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Transcript

Rugby Direct Episode 205 · Rugby Direct

• 0:09
  Speaker 1: You're listening to a podcast from News Talks ed B.
• 0:12
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• 0:19
  Speaker 2: Straight down the Middle Guy, try.
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: To get inside the game from every end goal. It's
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: Rugby Direct with Elliott Smith and Liam Napier powered by
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  Speaker 1: News Talks EDB.
• 0:38
  Speaker 3: Welcome into Rugby Direct powered by Habit Health Physio Book
• 0:40
  Speaker 3: today and stay in the game. Rugby Direct back for
• 0:44
  Speaker 3: another week Monday and Thursday. First edition of the Week.
• 0:48
  Speaker 3: Elliot Smith with me is Nick Bewley, who's kept his
• 0:52
  Speaker 3: phone on once again and answered the call. You know
• 0:55
  Speaker 3: you Liam Napier fans out there. I'm sorry, but he's
• 0:58
  Speaker 3: just not quite right ready to go after breaking his wrist.
• 1:01
  Speaker 3: So we're great grateful to have Bulls back in the
• 1:04
  Speaker 3: hot seat again. Welcome in.
• 1:05
  Speaker 4: Hey, thanks Elliott.
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: I understand actually lives more to do with the canes
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: to results than as a rest, but maybe we'll get
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: to that in a minute.
• 1:14
  Speaker 3: Absolutely, he's got a lot to pay for on Thursday
• 1:16
  Speaker 3: if he does come back for that episode. Let's roll
• 1:19
  Speaker 3: through the weekend that was and what a weekend and
• 1:21
  Speaker 3: in many ways before we dive into each individual game. Mules,
• 1:25
  Speaker 3: I think the story from New zeal perspective, at least
• 1:28
  Speaker 3: for me, was just the wastefulness of the New Zealand teams,
• 1:30
  Speaker 3: maybe apart from the Crusaders for obvious reasons, but there
• 1:34
  Speaker 3: was a lot of wasted opportunities I thought over the
• 1:36
  Speaker 3: course of the weekend, and that includes more one pacifica
• 1:40
  Speaker 3: on Friday night. But I thought the Highlanders, the Hurricanes,
• 1:43
  Speaker 3: the Chiefs, the Blues were all particularly wasteful and the
• 1:46
  Speaker 3: opportunities and the amount of ball they did have. What
• 1:49
  Speaker 3: did you take out of the weekend?
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a great summary. Actually you look at I mean,
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: I've just got some notes in front of me here
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: around the Blues, you know, they had more line breaks.
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: They led what twenty seven eighteen with ten to play,
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: couldn't get the job done, gave away sixteen penalty, So
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: that ticks that wasteful element to the Chiefs fourteen al
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: after nine minutes, twenty one seven after twenty three minutes,
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: couldn't get the job done. The Canes had a good start.
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: They had twelve entries into the drewers twenty two. I
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: only came away with a couple of tries. All been
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: in horrific conditions. Wasteful and the Highland is thirty one
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: missed tackles. You're going to be hard pressed to win
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: any game when you miss that amount of tackles. So yeah,
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: I mean kudos to the Australian teams, particularly the Brumbis
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: and the Reds for putting away the Blues and the
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: Highlanders respectively.
• 2:40
  Speaker 4: But yeah, I would.
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: Have thought the Monday Morning Sessions and many of these
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: New Zealand Super Raypy franchises, there will be some pretty
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: frank discussions. I know it's round three, but about an
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: inability to execute and stack moments, because yeah, you feel
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: like these are some results that could come back to
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: haunt some teams. We can see already how close I
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: think this competition is going to be. I know probably
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: made similar comments twelve months ago after the starts and
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: some of the Australian teams made But like the Brumbies
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: have improved, the Waratahs have improved, there's some signs of
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: life there at the Reds as well. New Zealand teams
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: can l afford to be two sloppy early doors and
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: then be chasing in the later rounds of the seasons.
• 3:20
  Speaker 3: One percent, Well, let's start with the Brumbies Blues the
• 3:22
  Speaker 3: final game of the round and work our way backwards,
• 3:24
  Speaker 3: and as you mentioned there, the Blues had a twenty
• 3:27
  Speaker 3: seven eighteen lead late in the game. This was veering
• 3:31
  Speaker 3: into game done, job done territory for the Blues with
• 3:35
  Speaker 3: ten minutes to go, they just need to really shut
• 3:38
  Speaker 3: it down. But that stacking on moments then they you
• 3:41
  Speaker 3: should be able to close the game out from that
• 3:43
  Speaker 3: point up with ten to play. Yes, the Brumbies is
• 3:45
  Speaker 3: exceptionally well to come back and win with those too
• 3:48
  Speaker 3: late tries, But I think the Blues will be kicking
• 3:50
  Speaker 3: themselves for a missed opportunity in Canberra because they've played
• 3:54
  Speaker 3: some good rugby to that point, but they basically it's
• 3:57
  Speaker 3: led it undo itself over the last ten minutes You
• 4:01
  Speaker 3: mentioned some of those stats before. The Blues had three
• 4:04
  Speaker 3: hundred and sixty three post contact meters versus two hundred
• 4:07
  Speaker 3: and fifty two two from the Brumbies. They were more
• 4:11
  Speaker 3: impressive with ball in hand, I thought, than the Brumbies
• 4:13
  Speaker 3: for long periods of the game, but they just played
• 4:15
  Speaker 3: some dumb rugby in the closing stages and didn't seem
• 4:19
  Speaker 3: to know how to lock it down.
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: Yes, certainly, I mean that Stephen peifetta yellow card was
• 4:24
  Speaker 2: a blow as well, and perhaps that just exacerbated the
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: issues around the inability to close out a game, not
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: having the key sort of general there in the first
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: five position. But it was a huge momentum swing. Then
• 4:37
  Speaker 2: the Luke Rymer try and then that constant pressure and
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: type from the Brumbies finally told with Charlie Cale getting
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: over after the siren. But yeah, absolutely right, it's a
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: really hard place to go and get a result in Canberra.
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: That the Blues put themselves in a really good position
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: and it all came unstuck from that last ten and
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: now we're looking at a team that is one and
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: two and has the old foe the Crusaders, who have
• 5:04
  Speaker 2: all of a sudden found form up next at Eden Park.
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: So yeah, a head scratcher, to say the least for
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: the Blues and vern Codder. And I mentioned that that
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: penalty count again, and I know some in Blues country
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: will go, how on earth have they ended up conceding
• 5:20
  Speaker 2: double the amount of penalties sixteen to eight compared to
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: the Brumbies.
• 5:24
  Speaker 4: But at the same time, to.
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: You, you've got to adjust, you know, we can hear
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: on the communication and our radio commentaries and also on
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: the TV broadcast, how clear the referees by and large
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: are in terms of not necessarily educating, but certainly telling
• 5:40
  Speaker 2: the players or telling the captain why they're giving why
• 5:43
  Speaker 2: he keeps blowing his whistle for penalties. You've got to
• 5:45
  Speaker 2: make those adjustments, whether it's in and around the breakdown,
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: whether it's offside calls. And it just felt like the
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: Blues didn't take enough care there.
• 5:53
  Speaker 3: No, they didn't, and touring a fussy at scrum time
• 5:56
  Speaker 3: had a few issues as well. Just couldn't seem to
• 5:59
  Speaker 3: match up against rees var Neck of the Brumbies very well.
• 6:03
  Speaker 3: We got pinned two maybe three times over the course
• 6:07
  Speaker 3: of that game. Tonga Farsi switching back to the loose
• 6:10
  Speaker 3: head's side this week up against von Neck, you'd expect
• 6:13
  Speaker 3: Tonga Fasi to get the best probably of that battle
• 6:16
  Speaker 3: with an all Black up against a super rugby player.
• 6:19
  Speaker 3: But whether it was the positioning going back to Lewis
• 6:23
  Speaker 3: said this week after playing a couple of leagues at tighthead,
• 6:25
  Speaker 3: I'm not sure, but Tongue Fuszi couldn't get there and
• 6:27
  Speaker 3: it was probably symptomatic of the Blues issues as you
• 6:30
  Speaker 3: say there, they just didn't learn their lessons over the
• 6:32
  Speaker 3: course of the game. Per a feather comes undone with
• 6:34
  Speaker 3: that lake yellow for the off side, and they invited
• 6:37
  Speaker 3: the Brumbies back into the contest and they were good
• 6:40
  Speaker 3: enough to blow through that barn door. As we saw
• 6:42
  Speaker 3: the previous week in christ Church. Charlie Kale, what a
• 6:45
  Speaker 3: season he's having already for the Brumbies gets the winner
• 6:49
  Speaker 3: and you know, the Brumbies sitting pretty top of the
• 6:51
  Speaker 3: table three from three. They're playing some some really good
• 6:55
  Speaker 3: rugby and as you said, Nick, the Blues have an
• 6:58
  Speaker 3: interesting trip back across the Tasman and again we'll get
• 7:01
  Speaker 3: to in just a half second to face the Crusaders
• 7:03
  Speaker 3: this week.
• 7:04
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it'll be fascinating to see how they bounce back.
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: Obviously it's a game they always get up for. Although
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: you look over the course of the history you call
• 7:12
  Speaker 2: it a rivalry. The Crusaders have certainly dominated in recent times.
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: But look, I expect the response. It's still a very
• 7:19
  Speaker 2: good scene in the Blues one and two. But yeah,
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: as I mentioned before, there'll be some pretty frank discussions
• 7:26
  Speaker 2: and I do wonder as Boat and Barrack close was
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: it round four was.
• 7:30
  Speaker 3: That Round four was what they said. Yeah, haven't had
• 7:32
  Speaker 3: an update from the Blues on that, but that was
• 7:34
  Speaker 3: certainly the target. So we'll see whether it gets introduced
• 7:37
  Speaker 3: this week. And mean he hasn't played any pre season.
• 7:39
  Speaker 3: The Chiefs took a guess, a softly softly approach with
• 7:42
  Speaker 3: Damien McKinzie, who is also off and hadn't played since Novembers,
• 7:46
  Speaker 3: or do they wait a week get them back for
• 7:48
  Speaker 3: Mwana pacifica nixt Sunday. It's going to be interesting to
• 7:51
  Speaker 3: see what the Blues do on that front. So let's
• 7:54
  Speaker 3: go back to seven oh five on Saturday nights and
• 7:56
  Speaker 3: the Crusaders beating the Chiefs forty three thirty three. Nick.
• 8:00
  Speaker 3: I don't know about you, but at twenty one seven
• 8:02
  Speaker 3: down for the Crusaders and fourteen neel prior to that,
• 8:05
  Speaker 3: it felt like it was deja vous from the week
• 8:07
  Speaker 3: previously they were going to get blown out to the
• 8:09
  Speaker 3: tune of fifty. Well, as it happened, the Crusader's almost
• 8:12
  Speaker 3: put fifty on their home team the Chiefs this week
• 8:16
  Speaker 3: utterly fascinating game but one of the certainly the best
• 8:20
  Speaker 3: game of the season for me so far. Best game
• 8:21
  Speaker 3: in a few years, I think, and just a game
• 8:24
  Speaker 3: that turned on a dime, and boy the Crusader shows
• 8:27
  Speaker 3: some grit to get back into that contest.
• 8:29
  Speaker 4: Yes, some real character.
• 8:31
  Speaker 2: I was like you, Ali, you think they conceded twenty
• 8:33
  Speaker 2: one points in minutes seventy three to eighty the week
• 8:36
  Speaker 2: prior against the Brumbies and they're down fourteen neil after
• 8:39
  Speaker 2: nine minutes against the Chiefs.
• 8:40
  Speaker 4: What's that?
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: Thirty five nel over the space of fifteen minutes of
• 8:43
  Speaker 2: rugby and you're starting to think, Yeah, the floodgates are
• 8:46
  Speaker 2: going to open here, their heads are going to drop.
• 8:48
  Speaker 2: And even again after they scored I think it was
• 8:50
  Speaker 2: George Bell, then they concede again Tackya twenty one seven.
• 8:53
  Speaker 2: I'm still thinking it was a long way back. From
• 8:55
  Speaker 2: minutes twenty four to seventy two, the Crusaders piled on
• 9:00
  Speaker 2: thirty six unanswered points. It was one of the more
• 9:03
  Speaker 2: remarkable comebacks I've seen with that context in mind, a
• 9:09
  Speaker 2: lot of turnover ball which made for a really sort
• 9:11
  Speaker 2: of helter skelter encounter, But it was when the Crusaders
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: were able to get some scrums basically both their own
• 9:19
  Speaker 2: feeds and against that they got some serious dominance through
• 9:22
  Speaker 2: to Mighty Williams and Fletcher Yule. I thought it was
• 9:26
  Speaker 2: one of Taha Keimena's best games at ten in terms
• 9:28
  Speaker 2: of his decision making. And then even though the line
• 9:31
  Speaker 2: out remained wobbly Ropie, indeed they were still able to
• 9:36
  Speaker 2: string some phases to get a stacked those moments and
• 9:40
  Speaker 2: be clinical when those opportunities presented themselves.
• 9:42
  Speaker 4: So huge credit to the Crusaders.
• 9:45
  Speaker 2: You know that they were saying all the messages when
• 9:47
  Speaker 2: I went to their media sessions last week that it's
• 9:49
  Speaker 2: not panic stations. We've had slow starts before, but you
• 9:53
  Speaker 2: can't help when a team gets put have fifty points
• 9:56
  Speaker 2: put on them to start thinking. Gee, was maybe this
• 9:58
  Speaker 2: isn't a vintage Crusader's side, but they silenced a few doubters,
• 10:02
  Speaker 2: made me eat my words. A few shout outs to
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: notes I thought of Christian Willie question Leo Willy. Of
• 10:09
  Speaker 2: course three tries can't be sneezed at, but his general
• 10:12
  Speaker 2: work create he seemed very busy after a pretty quiet
• 10:15
  Speaker 2: opening fortnite. I thought Dominant Gardner was very busy as well.
• 10:18
  Speaker 2: I know last week Alliot we talked about the Battle
• 10:21
  Speaker 2: of the background. I looked at you know, Jacobson and
• 10:24
  Speaker 2: Bosch here and Titi coming off the bench and the like,
• 10:27
  Speaker 2: and thought that the Chiefs would have their dominance. There
• 10:29
  Speaker 2: wasn't the case. And Chaffee hackey. I know this is
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: a player that all of a sudden sort of become
• 10:38
  Speaker 2: an option for the All Blacks in terms of carrying
• 10:41
  Speaker 2: tackle bags and the like and being drafted into extended squads.
• 10:44
  Speaker 2: And there was a few eyebrows raised around the country.
• 10:47
  Speaker 2: His ability in the air is up there with the
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: best in the country, if not the best, and it's
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: such an ass yet to have at this point in
• 10:55
  Speaker 2: time with the laws as they are written and the
• 10:59
  Speaker 2: proliferation of contestable kicks, particularly box kicks. He was superb
• 11:04
  Speaker 2: and yeah, hall of a win for the Crusaders And yeah,
• 11:09
  Speaker 2: I think on that score line the ten point margin
• 11:11
  Speaker 2: flatters the Chiefs because those last two tries the game
• 11:14
  Speaker 2: was done.
• 11:14
  Speaker 3: The game was done, and the Crusaders were down to fourteen.
• 11:17
  Speaker 3: They were chasing the game a little bit. But it
• 11:19
  Speaker 3: was a remarkable reminded me of the game last year
• 11:22
  Speaker 3: between the Box and Australia and the Rugby Championship with
• 11:26
  Speaker 3: a box came out with a hiss and a rar,
• 11:27
  Speaker 3: then all of a sudden, straight it's got a little
• 11:29
  Speaker 3: bit of a luck and just you know, broke through
• 11:32
  Speaker 3: the gates and stormed the castle and claimed the victory.
• 11:36
  Speaker 3: It was really much like that, and I think it's
• 11:39
  Speaker 3: a performance that the Crusaders continues to build their season on.
• 11:42
  Speaker 3: You mentioned a couple of players there. I was want
• 11:44
  Speaker 3: to touch on tahak Emata because he's been around that
• 11:47
  Speaker 3: Crusader's environment for a couple of seasons, obviously had that
• 11:49
  Speaker 3: injury last year, and there's been points you go, I
• 11:53
  Speaker 3: can sort of see what they're doing here with him
• 11:55
  Speaker 3: and see what attracted them to signing him in the
• 11:58
  Speaker 3: first place, out of out of high school, et cetera.
• 12:01
  Speaker 3: That was the kind of game where I thought, Okay,
• 12:03
  Speaker 3: I can see where they're going with this guy. And
• 12:05
  Speaker 3: I don't know whether you you know, call it a
• 12:07
  Speaker 3: coming of age game, whatever it might be, but I
• 12:09
  Speaker 3: thought it was a very very assured performance against Josh Jacob,
• 12:12
  Speaker 3: who's got a lot of plaudits and has been in
• 12:14
  Speaker 3: that allbacks conversation. I thought, Camera, it's only one game,
• 12:17
  Speaker 3: but I thought that was a very very impressive and
• 12:20
  Speaker 3: level headed showing from a play like him.
• 12:23
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think you knowed it there with being an
• 12:25
  Speaker 2: assured performance wasn't necessarily flashy. But you hear a lot
• 12:30
  Speaker 2: about this this triple threat game, you know, run, pass, kick,
• 12:33
  Speaker 2: and I think he just had that balance right. He
• 12:36
  Speaker 2: did have the platform up front, and you can say
• 12:39
  Speaker 2: from there, you know, first five's look a heck of
• 12:41
  Speaker 2: a lot better when your Ford pack's going forward. But
• 12:45
  Speaker 2: I just thought it was a very very masterful performance
• 12:49
  Speaker 2: early days and look, this is just game or start
• 12:52
  Speaker 2: to sorry on the back of a ACL injury last year,
• 12:56
  Speaker 2: I think with time in the suttle, he's only going
• 12:58
  Speaker 2: to get better. I know Revers Raihanna that that injury
• 13:01
  Speaker 2: he had that's kept him sidelin the last couple of
• 13:03
  Speaker 2: weeks is considered on the minor side. But I feel
• 13:06
  Speaker 2: like this was always the way that the cruise as
• 13:08
  Speaker 2: we're heading with Kimina to starting Pats Rayhanna and insurance
• 13:12
  Speaker 2: policy off the bench. So no big, big praise for
• 13:15
  Speaker 2: Taha Keimena, and I hope it's just consistency from here
• 13:18
  Speaker 2: on and he can continue to pull the strings for
• 13:20
  Speaker 2: the remainder of the season.
• 13:21
  Speaker 3: There has been some news on that front this morning,
• 13:23
  Speaker 3: or on the on the suspension potentially front this morning.
• 13:26
  Speaker 3: To Mighty Williams sighted, Nick, you've scrolled back through the sky,
• 13:31
  Speaker 3: go the footage, the Zapruda film that the you know
• 13:35
  Speaker 3: everything like that. You've watched all the angles. It looks
• 13:38
  Speaker 3: like a dangerous clear out from to Mighty Williams on
• 13:41
  Speaker 3: a Chiefs player. So he's the only sighting out of
• 13:43
  Speaker 3: that game. And it was a pretty contentious game and
• 13:46
  Speaker 3: pretty fiery, wasn't it. We sort of halftime the two
• 13:48
  Speaker 3: sides coming together in a bit of back and forth.
• 13:51
  Speaker 3: Jared Prophet obviously with an unusual tackle on David Harvilli
• 13:56
  Speaker 3: at one point. There was some tension there. But interested
• 13:59
  Speaker 3: to see what happens with to Mighty Williams because he
• 14:01
  Speaker 3: was the only sighting or the only issue to come
• 14:05
  Speaker 3: out of that game. From a super rugby perspective.
• 14:07
  Speaker 2: Yeah, look, having poured up over that footage, it doesn't
• 14:10
  Speaker 2: look great for Toama Ti Williams. He's a big man,
• 14:12
  Speaker 2: but he's got reasonably low twopo. VI's got hands on
• 14:16
  Speaker 2: the ball trying to jackle turn over at the breakdown.
• 14:21
  Speaker 2: The contact looks near that head or neck region, so
• 14:25
  Speaker 2: we wait to see the news there. I must admit
• 14:28
  Speaker 2: I'm pretty surprised that Jared Prophet hasn't been sighted. It
• 14:32
  Speaker 2: was well off the ball, it was after the whistle.
• 14:34
  Speaker 2: He put Halvillly in a reasonably compromising position there beyond
• 14:38
  Speaker 2: the horizontal.
• 14:40
  Speaker 4: One point I would.
• 14:41
  Speaker 2: Make though, is that really did fire up the Crusaders.
• 14:45
  Speaker 2: It was sort of one in all in type areas,
• 14:47
  Speaker 2: and even well after halftime. I think Harvely might have
• 14:50
  Speaker 2: seen the footage on the big screen that the replays
• 14:53
  Speaker 2: and the like. He you know, walked up to profit
• 14:55
  Speaker 2: and still was unhappy. And I think it just a
• 14:58
  Speaker 2: little bit of a fire there for the Crusaders that
• 14:59
  Speaker 2: they used in that third quarter of the match after halftime.
• 15:04
  Speaker 2: So don't want to wake the beer, so to speak.
• 15:08
  Speaker 3: Big time. Let's go to the Drawer and Hurricanes in
• 15:11
  Speaker 3: Lautoka mud Bath on a Saturday afternoon. The ball was
• 15:15
  Speaker 3: like soap and the Drawer winning twenty five twenty. The
• 15:18
  Speaker 3: Drewer obviously hadn't had a win to that point in
• 15:21
  Speaker 3: the season. We talked about this last week that there
• 15:24
  Speaker 3: are always a chants at home. Well, they took their
• 15:26
  Speaker 3: chance and were too good for again, go back to
• 15:29
  Speaker 3: that word wasteful Hurricane side. You know, look at the
• 15:32
  Speaker 3: sum of the stats, twenty five turnovers you said, I
• 15:35
  Speaker 3: know there was you know, conditions were poor, but the
• 15:39
  Speaker 3: drawer had fifteen. The Hurricanes had twenty five turnovers in
• 15:42
  Speaker 3: a one game. That's not going to get you too
• 15:44
  Speaker 3: far in a game with rugby.
• 15:46
  Speaker 4: No it's not.
• 15:47
  Speaker 2: And look they had twelve entries to the drawers twenty
• 15:51
  Speaker 2: two as well. But I'll suspect a lot of those turnovers,
• 15:54
  Speaker 2: a lot of those errors were coming when they were
• 15:57
  Speaker 2: in the red zone and triop andy opportunities were beckoning.
• 16:01
  Speaker 2: It is hard, though, Alix, to know what to take
• 16:03
  Speaker 2: you out of this game. I feel like this is
• 16:05
  Speaker 2: perfect for the drawer. They either want shapping, which they
• 16:09
  Speaker 2: were still taking twenty minute breaks for the heat, or
• 16:13
  Speaker 2: monsoon like conditions where the ball turns to soap. And
• 16:16
  Speaker 2: we know how skillful the Fijian players are, so this
• 16:19
  Speaker 2: very much leaned into the drawer in terms of an
• 16:23
  Speaker 2: opportunity and fair play.
• 16:25
  Speaker 4: They took it.
• 16:26
  Speaker 2: And now for the Hurricanes probably more interestingly, and I
• 16:28
  Speaker 2: know I sort of hammered this drum last week. It's
• 16:30
  Speaker 2: the game after the travel to Laotoker. I think it's
• 16:35
  Speaker 2: so energy sapping. It's a six day turnaround into the Warratars.
• 16:39
  Speaker 2: We've had the benefit of a round two buy in Sydney.
• 16:42
  Speaker 2: I mean this screams Waratahs when this Friday night, so
• 16:47
  Speaker 2: very interesting to see how the Canes bounce back and
• 16:50
  Speaker 2: how much rotation is in Clark laid Lord's thinking when
• 16:54
  Speaker 2: it comes to selection.
• 16:55
  Speaker 3: We saw among a mention after the game against the
• 17:00
  Speaker 3: Hurricanes and the Capital about their turnaround to having to
• 17:03
  Speaker 3: go back and mount their rotated there. Well, I think
• 17:05
  Speaker 3: Clark Ladler has probably got a similar comp because for
• 17:10
  Speaker 3: this coming weekend, because the Tars coming off and buy,
• 17:13
  Speaker 3: as you say, very very fresh Friday night game in Sydney.
• 17:16
  Speaker 3: It's really short turnaround. I know there's a bit of
• 17:18
  Speaker 3: chat that Dupkadifi could be back for the first time
• 17:21
  Speaker 3: this season, maybe Lomax and Toss. He might go across
• 17:24
  Speaker 3: the Tasman, but you know those are a few players
• 17:27
  Speaker 3: by and large. It was their first choice team that
• 17:30
  Speaker 3: rolled out, you know, barring injury against the drawer, and
• 17:34
  Speaker 3: there's going to be some sore bodies, some tired bodies.
• 17:36
  Speaker 3: As the head on the plane to Sydney, so interested
• 17:39
  Speaker 3: to see what what Clark label does there.
• 17:42
  Speaker 2: You know it'll be obviously again we're second of March,
• 17:46
  Speaker 2: so I don't want to get carried away, but it's
• 17:48
  Speaker 2: a it's a key little stretch here for the Canes.
• 17:51
  Speaker 2: Obviously they had to win and they did win the
• 17:54
  Speaker 2: opening game for them against Mowana. But like all these teams,
• 17:58
  Speaker 2: it's so congested there around the middle of the table,
• 18:00
  Speaker 2: these teams that are one on one, in the case
• 18:03
  Speaker 2: of the Canes one and two, two and one, you
• 18:06
  Speaker 2: just don't want to be dropping games.
• 18:07
  Speaker 4: That you would have. I've looked early at the schedule.
• 18:10
  Speaker 2: When you've done all, you're planning and gone, you know,
• 18:12
  Speaker 2: on the law of averages, we should be getting wins here.
• 18:14
  Speaker 3: Absolutely. Let's go back to Friday night to the Reds
• 18:17
  Speaker 3: beating the Highlanders thirty one fourteen in Brisbane. This was
• 18:22
  Speaker 3: a very impressive performance I thought from the Reds. You
• 18:25
  Speaker 3: look at the stats though, and basically they're fifty to
• 18:27
  Speaker 3: fifty down the middle on reflection and you know, the
• 18:31
  Speaker 3: possession in territory fifty to fifty ten entries into the
• 18:35
  Speaker 3: twenty two to nine and this goes back to my
• 18:37
  Speaker 3: original point once again that the Highlanders were just wasteful
• 18:40
  Speaker 3: with the number of opportunities that they had throughout the
• 18:43
  Speaker 3: course of the game. They had the same amount of
• 18:45
  Speaker 3: ball as the Reds, but just didn't make the most
• 18:48
  Speaker 3: of it. And I think this was a kind of
• 18:50
  Speaker 3: performance that dare I say that we may see the
• 18:52
  Speaker 3: Highlanders after a strong couple of showings in the first
• 18:55
  Speaker 3: two weeks. I mean, they've got the Force coming up
• 18:58
  Speaker 3: this weekend again they should win at home. But it
• 19:00
  Speaker 3: felt like a return to the bad old days for
• 19:02
  Speaker 3: the Highlanders of previous years where they just didn't show up.
• 19:07
  Speaker 3: And I thought it was a disappointing showing from the Hinders.
• 19:10
  Speaker 2: Well, this was our concern, wasn't an entering round one
• 19:12
  Speaker 2: where no Fabian Holland no Dylan Pledge even though he
• 19:17
  Speaker 2: hasn't played a Super rugby game. And you looked at
• 19:20
  Speaker 2: best forward arguably that one of your most exciting prospects
• 19:24
  Speaker 2: being absent for the season. And look, they showed us
• 19:29
  Speaker 2: they're certainly capable. But it's the consistency, it's the week
• 19:31
  Speaker 2: on week and it's and it's those game drivers again,
• 19:35
  Speaker 2: and I just we're talking about tahakemro before in terms
• 19:39
  Speaker 2: of that triple threat, I'm just not seeing enough there
• 19:41
  Speaker 2: from cam Miller. I know they're chopping and changing with
• 19:44
  Speaker 2: Linux and fuck O Tava, but it just doesn't seem
• 19:48
  Speaker 2: to be quite gelling at the moment. Shout out to
• 19:50
  Speaker 2: the Reds though we didn't get to the was it
• 19:53
  Speaker 2: the Leroy Carter try from deep in the Chiefs and goal?
• 19:56
  Speaker 2: But that try, that phrase of mcwright scored. It looked
• 19:59
  Speaker 2: like Josh Fluke kind of tripped over. It was like
• 20:03
  Speaker 2: some you know, so when you used to play PlayStation,
• 20:06
  Speaker 2: all of a sudden your players wouldn't catch up with
• 20:07
  Speaker 2: all the buttons pressing, and it didn't actually look like
• 20:09
  Speaker 2: he meant to kick the ball. He was sort of
• 20:11
  Speaker 2: falling over his own feet. Then another chip and chase.
• 20:13
  Speaker 2: It was yeah, there was quite a bit doing but
• 20:16
  Speaker 2: this Red's team and like I like Carter Gordon at ten,
• 20:20
  Speaker 2: I know when had a are we free spin at
• 20:24
  Speaker 2: rugby league didn't work out? Come back? Les Kiss obviously
• 20:27
  Speaker 2: familiar with rugby league. They almost seemed to play that
• 20:29
  Speaker 2: sort of block play style out the back to get
• 20:33
  Speaker 2: Carter loose. And again I think there's a there's a
• 20:37
  Speaker 2: team with a fair bit of upside there and in
• 20:39
  Speaker 2: the Reds, and again it's great to see three Australian
• 20:43
  Speaker 2: teams very much in the conversation from a good standpoint
• 20:47
  Speaker 2: in terms of their competitives.
• 20:48
  Speaker 3: And so I just want to pick up on that
• 20:49
  Speaker 3: point you made about Cam Miller and look, the Highlanders
• 20:52
  Speaker 3: attack looks really impotent to me. There were lies so
• 20:56
  Speaker 3: much on tother ta na way to get them over
• 20:58
  Speaker 3: the game line. If it's not happening around him, then
• 21:01
  Speaker 3: it's not happening at all. I think they had four
• 21:04
  Speaker 3: line breaks during the course of that game, and Taatavanawa
• 21:09
  Speaker 3: better number of defenders, but he hasn't got that out
• 21:11
  Speaker 3: and outpace. And when you're circling so much of your
• 21:14
  Speaker 3: player around him and making things happen, defense is always
• 21:18
  Speaker 3: going to swarm on him. I just don't think the
• 21:20
  Speaker 3: Hilanders are making the most of you know, defenders swarming
• 21:23
  Speaker 3: on Tava Tava Nawa and setting up other opportunities for
• 21:26
  Speaker 3: the likes of Tongue Tao and other players in that
• 21:29
  Speaker 3: back line. It just feels fairly one note they're attacking
• 21:34
  Speaker 3: play and you mentioned Miller. I'm not seeing it either
• 21:37
  Speaker 3: from him. He's a steady pair of hands at ten,
• 21:40
  Speaker 3: but it kind of felt like they were going through
• 21:43
  Speaker 3: the motions on Saturday night and you know, fucka Tava.
• 21:46
  Speaker 3: I think there was probably a game he probably needed
• 21:48
  Speaker 3: to start and then you can bring Lenox off the bench.
• 21:51
  Speaker 3: I think you needed a bit more attacking spark in
• 21:54
  Speaker 3: a game like that on a hard track and Brisbane
• 21:56
  Speaker 3: or you know, there's a bit of rain ladder on.
• 21:58
  Speaker 3: But it was certainly the conditions we're playing to the
• 22:01
  Speaker 3: fucka Tava style. So I just think a couple of
• 22:03
  Speaker 3: selections maybe there were wrong from Jammie Joseph. I know
• 22:08
  Speaker 3: you've got to rotate, but just didn't quite feel lucky
• 22:10
  Speaker 3: got that right. So yeah, poor loss for the Highlanders.
• 22:13
  Speaker 3: They had the Force on Saturday afternoon at home and
• 22:16
  Speaker 3: the Force bules riding high thirty five nineteen of them,
• 22:20
  Speaker 3: onea pacifica and pook a couple with the return of
• 22:22
  Speaker 3: George Bridge to New Zealand. He almost fluffed it with
• 22:26
  Speaker 3: that try and the d goal, but unbelievable, but he
• 22:30
  Speaker 3: won the war, lost the battle, won the war, George Bridge.
• 22:34
  Speaker 3: This was a pretty good performance, I have to say
• 22:36
  Speaker 3: from the Western Force against Jana side at home for
• 22:39
  Speaker 3: the first time the season, thirty five to seven at
• 22:42
  Speaker 3: one point. Final score thirty five nineteen. Good night out
• 22:45
  Speaker 3: for the Western Force.
• 22:46
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's what I was going to stress. I think
• 22:48
  Speaker 2: the score line looks better than what it was in
• 22:51
  Speaker 2: terms of a contest. This is very one sided thirty
• 22:53
  Speaker 2: five to seven with ten to play, and again just
• 22:55
  Speaker 2: a couple of tries to add a bit of credibility
• 22:57
  Speaker 2: to that score line. Yeah, I don't know what to
• 23:01
  Speaker 2: make of Molana, particularly what do we make now of
• 23:05
  Speaker 2: that round one win in the drawer, Like is that
• 23:07
  Speaker 2: just an ab anomaly or is there more to its
• 23:11
  Speaker 2: There's a couple of pretty yeah, pretty limp showings Canes
• 23:17
  Speaker 2: and now the Force, which again I would have thought
• 23:19
  Speaker 2: that's a game. They go, yeah, we should be putting
• 23:22
  Speaker 2: a wave where if we do have serious ambitions about
• 23:24
  Speaker 2: threatening as a playoffs team. I feel like, though, we
• 23:27
  Speaker 2: do need to stress that Milan have gone through some
• 23:31
  Speaker 2: serious turnover and of course there's no Ardie Savia this year.
• 23:35
  Speaker 2: It did seem to me at least, but based on
• 23:37
  Speaker 2: the the caliber of squad that they were able to
• 23:41
  Speaker 2: put together, it was going to be a tough year.
• 23:43
  Speaker 4: But I was expecting a little bit more.
• 23:46
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I think that back line is not threatening enough.
• 23:49
  Speaker 3: We're just talk about the Highlands back line, but I
• 23:50
  Speaker 3: don't think it's threatening enough. Across the board. Pellegrini is
• 23:54
  Speaker 3: a very solid team. We sort of had a great
• 23:56
  Speaker 3: season last year, but take out time Muthilau near reform
• 24:00
  Speaker 3: myze now left that team who I think was very,
• 24:02
  Speaker 3: very soul on both sides of the ball. Just feels
• 24:06
  Speaker 3: like they haven't recruited or been able to very well.
• 24:09
  Speaker 3: And now they've got a really tough stretch on the
• 24:11
  Speaker 3: back of that pretty hefty loss to the Force. They
• 24:14
  Speaker 3: have four Derby's in as many weeks.
• 24:18
  Speaker 2: Talboy Flower as well as running around for the Chiefs
• 24:20
  Speaker 2: development teams.
• 24:21
  Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, they might see him this Friday. Who knows
• 24:24
  Speaker 3: whether they might cross pads with Playmoy for Labbert the
• 24:26
  Speaker 3: Chiefs this week. They've got the Blues away next week
• 24:29
  Speaker 3: as well. Then they host the Crusaders at North Harbor
• 24:31
  Speaker 3: on the twenty first, and then they're away oh sorry,
• 24:34
  Speaker 3: home again against the Highlanders on the twenty seventh before
• 24:36
  Speaker 3: they have the Buye and which occasion after that they
• 24:38
  Speaker 3: have the Chiefs. So this is a really big stretch
• 24:41
  Speaker 3: from Mwana and to be honest, on the basis of
• 24:43
  Speaker 3: what we saw on Friday night, it's hard to see
• 24:45
  Speaker 3: them winning any of the next five.
• 24:47
  Speaker 2: Ye I couldn't agree more.
• 24:49
  Speaker 3: Right, We'll take a break, come back after this on
• 24:51
  Speaker 3: a rage Bead direct with our final four and a
• 24:53
  Speaker 3: MVP voting. You're back with rug bea direct time now
• 24:57
  Speaker 3: for the final four. Let's changed Tacker a little bit
• 25:00
  Speaker 3: and bules. Everyone's kissed and made up. At the World
• 25:02
  Speaker 3: Rugby State of the Game meetings, we had talk about
• 25:06
  Speaker 3: the calendar, which didn't seem to come to part too
• 25:08
  Speaker 3: much over the course of those meetings, maybe as much
• 25:10
  Speaker 3: as we might have expected given the discussions we had
• 25:13
  Speaker 3: last week on the podcast. Been last week there was
• 25:16
  Speaker 3: all sorts of talk about the New Zealand and Australia
• 25:19
  Speaker 3: wanting to completely depower the scrum and France were coming
• 25:23
  Speaker 3: out against it. But it sounds like, whether it's a
• 25:25
  Speaker 3: public face or not, everyone has just decided that so
• 25:29
  Speaker 3: let's kiss and makeup and France have quote unquote satisfied
• 25:32
  Speaker 3: with the shape of the game conference, so it sounds
• 25:34
  Speaker 3: like everyone's happy.
• 25:36
  Speaker 4: Yeah, hard to know. Hard to know, isn't it?
• 25:39
  Speaker 3: You know?
• 25:39
  Speaker 2: You see one of these stories out of France, and
• 25:42
  Speaker 2: that these comments coming from Mathieu Ray, now the former
• 25:45
  Speaker 2: international referees obviously linked up now with France Rugby as
• 25:50
  Speaker 2: somewhat of a consultant. But yeah, I find this all
• 25:54
  Speaker 2: a little bit curious in terms of do Australia and
• 25:57
  Speaker 2: New Zealand really want to depower the scrum? I mean, yes,
• 26:00
  Speaker 2: I know on occasion last year particularly the All Black
• 26:03
  Speaker 2: scrum went backwards against the spring Box, but well, you know,
• 26:06
  Speaker 2: based on the evidents I saw at the weekend with
• 26:07
  Speaker 2: some mighty Williams, Flitch Andill' still got some pretty handy
• 26:10
  Speaker 2: props going around here. I think it's all around speed
• 26:13
  Speaker 2: of the game and that and France saying, you know,
• 26:16
  Speaker 2: the top fourteen is the best domestic competition in the world,
• 26:19
  Speaker 2: which perhaps they do have an argument, but yeah, look,
• 26:24
  Speaker 2: I think with these sort of things, each each country
• 26:27
  Speaker 2: or each sort of region is going to have their
• 26:29
  Speaker 2: say and compromise has to be found. I just think
• 26:33
  Speaker 2: it's a little bit perhaps disingenuous to suggest that the
• 26:36
  Speaker 2: All Blacks want to play some sort of super touch
• 26:38
  Speaker 2: products just to give theirselves the best possible chance of
• 26:40
  Speaker 2: winning international test.
• 26:42
  Speaker 3: This feels to me like a discussion or a disagreement
• 26:45
  Speaker 3: between two bodies that don't watch each other's domestic competitions.
• 26:49
  Speaker 3: And so I don't think the French much. I don't
• 26:51
  Speaker 3: think much of around now is sitting down on a
• 26:53
  Speaker 3: Saturday morning or Sunday morning in Paris or wherever he
• 26:56
  Speaker 3: is and is tuning in to watch the Chiefs Crusaders.
• 26:59
  Speaker 3: And I don't think there's many in New Zealand that
• 27:01
  Speaker 3: probably tuning in wouldn't know where you find it the
• 27:05
  Speaker 3: top fourteen in New Zealand and watching bail and play
• 27:08
  Speaker 3: to lose or whatever it might be. So I think
• 27:11
  Speaker 3: there's a bit of oh, this game is being played like,
• 27:13
  Speaker 3: there's this game thing played like this, and in reality
• 27:15
  Speaker 3: it's quite different now obviously, yeah, the scrum is not
• 27:20
  Speaker 3: this show being deepower, but it's all about moving the
• 27:22
  Speaker 3: game on quicker here in New Zealand. But as you say,
• 27:24
  Speaker 3: the scrum is still such a vital part of the game.
• 27:27
  Speaker 3: But if you look back, never before in test rugby
• 27:30
  Speaker 3: has the scrum been a weapon to get penalties as
• 27:32
  Speaker 3: much as it is. You look back ten years ago
• 27:35
  Speaker 3: you watch international rugby, then, say at the twenty fifteen
• 27:37
  Speaker 3: World Cup, le ten years prior to that, you still
• 27:40
  Speaker 3: would be scrum penalties on occasion, but it wasn't every
• 27:43
  Speaker 3: scrum what every second strum. And I think that's where
• 27:45
  Speaker 3: Australia and New Zealand are coming from, is that basically,
• 27:48
  Speaker 3: if you've got a big pack, more often than not,
• 27:50
  Speaker 3: they're going to win scrum penalties and that changes the
• 27:53
  Speaker 3: nature of the game. Just because you are more powerful
• 27:56
  Speaker 3: doesn't mean that the opposition are infringing. And I think
• 27:59
  Speaker 3: that's an important distinction to make.
• 28:01
  Speaker 2: Oh totally, totally, and again I have never put my
• 28:05
  Speaker 2: head in a scrum, so I'm not going to debate
• 28:07
  Speaker 2: all the laws of that area of our sport. But
• 28:11
  Speaker 2: it seems like an interpretation issue more than anything, and
• 28:15
  Speaker 2: I think we just can hopefully as you started by
• 28:18
  Speaker 2: this section, Ali just everyone kisses and makes up the
• 28:21
  Speaker 2: French and known for their romance.
• 28:23
  Speaker 3: They are, Yeah, exactly, very very Prisian. The City of
• 28:27
  Speaker 3: Love topic them. But so should the game have gone ahead?
• 28:30
  Speaker 3: In Tokyo on Saturday afternoon, it was an interesting what
• 28:34
  Speaker 3: I mean, the field was absolutely cut up. There wasn't
• 28:37
  Speaker 3: There was huge year mud patches and everything like that.
• 28:40
  Speaker 3: You know, it was a bit of a laugh. Everyone
• 28:41
  Speaker 3: was sort of muddy, and referees with muddy at the
• 28:44
  Speaker 3: end of it as well. But it felt like there was,
• 28:47
  Speaker 3: you know, a chance, serious chance of injury, and maybe
• 28:50
  Speaker 3: there might have been some more serious questions asked if
• 28:52
  Speaker 3: there was, But where the condition is dangerous enough to
• 28:56
  Speaker 3: decide to postpone that game or change it or is
• 28:58
  Speaker 3: this just part of rugby that you've got to play
• 29:00
  Speaker 3: the conditions that you go to.
• 29:03
  Speaker 2: It's a great question. I sort of thinking about that
• 29:06
  Speaker 2: as he sent through the notes this morning. Alliot, I'd
• 29:10
  Speaker 2: want to know.
• 29:10
  Speaker 4: What the threshold is.
• 29:13
  Speaker 2: And I'm sure you know, if we've got all these
• 29:16
  Speaker 2: these sort of parameters in place for the heat, you know,
• 29:19
  Speaker 2: in terms of the temperature being X to enforce these
• 29:22
  Speaker 2: twenty minute water breaks, then surely there's got to be
• 29:26
  Speaker 2: some sort of threshold for the state of the field.
• 29:29
  Speaker 2: And you just hope that rather than it being a
• 29:33
  Speaker 2: real element of gray, that it won't take, you know,
• 29:35
  Speaker 2: a serious incident where you know, god, for there's a
• 29:38
  Speaker 2: pile up on a ruck and blokes face down and
• 29:42
  Speaker 2: you know, all these taking on his water and he
• 29:44
  Speaker 2: can't breathe and things like that. So look on the
• 29:47
  Speaker 2: basis of what I saw of the game, I'd say
• 29:51
  Speaker 2: you play, you play on, but it would have to
• 29:52
  Speaker 2: be getting pretty close. But you do wonder with broadcast,
• 29:58
  Speaker 2: where do you fit another game and all that sort
• 30:00
  Speaker 2: of thing, is this is going to be far too tricky,
• 30:03
  Speaker 2: like what so you.
• 30:04
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I think it's interesting, isn't it. Looking part of
• 30:07
  Speaker 3: it's almost like, yeah, you go and playing opposition conditions
• 30:10
  Speaker 3: and you expect that it's going to come with the territory.
• 30:12
  Speaker 3: But the field I think was so cut up, and
• 30:15
  Speaker 3: you know that we saw players not able to hold
• 30:17
  Speaker 3: their footing and various things like that. There's got to
• 30:19
  Speaker 3: be a baseline, I think, for how safe the game
• 30:22
  Speaker 3: will be, and I don't know that it actually met
• 30:23
  Speaker 3: that baseline. So I don't know what you do. You know,
• 30:26
  Speaker 3: it's obviously very humid, rainy, tropical in Fiji, and that
• 30:31
  Speaker 3: is going to cause issues to the turf. I wonder
• 30:34
  Speaker 3: if there's anything they can do around that, you know,
• 30:37
  Speaker 3: whether it's you know, you know, changes to the way
• 30:41
  Speaker 3: they grow the turf or whatever it might be in
• 30:43
  Speaker 3: the off season to prevent things like that. Some of
• 30:45
  Speaker 3: it's just going to be around the weather. But I
• 30:48
  Speaker 3: don't think it was a good look for the competition
• 30:50
  Speaker 3: and it didn't create a great spectacle. You know, it
• 30:52
  Speaker 3: was a bit of a comedy of erarors given the
• 30:55
  Speaker 3: way things are happening that you just expected, basically players
• 30:57
  Speaker 3: to not be able to hold onto the ball.
• 30:59
  Speaker 2: So the only the only thing I'd add is that
• 31:02
  Speaker 2: I hope the Canes don't come out and I don't
• 31:05
  Speaker 2: think they have, but use the conditions as any sort
• 31:07
  Speaker 2: of form of an extra because at the end of
• 31:09
  Speaker 2: the day, it's same for both teams absolutely.
• 31:11
  Speaker 3: Topic number three. Bit of signing news. Courtiers Ratsam are
• 31:13
  Speaker 3: signed through until twenty twenty eight the Chiefs and All Blacks.
• 31:17
  Speaker 3: Half back good resigning for the Chiefs in New Zealand rugby.
• 31:21
  Speaker 3: I think the Chiefs have missed him in the opening
• 31:23
  Speaker 3: few rounds or since he obviously went off on paternity
• 31:27
  Speaker 3: leave and it sounds like he'll be back to face
• 31:29
  Speaker 3: the winner pacifica of this weekend in Hamilton. But a
• 31:33
  Speaker 3: good signing, but I think there's a bit of pressure
• 31:35
  Speaker 3: coming on Courtiers Ratsiman in terms of those All Black steaks.
• 31:38
  Speaker 3: Now Hotham's had a good start to the season. You
• 31:41
  Speaker 3: know we won't see Dylan Pliger this year. But you know,
• 31:44
  Speaker 3: I think we need to see the best of Courtiers
• 31:45
  Speaker 3: Ratimus a wee bit of pressure on him as he
• 31:47
  Speaker 3: returns to Super Rugby this week Bills.
• 31:49
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I totally agree, and look it's no surprises that
• 31:53
  Speaker 2: Ratima has resigned just twenty four years old. A lot
• 31:56
  Speaker 2: of is probably his best rugby ahead of him. But
• 32:00
  Speaker 2: yeah he does need to, especially with a new All
• 32:03
  Speaker 2: Blacks coaching regime coming through, showcase his credentials. And you
• 32:08
  Speaker 2: know Cam Roy guards signed one until twenty twenty nine
• 32:11
  Speaker 2: and now I hope them Dylan Pledger both on the
• 32:13
  Speaker 2: books until twenty seven. There's a real strength of depth
• 32:17
  Speaker 2: in the halfback position. I'm sure more talent will emerge
• 32:21
  Speaker 2: over the next couple of years. So I wonder for
• 32:25
  Speaker 2: court Is like, I know how impactful he is off
• 32:27
  Speaker 2: the bench, but at what stage, for the bit of
• 32:30
  Speaker 2: minute of his career does he need to go up
• 32:32
  Speaker 2: to whether it's Johnny Gerbs or his management and go,
• 32:37
  Speaker 2: you know, to give myself the best possible chance of
• 32:39
  Speaker 2: playing in a World Cup as an example, I need
• 32:42
  Speaker 2: to be starting week and week out. Now that's no
• 32:44
  Speaker 2: slight on Xavier Row because I think he's a very
• 32:48
  Speaker 2: handy and serviceable half back as well. And it's always
• 32:52
  Speaker 2: team first. But it is curious to always see or
• 32:55
  Speaker 2: not always, but quite often the Chiefs deployed Rattima as
• 32:58
  Speaker 2: a bench player. And how impactful can he be from
• 33:02
  Speaker 2: a higher honors standpoint when he's just getting twenty five
• 33:06
  Speaker 2: thirty minutes a game?
• 33:07
  Speaker 3: That's right? Yeah, I completely agree. I think he needs
• 33:09
  Speaker 3: to be starting for the Chiefs in those games. Are
• 33:12
  Speaker 3: the big games, especially topic number four interesting one here
• 33:15
  Speaker 3: Brandon enormous the game on the week he Now, I
• 33:17
  Speaker 3: don't know. If you would have been sleep of Bules,
• 33:19
  Speaker 3: you would know more than I. But he was given
• 33:22
  Speaker 3: permission to skip the match because he had a wedding
• 33:26
  Speaker 3: schedules not his own. But no, no, no, no, no, no.
• 33:30
  Speaker 3: You'd hope he wouldn't do that around mid March, early March,
• 33:34
  Speaker 3: late February, but he had a wedding that he requested
• 33:38
  Speaker 3: to go to, and Rob Penny said, off you go. Yep,
• 33:40
  Speaker 3: you've been given leave. Do we like this or not?
• 33:42
  Speaker 3: Do you think it's something that should be allowed?
• 33:45
  Speaker 2: Well?
• 33:46
  Speaker 4: I like it.
• 33:47
  Speaker 2: I think there's a real maturity here in the sense
• 33:51
  Speaker 2: that super rugby starts in mid February. As most of
• 33:55
  Speaker 2: us know here in New Zealand, almost all weddings are
• 33:58
  Speaker 2: held during the summer or late autumn. And by my understanding,
• 34:04
  Speaker 2: you know, Brandon, you know this, This was in the
• 34:06
  Speaker 2: diary a long time ago. They planned for the and
• 34:09
  Speaker 2: as you say, Elliott, there is a wider discussion that
• 34:11
  Speaker 2: we had here as to whether Brandon in or is
• 34:13
  Speaker 2: cracking the twenty three for the Crusaders week and week out.
• 34:16
  Speaker 2: My understanding is there is another another example of this coming.
• 34:21
  Speaker 2: I'm not going to go into the full detail, but
• 34:24
  Speaker 2: we'll just wait to see. I haven't quite heard back
• 34:26
  Speaker 2: from a source there, but I understand there's another player
• 34:29
  Speaker 2: that's requested to take a game off soon to attend
• 34:31
  Speaker 2: a wedding.
• 34:32
  Speaker 4: I just like it.
• 34:33
  Speaker 2: From a maturity standpoint, we don't bat an eyelid when
• 34:37
  Speaker 2: there's paternity leave with Damien McKinsey, coma or breathment leave.
• 34:42
  Speaker 2: These by you know, by designer usually what once in
• 34:46
  Speaker 2: a lifetime events.
• 34:48
  Speaker 4: I want to get your hope.
• 34:50
  Speaker 2: Certainly that's the intention when you when you put the ring,
• 34:53
  Speaker 2: you hand the rings over, So look, look, I respect it.
• 34:58
  Speaker 2: I do think however, it is a talking point, and
• 35:00
  Speaker 2: then we'll probably be members of our audience that go,
• 35:02
  Speaker 2: you know, these guys only play fifteen games a year,
• 35:05
  Speaker 2: you know, get your priorities, right.
• 35:07
  Speaker 3: Yeah. I think it's interesting, isn't it. I think it's
• 35:10
  Speaker 3: easier if you get if it's saying all black and
• 35:12
  Speaker 3: Brandon Newill wouldn't fall under this. But maybe you can
• 35:14
  Speaker 3: combine it with a week of all blacks rest that Okay,
• 35:17
  Speaker 3: we will let you go to the wedding, but this
• 35:20
  Speaker 3: is going to be your all blacks rest week as well.
• 35:22
  Speaker 3: So maybe you can sort of two birds one stone
• 35:25
  Speaker 3: this scenario and allow them off there. It'll be interesting
• 35:28
  Speaker 3: to see whether that situation comes to pass. As you mentioned,
• 35:31
  Speaker 3: I seem to to call Chris Wood leaving an OEFC
• 35:35
  Speaker 3: Nations Cup for the All Whites because his sister had
• 35:37
  Speaker 3: a wedding the week or was getting married that weekend,
• 35:40
  Speaker 3: so he played through the round robin then missed the final.
• 35:44
  Speaker 3: What do you think his players think when they get
• 35:45
  Speaker 3: the sort of invitations from whether it's a family or
• 35:49
  Speaker 3: friends or whatever, and go, yep, we've set the wedding
• 35:51
  Speaker 3: for twenty eight to February, and you go super rugby
• 35:56
  Speaker 3: has started mid February for eons. I mean, you know,
• 35:59
  Speaker 3: weddings can't revolve around one of the guests. You just
• 36:01
  Speaker 3: must wanted and go oh, I couldn't have put this
• 36:04
  Speaker 3: two weeks prior and miss a bit of preseason.
• 36:06
  Speaker 2: Maybe well, look, great friend Adam Cooper is getting married
• 36:10
  Speaker 2: next Saturday. I'm having a miss the Crusaders Islanders broadcast.
• 36:13
  Speaker 2: I think a few of us are going to be
• 36:16
  Speaker 2: caught up at the festivities there and having a miss
• 36:18
  Speaker 2: work commitment. So look, it happens in all workplaces. You know,
• 36:22
  Speaker 2: you've got to prioritize where you can, so I'm sure
• 36:25
  Speaker 2: these rugby players it is an ideal. But as I stress,
• 36:28
  Speaker 2: you know, outside of the odd winter not winter Wonderland wedding,
• 36:34
  Speaker 2: but winter wedding, it's seldom that a wedding in New
• 36:37
  Speaker 2: Zealand isn't held on a Saturday sometime between sort of
• 36:40
  Speaker 2: January and March, which must be troublesome for our rugby
• 36:43
  Speaker 2: players and cricketers and the.
• 36:45
  Speaker 3: Like out there being go yeah, look we're going to
• 36:47
  Speaker 3: be out all unit pretty much next weekend for that wedding,
• 36:50
  Speaker 3: so yeah, we haven't probably got a leg to stand
• 36:53
  Speaker 3: on when it comes to that discussion to me to
• 36:54
  Speaker 3: be entirely honest, because the Ins and Me sport department
• 36:57
  Speaker 3: and New Talk Zby Sport department is going to be
• 37:00
  Speaker 3: very barren that weekend, right, MVP Voting time will bring
• 37:04
  Speaker 3: you the tally next week and Chicken we were at
• 37:06
  Speaker 3: after round four. But I'm intrigued to see where you
• 37:10
  Speaker 3: go with this, Mules first and foremost, in fact, do
• 37:13
  Speaker 3: you want to give me your votes first?
• 37:15
  Speaker 4: Yeah?
• 37:15
  Speaker 2: Sure, Well, now I know the rules around New Zealand players. Look,
• 37:20
  Speaker 2: you know, call me one eye because I'm the Crusaders commentator.
• 37:24
  Speaker 2: I just thought the way that the Crusaders responded under
• 37:27
  Speaker 2: least external pressure, I've gone with three Crusaders, So I thought,
• 37:31
  Speaker 2: Christian Leo Willie again, we just can't sneeze it scoring
• 37:34
  Speaker 2: hat trick of tries as number eight. But I think
• 37:37
  Speaker 2: it was his body of work as well and his
• 37:39
  Speaker 2: willingness to get as many carries and dominated the collision.
• 37:43
  Speaker 4: So he gets my three.
• 37:45
  Speaker 2: No surprise if you were listening to the early part
• 37:47
  Speaker 2: of the podcast and I was waxing lyrical about Schaffee
• 37:49
  Speaker 2: Hackey and his ability in the air, he gets my two.
• 37:52
  Speaker 2: I thought he was a difference maker on Saturday, and
• 37:55
  Speaker 2: I think I know where in March, but we need
• 37:58
  Speaker 2: to stop sort of being a little bit you know, pulling,
• 38:01
  Speaker 2: you know, not not comedic around the way that we
• 38:04
  Speaker 2: you know, especially on this podcast and our host that
• 38:06
  Speaker 2: I'm filling the chair of thanks to shave Fiki shouldn't
• 38:09
  Speaker 2: be anywhere near an.
• 38:09
  Speaker 4: All black squad.
• 38:11
  Speaker 3: You could be sorry, you go.
• 38:12
  Speaker 2: I was just going to say, I think the way
• 38:14
  Speaker 2: the laws are, the way that the kicking he's he's
• 38:17
  Speaker 2: a classy plan and I think he deserves to be
• 38:20
  Speaker 2: in the discussion. So he gets my two and I'm
• 38:23
  Speaker 2: going to go Tahakimina for my one. I thought, very controlled,
• 38:27
  Speaker 2: very assured, and yeah, what a sort of personal moment
• 38:32
  Speaker 2: for him. You know, Hamilton Boys a lot of family
• 38:34
  Speaker 2: and friends there against the team he would have had
• 38:37
  Speaker 2: aspirations are playing for, and he piles on some misery.
• 38:41
  Speaker 3: So one fatar I didn't know a hothem and him
• 38:44
  Speaker 3: go to school together as well, So it was the
• 38:45
  Speaker 3: two Hamilton boys just tearing up Rugby Park or if
• 38:49
  Speaker 3: himg Stadium on the weekend.
• 38:50
  Speaker 2: Yeah, Taylor Cahill as well, a year at Hamilton Boys
• 38:54
  Speaker 2: there's a few that have made their way down, you know,
• 38:57
  Speaker 2: good talent identification.
• 38:59
  Speaker 4: Should we just say.
• 39:00
  Speaker 3: Absolutely, just just on completely agree And I think the
• 39:03
  Speaker 3: way the international rugby's played now, it's time to be
• 39:05
  Speaker 3: a little pragmatter. I'm not saying you should be the
• 39:06
  Speaker 3: All Black starter every week, but that body type, he's
• 39:09
  Speaker 3: got the pace, the kicking and the aerial game that
• 39:12
  Speaker 3: he's got in terms of his kick receipts, I think
• 39:15
  Speaker 3: is a prototype that is very very hard to find
• 39:18
  Speaker 3: an international rugby and there should be a serious conversation
• 39:21
  Speaker 3: around him. So look, I think he's made every post
• 39:23
  Speaker 3: to winner on the weekend. I we'd love to see
• 39:25
  Speaker 3: that form continue and put himself right in the conversation
• 39:28
  Speaker 3: for the All Blacks. My three two ones, i've gone
• 39:31
  Speaker 3: very similar. After your Crusaders sweep, I haven't got a
• 39:34
  Speaker 3: full Crusaders sweep. We've gone halfway. Three to Christian Leo
• 39:38
  Speaker 3: Willie excellent performance and out sean some of his fellow
• 39:41
  Speaker 3: All Blacks loose forwards. Two to Caleb Clark and the
• 39:45
  Speaker 3: losing Blues performance. I thought he was very very good
• 39:48
  Speaker 3: and one of their true sparks, along as I probably
• 39:50
  Speaker 3: Aj Lamb and one goes the way of Tahakimada, I thought,
• 39:54
  Speaker 3: a very assured performance as I mentioned before, and one
• 39:57
  Speaker 3: that we've been waiting to see from him. So three
• 39:59
  Speaker 3: two ones are going the way of those men, but
• 40:01
  Speaker 3: six points overall going the way of Christian Leo Willie today, Bill,
• 40:06
  Speaker 3: thank you very much for your time once again. Might
• 40:09
  Speaker 3: see your Thursday. As I said, keep the phone on.
• 40:11
  Speaker 3: Who's to know with the Liam I assume he will
• 40:13
  Speaker 3: come back at some point, otherwise it might just be
• 40:15
  Speaker 3: us tour on Rugby Direct henceforth.
• 40:17
  Speaker 4: Good Man Elliott.
• 40:18
  Speaker 2: Always a pleasure and I do look forward to the
• 40:21
  Speaker 2: day of going back for being a listener rather than
• 40:24
  Speaker 2: a host.
• 40:24
  Speaker 4: But yeah, can't complain. It's always good to chew the fact.
• 40:27
  Speaker 3: Thanks you allways, and thanks to Mark Kelly as well
• 40:29
  Speaker 3: for his ex book production on this episode, and thanks
• 40:31
  Speaker 3: to having hell Physio book Today and stay in the game.
• 40:35
  Speaker 1: For more from News Talks B listen live on air
• 40:39
  Speaker 1: or online, and keep our shows with you wherever you
• 40:41
  Speaker 1: go with our podcasts on iHeartRadio.