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The Muster- Nathan Burdon: The Future Of The NPC · The Muster on Hokonui

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: It's not like you to say sorry.
• 0:03
  Speaker 2: A world's waiting on a different story. And this time
• 0:06
  Speaker 2: I'm mistaken for handing you a hard word's breaking.
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: And I've been wrong, I've been down, been to the bottom.
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: Welcome back to the muster. Nickelback is amused today. The
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: breakout hit from around... Late 2001, How You Remind Me.
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: Our resident sporting guru joins us next, Nathan Burden. Good afternoon.
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: That will bring back memories yet again at the shack.
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: Much maligned, Nicolac, aren't they? Unfairly, unfairly maligned. Can we
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: say that, Nicolac?
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: You watched that Netflix documentary on them and it was weird.
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: I looked forward to watching it, but I was disappointed.
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: They more or less spent the entire two hours, whatever
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: it was, saying, hey, guys, you're actually really good and
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: we made a lot of money.
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, they rock out, don't they? And I
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: guess they just got so big so fast that, you know,
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: there's people out there that don't like that. And tall
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: poppy syndrome kicked in. But, yeah, I mean, you can't
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: help but tap a toe, can you, once they get going?
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: Perhaps Nickelback could lend the NZR some money or give
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: the NZR some money and keep the NPC going.
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: Yeah, they... It's not looking good for the NPC. I
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves, but
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: obviously this massive meeting that's happening up in Wellington today,
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: potentially as we speak, with the future of men's rugby
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: in New Zealand, and so many competing forces too. Obviously
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: the Players Association will have a view. You've got the
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: provincial unions who have got a view. Super Rugby is
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: one of the cash cows that... cash cows and inverted
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: commas because it's also a bit of a loss maker
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: as well. So many competing forces. The way the model
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: works at the moment is that it doesn't work. New
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: Zealand rugby is not sustainable. They're talking about $ 60 million
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: losses over the next few years and that's even when
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: you throw in what will be a highly profitable British
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: and Irish Lions series. So something's got to change and
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: as you say the NPC is being talked about as
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: one of those things that could change dramatically.
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: So this could quite possibly be the last year we
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: see the Stags?
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: Yeah there is a scenario where Southland is one of
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: those unions that goes back into the goes back into
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: Heartland yeah yeah yeah and so into whatever that looks
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: like going forward and And I guess, you know, if
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: you look at the history of the NPC, 50 years,
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: Southland's always been, we've been in this sort of uncomfortable
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: position where we've just been, we are probably, or we
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: have been too good for second division. But we've struggled
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: at first division and we're in this sort of weird
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: purgatory in between those two competitions. So I guess one
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: of those, you don't want to look into the crystal
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: ball too much and get too, doom and gloom about it,
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: but I guess for all of those people who go, yes,
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: it'd be fantastic to go back to amateur and you
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: can watch, go to the Inner Rugby Park and watch
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: the Stags win a few games. You've got to weigh
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: that up against the fact that this is a professional
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: sport now and there's a pathway and your Jimmy Taylors,
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: your Jack Taylors, your Sean Withies, these sorts of guys
• 3:28
  Speaker 2: are they will not hang around. You know, they have
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: to follow their dreams. And that won't be in a
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: maroon jersey if this isn't a professional province.
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: Is this just a tale of a tape? And realistically,
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: there's going to be a few unions go down to Harland?
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: I mean, dare I say it, Northland, if they beat
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: counties at the weekend, they keep the log of wood.
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: And if all this competition revamp goes through, it goes
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: down with them.
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I guess that's the irony of the situation, isn't it?
• 3:55
  Speaker 2: We're focusing very heavily, from the stories that we're being told,
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: on bolstering some of the major centres. And, you know,
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: you look at your Aucklands and your Wellingtons who are
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: languishing towards the bottom of that NPC table. And at
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: the same time, your Hawke's Bay, not so much in
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: recent weeks, but definitely earlier in the season. And, I mean, Northland.
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: Northland is the story of the NPCs. this year, and
• 4:24
  Speaker 2: they would be in the same boat as us. They
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: would be back into the amateur ranks if this did
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: sort of play out. From a personal perspective, I'm an
• 4:37
  Speaker 2: NPC guy. I've never really been able to get on
• 4:40
  Speaker 2: board with Super Rugby. I don't have a Super Rugby team.
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: I don't have a great affinity with the competition, but
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: it does create revenue. It creates a broadcasting deal There's
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: a lot of people whose livelihoods are tied up in
• 4:54
  Speaker 2: coaching and managing and playing and the associated roles around
• 4:58
  Speaker 2: these teams. So it's a big industry, but something needs
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: to be done to find a sustainable way forward.
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: The Black Caps playing a T20 series against India starting
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: next month, but these games won't be starting at 8
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: o'clock at night just because India is such a behemoth
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: in the cricketing economy.
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: Yeah, there's... It's going to test the old circadian rhythms,
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: isn't it? We've got a real buffet of cricket coming up,
• 5:26
  Speaker 2: five T20s, five one-dayers, and as you say, the time
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: zones to fit into that massive Indian audience, you can't
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: really argue with a billion people, so... You know, that
• 5:38
  Speaker 2: is what it is. It's probably a little bit of
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: a shame, I guess, for the youngsters who can't necessarily
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: start till 11 o'clock to get through to the end
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: of the game. But I'll tell you, there's a few
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: of us old fellas that might be struggling to get
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: through to the end of some of these games too.
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: This went under the radar. India and Japan played a
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: T20 game yesterday. It was reduced to five overs a side.
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: India won the game by two runs. And by the
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: sounds of it, they peer-pressured the umpire in the last
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: over into reversing a wide call. So Japan very much
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: could have and should have beaten India.
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: Would you want to be the umpire who is standing
• 6:15
  Speaker 2: in the middle making the call on Japan beating the
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: almighty Indian cricket team? That's a tough spot to be in.
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: But I'm going away that Japan actually play cricket. This
• 6:26
  Speaker 2: is probably the first that I'm even hearing about this.
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: This is a nation we we associate a lot more
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: closely with baseball, I guess, from that perspective. Yeah, so
• 6:38
  Speaker 2: it's amazing. It's amazing to me that they actually play cricket,
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: and they must have a reasonably handy sort of team
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: by the sounds of it.
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: Have you got your Warriors jersey all pressed away safely
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: for next season? Because it's our year next year, right?
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: It has to be, hasn't it? Yeah. Yeah, to be honest,
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: I don't buy into the you've got to lose one
• 6:59
  Speaker 2: to win one sort of philosophy. I think definitely the
• 7:03
  Speaker 2: more times you put yourself in the fight, you give
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: yourself a better chance of getting close, if not winning
• 7:11
  Speaker 2: that sort of ever-elusive NRL title, but it was a
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: bit of an anticlimactic end to the season to lose
• 7:20
  Speaker 2: both of those playoff games. I think the By the
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: time we got there, I think the Warriors were sort
• 7:25
  Speaker 2: of papering over some cracks in terms of some key
• 7:28
  Speaker 2: players being injured. I'm guessing there were some injuries we
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: didn't even know about in that squad. They just sort
• 7:34
  Speaker 2: of seemed to run out of puff in those last
• 7:37
  Speaker 2: two games. But I don't think it should take away
• 7:40
  Speaker 2: from what was a fantastically consistent season. Consistency is not
• 7:44
  Speaker 2: a word you always associate with the Warriors. I think
• 7:47
  Speaker 2: they put in terms of a body of work in 2026,
• 7:49
  Speaker 2: they were very good. and if they can probably just
• 7:54
  Speaker 2: add in a couple of more names, a couple of
• 7:58
  Speaker 2: other players across Tasman, I think they could put a
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: team that will be right in the mix again next year.
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: Good on you, Nathan. You can help me with this
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: today too, you lucky thing. Just stand by. Nathan, how
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: many elephants can you fit in a minnie?
• 8:22
  Speaker 2: I don't know, mate. Four.
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: Two in the front, two in the back. But how
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: do you know when there's eight elephants at church?
• 8:30
  Speaker 2: I don't know.
• 8:31
  Speaker 1: Because there's two minis parked outside. It registered eventually.
• 8:38
  Speaker 2: Good on you, mate.
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: Obviously, it left you stunned. We'll leave it there. Good
• 8:41
  Speaker 1: on you, mate.
• 8:43
  Speaker 2: Lovely. Thanks, mate.
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: Send in jokes, Jamie King, not a problem. I'm Andy Muir.
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: The must is brought to you by Peter's Genetics. Potty's
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: going up shortly. See you tomorrow, one o'clock.