Latest / Rugby Direct / Rugby Direct - Episode 181

Transcript

Rugby Direct - Episode 181 · Rugby Direct

• 0:09
  Speaker 1: You're listening to a podcast from News Talks EDB. Follow
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  Speaker 1: Straight down the Middle.
• 0:20
  Speaker 2: Of Dry, Dicky Scase, Try these drive get inside the
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: game from every angle.
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: It's Rugby Direct with Elliot Smith and Lea Labiat, powered
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: by News Talks EDB.
• 0:37
  Speaker 3: Welcome in to Rugby to repowered by Excess Solutions, elevating
• 0:40
  Speaker 3: you and your business to a higher level. Rugby Director
• 0:43
  Speaker 3: Back for another week. Elliott Smith with me this week.
• 0:47
  Speaker 3: Nick Bewley, our voice of Crusaders and Canterbury Rugby, called
• 0:50
  Speaker 3: the Seal Challenge over the weekend. We will get into
• 0:53
  Speaker 3: that a bit later on, but Liam is somewhere in
• 0:56
  Speaker 3: Nashville or Las Vegas, and I suspect we'll end up
• 0:59
  Speaker 3: like the Hangover. We might get him back later in
• 1:01
  Speaker 3: the week for a quick podcast at the end, but
• 1:03
  Speaker 3: Net great to have you in the next this week.
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: Thanks great to be here, Elliott.
• 1:08
  Speaker 4: Yes, certainly gave the Vocal Cords a real workout on
• 1:11
  Speaker 4: Saturday afternoonners Otago reefed the Ranfilly Shield away from Cannabury hands.
• 1:17
  Speaker 4: I know we'll get into that a bit later, but
• 1:18
  Speaker 4: I'm sure if Liam were here, he'd be reminding you
• 1:21
  Speaker 4: nice and early of that very fact that Canterbury no
• 1:24
  Speaker 4: longer holders.
• 1:25
  Speaker 3: He would be, indeed, So let's put that to the
• 1:27
  Speaker 3: bat burner for the time being, and let's get into
• 1:30
  Speaker 3: the Black Ferns losing to Canada in the World Cup
• 1:33
  Speaker 3: semi finals on Saturday morning. Look, it's hard to determine
• 1:38
  Speaker 3: it as a surprise. I guess maybe from a New
• 1:40
  Speaker 3: Zealand psyche go in his favorites, because the Black Ferns
• 1:43
  Speaker 3: had been bolstered by some of those Sevens players, although
• 1:46
  Speaker 3: one key player and Georgia Miller didn't play. But as
• 1:49
  Speaker 3: you know, having seen it up closed, their record against
• 1:51
  Speaker 3: Canada in recent times had been patchy. They had not
• 1:55
  Speaker 3: one in their last two going into that game, and
• 1:58
  Speaker 3: Canada just blew them off the park, especially in that
• 2:01
  Speaker 3: first forty minutes. What did you make of that semi final, Nick.
• 2:06
  Speaker 4: Yeah, just on the I suppose the reaction first and
• 2:08
  Speaker 4: four most of the New Zealand public it was sort
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  Speaker 4: of split in two, wasn't it. There was probably the
• 2:11
  Speaker 4: casual sporting fan who went, goodness me, like this is
• 2:14
  Speaker 4: an absolute shock.
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: The Black Ferns don't lose to anyone.
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  Speaker 4: But as you pointed out to anyone who's followed this
• 2:19
  Speaker 4: team closely over the last couple of years, followed Canada
• 2:23
  Speaker 4: the rise of England. I have had the pleasure of
• 2:26
  Speaker 4: calling the last two Black Ferns Canada games prior to
• 2:29
  Speaker 4: the semi final and Bristol. Both were here in christ Church,
• 2:32
  Speaker 4: a draw and a famous Canada winning in twenty twenty four,
• 2:35
  Speaker 4: and you could tell that Canada.
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: Were right up for it from the outset.
• 2:40
  Speaker 4: Congratulations to them because you know they've crowd funded their
• 2:43
  Speaker 4: way to a World Cup final. And as it's been
• 2:46
  Speaker 4: pointed out in some traditional media in the last forty
• 2:49
  Speaker 4: eight hours, if you were to just tune into that
• 2:51
  Speaker 4: game and go which ones the fully professional team and
• 2:55
  Speaker 4: which ones the semi professional amateur team, you probably would
• 2:59
  Speaker 4: have got the answer wrong. The way Canada played their
• 3:02
  Speaker 4: skill execution, their rock speed which leads the World Cup,
• 3:06
  Speaker 4: it was just rapid from the outset, and that ability
• 3:10
  Speaker 4: to offload in and around the ruck exposed frailties and
• 3:13
  Speaker 4: the Black Fans defense like they were tremendous and so
• 3:15
  Speaker 4: worthy of their victory. But this is a New Zealand
• 3:19
  Speaker 4: Rugby podcast and we need to unpack what went wrong
• 3:21
  Speaker 4: for the Black fans and just so many little areas
• 3:24
  Speaker 4: of their game really didn't They just didn't click. And
• 3:30
  Speaker 4: there were signs there in the quarterfinal against South Africa
• 3:33
  Speaker 4: when they started slow and those issues read their head again.
• 3:36
  Speaker 4: Ill discipline again, a high penalty count, inaccuracy, whether it
• 3:41
  Speaker 4: was Renee Holmes, a kickout on the fall early in
• 3:46
  Speaker 4: the game which invited Canada into an attacking opportunity, or
• 3:49
  Speaker 4: passes handling eras the defense was passive. It was just
• 3:56
  Speaker 4: for me anyway, as you mentioned earlier, it was unsurprising.
• 3:59
  Speaker 4: Perhaps the golf and the score line at halftime, the
• 4:02
  Speaker 4: fact that was twenty four points to seven a little surprising,
• 4:05
  Speaker 4: but the fact that Canada got the job done not
• 4:07
  Speaker 4: totally so prising for me, and a lot of questions
• 4:10
  Speaker 4: going through now into the next World Cup cycle.
• 4:12
  Speaker 3: Yeah, you picked You made a good point that I
• 4:14
  Speaker 3: want to pick up on the professionalism of the two.
• 4:17
  Speaker 3: This was a Canada team that played with structure, with pace,
• 4:22
  Speaker 3: with power. They seem to know what their game plan was,
• 4:26
  Speaker 3: where as the Black fans, I mean, they were blown
• 4:28
  Speaker 3: off the park in the first twenty twenty five minutes.
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  Speaker 3: But Canada just played to a game plan which was
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  Speaker 3: fast rugby, quick ruck speed, get the ball going, you know,
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  Speaker 3: tie the Black Funds out run them ragged and it
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  Speaker 3: worked a treat, whereas the Black Fans just looked like
• 4:41
  Speaker 3: they were playing with their heads lopped off at one point.
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: And I think it was interesting.
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  Speaker 4: Building into the semi final, Elliott listening to the likes
• 4:49
  Speaker 4: of assistant coach Tony Christy, and he talked about how
• 4:52
  Speaker 4: the Black Fans game has come so far since their
• 4:55
  Speaker 4: twenty twenty two World Cup triumph in terms of not
• 4:57
  Speaker 4: having to be over reliant on going around teams and
• 5:01
  Speaker 4: shift the ball whye that he said, you know, they're
• 5:03
  Speaker 4: so adaptable they can go over teams in terms of
• 5:06
  Speaker 4: their kicking game. In fact, he highlighted the fact into
• 5:08
  Speaker 4: this heading into the semi finals, the Black Fans had
• 5:10
  Speaker 4: kicked the ball more than anyone else and they could
• 5:13
  Speaker 4: go through teams, and we saw a little bit of
• 5:16
  Speaker 4: evidence so that with kyper Olson Baker had an extraordinary game,
• 5:19
  Speaker 4: but there was really no one else and it felt
• 5:22
  Speaker 4: like once Plan A didn't work, which is you know,
• 5:25
  Speaker 4: go lateral, get it out to a Portia Woodman Wickcliffe,
• 5:28
  Speaker 4: get it out to a Braxton, Sirence and McGee. Canada
• 5:31
  Speaker 4: knew what's coming. They shut that threat down and then
• 5:34
  Speaker 4: Plan B, Plan C, Plan D didn't work. And I
• 5:38
  Speaker 4: don't know if that's purely coaching or personnel, but as
• 5:42
  Speaker 4: you say that, this is a fully professional team who
• 5:45
  Speaker 4: have been building to this tournament for some time and
• 5:49
  Speaker 4: for them to not be able to adjust on the
• 5:52
  Speaker 4: hop when they knew what Canada's strengths were is their
• 5:55
  Speaker 4: third meeting in the last just over twelve months. Canada
• 5:59
  Speaker 4: played very similar to how they had in the last
• 6:01
  Speaker 4: two tests in christ Church.
• 6:03
  Speaker 2: But it's one thing to know it's coming, it's another
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: thing to stop it. And they didn't know.
• 6:07
  Speaker 3: They didn't and was really poor. Didn't get a first
• 6:10
  Speaker 3: half penalty. Now not saying that the refereeing was wrong,
• 6:13
  Speaker 3: they just put themselves in the wrong positions. They didn't
• 6:15
  Speaker 3: seem to learn from the way that the referee was
• 6:18
  Speaker 3: interpreting things. Final penalty count was ten six, but it
• 6:21
  Speaker 3: was zero to five at halftime against the Black Ferns
• 6:24
  Speaker 3: and that just allowed Canada to give them the right
• 6:27
  Speaker 3: areas the park and dominate that first half hour and
• 6:30
  Speaker 3: really set the tone for the game. There was no
• 6:32
  Speaker 3: coming back from twenty four to seven down at half time,
• 6:34
  Speaker 3: especially obviously scored again after the break, But the discipline
• 6:38
  Speaker 3: of the Black Ferns allowed Canada to play in the
• 6:41
  Speaker 3: right areas of the park and put that pressure on.
• 6:43
  Speaker 4: And that's a trend to elliott I saw in an
• 6:46
  Speaker 4: article might have been courtesy of our friends.
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: At the post.
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  Speaker 4: Eight of the last nine Tests, the Black Ferns have
• 6:53
  Speaker 4: had a higher penalty count than their opposition and they're
• 6:59
  Speaker 4: just not adjusting to the pictures that the referee want
• 7:02
  Speaker 4: to see.
• 7:03
  Speaker 2: And you look at the nature of the penalties. There was.
• 7:07
  Speaker 4: A side entry at the down, there was a legal
• 7:10
  Speaker 4: entry at a line out, driving more not rolling away,
• 7:14
  Speaker 4: just you know, relatively simple simple things where you've just
• 7:18
  Speaker 4: got to show better pictures to the referee. And if
• 7:20
  Speaker 4: you don't have the ball and you don't have that territory,
• 7:23
  Speaker 4: you can't build momentum, you can't build pressure. And Canada
• 7:27
  Speaker 4: had all the running of the game and when they
• 7:29
  Speaker 4: when they had the ball, they shifted it wide. What
• 7:33
  Speaker 4: really impressed me most was how they're half back. Justine Peltier,
• 7:37
  Speaker 4: I think was awarded player of the match. She just
• 7:40
  Speaker 4: exploited all that you know she just had had the
• 7:44
  Speaker 4: ball on sort of on strings at one stage. Is
• 7:47
  Speaker 4: there in terms of how she was manipulating the Black
• 7:49
  Speaker 4: Fans defense and whether that was in and around the
• 7:51
  Speaker 4: ruck well being able to shift it wide Black Fans
• 7:53
  Speaker 4: quite narrow on defense, but it was because of the
• 7:56
  Speaker 4: work that Canada were doing in and around the ruck.
• 7:59
  Speaker 4: So yeah, as I say, a lot of questions as
• 8:02
  Speaker 4: we go forward now into the World Cup cycle this
• 8:05
  Speaker 4: and particularly for New Zealand Rugby, as we take a
• 8:08
  Speaker 4: sort of.
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  Speaker 2: Wider lens on this.
• 8:10
  Speaker 4: You know, seven days on from the All Blacks worst
• 8:14
  Speaker 4: loss in history against the Springboks in Wellington, for this
• 8:18
  Speaker 4: now to occur and the Black Ferns to lose in
• 8:21
  Speaker 4: a World Cup semi.
• 8:22
  Speaker 2: Final, that aura or that the brand, the New Zealand
• 8:26
  Speaker 2: Rugby brand has taken another pretty big body block.
• 8:28
  Speaker 3: Yeah, big head expert for David Kirkers. He got his
• 8:31
  Speaker 3: feet well under the desk now, but a lot to
• 8:33
  Speaker 3: work through around some of the pathways. And I guess
• 8:36
  Speaker 3: that leads us on to were the Black Ferns best
• 8:39
  Speaker 3: equipped for this tournament? We know how good England have
• 8:43
  Speaker 3: been in recent years. The Black Ferns obviously beating them.
• 8:46
  Speaker 3: That was the last loss they had in the twenty
• 8:48
  Speaker 3: twenty two World Cup final. But the Black Funds diet
• 8:52
  Speaker 3: you know in domestic rugby is all picky and they're
• 8:55
  Speaker 3: playing each other in a double round robin and a final.
• 8:58
  Speaker 3: It was a great comp this year. It was highly entertaining.
• 9:01
  Speaker 3: But is that doing enough to prepare these players for
• 9:04
  Speaker 3: test rugby in the styles that Canada, that France than
• 9:07
  Speaker 3: England bring well that stat you mentioned around some of
• 9:10
  Speaker 3: those defeats would tend to suggest not. But I don't
• 9:13
  Speaker 3: know that there's an easy fix. Australia at a super
• 9:16
  Speaker 3: W level aren't going to add that competitiveness. So from
• 9:21
  Speaker 3: a distance part of the world, the tyranny a distance
• 9:24
  Speaker 3: where New Zealand is and where the power lies in
• 9:27
  Speaker 3: the women's game at the moment, it's really hard from
• 9:30
  Speaker 3: a competitive level, at club or franchise level, whatever you
• 9:33
  Speaker 3: want to call it, to replicate that and get these
• 9:36
  Speaker 3: players prepared for test rugby.
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: Do you have any answers?
• 9:39
  Speaker 4: No. I think New Zealand rugby would have landed on
• 9:41
  Speaker 4: an answer by now if there was a simple fix.
• 9:46
  Speaker 4: And I have heard some mention, for example about it
• 9:48
  Speaker 4: being a play gap rather than a pay gap for
• 9:52
  Speaker 4: the Black Ferns and the top of the pyramid for
• 9:55
  Speaker 4: women's rugby and New Zealand they played four tests going
• 9:58
  Speaker 4: into this World Cup, didn't have much of you know,
• 10:02
  Speaker 4: competitive games prior to the first half of the quarter
• 10:05
  Speaker 4: final against South Africa. It is a challenge and as
• 10:09
  Speaker 4: you say, a diet of just playing yourself in a
• 10:13
  Speaker 4: very similar style of rugby. And the fact that Australia
• 10:16
  Speaker 4: are nowhere near the mark in England, of France or
• 10:19
  Speaker 4: a Canada, it doesn't help the Black Fern's cause when
• 10:23
  Speaker 4: they enter these World Cup, these pinnacle tournaments. It has
• 10:27
  Speaker 4: been interesting over the last few days as well, Elliott
• 10:29
  Speaker 4: to note there is going to be some changes coming
• 10:32
  Speaker 4: with the w XV effectively binned after a couple of years,
• 10:37
  Speaker 4: So could we now see test series reintroduced. You know,
• 10:41
  Speaker 4: if I'm New Zealand Rugby going into the next World
• 10:44
  Speaker 4: Cup cycle, and there's probably a question around the coaching
• 10:47
  Speaker 4: mix as well for that next push for a next
• 10:49
  Speaker 4: World Cup. But you know, I'm on the phone to
• 10:52
  Speaker 4: the RFU in England, I'm on the phone to Rugby Canada, France,
• 10:57
  Speaker 4: even South Africa. They feel like they've made the most
• 10:59
  Speaker 4: ground outside of the top four to get as much
• 11:02
  Speaker 4: game time as possible. And then probably on the domestic scene,
• 11:06
  Speaker 4: who's to say we shouldn't send more more New Zealand
• 11:09
  Speaker 4: players up to play in the PVR, which is a
• 11:12
  Speaker 4: fully professional competition, rather than OPICK which is eight weeks.
• 11:17
  Speaker 2: The PVR goes for eight months, and I.
• 11:19
  Speaker 4: Know Alana Bremner, Amy Rule, Georgia Ponsonby are staying on
• 11:24
  Speaker 4: in England to play in the PVR in the upcoming season,
• 11:26
  Speaker 4: and it'll be very interesting, is sort of, I suppose
• 11:29
  Speaker 4: a little case study to see their growth and development
• 11:32
  Speaker 4: over the next twelve months.
• 11:33
  Speaker 3: It will be, and that may indeed be the answer
• 11:36
  Speaker 3: that more of those players go up there. I think
• 11:38
  Speaker 3: the changes to w XV are promising to get a
• 11:41
  Speaker 3: sort of global calendar more aligned, which would allow these
• 11:45
  Speaker 3: players to go up north and be able to play
• 11:48
  Speaker 3: in those competitions and you know, on a more regular basis.
• 11:51
  Speaker 3: I think can only be a good thing because I
• 11:53
  Speaker 3: think Opeke is stuck between a rock and a hard pace.
• 11:55
  Speaker 3: Bringing in super w isn't going to change it. It's
• 11:58
  Speaker 3: just going to basically extend the season. I don't know
• 12:00
  Speaker 3: that extending the season is the answer. It's about having
• 12:03
  Speaker 3: more competitiveness, more competitive games, different styles of rugby, and
• 12:07
  Speaker 3: they're simply not getting that at the moment one player.
• 12:10
  Speaker 2: So that's a question for you. Sorry, Elliott coaching.
• 12:13
  Speaker 4: You know, I heard you and Liam speak last week
• 12:16
  Speaker 4: around the pressure that's on Scott Robertson as All Blacks
• 12:20
  Speaker 4: coach is And I don't know his contractual status, but
• 12:23
  Speaker 4: usually most of these tenures are are loomed in and
• 12:27
  Speaker 4: around a World Cup cycle. Alan Bunting with that two
• 12:30
  Speaker 4: from nine record in the World Cup cycle against England,
• 12:33
  Speaker 4: Canada and France and I think it's now about a
• 12:35
  Speaker 4: sixty six percent winning record in his tenure.
• 12:39
  Speaker 2: Is he under pressure? Could you see a scenario.
• 12:42
  Speaker 4: Heading into twenty twenty six where there's a new Black
• 12:44
  Speaker 4: fan's coach.
• 12:45
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I could.
• 12:46
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 12:46
  Speaker 3: I'm not sure of his contract status either, but I
• 12:49
  Speaker 3: think it's worthy of discussion and seeing whether he is
• 12:52
  Speaker 3: the best option to lead the side forward. You know,
• 12:57
  Speaker 3: renowned as a great culture coach, you know, great tickets
• 13:00
  Speaker 3: on him from the SEVENS program and what he was
• 13:03
  Speaker 3: able to do the year in terms of winning an
• 13:05
  Speaker 3: Olympic medal in the culture that he set up in
• 13:07
  Speaker 3: the elements of players, but fifteen's is a different ballgame
• 13:12
  Speaker 3: and it requires different strengths and different ways of going
• 13:17
  Speaker 3: about winning, and I'm not sure it's necessarily translated to
• 13:21
  Speaker 3: the fifteens level in terms of what Alan Bunting's been
• 13:24
  Speaker 3: able to do. I'm not sure there's a contender in
• 13:27
  Speaker 3: New Zealand waiting in the wings ready to go. Whitney
• 13:31
  Speaker 3: Hansen is obviously coach Martyr too for a time, Willie
• 13:35
  Speaker 3: Walker at the Blues. You know the possible contenders, I guess,
• 13:39
  Speaker 3: but I'm not sure that there's anyone banged down the door.
• 13:41
  Speaker 3: Do you look abroad? I mean John Mitchell. I'm not
• 13:44
  Speaker 3: sure how far he's contracted, but maybe he wants to
• 13:47
  Speaker 3: come home.
• 13:47
  Speaker 2: I don't know.
• 13:48
  Speaker 3: At the end of the England World Cup cycle he
• 13:51
  Speaker 3: might well be a World Cup winning coach by the
• 13:54
  Speaker 3: end of the week. Perhaps there are other options out there,
• 13:56
  Speaker 3: So I think it's worthy of having on the table
• 13:58
  Speaker 3: and going what is the best way forward, especially as
• 14:01
  Speaker 3: you go into that new era of WXV Global Series
• 14:04
  Speaker 3: and then the next World Cup coming up in a
• 14:07
  Speaker 3: few years time in Australia as well. So I think
• 14:10
  Speaker 3: all options have to be on the table, you know,
• 14:13
  Speaker 3: around pathways, around coaching and everything else. Just finally, Nick
• 14:18
  Speaker 3: on the Black Ferns, Georgia Miller ruled out. I don't
• 14:22
  Speaker 3: know that she would have been the difference in terms
• 14:24
  Speaker 3: of turning over that result, but they needed someone at
• 14:27
  Speaker 3: the breakdown to put the pressure on, to be able
• 14:29
  Speaker 3: to bend a line and challenge things. I think she
• 14:31
  Speaker 3: was a big out for the Black Ferns, but I'm
• 14:33
  Speaker 3: not sure she would have made up the fifteen point
• 14:35
  Speaker 3: difference between the two sides. I think she's probably been
• 14:38
  Speaker 3: the Black Ferns best at this tournament, but not having
• 14:41
  Speaker 3: her was a big, big loss for the side.
• 14:45
  Speaker 2: It was, and I do agree that I don't think
• 14:47
  Speaker 2: it would have been the.
• 14:48
  Speaker 4: Difference, but it might have even things up a touch,
• 14:51
  Speaker 4: even just the threat of Georgia Miller on a field
• 14:54
  Speaker 4: and whether that would have then seen Canada's defense sort
• 14:58
  Speaker 4: of fan out a bit, because as we've seen throughout
• 15:00
  Speaker 4: the course of the World Cup how dangerous Georgia Miller
• 15:02
  Speaker 4: was in the wider channels and her working and around
• 15:05
  Speaker 4: the breakdown as well. So yeah, that was body blow
• 15:09
  Speaker 4: for the Black Ferns. And just while we're on the
• 15:11
  Speaker 4: topic of this, and I don't want to make a
• 15:14
  Speaker 4: massive deal out of it because I think it has
• 15:15
  Speaker 4: been sort of well gone over over the last few days.
• 15:19
  Speaker 4: But I think if the Black Ferns and their communications
• 15:23
  Speaker 4: team had their time again, I think the whole secrecy
• 15:26
  Speaker 4: around her injury and her absence for that semi final
• 15:31
  Speaker 4: would have been dealt with differently, especially in a time
• 15:34
  Speaker 4: where you know, there has been criticism, for example, of
• 15:37
  Speaker 4: traditional media and it's coverage of the Black Ferns. I
• 15:41
  Speaker 4: think it's been rather thorough particularly over the last week,
• 15:44
  Speaker 4: and I feel like the Black Ferns just.
• 15:47
  Speaker 2: They can't have it both ways. Where we're you know,
• 15:51
  Speaker 2: we've covered them.
• 15:52
  Speaker 4: Plenty in terms in a positive light because they have
• 15:55
  Speaker 4: been such great ambassadors and champions for the.
• 15:57
  Speaker 2: Sport and for New Zealand.
• 15:59
  Speaker 4: To then kind of turn a corner and hide behind
• 16:03
  Speaker 4: secrecy or privacy, it just didn't really sit that well
• 16:06
  Speaker 4: with me.
• 16:06
  Speaker 3: Yeah, look for Fartie Soav was ruled out of a
• 16:09
  Speaker 3: World Cup semi final in the men's you know, World Cup.
• 16:13
  Speaker 3: We want to know why and I think we would
• 16:15
  Speaker 3: be expected to to know why why he was ruled out.
• 16:18
  Speaker 3: So in terms of you know, same sature replier say
• 16:22
  Speaker 3: number on the back. I think there is an app
• 16:24
  Speaker 3: comparison to be made there with Georgia Miller. So that
• 16:26
  Speaker 3: was a shame, and I think I think the coverage
• 16:28
  Speaker 3: has been by and large pretty good. I think the
• 16:30
  Speaker 3: problem is when they compare it to the All Blacks,
• 16:31
  Speaker 3: and the All Blacks are always going to get outsized coverage,
• 16:34
  Speaker 3: and you know, every sport in New Zealand would love
• 16:36
  Speaker 3: to have the coverage of the All Blacks, and comparing
• 16:38
  Speaker 3: yourself to that, it's like its own round. It's like
• 16:41
  Speaker 3: its own sphere, the All Blacks because of the country's
• 16:43
  Speaker 3: interest levels in it. You know, it's the same round
• 16:46
  Speaker 3: as essentially a politics or a business or whatever it
• 16:49
  Speaker 3: might be. The All Black stands alone sort of outside
• 16:51
  Speaker 3: of sports. So while I get there were complaints and
• 16:54
  Speaker 3: people saying about the you know, the coverage, I don't
• 16:57
  Speaker 3: think comparing it to the All Blacks is necessarily the
• 16:59
  Speaker 3: right way to look at those two things. I think
• 17:01
  Speaker 3: there are you know, it's an Apple and Oranges scenario
• 17:04
  Speaker 3: despite them playing the same sport, which segways well into
• 17:07
  Speaker 3: the All Blacks. The sweet Kent first and foremost, what
• 17:10
  Speaker 3: was your reaction to that lost against South Africa last week?
• 17:14
  Speaker 4: Goodness man, how long have we got? In some ways
• 17:20
  Speaker 4: the inconsistency of the All blackses were seen so far
• 17:22
  Speaker 4: in the Rugby Championship. I did see a dip coming
• 17:27
  Speaker 4: after such getting up for such a high Eden park
• 17:30
  Speaker 4: Ardisavez hundreds. You know, I didn't see a forty three
• 17:33
  Speaker 4: to ten demolition job, particularly with the selections that Razi
• 17:38
  Speaker 4: Erasthmus made for the spring box, leaning to a lot
• 17:41
  Speaker 4: of youth. But just some of the areas of concern
• 17:45
  Speaker 4: for the All Blacks were, you know, really shone through
• 17:48
  Speaker 4: in terms of the set piece, the scrum going backwards again,
• 17:53
  Speaker 4: the line out was the shambles without Cody Taylor and
• 17:57
  Speaker 4: some sort of similar themes clarity on attack as well,
• 18:02
  Speaker 4: it just felt a little bit lateral. They fell in
• 18:05
  Speaker 4: love with the chip and chase late as they were
• 18:08
  Speaker 4: chasing the game, and there's a lot for Scott Robertson
• 18:13
  Speaker 4: and as Mary men to examine to rectify for a
• 18:18
  Speaker 4: Wallaby team or bit coming off the loss themselves are
• 18:21
  Speaker 4: playing some pretty good footing and it shapes up as
• 18:24
  Speaker 4: a fascinating week leading into Saturday's letters.
• 18:26
  Speaker 2: Lo at eating part.
• 18:27
  Speaker 4: It does.
• 18:28
  Speaker 3: It does All Blacks have to be better, and I'm
• 18:31
  Speaker 3: sure they will have done a thorough review into what
• 18:36
  Speaker 3: went wrong in the Capital, but it's going to be
• 18:39
  Speaker 3: interesting to see what changes they make. Whether they go
• 18:41
  Speaker 3: that was one really bad night and we'll stick with
• 18:44
  Speaker 3: the side there apart from maybe a tweak hit half
• 18:47
  Speaker 3: back and a couple of other changes here and there,
• 18:50
  Speaker 3: or whether they go right, this is the time we're
• 18:52
  Speaker 3: not getting enough out of our core players that we
• 18:55
  Speaker 3: have deemed as our first choice side.
• 18:57
  Speaker 2: Is time to completely change things up.
• 19:00
  Speaker 3: It's going to be interesting to see which way Scott
• 19:01
  Speaker 3: Robinson goes, because it feels like this week is, you know,
• 19:04
  Speaker 3: a big fork in the road for his All Black tenure.
• 19:09
  Speaker 3: You know that there's obviously the Eden Park record to
• 19:11
  Speaker 3: protect again, but it feels like there needs to be
• 19:13
  Speaker 3: a statement of sorts and while they've beating the Wildbies
• 19:16
  Speaker 3: and beating the Well in recent times, it feels like,
• 19:19
  Speaker 3: you know, one step forward, two steps back for the
• 19:21
  Speaker 3: All Blacks over recent times. So do you see changes
• 19:26
  Speaker 3: wholesale changes to this All Black side this week?
• 19:29
  Speaker 4: It's hard to say because I really can't get in
• 19:32
  Speaker 4: the head of Scott Robinson as a selector in terms
• 19:35
  Speaker 4: of it just seems like a very individualistic approach or
• 19:39
  Speaker 4: philosophy to his selections as opposed to.
• 19:44
  Speaker 2: What he wants to see.
• 19:46
  Speaker 4: And I'm probably more referring to players coming back from
• 19:49
  Speaker 4: injury and going via the NPC some have.
• 19:52
  Speaker 2: You know, Caleb Clark, for examples, now played three games
• 19:55
  Speaker 2: in a.
• 19:55
  Speaker 4: Row for Auckland and then we hear through the All
• 19:57
  Speaker 4: Blacks camp that he needs more time under his bout
• 20:01
  Speaker 4: within the All Blacks environment to get more reps in
• 20:03
  Speaker 4: and be ready for rugbyes, so that those two don't
• 20:06
  Speaker 4: quite align for me. Then you've got guys like so
• 20:08
  Speaker 4: Mighty Williams Wallace Atiti to ral Lomax and they don't
• 20:12
  Speaker 4: have to play NPC at all, they slot straight back in.
• 20:15
  Speaker 4: So just on that topic, I think cam Royguard is
• 20:19
  Speaker 4: so influential and important to the All Black side that
• 20:23
  Speaker 4: thirty minutes for Counties Monaco on the weekend will be enough.
• 20:25
  Speaker 4: And I expect them to start this weekend and I
• 20:28
  Speaker 4: think that'll make a massive difference. And that's not a
• 20:31
  Speaker 4: slight on Finlay Christy, but that's just the class that
• 20:34
  Speaker 4: cam Royguard offers his distribution is running threat I think
• 20:39
  Speaker 4: will add plenty to this All Blacks team.
• 20:41
  Speaker 2: But I'm more leaning with you, Elliott.
• 20:43
  Speaker 4: What I'd like to see is probably different to what
• 20:45
  Speaker 4: I am expecting, but I think it is time for
• 20:49
  Speaker 4: some pretty significant changes. I'd like to see a revision
• 20:54
  Speaker 4: back to Twuopo vi E at blindside flanker, and I
• 20:58
  Speaker 4: think that was an effective and pretty bold selection at
• 21:02
  Speaker 4: the beginning of the Test season and worked a good effect.
• 21:05
  Speaker 4: I let's see Fabian Holland back starting at locke and
• 21:10
  Speaker 4: in terms of lock cover, I've seen plenty of them
• 21:12
  Speaker 4: up close. I'd like to see Sam Dowry there on
• 21:14
  Speaker 4: the bench for Saturday's Test against the Wallabies. They're just
• 21:19
  Speaker 4: a few changes top of mine. Then further out wide,
• 21:22
  Speaker 4: Caleb Clark has to start for mine. Whether that's on
• 21:25
  Speaker 4: the left wing, it probably will be because we know
• 21:27
  Speaker 4: he's sort of more exclusive left winger.
• 21:30
  Speaker 2: Then what do you do at right wing at fullback?
• 21:32
  Speaker 4: I don't think what happened with Will Jordan on the
• 21:35
  Speaker 4: right wing and Damian McKenzie effectively worked in that Wellington
• 21:38
  Speaker 4: Test against the Springboks. I'd probably go back to Jordan
• 21:41
  Speaker 4: at fullback and Leroy Carter. I don't think did anything
• 21:45
  Speaker 4: wrong really in his test debut, although it will be
• 21:49
  Speaker 4: remembered for all the wrong reasons. I'd shift him to
• 21:52
  Speaker 4: the right, and then it's the less defying Anooku selection
• 21:56
  Speaker 4: as well. There's quite a bit to unpack you personally,
• 21:59
  Speaker 4: that these are all these sort of adjustments that I'd make,
• 22:01
  Speaker 4: because I feel like after a humbling like that at
• 22:06
  Speaker 4: the Cake Tin at warrants a fork in the road
• 22:10
  Speaker 4: moment where you go, you know what, we need to
• 22:12
  Speaker 4: make some changes rather than in the past what we
• 22:15
  Speaker 4: have seen is loyalty and conservatism and here go boys,
• 22:20
  Speaker 4: You've earned the right to redeem yourselves.
• 22:23
  Speaker 2: I think time has passed for that.
• 22:24
  Speaker 3: I think so too, and I think Scott Robinson's got
• 22:28
  Speaker 3: to use it as a license. You know, what's done
• 22:30
  Speaker 3: is done in terms of South Africa and Wellington, but
• 22:32
  Speaker 3: this is essentially your license to clean slate this team.
• 22:35
  Speaker 3: Whether he sees it the same way, I'm not sure,
• 22:37
  Speaker 3: but I'm with you, Roy Guard at nine. The big
• 22:40
  Speaker 3: question is what you do at ten and whether you
• 22:43
  Speaker 3: know they've got enough out of Boat and Barrett in Wellington,
• 22:45
  Speaker 3: whether Damien McKinsey maybe gets a look. He started that
• 22:48
  Speaker 3: one test in Hamilton against France. This year, they've gone
• 22:54
  Speaker 3: away from McKinsey, but do they go back there? You know,
• 22:58
  Speaker 3: reubend Love is in the wings. I would find it
• 23:00
  Speaker 3: highly unlikely that he'd get to go this week. I
• 23:04
  Speaker 3: think leicstifying a look at center is worthy of a
• 23:06
  Speaker 3: low billy proctor, you know, respect that they've given him
• 23:09
  Speaker 3: every chance this year to build and make that thirteen
• 23:12
  Speaker 3: Jersey his own, but it simply hasn't happened. So I'm
• 23:16
  Speaker 3: in greens. With those backline changes, Clark has to come in.
• 23:19
  Speaker 3: I'd move part of the right wing. I'd have will
• 23:20
  Speaker 3: Jordan at fullback. I'd have fining a Nookh at center
• 23:23
  Speaker 3: and Jordi Barrett at twelve and probably retain Bowden Barrett.
• 23:28
  Speaker 3: But you know what, I watched that Tartanaki Hawk's Bay
• 23:31
  Speaker 3: game on the weekend, and I know it's quote unquote
• 23:36
  Speaker 3: only in PC, but what Josh Jacob was doing around
• 23:38
  Speaker 3: driving his team around the park that game. Driver, but
• 23:41
  Speaker 3: ability to take on the line, That's what I want
• 23:44
  Speaker 3: out of an All Blacks ten and I'm just not
• 23:46
  Speaker 3: sure that their game plan is getting that at the moment.
• 23:49
  Speaker 3: We've got a lot of you know, bon and Barrett's
• 23:52
  Speaker 3: getting the ball sort of second receiver with the props
• 23:55
  Speaker 3: being used as first receivers and then coming in from
• 23:57
  Speaker 3: a standing start. I think that needs to look at
• 24:00
  Speaker 3: this weekend as well. So Scott Hanson obviously has his
• 24:04
  Speaker 3: hands on the game plan. I think it would have
• 24:06
  Speaker 3: been a probably sleepless few nights are around what we
• 24:10
  Speaker 3: expect from the All Blacks because simply there has to
• 24:12
  Speaker 3: be changes because they can't afford this Bletterslow Cup to
• 24:16
  Speaker 3: go to perth Alive.
• 24:17
  Speaker 2: I don't think. No, you're totally right, and.
• 24:21
  Speaker 4: You know there's so much riding on this from the
• 24:23
  Speaker 4: Bledderslow cupory history perspective, Eden Park perspective that they can
• 24:27
  Speaker 4: ill afford to to get it wrong. So look at
• 24:30
  Speaker 4: it will be fascinate and come Thursday how they go
• 24:33
  Speaker 4: selection wise, just on the tens, I don't know if,
• 24:36
  Speaker 4: as you say, you brought Josh Jacob up there. I
• 24:38
  Speaker 4: don't think you see much stylistical difference these days between
• 24:43
  Speaker 4: a boat and Barrett and a Damien Mackenzie. Perhaps Damien
• 24:47
  Speaker 4: offers a little bit more of a running threat, but
• 24:49
  Speaker 4: they're both players that like to take on the line
• 24:52
  Speaker 4: they'd like to kicking over the top and yeah, so
• 24:57
  Speaker 4: I think it's much of a muchness really which way
• 24:59
  Speaker 4: they go. It's more about what they could do upfront
• 25:02
  Speaker 4: and what they could potentially do outside and whether that's
• 25:05
  Speaker 4: going to make a difference.
• 25:06
  Speaker 3: Some of that kicking in Wellington appalling. You know there
• 25:10
  Speaker 3: was kicking over the top when there was space out wide,
• 25:13
  Speaker 3: there was Ardie Savvier's chip to no one. The kicking
• 25:18
  Speaker 3: strategy needs a real look at from the All Blacks.
• 25:21
  Speaker 3: If they're going to win this game, what do you
• 25:22
  Speaker 3: expect the Wilbies. You know they're gonna come across the
• 25:26
  Speaker 3: tasm with no fear. That won at Alis Park this year. Yes,
• 25:29
  Speaker 3: they lost their most recent outing, but it feels like
• 25:32
  Speaker 3: the Wallabies have sort of turned a corner and even
• 25:35
  Speaker 3: if they lose their last outing, they sort of reset
• 25:39
  Speaker 3: and go right, what can we do this week and
• 25:41
  Speaker 3: come in with a new strategy, new mindset. And I
• 25:44
  Speaker 3: don't think going to Eden Park, even though they haven't
• 25:46
  Speaker 3: lost there since nineteen eighty six, will bother them one iota.
• 25:50
  Speaker 2: No, I don't think they carry any mental baggage.
• 25:54
  Speaker 4: I have heard some suggestions to the contrary another broadcast,
• 25:59
  Speaker 4: But I think they come in their clean slate under
• 26:03
  Speaker 4: Joe Schmidt towards the back end of his tenure, leaving
• 26:07
  Speaker 4: after the Rugby Championship with a great deal of confidence
• 26:11
  Speaker 4: that there is a All Blacks team there that are
• 26:14
  Speaker 4: far from their best and can be exposed if you
• 26:19
  Speaker 4: pressure them in the right ways. It will be interesting
• 26:22
  Speaker 4: to see how they play, because I don't think they'll
• 26:24
  Speaker 4: play any anywhere like the Springboks do in terms of
• 26:28
  Speaker 4: their their aerial kicking game. Who the Wallabies commentator Sew
• 26:32
  Speaker 4: Maloney on with Jason Pine and Weekend Sports Newstalks the
• 26:35
  Speaker 4: b yesterday and sort of saying I don't think just
• 26:38
  Speaker 4: because South Africa offered you a blueprint of what you
• 26:41
  Speaker 4: can do to beat the All Blacks so convincingly that
• 26:44
  Speaker 4: you try and cut and paste that you have to
• 26:46
  Speaker 4: have the personnel required, So I don't think the kicking
• 26:49
  Speaker 4: game will be quite as prolific.
• 26:52
  Speaker 2: However, you look at.
• 26:54
  Speaker 4: Some of their outside backs if they can get them
• 26:56
  Speaker 4: good front football and Max Jorgensen and Joseph Suerley, even
• 27:01
  Speaker 4: Andrew Callaway at the back. It as a shame Tom
• 27:03
  Speaker 4: Ryder is injured, but they've got themselves a team, and
• 27:07
  Speaker 4: I think they come here with confidence, with a point
• 27:09
  Speaker 4: to prove, and with some coaching acumen and Joe Schmidt
• 27:13
  Speaker 4: and Mike Kron as well in terms of they'll know
• 27:15
  Speaker 4: exactly what it's like having been in that all back environment,
• 27:18
  Speaker 4: knowing how they'll be talking and preparing for this week
• 27:22
  Speaker 4: to throw some pictures at the All Blacks and make
• 27:25
  Speaker 4: them potentially uncomfortable.
• 27:27
  Speaker 2: I feel like the start is going to be important.
• 27:29
  Speaker 4: But as we've seen the Wallabies, I know they lost
• 27:31
  Speaker 4: last Sex, you're a second half team and if they
• 27:34
  Speaker 4: can even just stay with an arm's reach in the
• 27:38
  Speaker 4: first forty, we've seen how good they are coming home.
• 27:40
  Speaker 4: Whereas the All Blacks, I know they've maybe sorted out
• 27:44
  Speaker 4: a few things from minutes sixty one to eighty, but
• 27:47
  Speaker 4: as you and Liam have pointed out at nauseum the
• 27:50
  Speaker 4: twenty minutes after after half time, sorry, it's just turned
• 27:53
  Speaker 4: into a bit of a basket case. So yeah, look,
• 27:59
  Speaker 4: I'm not declaring the Wallabies favorites or anything like that,
• 28:02
  Speaker 4: but I think that we're in for a real ding
• 28:05
  Speaker 4: dong battle, which you know, I think this Rugby Championship
• 28:09
  Speaker 4: has offered for the first four rounds is outstanding from
• 28:14
  Speaker 4: just a pure excitement perspective that we've got this jeopardy
• 28:17
  Speaker 4: so often and Bledsoe Cup Test. It's like, right here
• 28:20
  Speaker 4: we go, we know the all blacks will be relatively comfortable.
• 28:23
  Speaker 3: There's none of that this week, certainly, isn't it right?
• 28:25
  Speaker 3: Quick break, come back talk Randfully Shield after this on
• 28:27
  Speaker 3: Rugby Directs.
• 28:29
  Speaker 1: This is Rugby Direct, a podcast for real rugby fans.
• 28:36
  Speaker 3: Every try try ten sixty second, every tackle tackle get
• 28:40
  Speaker 3: up again.
• 28:44
  Speaker 2: Afore it's Rugby Direct.
• 28:47
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• 28:51
  Speaker 3: at Access Solutions. Will Nick you called this game on
• 28:54
  Speaker 3: the weekend thirty eight thirty six. O Tago take the
• 28:57
  Speaker 3: ran Furley Shield over Canterbury, whose defense did not last
• 29:01
  Speaker 3: long at all. It's gone around. I think this is
• 29:03
  Speaker 3: the fifth time it's had this season, the Ranfurly Shield.
• 29:06
  Speaker 3: But this was a remarkable come back. I was watching
• 29:09
  Speaker 3: it in our newsroom in thirty six twenty one. You
• 29:12
  Speaker 3: sort of consigned the game to the scrap peep. You
• 29:14
  Speaker 3: start writing up your stories for the bulletin and then
• 29:17
  Speaker 3: Otago just find something down to fourteen men and Canterbury
• 29:23
  Speaker 3: couldn't repel what they bought in that last or even
• 29:26
  Speaker 3: just a sort of twelve minute burst. They just came
• 29:29
  Speaker 3: out and put Canterbury to the sword and the Red
• 29:31
  Speaker 3: and Blacks had no response.
• 29:34
  Speaker 4: I think Canterbury were but like you, Elliott, they already
• 29:36
  Speaker 4: started reading their own match report that this was a
• 29:39
  Speaker 4: convincing defense of the shield with about twenty odd minutes
• 29:43
  Speaker 4: to go. Yeah, it was extraordinary the shift and momentum,
• 29:46
  Speaker 4: as you say, thirty six twenty one. But not only that,
• 29:49
  Speaker 4: losing will tucker Otago to a yellow card and you thought, I,
• 29:52
  Speaker 4: you know, one more try and this will this will
• 29:55
  Speaker 4: break Otago's resilience and you know, beyond what that would
• 30:00
  Speaker 4: have been, what a twenty point comeback from there. But
• 30:03
  Speaker 4: goodness me, they've got some talent down there. Lucas Casey.
• 30:08
  Speaker 4: I hadn't heard much about Lucas Casey prior to my
• 30:11
  Speaker 4: preparation for this game, and then read via the Otago
• 30:16
  Speaker 4: Daily Times he was their club player of the year,
• 30:18
  Speaker 4: the open side flanker. He scored thirteen tries in the
• 30:22
  Speaker 4: club season and he is a tremendous athlete and just
• 30:26
  Speaker 4: something out of nothing individual brilliance on both occasions. The
• 30:29
  Speaker 4: first try was very good to put a big fend
• 30:33
  Speaker 4: on shay Fee Huckey I believe it was and go
• 30:35
  Speaker 4: around to score. But the second is just one of
• 30:38
  Speaker 4: the individual tries off the season. The footwork, he was
• 30:41
  Speaker 4: like an outside back and he made I think it
• 30:43
  Speaker 4: was James White in the backfield, their last man standing
• 30:45
  Speaker 4: in defense, looked rather silly with the footwork. But not
• 30:49
  Speaker 4: only him, I thought Dylan Pledger. A lot has been
• 30:52
  Speaker 4: made about this young halfback, his distribution, his decision making.
• 30:57
  Speaker 4: He's not only a player for the future, he's a
• 30:58
  Speaker 4: player for now, like he is a serious talent. And
• 31:02
  Speaker 4: Cameron Miller, I know he's been around a week while,
• 31:04
  Speaker 4: but I thought we were talking earlier about Josh Jacob
• 31:07
  Speaker 4: and Ten's who just can troll the tempo, make the
• 31:09
  Speaker 4: right decisions and can goal kick as well. That was
• 31:13
  Speaker 4: a big kick to put Otago ahead thirty eight thirty six.
• 31:16
  Speaker 4: So congratulations to the men from the Deep South, not
• 31:21
  Speaker 4: quite the deep Deep South, but from Dunedin and the surrounds,
• 31:25
  Speaker 4: because they thoroughly deserve that.
• 31:27
  Speaker 2: And now the Ramfilly Shield goes again. How many weeks
• 31:30
  Speaker 2: in a row.
• 31:31
  Speaker 4: North Harbor, my beloved Harbor's got a challenge on Saturday.
• 31:36
  Speaker 3: Yeah, this must be a record for most consecutive challenges.
• 31:39
  Speaker 3: It's been ridiculous over the last what's six seven weeks.
• 31:42
  Speaker 3: It feels like it's just been non stop. Usually you
• 31:44
  Speaker 3: get a a week to celebrate depending on how the
• 31:48
  Speaker 3: draw falls. That's quite handy, you know, you go away,
• 31:50
  Speaker 3: have a away game and maybe lose that by twenty
• 31:53
  Speaker 3: points and then come back and the celebrations are done.
• 31:55
  Speaker 3: You can focus on your shield defense. But it has
• 31:57
  Speaker 3: just been relentless. The Ramfilly Shield and the way it's
• 32:00
  Speaker 3: moved around the season and the number of challenges.
• 32:03
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I've loved it personally.
• 32:04
  Speaker 4: I don't think it's taken the gloss off a Ranfilly
• 32:06
  Speaker 4: shield rain all. And just from a historic standpoint, the
• 32:11
  Speaker 4: fact that it's gone through five sets of hands Tartanaki, Waikato, Southland,
• 32:15
  Speaker 4: Canterbury and Otago hadn't been done since nineteen fifty, which
• 32:19
  Speaker 4: really sort of puts it in perspective. I know there
• 32:22
  Speaker 4: was a period there in the eighties where I think
• 32:23
  Speaker 4: it only changed hands once between Auckland and Canterbury, but.
• 32:28
  Speaker 2: There's still a mystique, a magic.
• 32:31
  Speaker 4: You know.
• 32:31
  Speaker 2: Tasman went very close the week before.
• 32:34
  Speaker 4: It's really hard to defend because each team once they
• 32:37
  Speaker 4: see they've got a challenge, particularly when it's an unexpected
• 32:41
  Speaker 4: one that's come out of nowhere, that wasn't there at
• 32:42
  Speaker 4: the beginning when the schedule first came out, you can
• 32:46
  Speaker 4: just see it creates a real lift to be part
• 32:48
  Speaker 4: of something special. And that's what has been the case
• 32:52
  Speaker 4: for these these respective four teams who we've seen it
• 32:56
  Speaker 4: change hands so far this season. Who knows we could
• 32:58
  Speaker 4: have the fifth changing of hands this week. And then
• 33:02
  Speaker 4: I just had a weird glance at the draw. It's unlikely,
• 33:05
  Speaker 4: let's be honest, there o in eight Harbor, but one
• 33:07
  Speaker 4: can dream. But if Harbor win it, then they've got
• 33:10
  Speaker 4: to put it on the line the final week of
• 33:11
  Speaker 4: the round robin against Southland. So the Mirry Go Round,
• 33:15
  Speaker 4: the Ranfilly Shield Merry Go Round is alive and well
• 33:18
  Speaker 4: this season that's for sure.
• 33:19
  Speaker 3: What chance do you give North Harbor? I mean and
• 33:21
  Speaker 3: h I thought they played pretty well for periods against
• 33:24
  Speaker 3: Northland in that game over the weekend, but weren't good
• 33:28
  Speaker 3: enough to warn considered very late penalty to lose that game.
• 33:32
  Speaker 3: But do you give them a shot of going down
• 33:34
  Speaker 3: to Dunedin. You know, maybe you know there's been a
• 33:36
  Speaker 3: week on the Gold mid LALs from a target perspective,
• 33:41
  Speaker 3: maybe Harbor can hid down there fresh and catch them
• 33:44
  Speaker 3: on the hop.
• 33:46
  Speaker 4: Never say never, however, it's pretty hard to bet against Otago,
• 33:51
  Speaker 4: isn't it. And I heard Mark Brown, their head coach,
• 33:55
  Speaker 4: speaking with Piney again yesterday on Sunday, and you know
• 34:00
  Speaker 4: he mentioned not only is it important in terms of
• 34:02
  Speaker 4: putting the ram for the shield away from the summer,
• 34:04
  Speaker 4: it's Liam Coltman's one hundredth game Targo. So I don't
• 34:07
  Speaker 4: think they're going to be acking any inspiration. So look,
• 34:12
  Speaker 4: I think it would be quite the miracle if North
• 34:16
  Speaker 4: Harbor get it done. But just a word on Harbor,
• 34:19
  Speaker 4: and I know, you know, the competitiveness of the NPC
• 34:22
  Speaker 4: has been very impressive actually this season and the fact
• 34:25
  Speaker 4: that Northland, you know, eightieth minute penalty, they're now five
• 34:29
  Speaker 4: wins from eight after that went over Harbor. But there
• 34:31
  Speaker 4: eighth on the ladder like this, you know that top
• 34:33
  Speaker 4: eight everyone sort of beating everyone as good as Canterbury
• 34:37
  Speaker 4: have been. I think it's still a pretty wide open competition.
• 34:40
  Speaker 4: But just on Harbor, I do admire teams or provinces
• 34:44
  Speaker 4: that really back their club program. You know they haven't
• 34:48
  Speaker 4: imported far and beyond. But this is the reality of
• 34:53
  Speaker 4: that decision in its infancy, you know, when you've got
• 34:56
  Speaker 4: to go all in now for at least a few
• 34:58
  Speaker 4: years to give these guys out of the club program
• 35:01
  Speaker 4: some regular time in MPC, because if you just sort
• 35:05
  Speaker 4: of chop and change or important and then go club
• 35:08
  Speaker 4: or not quite get the balance right, you're not going
• 35:11
  Speaker 4: to make the ground. But yeah, fingers crossed for all
• 35:14
  Speaker 4: those the people from Warkworth to Tackapona that we might
• 35:19
  Speaker 4: have something special.
• 35:20
  Speaker 3: I'm sure there'll be a few flying down to try
• 35:22
  Speaker 3: and get that shield home. Nick Buley, thank you so
• 35:25
  Speaker 3: much for your time on Rugby Direct this week. Appreciate
• 35:28
  Speaker 3: it as always and look forward to catching up again soon.
• 35:32
  Speaker 3: And you're joining us on Rugby Director just quickly.
• 35:36
  Speaker 4: I know Liam would have wanted to mention the Wellington
• 35:39
  Speaker 4: Southland score.
• 35:41
  Speaker 3: Any thoughts there, Well, I'll talk about Southland because they're
• 35:45
  Speaker 3: back con seeded fifty plus. In their last three artings
• 35:49
  Speaker 3: since winning the Shield they have been counties, so Canterbury
• 35:52
  Speaker 3: first Counties and then Wellington on the weekend.
• 35:55
  Speaker 2: That's taybollical. It's some hangover, isn't it.
• 35:58
  Speaker 3: Yeah, it really is, it really is. But no, congratulations
• 36:00
  Speaker 3: to Wellington. Good to see them in the top eight
• 36:03
  Speaker 3: so I think the eighth now, so it's great for them.
• 36:05
  Speaker 3: I appreciate it. Leam might join us back into the
• 36:08
  Speaker 3: week once he arrives back from his trop travels and
• 36:12
  Speaker 3: gets back on the ground here in Auckland. But thank
• 36:14
  Speaker 3: you as always Bules for joining us on RUGB Direct
• 36:17
  Speaker 3: card by Access Solutions elevating you and your business to
• 36:20
  Speaker 3: a higher level.
• 36:25
  Speaker 1: For more from news Talks ed B, listen live on
• 36:28
  Speaker 1: air or online, and keep our shows with you wherever
• 36:31
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