
  Speaker 3: which to me remains baffling. All for women's rugby, all
• 39:54
  Speaker 3: for promoting it, all for having it in prime time,
• 39:57
  Speaker 3: and I get there are different audiences, but just don't
• 40:00
  Speaker 3: quite get the logic around it. When you want to
• 40:05
  Speaker 3: expose your brand. When there's a Highlanders drawer which is
• 40:07
  Speaker 3: a must game for both teams on the other channel,
• 40:10
  Speaker 3: you know, it's just it's all about promoting it. And
• 40:13
  Speaker 3: I'm not saying they shouldn't be playing in primetime, but
• 40:17
  Speaker 3: you've got to give people opportunity to find it, and
• 40:20
  Speaker 3: I think that's the issue. But regardless, who do you
• 40:23
  Speaker 3: think is going to win this weekend? Blues and we
• 40:25
  Speaker 3: had a loss to the chiefs manwer on the weekend
• 40:28
  Speaker 3: the Blues beat the Hurricanes, who are probably much more
• 40:30
  Speaker 3: competitive than they have been throughout the entirety of this competition.
• 40:35
  Speaker 4: My head says Blues at home and Eden Park at
• 40:37
  Speaker 4: the victory. It is first one that scheduling.
• 40:39
  Speaker 5: We obviously touched on it last week, but so it's
• 40:43
  Speaker 5: after the Blues Maana as well, and there's no Super
• 40:46
  Speaker 5: Raugby game prior to that. So I really don't understand
• 40:51
  Speaker 5: why you wouldn't have it as you don't have to
• 40:54
  Speaker 5: call it the curtain raiser, It's still call it a doubleheaderah,
• 40:57
  Speaker 5: But I think it makes much more sense to have
• 40:59
  Speaker 5: it in an un congested window and have the Blues
• 41:03
  Speaker 5: and Wana after that. I think you're much more likely
• 41:05
  Speaker 5: to get fans coming in pre match for the Blues
• 41:10
  Speaker 5: men men men's team rather than staying afterwards for a
• 41:14
  Speaker 5: seven o five kickoff. Maybe Club Rugby there is an
• 41:18
  Speaker 5: argument there, but yeah, I totally agree about the scheduling. Baffling.
• 41:23
  Speaker 5: Look on the final, it's the first time the Chiefs
• 41:26
  Speaker 5: haven't been in it. So interesting there, and it will
• 41:29
  Speaker 5: be the first time I think, correct me if I'm
• 41:31
  Speaker 5: wrong that a team will go back to back. Might
• 41:34
  Speaker 5: or two might have sayn to say about that, but yes,
• 41:37
  Speaker 5: well they won the title in that but yeah, this
• 41:39
  Speaker 5: is the first Yeah, the first time that summer. You're
• 41:42
  Speaker 5: saying that this was the first time a team's going
• 41:43
  Speaker 5: back to back to win it. Yeah, they going to
• 41:46
  Speaker 5: win it first. Well, the Blues have won one yea
• 41:48
  Speaker 5: and Multa two have won one. Yeah, so it will
• 41:51
  Speaker 5: be the first time that any team has gone back
• 41:53
  Speaker 5: to back well one two, Yes, but the Blues will
• 41:58
  Speaker 5: win sor Okay, we got.
• 42:01
  Speaker 4: There at the end. Topic number three came on a
• 42:03
  Speaker 4: Pacific A win Super Rugby.
• 42:08
  Speaker 5: Then need to play eighty minutes, so right now I'd
• 42:09
  Speaker 5: say no, But they are fully capable of knocking over
• 42:13
  Speaker 5: anyone on their day.
• 42:15
  Speaker 3: I think they can win. I genuinely do think they
• 42:17
  Speaker 3: can win if they If they beat the Blues this week,
• 42:19
  Speaker 3: they get it, they continue to get that role on.
• 42:21
  Speaker 4: I just think they're going to be very very hard
• 42:23
  Speaker 4: to stop.
• 42:23
  Speaker 3: And the higher they get in the playoffs, which they're
• 42:26
  Speaker 3: on the outside looking in at the moment, you know
• 42:28
  Speaker 3: they're going to play at home. We know how big
• 42:30
  Speaker 3: that is for them, very very hard team to beat.
• 42:33
  Speaker 3: Now at North Harbor, I think they can win again.
• 42:36
  Speaker 3: It's their eighty minute performance and they'll look back now
• 42:39
  Speaker 3: and go should have had that force win, should have
• 42:41
  Speaker 3: had that high end as win. Hell, probably should have
• 42:43
  Speaker 3: even beat in the Chiefs even in all honesty, despite
• 42:45
  Speaker 3: being forty three to seven down. You know they don't
• 42:47
  Speaker 3: can see one or two of those tries. They're right
• 42:49
  Speaker 3: in that game, So there are missed opportunities. If they
• 42:53
  Speaker 3: can keep delivering the way that they are, they're not
• 42:56
  Speaker 3: out of any contest. We've seen that. I genuinely think.
• 42:59
  Speaker 3: I'm not saying they will win, but I think they
• 43:01
  Speaker 3: are capable of winning Super Rugby this year.
• 43:04
  Speaker 5: Yeah. What I would say is they've already vastly exceeded
• 43:07
  Speaker 5: my expectations. I didn't expect them to be in the
• 43:10
  Speaker 5: top six picture realistically this year. I thought maybe next
• 43:13
  Speaker 5: year in terms of the incremental growth that we've seen
• 43:16
  Speaker 5: from them now having gone back to back, grasp that
• 43:21
  Speaker 5: consistency and keep the ball rolling. So I'd like to
• 43:24
  Speaker 5: see more consistency throughout the game. Put together an eighty
• 43:28
  Speaker 5: minute performance. But come the playoffs, I think the cream
• 43:33
  Speaker 5: will rise and I think we are starting to see
• 43:35
  Speaker 5: that slowly.
• 43:37
  Speaker 3: Indeed's topic four, but later the party on this meant
• 43:39
  Speaker 3: to discuss it last week. But over the last couple
• 43:42
  Speaker 3: of weeks the ANZAC Dave Bladslower Cup test, which was
• 43:45
  Speaker 3: floated by Australia Western Australian Government, we're going to put
• 43:49
  Speaker 3: some money into it. Using on Rugby said no thanks
• 43:53
  Speaker 3: your reaction to that because speak rather heated across the TAZM.
• 43:56
  Speaker 5: To that it has Tim Morem came out in slam
• 43:59
  Speaker 5: New Zealand Rugby and I needed some fact checking on this.
• 44:04
  Speaker 5: But he suggested that money that Western Force government we're
• 44:08
  Speaker 5: putting up, that the teams are going to be handsomely compensating.
• 44:12
  Speaker 4: Compensated.
• 44:13
  Speaker 5: He was suggesting to the tune of two hundred thousand
• 44:15
  Speaker 5: dollars I'd like to see the figures on that. But
• 44:19
  Speaker 5: also on this side of the Tasman Jeff Wilson and
• 44:22
  Speaker 5: Justin Marshall supported to Morren's views that ZEBI could do more.
• 44:28
  Speaker 5: The issue around it is you'd have to take All
• 44:30
  Speaker 5: Blacks and Wallabies out of Super Ragby for two weeks
• 44:34
  Speaker 5: and we've seen the backlash around that with All Black
• 44:39
  Speaker 5: rests and that notwithstanding, I would like to see the
• 44:45
  Speaker 5: concept investigated more. I think it would be a hit
• 44:50
  Speaker 5: to see the All Blacks and the Wallabies play one
• 44:51
  Speaker 5: off test at a different time of year. Anything New
• 44:56
  Speaker 5: garners a bit of interest, but there are clearly widespread
• 45:00
  Speaker 5: problems and you are cannibalizing Super Rugby just as it's
• 45:04
  Speaker 5: starting to really take off.
• 45:06
  Speaker 3: Yeah, it just makes no sense to me whatsoever this concept,
• 45:09
  Speaker 3: and I think New Zealand Rugby are right to reject it.
• 45:12
  Speaker 3: So they would have had to play in Perth every year,
• 45:15
  Speaker 3: so that would have meant well, you'd still play one
• 45:18
  Speaker 3: blitter is the start of the year and they have
• 45:19
  Speaker 3: to play two in the Rugby Championship, so Perth gets one.
• 45:23
  Speaker 3: So Australia would New Zealand would play two away games
• 45:27
  Speaker 3: and the Blitters every year potentially.
• 45:29
  Speaker 4: Well maybe they'll be a compromise that some years is
• 45:32
  Speaker 4: too in New Zealand and you pause Super Rugby for
• 45:36
  Speaker 4: a week or two weeks or do you think it going?
• 45:39
  Speaker 4: I think it keeps going. But yeah, it losire all
• 45:41
  Speaker 4: Blacks plays.
• 45:41
  Speaker 5: It is a massive handicap to take all the All
• 45:44
  Speaker 5: Blacks and Wallabies out for two whole weeks and that
• 45:48
  Speaker 5: does massively compromise the integrity of the competition.
• 45:52
  Speaker 3: And you land on a very busy sporting day already
• 45:54
  Speaker 3: across Australia there's what three NRL games, the Warriors of
• 45:59
  Speaker 3: nagot One on the side of the Tasman, there's the
• 46:01
  Speaker 3: traditional Roosters, Saint George la Warror.
• 46:05
  Speaker 4: I think it is.
• 46:06
  Speaker 5: I think the Black it's the traditional AFL games. Bill
• 46:09
  Speaker 5: Black's trump set certainly in New Zealand's yep.
• 46:12
  Speaker 3: But you're landing on a very busy Australian sporting calendar.
• 46:15
  Speaker 3: So where did the headlines come from? Where do you
• 46:17
  Speaker 3: find a way to I know you're in Perth and
• 46:20
  Speaker 3: then probably the interest will gravitate there. But you're landing
• 46:23
  Speaker 3: on what is a very very busy sporting day as
• 46:26
  Speaker 3: it stands I know that clearly, pers just want to
• 46:28
  Speaker 3: slice that Anzac day pie.
• 46:30
  Speaker 5: I think they sell out that new stadium, no problem
• 46:33
  Speaker 5: up there. There's plenty of expats, they get, the Force,
• 46:37
  Speaker 5: get great support. It's a great venue and the All
• 46:40
  Speaker 5: Blacks are hugely popular. It's Australian Rugby's number one ticket,
• 46:45
  Speaker 5: so no problem selling that out. It would be a
• 46:47
  Speaker 5: ratings hit. The issue is the massive hit that Super
• 46:53
  Speaker 5: Rugby takes.
• 46:54
  Speaker 3: Yeah, interesting one. I just look at you. I think
• 46:55
  Speaker 3: that the concepts now did in the water the Anzac test. Liam.
• 46:58
  Speaker 3: Let's get into our tipping Hurricanes Crusaders Friday nights. In fact, Liam,
• 47:05
  Speaker 3: let's get into that tipping recap last week five. The
• 47:09
  Speaker 3: side of the table. You got two of five chiefs
• 47:12
  Speaker 3: and wine to right. Everything's wrong.
• 47:14
  Speaker 5: Tough to take, isn't it. My two teams the Drawer
• 47:17
  Speaker 5: and the Canes. Your two teams heartbreaking.
• 47:21
  Speaker 3: So I've now got a six point leader as it stands,
• 47:23
  Speaker 3: which is great news for my fans out there and myself.
• 47:26
  Speaker 4: Hurrigan's Crusaders Friday nights in the Capitol. Oh, Elliot, Elias, Elies.
• 47:32
  Speaker 3: It's just look this on the Crusaders on the weekend
• 47:36
  Speaker 3: surely you want to see them when.
• 47:38
  Speaker 5: No one wants to see them one mate, Okay, let's
• 47:40
  Speaker 5: get that clear from the outset. But I am going
• 47:42
  Speaker 5: to tip them.
• 47:43
  Speaker 4: It breaks my hearts, but I need to make up
• 47:47
  Speaker 4: some ground here.
• 47:48
  Speaker 3: Okay, Well, you're not gonna make it anything ground because
• 47:50
  Speaker 3: I've also picked the Crusaders, so that's a block. Wartars
• 47:54
  Speaker 3: and Chiefs nine thirty five in Sydney. You talked earlier
• 47:58
  Speaker 3: about the war Retars. You know good at home? Is
• 48:01
  Speaker 3: this the way they get back into form by beating
• 48:04
  Speaker 3: the competition's top team.
• 48:06
  Speaker 5: Look, they'll be happy to get home Camp's sleep in
• 48:08
  Speaker 5: your own beds and get a stick over their head
• 48:12
  Speaker 5: from Dan McCall. Probably, But no, they're not going to
• 48:15
  Speaker 5: beat the Chiefs Incidney.
• 48:16
  Speaker 4: I tend to agree.
• 48:16
  Speaker 3: Blues more Water Pacific at four thirty five on Saturday,
• 48:19
  Speaker 3: looking forward to this one at Eden Park and all
• 48:22
  Speaker 3: that might bring. Can we want to go three in
• 48:26
  Speaker 3: a row? Went back to back for the first time
• 48:29
  Speaker 3: on the weekend. Can they make it three?
• 48:31
  Speaker 4: Yeah? They can.
• 48:33
  Speaker 5: I'm not gonna tip them to do so, but that
• 48:36
  Speaker 5: they are real chance just just on. This game has
• 48:39
  Speaker 5: been billed by the Blues ironically as a bit of
• 48:41
  Speaker 5: a celebration of pacifica rugby.
• 48:43
  Speaker 4: And that's that's pretty special, isn't it.
• 48:47
  Speaker 5: When you think about some of the greats of the game,
• 48:49
  Speaker 5: many of them are Pacific Pacific, many of them do
• 48:52
  Speaker 5: have Pacific heritage. So hopefully it's a festival atmosphere and
• 48:57
  Speaker 5: the weather plays ball and it all comes together. But
• 48:59
  Speaker 5: I am going to tip the Blue.
• 49:01
  Speaker 3: I'm going to as well, but boy it would be
• 49:02
  Speaker 3: great SIMI wan to win another one. Highlanders drew at
• 49:06
  Speaker 3: nine the eleven big game in the common text to
• 49:08
  Speaker 3: both of these two teams seasons, Liam, can the Highlanders,
• 49:14
  Speaker 3: you know, get back to winning ways at home?
• 49:16
  Speaker 4: Stop the Rock? Yes, look, Jamie will have them working
• 49:19
  Speaker 4: pretty hard this week.
• 49:20
  Speaker 3: Go.
• 49:20
  Speaker 5: I'd suggest the Drua have been very poor the last
• 49:23
  Speaker 5: two weeks. Got belted in Perth by the Force and
• 49:28
  Speaker 5: they dropped a lot of ball. Their lineup was a
• 49:29
  Speaker 5: shambles against the Crusaders and Suver. So yes, I'm going
• 49:33
  Speaker 5: to tip the Landers.
• 49:34
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I can't see the drew unfortunately going to Dunedin
• 49:37
  Speaker 3: Reds Brumbies. We've gone full from four and similar tips
• 49:41
  Speaker 3: here At this point in time, Bre's hosting the Brumbies
• 49:43
  Speaker 3: in Brisbane Saturday nights.
• 49:46
  Speaker 4: Read's are the best team in Australia, so I'm going
• 49:49
  Speaker 4: to tip them.
• 49:50
  Speaker 3: I'm going to the Brumbies run upset. I reckon they
• 49:52
  Speaker 3: might be able to do it in Brisbane and that
• 49:55
  Speaker 3: would really check things up from a competition perspective, as
• 49:58
  Speaker 3: well as bragging rights to the best of Stralian team.
• 50:00
  Speaker 3: As we head for the home stretch in Super Rugby
• 50:04
  Speaker 3: Rugby Direct MVP Medal voting quick recapable where we sit
• 50:07
  Speaker 3: Addie save at eleven pins to mar They have a
• 50:09
  Speaker 3: dove An ol Way and Patrick Palagrini tied for second
• 50:11
  Speaker 3: on eight and then in behind on six Quinta Pie Will,
• 50:14
  Speaker 3: Jordan Tuplessi Cofi and Damien McKenzie. Do any of those
• 50:17
  Speaker 3: players get any points this week? Liamb you threety Ones please?
• 50:21
  Speaker 5: Yes, Elliot, I'm going to go Bone and Barrett for three.
• 50:25
  Speaker 5: Very much a virtuo so performance from Bowden. Some banana kicks,
• 50:30
  Speaker 5: I think, was it. Tony Johnson said something like you'd
• 50:34
  Speaker 5: never seen so much swing at Eden Park since Larnce
• 50:37
  Speaker 5: Ken's very good. Boden had what one meter to work
• 50:41
  Speaker 5: in and he peeled off forty meters, probably overkicked a
• 50:45
  Speaker 5: little bit at times, but there was clearly the tactics.
• 50:47
  Speaker 5: Great performance from Boden, so he gets my three. Two
• 50:50
  Speaker 5: to Ardie Severe very influential for moueo again and one
• 50:53
  Speaker 5: to Luke Jacobson who was strong for the Chiefs. Well.
• 50:57
  Speaker 3: Our threes and ones are the same. Bone and Barrett
• 50:59
  Speaker 3: three for me Luke Jacobson one for methods leadership in
• 51:02
  Speaker 3: weak conditions in the game that wasn't overly expansive. I
• 51:06
  Speaker 3: thought was very very very good. No Hopeam gets my
• 51:09
  Speaker 3: two points key in that Crusaders performance came back from
• 51:13
  Speaker 3: an injury in round one and we're now looking at
• 51:15
  Speaker 3: that form and going this is the kind of player
• 51:17
  Speaker 3: that got into the All Blacks last year. Cole Preston
• 51:20
  Speaker 3: has been playing well for the Crusaders currently ad injured,
• 51:22
  Speaker 3: but I think you look at Hotham and Preston, they've
• 51:24
  Speaker 3: got a couple of good half backs there and someone
• 51:26
  Speaker 3: like a Mitchell Drummond who's been a centurion for the
• 51:29
  Speaker 3: Crusaders now probably their third pick halfback, which is remarkable
• 51:34
  Speaker 3: to see.
• 51:35
  Speaker 4: But he gets my two. That does it for rugby.
• 51:37
  Speaker 3: Dirick though for another week, Liam, any overseas adventures coming
• 51:41
  Speaker 3: up for you this week, or you're staying in New zeal.
• 51:42
  Speaker 5: No overseas trips, but a special occasion. My sister is
• 51:45
  Speaker 5: getting married, so we'll be watching the Hurricanes Crusaders from there.
• 51:50
  Speaker 5: Just keep that under wraps so they don't tell her.
• 51:53
  Speaker 3: Well, I'm assuming she's not a loyal listener of Rugby Directs,
• 51:57
  Speaker 3: otherwise the secret might be out. Just checking the ear
• 52:00
  Speaker 3: button and maybe listen on gold Sport as well. I'm
• 52:02
  Speaker 3: sure you'll be fine. None will notice if you've got
• 52:04
  Speaker 3: an airpit button. I'm sure during the wedding you'll be
• 52:06
  Speaker 3: be fun. It'll do us for Rugby Direct rather weak.
• 52:08
  Speaker 3: Thanks to listen by our English and our friends at
• 52:10
  Speaker 3: Habitath tackling all your aches and pains from sport.
• 52:13
  Speaker 1: And work for more from news talks at b Listen
• 52:19
  Speaker 1: live on air or online, and keep our shows with
• 52:22
  Speaker 1: you wherever you go with our podcasts on iHeartRadio