Full Show Podcast: 01 March 2026

0:00You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Pine from News Talks at B The only place for the big names the big issues the big controversies and the big conversations It's all on weekend sport with Jason Pine on your home of sport news talks at B Yes, and they've got a good afternoon and welcome into weekend sport on News Talks at B on the first day of a new month First of March Happy birthday to a couple of Kiwi sporting nights Happy 70th to Sir Mark Todd Seven Olympic Games five Olympic medals two of them gold Happy 64th birthday to sailing icon and now sale GP CEO Sir Russell Coats what are the chances Mark Todd and Russell Coats born on the same date on Jason Pine show producer Andy McDonald We are here talking sport with you Until three o'clock this afternoon now rumours of the Crusaders imminent demise have clearly been

1:05Exaggerated After back-to-back defeats to start the super rugby Pacific season they have come back from 21 seven down To beat the Chiefs 43-33 in Hamilton head coach Rob Penny leads us off today. He's standing by for a chat Crusaders fans Feel free to gloat Chiefs fans tell us what went wrong The Hurricanes and the Blues both are lost yesterday too the Hurricanes over in a mud-soaked loud-toker against the Drawer the Blues last night against the Brumbies Did anybody have the Brumbies and the Waritas as their top two After three rounds lots of talking points to unpack from round three of super rugby Pacific this hour Other matters around today the 2026 NRL season starts today two games in last Vegas Newcastle nights up against the Cowboys 315 Bulldogs drag and follows at 530 Gonna get you to Vegas after two o'clock with former warriors halfback Chad Townsend

2:05Gonna read the vibe over there Been a changing of the guard at Wellington Phoenix Football Club John Cullo Italiano out as head coach Chris Greenaker in He is on the show today here for his first match in charge Sydney FC this afternoon just after three Gonna hear from Captain Alex Ruford today too Meantime Auckland FC have flexed their muscles They look like they're old selves again Don't they three-neil winters over defending champions Melbourne City in the Ailer yesterday Got some reaction to that El Pine Skier Adam Hall all set for a record-breaking sixth winter Paralympics He's up for a chat James McConey in his regular Sunday slot as well Lifesport this afternoon the big one the final round of the New Zealand Golf Open It is underway Kiwi Daniel Hylia takes a one-shot lead into the final round He is 18 under for the tournament Looking to become the first Kiwi since Michael Hendry in 2017 to win his home open

3:05Other Kiwis in the mix carry Mount Castle just to shot back and a type of second at 17 under Hylia Mount Castle and Australian Curtis Luck are in the final group to get underway Just before one o'clock this afternoon Christchurch Amateur Yuki Mea tied for fifth at 13 under Steven Elkett and Sam Jones And a group of players tied for ninth at 11 under Michael Hendry started the day at 10 under he's picked up a shot already to join The the throng on 11 under Mike Thorpe with hourly reports from Queenstown Can one of these Kiwis? When the New Zealand Golf Open the White Fernsons and Bubwe play the third and final T-20 International in their series the South of the Noonan Hamilton first ball at 130 And date to a three-plunk at Shell Cricket matches to keep tabs on as well Hagley Oval McLean Park and Eden Parks out of Oval The venue's for those three Please play your part in the show if you would like to 0810 80 will get you through on the phones 9292 for your text messages and emails into Jason

4:08At newstalksedb.co.nz coming up 11 past midday Analyzing the plays and getting the insight we can sport with Jason Fein newstalksedb The Crusaders have opened their Super Rugby account for the season with a 43-33 victory over the Chief Sin Hamilton Tata, Tata down the left wing, Tata with wheels, Tata up the middle, Tata's away, Tata's away, Tata's gone, Tata's running, Tata's gonna get run down Yes, he is, he's a meter short, hard finish against Tata He's dropped it as he's gone to score and the referee says it's all over Oh, it's gone, it's 43, 30, 3 Oh, the Crusaders run out the winners here in Hamilton What a hell of a game of luck Oh G, you always get passion, don't you? And the Hamilton commentary box when minties behind the mic Save your voice mate, we're only in round three Great, if you're back last night Minty

5:11The Crusaders were 14-0 and 21-7 down But 36 unanswered points in the middle were key to their victory Crusaders head coach Rob Pennies with us from Hamilton Rob, thanks for joining us, congratulations on the win How do you sum up a night where you're 14-0 and 21-7 down But then end up putting 40 on the Chiefs It was a really proud moment, I guess We, up against the great Chiefs side who, you know, are always difficult up here And to be those, you know, as you say, those that many points down But we always had faith, we've got a capable group And they managed to string some pressure moments together Which has been a bit of a sore point for us in the first three weeks of the comp And on the back of those, we've got a run And we shut them out and it was, you know, a fine performance But a lot of men across the park and they should be really, really proud of their performances

6:14And I hope people are too because as I said, it was a really good, strong Chiefs side And tough to win up here and to do it in that manner was, yeah, it was a bit special Yeah, I want to talk about a couple of those players Specifically in a moment, but when you are 14-0 down and, you know, they've gone into end to score You know, a pretty thrilling try Did you sense any panic at that stage or was there a calm belief still amongst the coaching staff And from what you could see down on the grass Yeah, the coaching box is pretty good, you know, we All we do is assist the boys to get the plan in place And, you know, between us, we work out the strategy And we, rather than sending messages down often, we get the boys on the ground to report back What the boys were talking about and they, they're all saying the right things And so we had a lot of belief that they were going to get it back on track We've just made a few errors, we've got a couple of things wrong Which has been a bit of a flavour for the preseason, but

7:15You know, we've worked on remedies if we get in those situations To try to give ourselves opportunity and the boys embrace those and, yeah So there was no panic So what did change? What did you see changed then, you know, from the moment you started to come back into the game and actually then by half time were ahead on the scoreboard Yeah, well, we've still created in the first 10 or so minutes before the Chiefs scored We had created opportunities where we should have finished ourselves So it wasn't as if we were, you know, bored of opportunity So those, those things just say to you like if we can just capitalise on those opportunities that we're creating and do more with them We'll get better outcomes and the reality was, you know, the Chiefs capitalise on a couple of opportunities We know they can go into end and they did it magnificently You know, their counter attack day was extremely dangerous and it's a credit to the talent that they have in their group

8:16But with us, you know, we got a bit of rhythm through that middle part of the first half And started to finish over the top and then we just so proud of the boys after they came out of the second half And, you know, put 20 odd points on them and took the game away really in that third 20 Which is notoriously a part where the Chiefs have really claimed games And so, yeah, I guess, all in all, just wrap with the outcome and wrap with the performance of a lot Can I ask you about a couple of players, Tahit Kemera, a lot of people saying it's a coming of age performance I know that, you know, you've known for a long time that he's a terrific player How impressed were you with him last night? Yeah, 22 years of age driving the Crusaders around I think he's the youngest team that the organisations had as a starter And it's a credit to him, he's We know that he played really well at the starter last campaign and then got a knee injury

9:18Which was something he had to work his way through On the back of that, he's done a terrific job, he's rehabbing Back to full fitness, mentally, there's no scarring from that issue Just so proud of the young man, he's such a genuine bloke And the lovely guy you'd ever want to meet And just so committed and the ultimate competitor And so, yeah, can't speak highly enough about the young fella Christian Leo Willie, a hat trick of choice, that's nice obviously But his all-round game, again, impressed What's he bringing to your forward pack right now? Well, Christian's one of the, you know, he's got the ability, he's got a bit of expector So he's got the ability to do things that With his footwork and with his power You know, that a special on a 40-feel and allows other people to feed off He's taken a couple of weeks to get up to speed Which is fair enough because he came in late to us

10:19But he's, again, very committed, great competitor Loves this group of men and, you know, he just, you just see it in his eyes When he's playing well, he just brings joy And so it was lovely to see him come off play 80 And the three tries, as you say, are a reflection on the team performance But also a little bit about himself But what he gave us around our attack and D Because the park was really classy And the final one I want to ask about is Will Jordan On both sides of the ball, you know, sets up tries But that try-saving tackle right at the end I mean, it wouldn't have mattered if he hadn't made it You still would have won the game Is he setting the standard in your group right now, Will Jordan? Up he's right up there with one or two Like he's such a, he's a coach He's like he loves the game And he has got a great understanding of the game His leadership's gone through the roof since my time here

11:20He's matured, he's offering so much to the team And, you know, like he's a world class player And he's been he's been fantastic for us And every sphere of the team Not just his own performances But also caring, concerned deeply about how others are going And what the team needs to be better And just a fabulous young man And he's still got a lot of great rugby in front of him And as you say, he can just do things that others can't You know, in the last three weeks, he's ripped the fence is open We haven't always been able to capitalize on it, unfortunately But, you know, he's a special guy, as we all know And he deserves all the credit that he's bestowed on him So many of your answers today, Robin And when I've spoken to you previously Just demonstrate that you are very much a player-driven coach You let the players take a lot of responsibility

12:20After last week, though, did you have to lay down the law at all? Did you have to demand a response? Or did that also come from the players? I look at always a mixed bag Of course, there's been lots of conversations And we're blessed with our leadership quality And I've said it last year a lot And I'll go back there again, David Hoverley Had a magnificent week And he sets such high standards around the How you prepare mentally and how you You will, the mental application you need to put in To get yourself in a position physically To do what you need to do on game day And the boys love him So he doesn't need to say a lot But when he speaks, he speaks With a deepness and a truth and an honesty That is Touches everybody's heart And so, I think the coaches did a magnificent job I think there was some things that the players needed to hear They got to hear those

13:21But it's all done in a caring and a growth With a growth mindset and a manner on which doesn't Impact the guys confidence And you know, at least everyone in the room after the meeting With, right, this is where we're going This is what we need to do Let's get on board and we're away And it just felt like the coaches Set the tone early in the week And Davey and the leaders Topped it off at the back end of the week And the players got into it And did the job they needed to do Did any part of you last night early in that game Flashback two years? No, no Look, this is a new group We don't have the injury issues that we had back then So no, not at all The group's just such a joy to be part of And I'm enjoying the ride I bet you are I bet you are I bet your fans are too Rob, great to chat as always Thanks for taking the time All the best issue prepared for the Blues next weekend

14:22Pleasure mate Yeah, another Another toughie coming off From the back of their performance last night They'll be disappointed So she should be fighting Fireworks at Eden Park I'm sure I think you're probably right, Rob I think you're probably right Great to chat Thanks indeed Rob Penny there The Crusaders head coach Of the back of his side 43-33-33 went over the Chiefs In Hamilton last night Our line's open 0800-810-80 I've got a few thoughts But Peter's been holding too I have a chat Crikey Peter, I'll just get you to turn Your radio down Or perhaps your Your speakerphone there mate Because All I'm here in coming back is me And nobody wants that Nobody wants that Royces, that try from the Chiefs Was like a barbarians try It was Roy That second try the Chiefs scored When they went into end And at 10-10 he No no, sit too They took the final pass from Josh Lord And sprinted away to score And Josh J. Kim converts And it's 14 now I thought I thought the Chiefs just had Absolute wind in their sales

15:24So they're going to win this game now They're going to run away from the Crusaders They're going to They're going to make it 0-3 For the Crusaders And three and only for themselves It was a tremendous try Well, he really character started that in his own engol, terrific piece of action. But the Crusaders regrouped and came back. I think we've got you now Peter, hello. I hope that's better. Well, much better. Much better. Thank goodness the Crusaders will be able to play under cover when they're in Christchurch. I don't know what will change with respect to the number of matches played in Christchurch under cover or anywhere under cover, but it's nice to be able to happen. And it's an early days yet, so anything can happen. But I don't think rugby is going to be very disrupted, unlike football because of the Iran, US and Israel. So the interest in see if FIFA comes out with any announcements or backup plans and you've got Iran playing inside the US. So I think FIFA supporters might be more disruptive

16:28than rugby supporters because of where rugby plays. Yeah, I wasn't going to chat too much about this today, Peter, but you're right. FIFA do have some thinking to do. Iran, as you may or may not know, are in New Zealand's group at the FIFA World Cup as well. So New Zealand is scheduled to play Iran in their very first match at the FIFA World Cup in Los Angeles. So look, there's certainly some troubling signs around the world. It's always a shame when sport gets affected. And let's hope that that doesn't come to pass when the World Cup comes around in June and July. Yes, well, it's not very far away. And my prediction is that the US will probably... Well, that they're warned that they didn't have enough ammo. So they'll probably run out of ammo in a couple of weeks or months' time. And the US will probably have to go in and bear a loss and if they don't, are all supplies and diesel and everything else.

17:29And you know, if you're on a Middle East airline going through there, you might not get through. And if you're trying to come back, you might struggle to get back. So yeah, Peter, we'll leave it there, mate. I'm sure that this will be addressed on our more news-focused shows over the next week or so. Certainly, Mike, tomorrow morning on the breakfast show, we'll have all you need to know. We might just stick to sport this afternoon. I know that might sound a little bit naive and facetious, but keen to chat some sports this afternoon. But thank you for bringing us your point of view. 12.25 it is. Let's talk some Super Rugby without downplaying the things that are happening around the world at the moment. This is a sports show, though, so let's focus on that and on a terrific Crusaders performance last night. Again, as I say, when the Chiefs went out to 14.0, it just felt like they had momentum, but it's the mark of the Crusaders, isn't it? You've lost to the Highlanders. You've had 50 put on you by the Brumbies at home

18:30for the first time ever, and then you're 14.0 down to a side that really, across the last three regular seasons, has set the standard in Super Rugby, and you're at their home ground with about 18,000 there. Most of them cheering for the Chiefs. And yet, they turn things around, got themselves back into an in-school, what, 37? 36, 37, 36, I think it was. 36 unanswered points. And Christian Leo Willie. I know tries are only part of it, but a Patrick tries to a number eight, that's always something to enjoy, isn't it? I'm sure he would have enjoyed it, and Taha Kemera. I really, really enjoyed his contribution. I had the great pleasure of meeting Taha Kemera at the Super Rugby final last year, and he came up into the commentary box. We did a build-up to the game before the commentators took over.

19:31And we got Taha Kemera up, he was injured at that stage. What a terrifically mature young man. He had a long injury layoff last year, but his philosophy around dealing with it. And just, you know, when you meet someone sometimes, and you just think this, this person's got a bit about them. That's how I felt about Taha Kemera. And when I watched him last night, as Rob Penney just said, one of the youngest guys to ever run the car for the Crusaders. You know, there's been some pretty good guys have worn that tendgers in the past. Andrew Merton's would have been one of the younger ones when he was doing it back in the early night, sorry, when Super Rugby started just after the 95 World Cup. He was only about 21 when he went to that World Cup, wasn't he? But I digress Taha Kemera. Very impressed last night. Very impressed with his performance. Good day, Greg. Good day, Pinyy. How you doing? Very good. Thanks, Greg. Do you want to talk about sport? Yes. Nothing else about the Crusaders. I mean, it was a great result last night, because the beefs are always a tough force to come up against on their home ground.

20:33But I just think it's still the people who are right in the Crusaders, or, you know, and you saw the comments floating around after last week. Incidentally, I was at that game and it was a shame we lost, because of the momentous occasion. It was for 13 years since the Earthquakes. But, you know, the Brumbings were a great team. They are my favourite Australian team, and they played well. But the Crusaders came back last night and it was a great result. And it just shows the mark of the team, and they ducked deep, obviously. But, you know, 14 down and then 21-7. But they, as I said, ducked deep and did the job, and it was great, you know. Oh, yeah. Look, I mean, for Crusaders fans, absolutely. And I think, you know, for the rest of us, Greg, and, you know, I mean, you've, you've had a lot of success, and, you know, and good on the Crusaders. I was thinking back to 2024, and that's why I asked Rob Penny the question, because, as you know, that was an aberration in terms of that season. And I looked back and they lost their first five games that season.

21:37They recovered briefly, but then didn't make the top eight, you'll remember. But, you know, they didn't have World Jordan then. And I just think he's such a huge part of this. They had Tahakemara, oddly enough, at first five. But he was just learning his trade. He would have been a teenager back then, or maybe just into his 20s. So, yeah, this doesn't feel like a 2024 Crusaders to me. They'll probably win the thing again, mate. Well, I mean, there's a lot of respect against them now. It's a bit like what happened with the Blues, while Auckland, and when they had their great team back in the 80s and into the 90s, you know, there's a lot of just like an anti- Crusader talk and so forth. But, you know, it's early in the competition, and it's got Robinson, said a few years ago, early results don't count for anything. Rob is very proud down here of what happened last night. Hopefully, the ship's getting right to the game. But it's a long campaign, and they'll take that on board. And obviously, you know, as I said, after the first two games,

22:39I mean, they only lost nearly to the Harlanders, but last week, they got a whopping by the rugby. But, you know, it's early, but, you know, they'll find their strengths, and I have glitches along the way. You can't win everything, but everybody knows that. Indeed, we're very confident. And that's why, you know, you saw it last year down here, the respect that there is for the team, didn't you? I did. And that, Greg, that you've landed on exactly the thing that stood out for me the most, was how much the Crusaders mean to the people of Christchurch. It was so obvious. And, yeah, no, you've absolutely nailed it, mate. And, look, I agree with you. I don't think this is, you know, winning last night, I think, put paid to any thoughts that this might be a 2024 re-incarnation. That ain't happening. This is a really good Crusaders side. And the Blues next week are going to be another good contest for them.

23:41Great to chat to you, Greg. Thanks, indeed. I've had it pointed out to me here as well. Mr. Pine, says Nate. Yes, Nate. Traditionally, the Crusaders have never performed well at the start of the season, but they'll always end up in the final. I'm not worried if they lose the odd game at the start, lose the battle when the war. Yeah, you did right, Nate. You did right. Huff past 12, 0800, 80, 1080. We're talking super rugby, Crusaders are in particular, but if anything caught your eye in any of the games over the weekend, keen to kick it around with you. We're back in a sec on weekend sport 29 away from one. Yes, the weight is over. The F1 season begins in Melbourne, which means Lee and Lawson's second full season, of course. We've got many changes to the cars, the power unit chassis, new aerodynamic rules, no DRS Plus, a brand new team. And do I have a treat for you? Liam's in the country at the start of the week, which means we have, yes, an exclusive radio chat. Liam Lawson, on the Mikoski Breakfast Tuesday morning, after eight, only on News Talks ZB.

24:45Hard tackles, harder opinions. We can sport with Jason Pine. And G.J. Gardner-Hobbs, New Zealand's most trusted home builder, News Talks ZB. 26 away from one, Andy says, Pointy, don't forget the black caps are into the semis. Yep, all over at Andy, all over that. Yep, the black caps are into the T20 Cricket World Cup semis. Yep, more on that across the afternoon. Gotta get back to the lines because we are chokers. Oh, 800, 80, 1080, good day, Mark. Good day, buddy. I wanted a quick talk about this advantage, law, buddy, if I can. Yeah. Yeah, um, last night's game. Now, Brimby's got a penalty advantage, late in the second half there, and it was over pretty damn quick, and the Blues got the ball. Then the Western Force game, Western Force got a penalty advantage, late in the second half, that went on for at least nine or ten phases, a good three minutes, and then it was brought back, and then they got another one, and a similar scenario occurred. What is the law on a advantage?

25:48Last night's game, it was over damn quick. It was over within about under a minute. Yeah, so it's referees discretion, Mark, but was the first one you talked about, the one that was over quicker? Was it definitely a penalty advantage, or was it a knock-on advantage? It was a penalty advantage. Okay, the ball is won the ball for some reason, and yeah, it was over. I can only imagine, and I can't recall the incidents that you're referring to, Mark, but I can only imagine that the referees have different interpretations. It is one that's interesting, isn't it, because you're right, often there are 19 or dozen phases, and I mean, surely that's enough for you to take advantage of the advantage, but yeah, they do seem to, you're here, it doesn't you, the referee advantage over, and that's normally what the knock-on advantage is, you know, not the penalty one. So I can't help you, unfortunately, but I know there were a lot of referees listening. So somebody, I'm sure, we'll be able to give clarity to you, Mark.

26:48They'll be along shortly, either on text, or on the phone. Good to chat to you, mate. Ross, you want to just talk about the golf open? Yeah, just prickly, mate. I'm not usually one to winge about New Zealand's sport, but their leaderboard is just so amateur-ish. Ross, I know exactly what you're talking about. On there is the leaders. That doesn't show any score by whole-by-hole scores, or anything like that. It's just probably the worst I've ever seen to be fair. I mean, even the likes of Fiji and Open, or, you know, anything like that, there's way better product than that one. Here's the tip, Ross. Here's the tip. I was talking to somebody about this on Friday, about how I was finding it hard to navigate. It didn't look like a normal leaderboard that you normally see when you go online to watch a golf open. And so I was directed to the golf.com.au website.

27:48If you've got a golf.com.au, the leaderboard is there in the fashion that you have outlined there. All in order, the entire leaderboard, you click on a name and it opens up their first second, third and fourth round scores. So yeah, I don't know why the official New Zealand golf open website hasn't done it that way. It just looks very, very difficult to read. So if you're at a golf.com.au mate, that's where you'll find a bit of joy as far as the leaderboard is concerned. Mike Thorpe is with us from Queenstown before one o'clock, Daniel Hillier Curtis, like and Kerry Mountcastle. So Hillier and Mountcastle, the two Kiwis and Curtis, like the Australians, are straight in, are underway just before one in their final round. Hillier 18 under, like and Mountcastle 17 under. You get the feeling the one is going to be one of those three, which of the three is it going to be. Graham, you would have enjoyed that. You wouldn't have been nervous at all at 21, 7 down.

28:49Oh, it was a bit anxious, probably more than nervous. Yeah, that obviously a lot of people picked the cheese and obviously tough at home. And let's say the least. Yeah, but the guy showed a lot of character and I think great interview with Rob Penny. They put their preparation in and I wasn't perfect, but they rectify a lot of the things that obviously the last 10 months, last week, which was a debacle, but they bounced back in six days. Yeah, they were just reminding me of the crusaders. Graham, it was just like, oh, okay, it's the crusaders. You know, I was, like I say, at 14, kneel down at 21, 7 down, I thought, okay, which crusader is this? Is it the normal one or are we back in 2024? Well, we're clearly not back in 2024. Yeah, I heard you asked Rob that. That's a fair question because he went through that more than anybody.

29:52And, you know, I just thought, well, he bought David Avelian and, you know, and Will Jordan, those guys, they put the forwards, that the job, you know, it's two tough packs and it was a niggly game, but Neil and Tom and Tom and Tom and Eddie Williams, they're combo, you know, each the tough chiefs one, and they thought, you know, well led by Jamie Hanna, I don't think he was doing the line-out calls. Rob said at the end, he's really growing as a player and now I hold some in Kamara on their old, you know, they're homewaters, they're hometowns. So, yeah, they look like they enjoyed being there. You know, they went, obviously they'd be a bit of a stick, but as players do, but, yeah, and that was a great game. How do you rate some level of care and Jordan? Yeah, how do you rate Kamara? Sorry, Graeme, how do you rate Tahir Kamara? You've seen a lot of Crusaders first-fives and there've been some good ones. Well, how do you rate him? Oh, I think he's, I think he's, I think he improved last year,

30:53a big time, you know, obviously he had a terrible, a lot of care of Winjory after, you know, about two-thirds of the way through the comp, and I think he, and his goal-cooking has really, with a work on last year, and he's, yeah, he's really tired of him, is the goal in pre-season or in the competition games, because, you know, Rivers, Rahana stepped up and did that with great deployment, you know, in the latter part of last year. So, yeah, I think he's a work in progress. And five, number 10s are like that. There's a lot of hate on 10s, not just for the legacy of what we've had here at the Crusaders, but, yeah, it's a pressure, it's a pressure, you know, position, and, you know, he's growing and I thought he's showing so much more confidence and it's great to say. Yeah, indeed it is. I'm glad you enjoyed it, Graham, I knew you, whatever. I always think of you when the Crusaders do well, might always think of you and how happy you'll be. But then, you're not a, you're not a fear where the fan. It's, you know, you write it through thick and thin.

31:55You'll talk about first fives there, just going back to 2024, because Rivers Rayhana started that season in the 10 years. And then Tah-ha, Kemalah took over for two games. Then he, I remember, they get sent up north or sent home or something. From memory, he was like the Crusaders said, hey, this is just a bit much for you. And then they bought Riley Horhepirin. Then Rivers Rayhana came back. David Havily had a couple of games at first five, then Fergus Burke, right at the end, had about six different first fives that year. What are they doing? 19 away from one. We're back with more calls after this, and we'll head to the golf before 1 o'clock, too. This is Weekend Sport on Newstalk ZB. Call it how you see it on 880-1080. Weekend Sport with Jason Pine and G.J. Gartner Holmes. New Zealand's most trusted home builder, Newstalk ZB. Call it to one here on Newstalk ZB. High excitement in Queenstown, the final round in the 105th New Zealand Golf Open, with two Kiwis in the final group of three,

32:58Daniel Hillier has the outright lead at 18 under. Kerry Mountcastle is at 17 under Mike Thorpe as our man in Queenstown. Yeah, wouldn't it be like Christmas Eve last night, Mike? Honestly, mate, it was one of the great finishes to a third round. You know, we've still got 18 holes ahead of us. But to see Hillier go, birdie birdie par, eagle birdie, the eagle birdie par played out in front of thousands who had gathered around the end of that 17th hole, the 18th tee, and then into that final hole as well. It was absolutely incredible. We can only hope for some kind of similar drama tonight as probably four players contend for that title. The two Kiwis, as you've mentioned, as well as the Australian's Curtis Luck and Lucas Herbert, who's just about to get his round underway very shortly. Give us the all-important conditions and the outlook for the next four hours or so. Genuinely, everything and everything at once. We've had rain, we've had wind, we've had blue skies,

34:01we've got black clouds overhead. There's a little bit of sun. Everything we've had in the three rounds prior to this all in one day. So they're going to have more than just each other to contend with the conditions. It will be difficult. Probably the one that they don't want to see the most is the rain. The wind for the locals is probably going to be an advantage. All right, well, as you say last night, Dan Hillier, Bertie, Bertie Par, Eagle Bertie, that is some last five holes. Do you take momentum like that into your fourth rounds? Mike, do you feel as though, and I know you spoke to Daniel after the round, do you feel as though it's given him a boost heading in today, not just on the scoreboard? I think it definitely has, but also it shows the rest of the field what can be made up in those final five holes. So they are playable, especially with the 17th. We will see some go in the drink, I think today. It is a reachable power five, and if you get it, if you get it right, Eagle is a definite possibility.

35:02So so much excitement ahead of us, let's hope it plays out. Absolutely, Mike. Looking forward to your reports every hour. While we're on the air, that's Mike Thorpen, Queenstown, Rita Matt, NZherald.co.nz as well. Daniel Hylia, 18 under, Curtis, like and carry Mount Castle, 17 under Lucas Herbert is outright fourth on 16 under. All four of those golfers are yet to get underway in their final rounds. Hylia, like and Mount Castle, 1259 is their scheduled T-off time. Mike, thanks for holding. Now there's a good point. Just want to say, once it's right down to the rugby unit, if you're feeling numb, you just looked at the zipper or the trick and it's not going to be good at it, actually. You went down and looked at the trophy. I love it, Mark. I love it. You want to be happy with that. Actually, you're the second person I think about when I watch the Crusaders. Graham's normally the first one who jumps into my mind, but you're not far behind, mate. You would have enjoyed that. Oh, dude, I was, I was, when they had to leave it. They had to bring it to me last night because I just did.

36:04Before half-time, they took that penalty and I just did for half-torn. Yeah, and it made it 24-21. And that, yeah, that's, that's what made the Crusaders lift another get after half-torn American. Yeah. Mark, I agree. I agree. And I think the change probably, because there was a bit of a push and shove, wasn't there? I think there was about, there might have been the tackle on David Haveli that was, was it Jared Prophet on David Haveli that was kind of, it was penalised for that penalty, I think, and there was a bit of push and shove afterwards, maybe there was a thought that there should have been further sanction. Anyway, the chiefs, after having dominated the first, what, 20 minutes or whatever it was, have to trudge out half-time and they're behind. You know, I mean, psychologically, you're a bit shars, aren't you? Mark, good to chat, mate. We'll see you again soon. Laura says, party, just tuned in. Has anyone touched on the state of the pitch and Fiji? For the Hurricanes, draw a match. It looked like an absolute mud bath. Surely Super Rugby has a standard of pitch that all Super Rugby teams need to adhere to.

37:04I would have thought so, Laura. I can't say too much because it'll sound like me just sour grapes that the Hurricanes lost, but I agree. It looked pretty, yeah, it looked pretty feral, didn't it? Thanks for your text, Laura. G'day, Sherwood. Yeah, G'day, I just like to refer to three people in the Crusaders setup. And in Rob Penny, they have a top human being in my book. And when he was interviewed after the game, he mentioned two quiet achievers. Shay Fihaki for his ability with the high ball. And Jamie Hanna, who's now taking the place of Scooter Barrett. Those two guys are not mentioned very often, but I think that as the season progresses, they'll become more and more obvious and both classy players. Very well said, Sherwood. I totally agree. And I totally agree on Rob Penny as well. I don't know Rob Penny at all. I don't know him personally at all, but I've spoken to him several times on the radio

38:05and in media situations. And he is always honest. He always fronts up. He never seems to refuse a phone call, even if they've lost. So yeah, good human being. I think that's a great way of describing him. Thank you, Sherwood. One final call. Jay, should you get the final say today? Yeah, look, probably the last call to stole it. Friday night's game. Was it played at Pukkarri County? Yeah, it was. Yeah, it was. What the heck was the reason? Why couldn't I have played at anywhere else like over an Albany Stadium? What would you have to play on a field where that's not even fit for schoolboy rugby? No, I know. Yeah, I know. Jay, you're right. I know there was a reason, but I don't know what the reason was. We've got to find out. Yeah. I mean, even thanks, Jay. Yeah, even speaking to George Bridges today, he said the same thing. He was quite diplomatic. He said he's played on better. But it just looked terrible, didn't it? That Friday night game. And then yesterday in Fiji, look, I know it rains hard up there, doesn't it?

39:06And it's not underheard of that, that downplaying surfaces turn into mud baths, when it, you know, and you get monsoon rain, but I don't know. Yeah. Again, I'll just sound like it's sour grapes. I think the Fiji and Drob deserve to win the game against the Hurricanes. But yeah, the pitch made it problematic. Problematic for both sides. Either way, from one Newstalk ZB. The big names and the big calls on your home of sport, weekend sport with Jason Fein. Newstalk ZB. Five to one, a couple of text to mop up. Kelsey is pining with the pitch in La Toka. Unfortunately, they've had rain in Fiji for the last four weeks. Yeah, that's not going to be helpful. Also, a text crew here from John, they played a curtain raiser on that pitch. Is that true? Surely that's not true. That they played a curtain raiser before that. To make the pitch 80 minutes worse than it would have been.

40:10Sheepus. And Gunnacee's party congrats to the Crusaders. A couple of things stood out in their good win. One, you need an all-black front row or close to it. Two, the professionalism to control an hour of the game. 21, 7 down to 43, 33, victory outstanding, especially after a niggly few moments at the end of the first half. I thought the chiefs had it shaded in positions or jerseys four to eight. Some less than average options from our nine and 10 kicking the ball away in the Crusaders half. Some of the passing 50, 50 at best and discipline started to become a factor. Deem act should have been available. I know it's a new dad, but please, we fathers know we have to get back to work. Unfortunately, my chiefs were outcoached and outplayed the only silver lining is it's only round three. Thanks, Connor, always appreciate your articulate thoughts. Just had a photo sent to me from a friend of mine who was in Queenstown for the final round and he says it's trying to clear up down there and he said it's the most people I've seen at a New Zealand Open since Tiger in 2002. There are gonna be some massive galleries

41:12following Daniel Hillier and Kerry Mount Castle around today in their final round. They are underway in the next few minutes. 12.59 is their scheduled T-off time. We will keep you right up to date. After one o'clock news though, the changing of the guard at Wellington Phoenix is gonna make a difference. The only place to discuss the biggest sports issues on or head off the field. They gotta score a knock. It's all on weekend sport with Jason Pine on your home of sport. Use talks at B. Hello there, one o'7 is the time I'm Jason Pine. And, Macdonald is producing the show. This is weekend sport on use talks at B until three. And as Ali had outlined in the sports juice, lots to keep eyes on this afternoon while we're on the air, but also beyond that time as well, including the Wellington Phoenix. A new era begins today. Chris Greenacre in charge. Sydney FC, the opponent. That game underway in a couple of hours. We'll talk Phoenix shortly. Look back to Auckland FC's win yesterday as well.

42:13Daniel Hilia, Curtis Luck and Kerry Mountcastle. The final, I was gonna say, pairing. You can't have a pairing of three can you? The final trio underway at the New Zealand Golf Open. I've just heard news that Daniel Hilia has flushed the first one straight down the middle. That's a positive term, I think. Well, openness. Just had a message to say. What does it say here? He fl- I hope it's positive. Dan flushed his first shot. That's a good thing, right? And is that a good thing? That's a good thing, Piny, don't worry. But flushing it. You know, is hitting it flush? Is that right? Yeah, yeah, absolute. That's it. If he was to duff his first shot, then that's a problem. Not true. I hope auto correct hasn't kicked in here on the message. I don't think he's not one of us, Piny. Let me duck this shot. I mean, it'll be the first time he's duffing and probably a decade, I'd say. No, you're probably right.

43:15You're probably right. So if he said his first shot well, let's hope he only hits the ball another 62 or 63 times today. And that should be enough. Mike Thorpe is our man in Queenstown. We're back with him this hour as well. And James McConey, as usual, on a Sunday with his irreverent look at the weekend's sport. Just want to update you on some live sport. Plank of Chill cricket. Lunch in the three games. McClaim Park in Napier, Wellington, all out, 401 central 34 for three. So having their struggles early in their first innings in Christchurch at Hagley Oval, Otago all out, 296. Can every 105 for three in reply. And it even parks outer oval. Auckland, all out for 283. Northern districts, 231 for five in reply. So that game is probably the most advanced of the three. We'll keep eyes on those for you. As we will on set in Park in Hamilton, where the White Ferns and Zimbabwe

44:15played their third and final T20 international today. The White Ferns won the first two. Zimbabwe won the toss in game three and elected to bat first. Our numbers are 880, 1080. Our text line is 9292. You can get in touch with us on one of those two platforms. By phone, by text or email me, Jason at newstalksedby.co.nz. 10 past one, a new era begins today at Wellington Phoenix for four club. To lose five new at home, with the seasons still to play for, it's unacceptable, and I take full responsibility. So I've told the club I've looked, tended my resignation, and I think it's easier for someone to come in and just with new energy and refocus the group. So that was last weekend after the five new lost to Auckland FC in the Derby. Now former head coach, John Calo-Italiano resigning club legend, Chris Greenaker, has taken the reins initially ahead of just today's clash

45:17with Sydney FC in Wellington. It's the fourth time he has taken interim charge of the side in the middle of a season. He, of course, also played with great distinction for the club 83 matches across three seasons in all three seasons. That Chris Greenaker was the Phoenix player, they made the finals. This time feels different. This time feels as though there could be more of a permanence about the arrangement beyond this current season. I think initially they said, look, let's get the first game out of the way. I think after today, there'll be an announcement in the early part of next week to say that Chris Greenaker will take the team for the rest of this season and negotiations are ongoing and provided things go okay over the last eight games of the season. I hope that he will be offered the job on a long-term basis. That is all to come, of course. I spoke to Chris Greenaker when he was appointed to the role earlier in the week to find out how this had all played out. The circumstances was slightly different

46:19to previously related, to be honest. I think in the past, it was Needs Must and I was kind of the quickest fix. But this time it was certainly different. Sean, to be fair, said to me, look, is it something that you would want to do? So I kind of had the opportunity and obviously part of you, you're unsure. Like, do I take it, do I don't? But it didn't take me very long to sort of say, let's have a go of it. I've been in the game a long time. I understand and I appreciate what's gone before me. Got full of admiration for Chief and what he achieved here, all the accolades that he had. More importantly, what he's like as a person and he knows a really good guy loves the game through and through. But then in professional sport, it moves on pretty quickly and we sort of have to move on. But for my perspective, I jumped at the opportunity and here we are. And we do move on because there's a game on Sunday.

47:21So in the space of a week, where do you place your focus? I think the players and I include myself in it, forget the loss of the weekend, forget it was a doubt being all that kind of stuff. I think as some professionally, you want to give everything that you've got. And I think we as a club want to get some pride back. That's really, really important. Pride in the badge, pride of playing for this club, give the funds something to really scream about and get funds in the stadium. So forget about the result. It's about getting some pride back and some belief and some trust again, I think. What does that look like in practical terms, Grini? Say you restore pride. It's almost a bit of a vague concept, doesn't it? What does it look like in practical terms? I think in a simplest way, I kind of addressed the boys and said, I've said exactly the same things. So I'm not hiding behind anything. When you're playing Europe and you're playing Saturday Tuesday, if you don't have a successful performance or a result

48:23goes against you, you've got a couple of days to kind of try and fix it. We have a little bit longer in this part of the world. And so you can't really wait for the next game to come around. It can't come around quick enough. And then that is just your professional pride of actually, you know, there'll be moments in the games when the players have looked at their own performance and gone, that was okay. Other parts I could have been better and it's about trying to fix the bits that you can do better because the stuff that they did well, or they thought they did well, we need to keep building on that. So that's kind of a simple, you know, message to the boys and they've certainly adapted to that and done that in training. There's some dented pride, some dented confidence, some dented egos here and no doubt. Have you had to address that sort of thing? And I mean, do you have time to build guys up? I think, I can really tell you, they're a really good group of players and it's easy for me to say, oh yeah, they're a good group of players and they love it because that's just cliche and that's what everyone says. But there's a real tight togetherness of the group. In all honesty, I mean, training yesterday

49:25was a little bit more competitive than I actually liked. So that chose to me straight away that every single player in that squad cares. They do care and I've been an armchair supporter. Obviously when the team, I'm at the stadium watching the games and I got a poro and I watched the girls play and I'm an armchair fan when we're overseas. But I can tell you they care, trust me they care. And I think when you've got those ingredients, anything can happen. So we've got a really good opportunity with Sydney. You know, he's done a terrific job there. They're playing some good football but it's a great game for us to get ourselves up up for and really get, as I say, get some pride back into this badge. And where do your own personal ambitions as a coach sit in all of this? This hasn't really changed for me. I've never been in a rush to get to where ever the end may be. And then I'm literally taking it day by day. And that's the truth.

50:26Even when I was the reserve team coach, I still see myself as that guy. So from a personal perspective, that hasn't really changed. Again, how this pans out? Who knows? Who knows? But obviously we'll give it the best chance we can. The club have been really loyal to me and giving me an opportunity to kind of grow. And as I say, I haven't been in a rush to get to this point. You hear the stories of, you know, people want to progress really quickly by doing things that are not so, you know, aligned to everything that hasn't been a case for me. And the club have been patient. And but I think we've also been loyal to each other, which is I think kind of quite fitting. And so yeah, I've been here a long time and I don't want to sound cliche, but it feels like this is my club. I've almost been here as long as I've spent time in my family home as a kid. So it's home from home. And I want to be successful here, whether I'm the long-term answer or not,

51:29I want to be successful there. It isn't a fly in the argument for me. I want to be successful. I don't want to go anywhere else. I want to be successful here. And, you know, maybe that's a point of difference. I don't know. But as I say, I'm proud to be stood here. I'm proud to have been associated with this club for such a long time. And yeah, it's, again, who knows what happens? Who knows what happens indeed? That is Chris Greenaker, the new interim for the meantime, anyway, head coach of Wellington Phoenix. He's a very impressive guy. He's been around the club for a long time, as I say. He first arrived in Wellington as a player in mid 2009, played the 19, 10, 11. And 11, 12 seasons. With Wellington, 83 games during those three seasons was highly regarded for his selflessness. And the fact that he would do a lot of the running pool life, or who is one of the Phoenix's greatest ever players, often says that a huge part of his success

52:30was down to the unseen work that Chris Greenaker did in partnership with him. Following his playing days, he moved into coaching. He was an assistant to Ricky Herbert in the 2012-13 season. Late in that season, Ricky Herbert resigned. And Chris Greenaker took over for the first time. And as I say, he's done that another couple of times in the time since when Ernie Merrick resigned mid-season. Chris Greenaker and Des Buckingham in combination took over and when Doria Callagic left with the half a dozen games or so to go at the end of the 2017-18 season, that would have been again. It was Chris Greenaker who stepped into the breach. And so it is again. And as I said, I just hope that this is more permanent. Of course, we can't predict what will happen over the next eight games. Wellington is still well and truly in the conversation for top six. It seems remarkable to say when there are only one five games

53:31this season. But with the table so tight, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that they could make a run at it. And you often get a bit of a bounce, don't you? After a coach resigns, the playing grouper of it down, somebody comes in with a fresh voice, fresh ideas, and immediately there is an uptick in enthusiasm. Let's hope that is what happens this afternoon. In the first instance, when Wellington welcomes Sydney FC to what is now called Henry Stadium. It's the first to march today, isn't it? It is. New sponsor for the stadium in Wellington. Henry Stadium is what we call it now. And ironically enough, a former Phoenix head coach in Ufok Tally will be here in charge of Sydney FC. And what of the players? How have they reacted to all of this? Captain of the Wellington Phoenix men's side is Alex Ruffin. I spoke to him during the week as well about what the events of last weekend had been like and how challenging a time it had been for he and for his fellow players.

54:33I look after the result, as you could expect, very disappointed. And then I will see the coach resigning and leaving. It's obviously something that the playing group didn't expect. But look, all we can focus on is the next game and the next training and the mentality shifts been good. The reaction has been positive, and training has been very intense, so that's been positive. What sort of messaging did you get from the club on the Sunday the day after when they let you know? I think you obviously found out Saturday night that chief he was leaving. What sort of messaging did you get from the club on Sunday in and to this week? Oh, look, we were just told that obviously chief had resigned and that Greeny was coming into take his place and take the club moving forward for the rest of the season. So it was pretty short and sharp. We know as players, like I said, we need to have a good response, and that's going to come on Sunday. What sort of emotions did you go through when your coach resigned mid season? What's a bit of a rollercoaster, to be honest?

55:34I think everyone's immediate response after the game was the disappointment of the result. And then to see that, obviously, it was hurtful feeling and a sad feeling. But again, in football, the beauty of football was, you know, you've got next week to bounce back. And like I said, the focus has been on training and making sure that we show a good response. And Chris Greenak has come in as coach for this week anyway and presumably for the rest of the season. What sort of messages has he been giving you and what has he been asking the view as you look towards Sydney on Sunday? Just to talk about pride. He's come in and he's wanted to instill a bit of positivity back into the group, a bit of energy, which has been really good. And I think, you know, I've known Greeny for a long time and he's come in, it's been really short, sharp, good intense trainings, really basic, clear communication. He's not asking too much from the players. All he's asking for is a positive response, like I've said, and I think we'll get that.

56:35What was it like in the playing group towards the end of Chief East 10 year? And, you know, can you talk about what it was like, you know, in the last month or so? Look, it was just business as usual. It was normal as players. You don't think about all those external things and you have to focus on what's most important and that's the weekend, that's the games. So honestly, there was no thought about any of that external stuff that's obviously happened, post Auckland, but the focus has been good, the turnaround has been good and I'm happy at the moment with what's happening this week. Challenging game for everybody, but Josh Olowamy in particular with a very high profile and a stake to start with in a mixed first half. Have you had to wrap any particular support around him this week? Yeah, look, it was, you know, it was a, like everyone saw it, it was a poor era, but look, of course, we've rallied around him. He's a top guy and he's a human at the end of the day and he was copying a lot of abuse

57:37and a lot of stick on social media. So look, we've rallied around him and his response has been really positive. So that's been good, you know, and he feels loved and supported from the team, which I think is, you know, very powerful. And I'm not sure whether this was lost in translation or not, but we spoke to Gilly earlier in the week and he suggested that perhaps some players had their eyes on the World Cup rather than the A-League. Do you have any response to that? Oh, look, I understand what he's meaning. I don't think he was meaning, maybe it was lost in translation a little bit, but every player here that I know of is focused on performing well here, first and foremost, because you know that if you perform well here, that gives you the best opportunity to be selected for the World Cup team. So look, as far as I'm concerned, every single player that is up for selection for that team is only focused on performing well here at Wellington Phoenix. That is the voice of Wellington Phoenix Captain Alex Ruffa, who will lead aside under battle this afternoon against Sydney FC at Henry Stadium. Gotta get used to saying that

58:38from just after three o'clock this afternoon, 124 it is. Phoenix fans, maybe you're on your way to the game. Maybe you're headed along. I'm more than anything curious to see what the response is. Like I say, you often get a positive response in situations like this, a team that's been going through tough times. Often it's the coach who carries the can, and this is the case here. Giancala Italiano has departed, he resigned, but Sean Gilmate, it pretty obvious earlier in the week as well, the director of football that had he not resigned and that decision would have been made. So one way or the other, there was going to be a change in the head coaching role. So it is not uncommon at all in situations like this for the team who has been going through a bit of a rough patch to have a real bounce back, to be reinvigorated, re-energized, to want to play for their new coach. And it also reinvigorates a playing group that perhaps there are guys there who up until now

59:40thought, well, I'm not really going to get a game. The coach, you know, I'm not part of his plans. He has a pick me, I'm not playing a lot of minutes, that sort of stuff. It's a clean slate now. They would have all come into training this week with, you know, high optimism that they can be involved in the back end of this season. Oh, 880, 1080, Phoenix fans, if you want to just, you know, give us your gauge on it. 9292 for text messages. No such problems for Auckland FC. They are flying again after a very, for them anyway, uncharacteristic January, where they only won one out of their six matches. They beat Melbourne City, the defending champions yesterday at GoMedia 3-0, and are now knocking on the door of top spot again. So we'll get inside their camp in the next little while too. But if you want to talk some fanics, oh, 880, 1080 is the number. Just checking on the leaderboard at the New Zealand Golf Open. No score through yet for the first hole for Daniel Hillier Curtis Luck and Kiri Mountcastle. They're the last three to go,

1:00:41but Lucas Herbert, who was 16 under to start the day, has picked up a shot on the first hole. He's birded the first, and he is now 17 under as well. So there's a three-way tie for second. Herbert Luck and Mountcastle, one shot behind Daniel Hillier, the outright leader at 18 under. As I say, we heard a short time ago that it had flushed his first shot right in the middle. So that continues. Well, I get you to Mike Thorpen, Queenstown, before 2 o'clock. After 2 as well, Chad Townsend out of Vegas. The NRL season starts today with two matches, at a legiant stadium. A former Warriors halfback Chad Townsend is in Vegas. He's going to give us a taste of the vibe after 2 o'clock. This is Weekend Sport on News Talks. There'll be 127 back after this. If it matters in sport, it matters here. Weekend Sport with Jason Pine and G.J. Gardner Holmes, New Zealand's most trusted home builder, News Talks at B. It's 1.30 on News Talks at B.

1:01:42This is Weekend Sport. We are watching the golf, says Mars. I'm not watching it. I'm just following it online. Mars is just following the leaderboard and trying to sort of paint that picture. So you're not watching on TV. I'm doing, I haven't got a divided focus. Don't worry, I'm just watching the leaderboard stick over here. We'll keep eyes as well on the T20 International between the White Furns and Zimbabwe. I fear this might not go too long, because Zimbabwe have won the toss, elected to bat, and they're already two down for just four runs after three overs. So the other two games were very one-sided. The White Furns winning both by plenty of runs. And I think only losing two wickets across the two games, they were only one down at each of those two games. Zimbabwe have battered first here upon winning the toss.

1:02:43They're now three down. They've just lost their third wicket. And we're only in the fourth over. Zimbabwe are four for three. Jessica's got a wicket. Nancy Patel's got a wicket. And there has been a run out as well. So Zimbabwe, four for the loss of three. And we're just into the fourth over. This game might be over before our show is 29 away from two. Auckland FC have moved to within two points of the Newcastle Jets at the top of the A league men's football ladder. The Jets eight game winning runners come to an end, a nill all draw against their local rivals, the Central Coast Mariners last night. Auckland FC thumping defending champions Melbourne City 3-0. In Auckland, here are some of the post-match thoughts of head coach Steve Korriker. Well, after January, yeah. We had this discussion already. You know, last season was much the same. And then we went on a really good run.

1:03:43Really pleased the way we go on. Four, three wins in a draw in the last four games. So it's very positive moving forward. But pleasing thing is, it's done to score more goals. It's done look more dangerous. But also, it's done to keep clean sheets, which, you know, doing both of them at the moment is really good. The score of the first goal yesterday was Logan Rodgersson who hadn't scored a goal all season. It had been a rather long and worrying drought for Logan Rodgersson. So how pleased was Steve Korriker to see him back on the score sheet? Yeah, 100%. You look at see after his scored is his confidence was back. And that was more of what we saw last season with him scoring goals and creating opportunities. And the one thing he always does is his work hard for the team. And he did that again today. And I'm really pleased for him actually, because he was really desperate to get that goal. All goals were good, obviously. You know, Jesse a game scoring. Pleased for Gashamo as well to continue scoring and making his mark as well. He's working hard as well.

1:04:44So Steve Korriker, they mentioned Jesse Randall, who's had an absolutely superb season. His ninth goal yesterday. He's now the leading scorer, not only for Auckland FC, but in the entire A league at this point. So Steve Korriker with some thoughts on Jesse Randall's performance. Yeah, obviously, Jesse's got to use his pace. He does it really well. And Mike would just launch one, obviously. And Jesse got on the end of it. His quick is actually becoming a really good finisher as well now. And created an opportunity for Gashamo to score as well. So he's taught everything at the moment. Jesse, so we wanted to continue doing that. And finally, from Steve Korriker, Philippe Guyagos, who doesn't get a lot of headlines, he's the Chilean midfielder for Auckland FC, but he was named Man of the Match in yesterday's game. So what did Steve Korriker make of his performance? He just continues his work all the time.

1:05:45He doesn't get much credit, but he's just a winner. He covers all the ground, gets stuck in, gets on the ball, creates stuff for us. And yeah, he craved up a little bit. That's where he came off, but he was brilliant again. That is Steve Korriker head coach of Auckland FC. They were very good yesterday. It's been a bit odd. Twice now, I'm not even around for two seasons, but twice now they've been a bit inconsistent in January. And Steve Korriker's mentioned it, and he said, I don't really know why. Maybe it's the first of season, not sure. Maybe it's the point of the season where you start picking up niggly injuries and sometimes things can go against you, but for whatever reason, January last season wasn't great. In January this season was very inconsistent. Just one win in six. But since February arrived, three wins in a draw and therefore games during the calendar month of February back up to within, as I say, two points of the leaders

1:06:47the Newcastle Jets and looking every inch the side that we came to know and love last season. Phil says, Pinty, currently heading to the Phoenix game. They're still in the season. Always support your team and be loyal. You never know what is going to happen. I'm staying optimistic. That is the spirit, Phil. That is fandom. That is fandom. Absolutely. So Wellington plays Sydney this afternoon. Auckland FC are back at home next weekend. They take on Perth Glory next weekend. That's the next assignment for Steve Korakis-Men. Yeah, I was at the game yesterday and it just, like I say, it just felt like last season. And last season, as we all know, was absolutely superb first campaign for this team. And it's always going to be a bit harder, isn't it? Well, they say the second album is always a lot harder and it had been up and down this season. But yesterday, it just felt like the Auckland FC evolved. That's what it felt like. And so, yeah, I wonder whether they'll just put January

1:07:49in the rear view mirror and move forward. Zimbabwe have lost another wicket. They are four for the loss of four. I don't know what the lowest total in women's T20 international cricket history is, but I get the feeling Zimbabwe might threaten that. Four for the loss of four. Batting first against the white ferns in Hamilton. Nancy Patel has two for none from her one over. Jessica's got a wicket. There's been a run out. They've just lost their fifth wicket. They are four for the loss of five, four for five. Jessica has just picked up another wicket. Andy's going to have to do some research. What is the lowest ever? Andy, just keep talking. They'll keep losing wickets at this rate. My commentating the settings now. Can you please get one of your team of researchers, Andy, to find out what the lowest T20 international cricket score is?

1:08:51I'll just keep my other researcher and draw on to it. Shall I? Go ahead and get them on to it. Get them on to it. Because I think Zimbabwe are threatening it. Four for the loss of five. At the other end of the excellence scale, a sensational late Saturday afternoon surge from Daniel Hilliard has given him a golden chance to claim the New Zealand Open today. He finished yesterday in the third round. Birdie, birdie, par, eagle, birdie, signing for a 7 under 64, 18 under through 54 holes. Going to get you to Queenstown in just a moment. But here is Daniel Hilliard's post-round reaction after his third round yesterday. That was crazy. Yeah, I obviously didn't have my best early on, but it was just one of those days. You just got to say patient. There were a couple of par-fives that could take advantage on. They found the job late in the piece, and thankfully did that. And it was pretty cool to get one on the last as well in front of that massive crowd. Did it feel like you were just hanging on at times, like around there? What if it had finally stopped that par train? You couldn't get off of it. Yeah, exactly. I mean, the parter was a little bit cold through the middle there.

1:09:51A few close calls. But it's like a set. It's just a waiting game. And yeah, keeping the head down, and not trying to get to the bar ahead myself. And I think that was the difference in the end with that finish. It's a cool moment there. It kind of stops there. It's really nice and air-cool. Fast forward. 24 hours into the do something special. Yeah, I mean, I'd love a replay of that. And some more. Yeah, but obviously you've got the job to do. So yeah, I'll rest up tonight. Have a good sleep and hopefully come out for it. Of course, good, good today. Yeah, yeah, much better today. Yeah, so yeah, it's just an interesting one yesterday. But no, it's nice if I'm at the back of full health. And yeah, hopefully the same thing begins to work. Yeah, there's about five Kiwis in that top 10. Heading into an honor round tomorrow. That's been so slow to see your country. They're not there alongside yourself. Yeah. You can head out tomorrow. Yeah, it's brilliant. Yeah, I don't know. We've had this when you Kiwis out the top of the leaderboard. But yeah, it's great to see. And you know, everyone's in good spirits, like I said, in the before. And yeah, just can't wait to see how they'll always do. I think you're on 17th. I'm really on 18th.

1:10:51You're saying you're best for the crowd. How good was that? Yeah, yeah, that was nice. I mean, I was pretty excited, pretty aimed up, come down those last couple of holes. Obviously, a couple of birdies just to get me back in the mix. And then, yeah, to finish it like that today was pretty special. I asked Lucas Herbert if he was upset about potentially spoiling a Kiwi party tomorrow. He said that the sports nuffie in him would like you to win. Wow, that's very kind of him. I don't know if he means it a lot. I mean, he's a great man. And obviously, we all want to see each other do well. Yeah, I mean, everyone's friends with each one. And yes, so whoever comes down top tomorrow, I think everyone's going to be pretty happy. But yeah, I think the Kiwis are all hoping for a Kiwi this time around. That is the voice of Daniel Hillier after his third round yesterday. He's underway in his fourth round, leading by a stroke. When they got underway, Mike Thorpe has been watching on and Queen Stanley was part of the interviewing throng around Dan Hillier there. How's he started today, Mike? He has started relatively well. Just missed a birdie part about a 12 foot part on the second.

1:11:51It's still at 18 under. Still a one shot lead over two, including his playing partner, Gary Mountcastle, who started his round. You'd have to say with an absolute dog of a hole on one, he went rough, rough, rough, and then flopped within sort of six inches, tapped in for a par looked around like what are you worried about? He's just missed the birdie part on two. But as I say, he's only one shot off the pace. Lucas Herbert has made up one shot. He birded the second. So he moves into 17 under. Not a lot of movement so far. I think the only one who's dipped down is Curtis Luck, who is also with Hillier. He bowgeed the first and just made par on the second. We are based in sunshine. Five minutes after we were all cowering in torrential rain. Welcome to Queen Stanley. I love it. Gallery sizes today, Mike. There'll be plenty following the Hillier Mountcastle Luck Trio surely.

1:12:53Very, very similar numbers to yesterday. Slightly different attire. Lots of umbrellas and puffer jackets, but still lots of people. This is great for New Zealand golf to have this sort of action on day four. To have two Kiwis duking it out at the top to hopefully win this home open. Great having you painting the pictures for us, Mike. Wonderful stuff, mate. We'll check in again in an hour or so. Mike Thorpe is in Queenstown at the 105th New Zealand golf open. We're low scoring as the order of the day. You don't want to be doing that in cricket. Andy has sent me two instances of a side being bowled out for six. Six. The meldives. Is that your pronounce it? Meldives, meldives, meldives. Against Bangladesh. All out for meldives. All out for six. And the Marley women. All out for six. And they batted first. So it's similar to this. All out for six against Rwanda.

1:13:55Who then got eight in the first over to win it. It's in bad way. I mean, compared to that. There's trekking ahead. Then nine for five. Nine for five. Eighteen to two. James McKoney up next. From grass roots. To the grandstand. Weekend sport. With Jason Pine. And G.J. Gardenoves. New Zealand's most trusted home builder. News talks at B. News talks at B. And weekend sport. Bang on quarter to two. That's time for James McKoney. Good afternoon, James. Good afternoon, Pinyy. A pinch and a punch for the first of the month. And no returns. Of course. Yes, of course. The first of March. Did you know that, uh, Sir Russell Coots and Sir Mark Todd both celebrate their birthday today? Oh, really? What about charisma? I don't know. No charisma's birthday. You've caught me on the hop. Don't all horses have the same birthday. Isn't that the way it works? It's probably like that, you. Anyway, we digress. Hey, every team in Super Rugby after three rounds, has won a game. I know.

1:14:55It's an incredible stat. But for the crusaders to win that game last night. I mean, what a game. I am a chief fan. And look, yes, we need to do something about the amount of crusaders fans in the media. There needs to be some kind of cult. Uh, starting with maybe Elliott. I'm not sure. But there's a lot of them, Pinyy. But you can't argue with a game like that. Because when teams kind of don't like each other, good things happen. You get scuffles. You get fewer kicks. You get teams running. You get a lot of them. You get a lot of them. But you can't argue with a game like that. You get teams running it from their own goal line. And locks running free. Like a, you know, Brontosaurus. And a giraffe. Oh, Josh Lord. And I mean, that is just something to behold. You've got to love it. Oh, you do. And that try. The second chiefs try. I mean, we're only in round three. That's, you know, that's try of the season, contender stuff. Isn't it? Leroy, I mean, the ball bounced in their own, in their own end goal. He's picked it up and off he goes. Yeah, I know. And I mean, even though I think

1:15:55the trigger for the Crusaders, I did hear Christian Leo Willie who won a game he had as well, the dentist. But he was saying that they, that they look at the man in the mirror. And not one of my favorite Michael Jackson songs, but okay. But they did him. You could see they, they came out with a lot more intent, even when they were behind, they were playing positive. But that, the, the ruckus that happened after Jared Proffitt's tip tackle on David Hoverley wasn't punished. David Hoverley wasn't punished. That created that animosity. And that actually meant it was an incredible spectacle. I was watching on TV and I was loving all of it. Yeah. Did you catch any of the Drawer Hurricanes game? In particular, the, the state of church or park, a loud talker? No, I heard about the bloodbath and it's a shame, because when I was young, if you're playing in the mud, you're kind of looking forward to it, because it was always one of those games that didn't hurt as much hitting the ground. But like, yeah, it's,

1:16:55the game that caught my eye, the other one I thought was on Friday night, but the Highlanders still play good rugby, but they were absolutely undone by the TMO. And I wonder whether there has to be, to quote, Jeff Tuvey, in a investigation over the, the, this allow, this allow a try for TK Howdom, which looks for all the world to try. I mean, another one, very similar down the other end, saying, yep, it's all fine. So that's something that we need, I mean, we complain about the bunker. Maybe it's time. Maybe they've all moved to Super Rugby, those TMOs. And the other one was the Blues versus Brumby. Did you see the way that one finished fine? I did. Yes, I did. I did. Yeah, Vern Cotta. So what they're, they're one in two, aren't they've only won one game of their first three, the Blues? Exactly. And the way that it finished is interesting, because I think Super Rugby, in those type contests, is getting a little bit like the NFL, where, you know, American football teams can control the position. Obviously, the clock stops in NFL, but it's a similar thing. You get a first down, or you get a flag in your,

1:17:56in your favor, and NFL and Super Rugby, it's a penalty advantage. And suddenly, you can keep on putting pressure on, pressure on, pressure on, pressure on, and it felt inevitable that the Brumby's were going to win that one. But I did like the look of Cody Vi former sevens player coming off the bench, and sparking something. He's a lightweight player, but he's just a move so quick. And I think every team you can see, has a player like that in their, in their team, you know, in their arsenal, they can unleash someone who's just a, you know, quick silver. Yeah, I love seeing the players he haven't heard of, in the first few weeks of Super Rugby. So, yeah, now, looking forward to what happens next weekend. Are the matters around A-League? Auckland FC, a back by the looks of things, James? Yeah, and, you know, they don't need a genuine number nine striker up front. They started with G-M-O-M-I, Logan Richardson was there. I think he needs to start because he kind of fits in and will play as an auxiliary striker. If you remember those great Melbourne,

1:18:57I mean, sorry, Manchester City teams of the past decade, and they played without a proper number nine. And this is what you get, you get a team where you can kind of shift in and GC Randall, suddenly up front at the, at the point the end of the triangle. And, you know, it works for Auckland FC on a lower level. But my question to you, Pini is Chris Greenaker. You know him pretty well. How good is it that he's finally got the top job? Yeah, very good. Yeah, very good. And I just hope they do make it permanent. I hope that it's not just another case of an interim coaching gig for Grini until the end of the season. And then, oh, we're going to open up a global, you know, search for the new head coach. I think as long as, as long as it's not a catastrophic end of the season, which I don't think it will be, he should get the gig beyond this season. And I certainly hope that he does. How are you feeling about the Warriors? Look, I'm feeling pretty bullish and happy about the Warriors. I know everybody, every Australian seems to be leading on compassionate grounds.

1:19:57And someone named a compassionate grounds, 13, quite a strong side, on my dad. But look, I think the WARS really are shaping up quite well. And the one thing that's in their favour is this new interchange bench where you can name six players and you decide on the day which four you use. I think that's great news for the Warriors because a player like Tain Torpicky to me should always be involved in your match day, somehow. But every now and then, the interchange will be dominated by forwards. But if you look at players, you can beat a man one-on-one. It's really Tain and Lecker. You know, there's lots of people who run a good line and dive high for the corner, like Dallin, all those sorts of things. But it's really him, him, Lecker and Roger, the ones who are really tackle-betters and they can't find a genuine place for Tain always. But the six-man bench is great for the Warriors. So I'm feeling good about them. It is our year.

1:20:57Our charisma was born on the 30th of October 1972. Great. Yeah. That's excellent. Important research. Finally. Let's end it. No, not me. Oh, Andy, yeah. What a horse. And buried somewhere special. I'm trying to think where charisma is buried but you can go and visit charisma, I think. They've got RIP. Yeah. March the first. What a day. I'm glad that we've discovered that. Indeed. Good on you, James. Great to chat as always. We'll do it again next Sunday. James McConey, Craig Oswald, alternative commentary collective across your socials and a big part of our Sundays here on NewsTalk ZB. We're back in the mile on weekend sport. There's got to be an investigation into this. There's got to be someone's going to be accountable for this. When there's a line call, it's your call. We can sport with Jason Fein. NewsTalk ZB. It's quarter two. Zimbabwe 11 for seven now, betting first against the White Ferns in Hamilton.

1:21:58At the end of eight overs, not that that matters. T20 International. 11 for seven. There's a three-match 50-over series to follow this three-match T20 series. Goodness only knows what's going to happen in that series. If the White Ferns bat first in those matches, they could score 500. And how is Zimbabwe going to bat 50-overs? If they're in the eighth night over here, and they're seven down. I mean, I know you've got to try and grow the game, but this is just an utter mismatch. Imagine if you'd bought tickets for this game. Anyway, we'll keep eyes on it. After two o'clock, we are in Vegas. A lot of people have bought tickets to this. Chad Townsend after two. The only place to discuss the biggest sports issues on or off the field. It's all on weekend sport with Jason Fein on your home of sport. NewsTalk ZB.

1:22:59Just gone six past two. I'm Jason Fein. This is weekend sport. Andy Macdonald running the car. We're here to all three. Then Tim Beverage will take over with the Sunday edition of the weekend collective. We're off to Vegas in a moment. Chad Townsend is there. Former Warrior of course, premiership winner with Crannulla. And these days, a podcaster, a broadcaster, and in the next little while, a chatter to us from a legend stadium where the NRL season is underway in just over an hour. Two games in Vegas this afternoon. The Warriors, of course, play their first match of the 2026 campaign on Friday night at GoMedia. Against the roosters looking forward to that. Just updating you on some live action that's happening around the place. We'll start with plunk at Shell Cricket, actually. Canterbury 111 for four. In reply to Otago's 2.96. This is the second session on day two of these matches. By the way, that gamut haggly oval. So Canterbury Trail by 185 runs with six first innings wickets in hand.

1:24:01At McLean Park in Napier, in reply to Wellington's 401 all out. Central 53 for three. And it even parks outer oval. Northern districts closing in on Auckland's first innings total. Orclimate 283 all out. Northern 243 for seven. In the T20 International in Hamilton, Zimbabwe 17 for seven. Now 17 for seven. So they've started to solidify things, you might say. Having elected to bat first in the 3rd T20 against the White Furns. Bruce says on text, I played in the game once in the 50s. We were all out for 11. I got eight of them. Bruce, it sounds like it was a good thing you were there. Otherwise, it would have been way worse. You can send us through your experiences of being part of a low scoring cricket score card, if you like. 9292 as Zimbabwe took over to 18 for seven. And down in Queensland,

1:25:01we'll get you there with Mike Thorpe this hour to chart the progress of the leading golfers at the New Zealand Open. Kerry Mount Castle has picked up a shot. He has birdied the third to move to 18 under. And it's now in a share of the lead with Daniel Hillier, two Kiwis at the head of the field, both 18 under. Lucas Herbert is a shot back at 17 under the card Curtis Luck at 16 under. And then it's a get back to Travis Smith, who's all alone on 14 under. And an outright fifth position. Mount Castle Hillier, Herbert and Luck, the two Kiwis and the two Aussies, set to do battle across the afternoon. Mount Castle Hillier and Luck are through three holes. Herbert is through four holes. We'll keep very close eyes on what happens down there over the next little while. It's coming up 10 past two,

1:26:02as we always do though, at around about this time on weekend sport. We know that there's a lot of stuff that happens that you might not have caught up with. So we try to catch you up with at least some of it. In case you missed it in the Premier League, Manchester City closing the gap on Arsenal at the top or 1-0 win over Leeds, has them just two points behind. Check it. Ain't Nuri. And Semenio turns it in with just about the final kick in the first half. And Scores and Ellen Road for the second time this season. Having also done so. But Bournemouth back in the autumn. Close to the home in the A-League, the race for the Premier's plate just got a heck of a lot closer. First, Auckland FC dispatching Melbourne City, 3-0 at home yesterday. We're going to see two subs coming on from City. I'm going to be quick enough because he's Randall. Mice in the area.

1:27:02Gizio Mimey. That one will not be chopped off. And Gizio Mimey's favourite opponent, Melbourne City, feels his wrath again. Three goals against this opponent. 3-0 at Auckland FC. And they're flying towards an unbeaten February. And the new Castle Jets are able to keep their winning momentum rolling in their F3 derby against Central Coast. There's no more time. The new Castle Jets winning streak is grounded in the home of their arch enemies, the Central Coast Mariners. Yeah, so that draw between the Jets and the Mariners leaves the Jets two points ahead of Auckland FC at the top with seven games remaining and one of those games is against one another in a couple of weeks. To the T-20 Krieger World Cup, a close win for Pakistan.

1:28:03Six up the last record, and it is a legal delivery. A freebie gets out of it. That doesn't show how it does everything you can to steal a win. In the end both teams are done for this World Cup and amazing finish to get the win for Pakistan by five runs. Yes, so the upshot of that is that the Black Caps are into the semi-finals of the T-20 Krieger World Cup. And in Super Rugby, the Brombees remain undefeated three-three games, winning a thriller against the Blues in Canberra. One metre for the Brombees, balls out. They pick it going. They're over the line. Can they get the ball down? No. It's still there for the Brombees. The players lying all over it. Millimetres from the trial line. Pick it going. Over the line. Try time. The Brombees are going to win it. Yeah, they did. And the Fiji and Drawer continued to torment their opposition on home soil. If you can call it soil, beating the Hurricanes

1:29:04in horrendous conditions in La Toka. They can feel, makes a really good ground inside the 22, looking great with ball and hand. Now they're spinning it, left running ball. It runs up rubber. Oh, rubber. Oh, what a chance. It's going to score in the Liverpool corner. What a sensational try. Beautiful ball. Absolute beauty. The big names and the big calls on your home of sport weekend sport with Jason Feil. News Talks at B. News Talks at B. It is 2.13, the NRL season underway today in Las Vegas, the third year. The NRL season has begun there with Rugby League once again, taking center stage in the US as the competition looks to grow the game globally. Last year, the Warriors played in Las Vegas, you'll remember. It wasn't a memorable trip up there. Certainly not in a rugby league sense. They were beaten 30 points to weight by the Canberra Raiders this year.

1:30:04It's the night's up against the North Queensland Cowboys in the season opener in an hour from now at Allegiant Stadium, followed by the Canary Bulldogs squaring off against the St George, Illawarra Dragons. Former Warrior and Premier Ship winning half back with the Crannulla Sharks. And now host of the Chad Townsend Show on your podcast feed and on YouTube and across your social media. Chad Townsend, of course, joins us from Vegas. Chad, thanks for taking the time to paint the paint the picture for us. Give us the vibe from Vegas on Match Day. Yeah, I've literally just walked into the stadium and if you haven't been here before, it's one of the most impressive stadiums you can ever see, to be honest. The setup is fantastic. The field looks immaculate. It's completely empty at the moment, but look, the excitement is building here in Las Vegas. Can tell you, it's an absolutely beautiful day for football here. Conditions are perfect. It's probably about 26 degrees. I don't know what that is in Fahrenheit, to be honest with you. But yeah, everything is looking picture perfect at the moment.

1:31:05Absolutely brilliant. What a great scene set. Do you get the sense this is more than just a novelty now that it's becoming a genuine part of the rugby league calendar? Yeah, 100%. I think this is my first year here, obviously just recently retired. Now that I'm able to be here, I've heard from the NRL fans, media, that it's just gotten better every single year. So obviously this is the third year into a five-year deal. And I thought it was initially quite ambitious from the NRL to sign a five-year deal straight off the bat. Obviously not knowing if it was going to work, but by all reports, everything's just gone from strengths to strengths. The NRL has literally taken over the strip. There's been fans and people everywhere, NRL players on billboards. And who would have thought, our game that we just love so dearly down in the southern hemisphere on a global stage? Yeah, so some of your social footage from Fremont Street it looked like it was absolutely jam-packed. Fans from Australia and New Zealand, obviously, but as far away as the UK, how noticeable is the mix of fans there in Vegas?

1:32:08Yeah, honestly, it's almost like, it's almost a 50 split with the UK fans. I've really got to give credit to those guys. They've turned up in droves. They've been loud as well. You hear them everywhere. You see them everywhere out in the back. The chat with the UK fans has been incredible. And they love the game just as much as anyone, and they support their teams just as hard. So look, I think we're going to hear them today. You'll be able to hear them through the coverage, I'm sure. And just how loud they are, right? That atmosphere that they create, it's unlike any other thing you hear in sports. So they've done a tremendous job. Now, what about the American fans, Chad? How do you reckon they react when they see rugby league up close? They're used to physical contact in the NRL, of course. But those guys are wearing pads and helmets. What do they make of rugby league? Yeah. Well, that's the thing, right? They are just blown away by like the no pads and no helmet situation that we have in rugby league. Honestly, I think it's catching on. To be honest, I did some content throughout the week and spoke to an American guy by the name of Corey.

1:33:09And he runs a podcast now. He's fallen in love with the game. He's a Tigers fan. He's met Benji Marshall. So look, it's definitely catching on with the Americans. And I just love to see it. So much around the event fan events media, the strip, obviously. How hard would it be for the players to stay locked in on their performance? Yeah, to be honest, I don't think it'd be hard at all. Like the players getting here quite early on. So they get time to acclimatize and get obviously adjusted to the time zone. And obviously you want to explore and sort of get out and get some connection amongst the playing group. And make the most of the experience. But once you get that out of your system, they've got over a week to kind of lock in and get ready to go. So yeah, it's a massive game for all the teams that are here on all different reasons. So for me, I don't think they'll have a drama. Once they sort of get that out of the way it's all, you know, it's strictly preparation time. Yeah, I guess it is. And they're all pros, aren't they? But I reckon it would have been hard, wouldn't it? How would you have found it? Just stay focused with Vegas right outside your window.

1:34:11Yeah, I mean, it's, yeah, like I said, you get that one time out of your system and then you really just want to get into your preparation mode. So obviously, you know, it comes without saying there's, you know, this is Las Vegas, right? The entertainment capital of the world. There's a lot of distractions here. But, you know, what's more important for the players is, you know, that's two points at the end of the day. And then, you know, if they go out tonight and they put in a good performance and they get a win, they've got plenty of time to celebrate with their fans and their families who have traveled over here. Often games at the start of the season chat are a bit scrappy, aren't they? As teams get connections together at the start of a new campaign. Do you reckon the occasion over there might actually lift the quality today? Yeah, for sure. Definitely. I think the occasion, I think how big it is as well. The fact that it's obviously on a global stage. The stadium, the Bright Lights in Las Vegas, you know what I mean? This is, this is the big stage. You know, we're going broadcast globally today on FS1 here in America. Obviously, you know, all through, you know, down under as well. So, yeah, this is one of the biggest stages we have. Round ones here, the seasons here, it's all there in front of the players. And, you know,

1:35:11I'm just so excited to be here to be honest with you. I can tell. It's just great to get the vibe from you. Just to look at the, the games, Knights Cowboys followed by Bulldogs dragons. Cowboys and Bulldogs would be favorite, wouldn't they? Yeah, I think they are favorite at this stage. But for me, I'm going with the Cowboys in the first game. I just think, the Cowboys have had the wood over the nights for the past couple of seasons. And the Cowboys, you know, have a big point to prove. Obviously, last year they finished outside the top eight. They had the second worst defense in the competition. But for me, their, their attack is lethal. You know, drink water. And Tom did, and nothing could fight up. Read mine. He's going to add a lot to their team. So, I expect the Cowboys to win that first game. And the second game. Yeah, this is really, you know, the dragon's coming off the back of, you know, disappointing performance in the charity shield. They're outsiders. But if they start strong, I'm giving them a chance. I think they can cause an upset. But look, this dogs team looks settled. They look focused defensively. They're very, very sound. So,

1:36:11you know what, I'm going to go to the favorite in the first game. I'm going to go to the Cowboys. And I'm going to go an upset in the second game. And I'm going to go to the dragons. Go on. We spoke, we spoke a lot on the show here in New Zealand yesterday about the Warriors, their prospects for the year. How much changes on Luke Metcalf's successful return to this team? Yeah, look, to be honest, I think quite a bit. I mean, we saw that last year, right, with the unfortunate injury to Luke Metcalf. And the team just probably weren't able to replicate the same form they had when he was playing. And that's not to really just single out Tana Boyd. I thought he did a really solid job when he came in and filled and done his role. But Luke Metcalf, he's a class player, right? At the time he got injured, he was up there with the Daliams. He's got X factor. He's got speed, skill, footwork. Obviously he's goal-kicking as improved as well. So, I know he's due back early in the season, round seven. So, if the Warriors can get off to a solid start, I think Metcalf can come in and, you know, really pushes team out and get them in the top eight at the back end of the season. Just before you go,

1:37:11just going to, I mean, we're just pleased you got there, mate. Yeah, to scare you. A scary mid-flight incident. I know you've told the story a couple of times, probably more than a couple. Yeah. What happened, mate? Are you okay now? Yeah, no, I'm completely fine now. So, yeah, honestly, just sort of came out of the blue. I was just sitting in my, in my seat in the, in the plane and sitting with, my mate of mine who's travelled over. We've been doing a bit of work together over here. And, yeah, I sort of started getting just hot and cold flushes and really, really nauseous and, and a bit sweaty. And then, like, my shirt was wet and said to my mate, like, I don't really feel that way. I'm just going to get up and go to the toilet. And I got up and I just fainted on the deck and then woke up with, with an oxygen mask to my face and getting my blood pressure checked. And, you know, really, a bit of a shock to be honest with you. And, I had a doctor there in a nurse who were just so, so helpful for me to be honest. I'm really grateful for their support. And, I had the blood pressure, which they just monitored the rest of the flight. And then, as we sort of started to descend into L.A., my blood pressure

1:38:11came back to normal. And then, when I got on the ground, I got assessed by their paramedics. And, I felt fine by that stage. And, all of my vitals and everything were back to normal. The paramedics they made your good to go. So, yeah, I went off and had some breakfast in L.A. X. And then, I got on my flight from L.A. to Vegas and I've been fine ever since. So, yeah, a little bit of scare. But, yeah, I had a lot of people who I was okay. Obviously, the news sort of got out pretty quickly. And I just wanted to sort of jump on it and let let everyone know that, hey, like, I'm okay. And, I appreciate the text of concern. So, please, you're okay, Chad. Hey, loving your coverage from the US, mate. Thanks for joining us across New Zealand this afternoon. No drama. Thanks for having us. No, thank you for joining us, Chad. Chad Townsend there. Yeah, I'm not sure if we caught up with that news. But, he's just outlined there. Yeah, had a bit of a scary incident on the plane on the way over. Thankfully, as you can hear, he's okay. Chad Townsend, he's painting a pretty good picture for us. Remember last year, the warriors were there. They were over in Vegas for the start.

1:39:11As I mentioned before, they lost to the Raiders fairly heavily. I don't think they, well, I know if they were offered another opportunity to go back, they might think twice after what happened. But, all sorts of things happen, of course, in Vegas. And it just reminded me of last year, when some absolute died in the wall, the warriors fans renewed their vows while they were in Vegas. Ben and Anna Roska. This is from a year ago. Absolutely. Absolutely. And the timing was so good. It's our 20th wedding anniversary as well. So, what better way to start our Vegas trip? And then, obviously got the warriors today, which we're really anxious about. So, it's going to be awesome. Well, congratulations on the renewal and on your wedding anniversary. Now, you weren't married in Vegas, but I think you renewed your vows one other time there. Ben, did you? Yeah, we did. We did it 15 years ago, with Elvis. And it was just crazy, that this time around, it was the same Elvis that married us 15 years ago.

1:40:11He's an absolute character. It was amazing. It was the same Elvis because there must be many, many Elvis celebrants in Vegas. Did you specifically try to find the same guy? No. It was a fluke. It actually moved chapels from one chapel to another. And it was a different chapels. It meant to be. It meant to be. I mean, you would have remembered him. Well, I don't know. He probably marries and renews vows for many couples. Did he remember you from 15 years ago? He reconned by the end of the ceremony. He deeply clipped. So, I think so. Now, I've seen the photos, as I say, Ben, the blazer, the warriors blazer that you're wearing. Is that specially made for this occasion? Yeah. They were made in Thailand. So, it was an amazing, amazing, well fitted suit. And then we had the boys cut it out and warriors suits as well. So, we were all looking the part. And this is just what a cool family occasion.

1:41:11So, your boys? And are they were clearly keen to be involved in this whole thing as well? Yeah. No, they were keen. They were keen. And after we renewed our vows, we actually all headed to Freemont Street and we all did the zip line as a family. But I lost my veil. It was a zip line. What? I was absolutely crazy. My wedding dress, but my veil flew off on the red carpet, and I lost it. It was over the top of the NRL opening party. So, Freemont Street was packed with 10,000 crazy fans. And while we zip lined over the top, and we are wedding attire. So, yeah. It was amazing. Sam Burgess was on stage and he stopped what he was saying to give us a wave. As we were zip lining, was it lining past? That is so cool. The thing about it is, is that, you know, these things would be out of place in other cities. But in Vegas, it would probably just an every day occurrence. Oh. That was nuts. That was absolutely nuts. It was such a good day. And we were treading like celebrities walking around the NRL fan zone. Every second person wanted a photo with us. So, which you felt like celebrities on the day. That is Ben and Anna Roska

1:42:11from a year ago when they renewed their vows on their wedding anniversary. So, presumably, it's now their 21st wedding anniversary. Great to be able to live that moment. Made a mind says, this text and his new wife got married in Vegas while I was over there for the Warriors. And they also got married by Elvis. How many Elvis celebrants would there be in Vegas? For dozens. Surely. Sort of for Ben and Anna to get the same one that they renewed their vows with. Crazy. Crazy. On low-scoring cricket games. Pony, I played in a game where we got the opposition all out for one. And their run was a no-ball called because our wicket kept ahead as gloves in front of the stumps. The umpire was the opposition coach. Well, I guess, I mean, I'm sure there are instances of somebody, you know, or a team being all out for nothing. All out for ones,

1:43:12almost, you know, I kind of prefer that. You know, you got your one run, but it was an extra. This, of course, was rated to the Zimbabwe Women's cricket team, who actually are mounting a rare-guard action. They were 10 for the loss of 7. They are now 47 for 7. So, a low, a lower-order resistance being put on by Adel Zamunu and Audrey Mavashaya. They have currently added what's that? 37, unbroken, for the eighth wicket. So they're making a game of it. They're making it over. I mean, clearly, it's going to be, you know, pretty modest total for the White Ferns to chase down. But at least it's a lot better than what they were headed for at 10 for 7. 47 for 7 now. Good stuff. Quick check on the golf. We'll get you to Mike Thorpen a little while. But quick check while we have the opportunity. Kerry Mountcastle has dropped back to even par through four holes. He birdied three, but then bogied four.

1:44:13So he's back to his overnight score of 17 under the card. Daniel Hillier has safely parred the first four holes to stay at 18 under. Mountcastle is, let's say at 17 under Lucas Herbert, also at 17 under. This is News Talks AirB in weekend sport 2-28. We're back in a sec. The biggest names in sport talk to Pinyy. We can sport with Jason Pine and G. J. Gardner Holmes. New Zealand's most trusted home builder, News Talks AirB. News Talks AirB It's a two 30, Jeff must be exciting being down there at at quenchedown for the New Zealand Golf Open. I've got a couple of friends down there they're sending me photos once in a superb photo standing behind Daniel Hillier. I think it was on the first or second T. The gallery's look amazing. G. What a time to be down there and not just one key. But two, near the top of the leaderboard Mike Thorpen's been following it for us doing about a thousand other

1:45:13things, finding time for us this afternoon. How you feeling down there Mike? How you enjoying it personally? Honestly, Pinyon, absolutely loving it. This is one of the events that New Zealand does need to know more about. This is the first time I've seen you. And it certainly won't be the last. It's more than just a golf tournament. It's as good as anything you've seen on TV. And I genuinely mean that. And I think the thousands that are here today and cost absolutely nothing to get in by the way. The thousands that are here today are having a ball. Absolutely, I bet they are. All right, take us to the top of the leaderboard and the first four or five holes from our leaders. What have been the major storylines? Well, it's been up and down. I think Kerry Mountcastle has probably had the most entertaining first five holes anyway. I think last time we spoke, he just got through the second Mr. Bertie putt there. He made Bertie on three, which is a shortage par four. And it looked like he was about to get his round start. He had the short par three, also longest par three,

1:46:15which starts up the hill. That's the number four. We watched him tee off. And then we lost the ball. Boy did we hear it land. It started into the bunker at a million miles an hour, all but plugged. And then he required a start, something out of the mist in the argue tech book to try and get it out of there. Unfortunately, went slightly long and gave that shot back. He just made par on five as his Dan Hillier and also Curtis Luck. So not a whole lot of ground made, nor lost at the moment through five holes. We crossed now into the guts of the course, the sixth, before we start to make our way off towards the core. And it part of the course. It is two courses merged into one when we get to the third and fourth rounds. We talked earlier on, Mike, about Daniel Hillier's hot, hot finish to his third round. And you said that that gives all of the golfers belief that there are shots to be picked up right at the back end of this tournament.

1:47:17How much do you think that will play on the mind of those at the top of the leaderboard as they approach, say the back sort of five or six holes of this tournament? Well, I think they'll be absolutely aware of that, especially if they're chasing. The one caveat with that is that yesterday, when those schools were being made conditions were perfect. Today, the sun is out, but the wind is certainly up. So how that will change things, it'll change their approach. I don't know. In terms of the 17th, the wind will still, eight then it'll be over their shoulder, but certainly not into their faces as they try and make the par-five in two. We would expect those leaders to get through those holes, sort of maybe quarter to five, close to six o'clock. That is when tension will be at a highest. Now, Yuki Miyaw was a guy that you and I, both freely admitted we hadn't heard of before this tournament, but he had a terrific first couple of rounds. I think he was the leader when the cut was made. He's had a more difficult time of things in the third and fourth rounds today,

1:48:19but what a thrill for an amateur to come out and make a bit of a name for himself here, too. Absolutely, an incredible experience from yesterday to play that round with Daniel Hillier with the huge gallery that he had. I think he freely admitted that he had never played in front of so many people. So that would have no doubt had some sort of effect. Today, he's grouped with Steven Alka. Alka's 54-year-old is incredible things on the PDA champions tour and Mayor is 20 years old. So there's 34 years between him. Another opportunity for him to play alongside one of New Zealand's greats and learn a whole lot more. The name Yuki Miyaw is one that you will not be unfamiliar with in years to come. I guarantee you that. All right. I'm going to finish this report anyway. And thanks so much for all your work across the last couple of days on weekend sport, Mike. What's your gap, mate? What school wins this? Well, Hillier, I mean, if he wins it or a Herbert or a Mancass, what are we talking, 20 under? I mean, none of these guys seem not

1:49:19they're going to streak away and shoot seven or eight under today, do they? That is such a good question. It's a four-horse race as far as you can see. Anyone else is probably just too far behind in these conditions. I would imagine if Hillier can sign for something like a three-under or a four-under at the end of today, he might well just have his hands on the Brady Breeze trophy. Tremendous stuff, Mike. Again, thank you so much for keeping us updated over today. And yesterday on weekend sport, we can read you at NZherald.co.nz. Mike will have alley updates, of course, during our sports news right across the afternoon as the final holes of the New Zealand Golf Open play-outs in Queenstown. As we stand right here, Daniel Hillier has the one shot lead that he had. At the start of the round, he is 18 under. He has pared the first five holes. Lucas Herbert and Kerry Mountcastle in a tie for second. At 17 under the card, Curtis Luck is all alone in fourth place at 16 under.

1:50:22And then you drop down to a bunch of players at 14 and 13 under. We find another couple of Kiwis Michael Hendry, who is two under through 11 holes today, 12 under for the tournament, Stephen Elker, par through seven holes today to be 12 under for the tournament. And Yuki Meier, this amateur at a Christchurch, who shot a 63 on opening day, followed it up with a 67 to be the two round leader, a 70 yesterday. He's two over par through seven holes today, but as I say, what an experience for him. 11 under for the tournament, Sam Jones, another Kiwi also at 11 under the card. 23 away from three, Adam Hall shortly, ahead of a sixth Winter Paralympic Games. Let's just check the cricket. Unless it's raining or my screen is frozen, it's still 47 for seven. 53 for 54 for right now, thanks Andy. Eight down now, so that partnership has been broken, but it was much needed, a 42 run partnership

1:51:24for the eighth wicket to get in through to 52 for eight. They are now 54 for eight Zimbabwe, and we're in the 18th overs, so they might even bet the overs out, which I guess would be a victory in itself. We'll keep eyes on that for you, obviously. Take a break, come back, as I say, Adam Hall off to his sixth Winter Paralympics, looking for a sixth Winter Paralympic medal. How's he shaping up? Adam Hall with us after this. Don't stay on the sidelines. Call 880-1080. We can sport with Jason Pine and G.J. Gardner Holmes. New Zealand's most trusted home builder, News Talks at B. News Talks at B19-3, Adam Hall is one of New Zealand's greatest Winter Paralympians, a two-time Paralympic champion in 2010 and 2018, a five-time Paralympic medalist and now on the verge of history. This month in Italy, Adam Hall will become the first Kiwi to compete at six Winter Paralympic Games,

1:52:24a journey that began as an 18-year-old in Turino back in 2006 and comes full circle at Milano Cortina in 2026. More than two decades on from his debut, still right in the mix on the world stage, driven by the same love of skiing, but with the experience and perspective of a veteran who has literally seen it all. As he prepares for what could be his final Paralympics, Adam Hall is with us, great to get the chance to chat to you, Adam, a sixth Paralympic Games. That is incredibly rare company you put yourself in. Have you thought about what that milestone means or all that come later when you do finally call it a day? Yeah, I think, as you say, Jason, thanks for having me on again. And I think, you know, it's something that you probably reflect on in time. It's not something that you really reflect on why you're in it. Although I would say, you know, when I first started out, you know, 20 plus years ago, to think that I would still be here,

1:53:26you probably wouldn't think so. So yeah, I think to still be here and still be really competitive and to still be on World Cup podiums, etc. You know, it was quite remarkable and to not just be participating, but to be competing for medals is, you know, something that I'm pretty proud of. When you think back to your debut in Torino 2006 as a teenager, how different are you as an athlete and a person heading into your sixth games? Yeah, I mean, I was pretty green going into Torino. I remember in the down who actually, before I even got to the first gate, down who was the fastest event that we have where you have speed up to, you know, 115 plus kilometers an hour. And I got to the first gate and I was thinking to myself, what on earth am I doing? You know, just getting to these speeds, pretty green, when you first started out, it was something that you kind of was a must that you had to be doing every single event. So, you know, to be going into a speed event,

1:54:27pretty green, getting to the first gate, thinking, what on earth am I doing? And then, spent a bit of time not doing speed and, you know, starting to specialise a little bit more and just get years of training and the mileage and everything. And yeah, I think now you just kind of look back at the journey and you learn along the way and it does become something that you reflect on as the journey and you just naturally, I guess, mature as an athlete and as a person as well, you know, skiing and having that, I guess, honour and privilege of representing the country for 20 plus years from a really early age is something that builds character, builds life skills. You make lifelong friendships all over the world, which is pretty incredible. So, it's, it truly has, you know, helped build me into the person that I am today, both, you know, on snow and off snow. What has been the key to staying competitive all this time?

1:55:28Yeah, I mean, I think it's just that strive to want to continue to be the best and try and, you know, find anything that is that you do to not just do it, to do it, but to try and excel at it, the best that you can. And, you know, I came through all the time where, you know, our winter program and Para and from the Paralympic perspective, has always been really competitive with brought-back medals from every single winter Paralympic games except for my first one in 2006. So, for me, being a bit of an older soul has been a little bit about, you know, continuing on that legacy as well and doing whatever I can in my wall power to be able to continue that on so not just acknowledge the hard work and the results that I've personally been able to do, but also, you know, highlight those that have been before me and that have, you know, been successful and brought-back medals for New Zealand that, you know, previous winter games as well,

1:56:29which is pretty exciting as we look into some of the coverage where we're going to have some previous successful winter Paralympic athletes that are going to be helping broadcast, which is going to be pretty cool. Yeah, looking forward to that very much. After everything you've achieved, what still drives you to put in the work every day? Yeah, that's probably just comes back to that Tory upbringing maybe of just understanding and knowing what a bit of hard work is and that's pretty much what it is, right? It's, you know, don't be afraid to put in a bit of hard work. Don't be afraid to have a dream and a goal and, you know, if you put in a bit of hard money, you can really surprise yourself. And, you know, when you work so hard towards something and when you start to reap the rewards, and it's, it's plain and simple. It's just, you know, not everybody wants to do that. A lot of, you know, athletes or people in general, there's a lot of everyone wanting to get to the top without putting in the work or without having to do the most.

1:57:31They're trying to get there by doing the minimum amount. And I think, you know, it's been rewarding not just from a results perspective, but also from my body's perspective and, you know, still being able to keep, you know, reasonably fit, reasonably healthy, even though along the way you have some kind of challenges that you overcome, but, you know, hey, that's just kind of part of life. And we all have to overcome certain challenges at certain times. And that again is just, yeah, part of the journey. I remember the last time we spoke, it was, was it Emerson's brewery? Actually, before the Oblach's test, you popped in, we had a great chat there down. I remember you talked about the top two inches, which, you know, I think in all sporters is really, really relevant. How has your mindset changed from the 18-year-old kid who got to that first gate and thought, what the heck am I doing here to now? Are you calmer, more strategic? Yeah, I mean, it's probably a bit of mixture of everything. And, you know, you maybe do try and throw in a few mind games and there and you try and rely on, you know,

1:58:31those years and years and campaigns of experience and knowledge that, you know, some other competitors don't quite have, you know, even if they're first or second campaigns. So, yeah, trying to draw definitely on those top two inches. And it's all about, you know, as athletes, I guess, we're in unique positions. We're, you know, the difference between what we have and perhaps what others don't is that we have the tools to be able to deal with the pressures and to deal with the expectations and to deal with what's in front of us and, you know, where that top two inches comes and the place is just, yeah, understanding that, you know, at the end of the day, it's just another competition. The only difference is this is a chance once in a four-year cycle where a lot of the population, both in our country and also around the world, get to see and get a bit of exposure and to what it is that we actually do day in and day out, which is pretty cool, but yeah, trying to use that mindset

1:59:34as much as possible, a lot of, yeah, self-talk, a lot of imagery, a lot of different tools that we can use and that I use as well to keep calm, keep focused and keep on what's important and what's coming up ahead. And I think, you know, perspectives are good one as well. So, everybody has a different perspective on, you know, the competition and life and so on. And so, yeah, the perspective that I have, I think, is through my journey has brought me to where I am today and, yeah, just understanding that, you know, hey, it's just another competition and we keep to the, to keep to our processes and we know if we ski well and we ski to how we have been and what we've been working towards and the results will come. The margins are so fine, aren't they? In Alpine skiing, what separates a run that gets you on the podium from a run that doesn't? Yeah, I mean, the margins have always been small but the margins are getting smaller and smaller.

2:00:36So, nowadays, I would say no matter what the color of the middle, they all feel like they're a gold one just because of how competitive the competition is when we're talking about tenths or hundreds of seconds. And I think, yeah, I mean, it comes down to having the right set up on the day, understanding what the snow conditions are going to be like. We have world-class ski techs and resources around us that are getting our equipment ready and dialed in, making sure we got right waxes based on snow temperatures and humidity and just a vast variety of different variables that happen on the day. And we have different equipment set up for different scenarios for, you know, snow changes or, you know, whatever it may be. So, you know, we train day in and day out for kind of worst-case scenario and it's kind of that mentality of train hard race easy so that by the time we come to race day, we're prepared for absolutely anything that will come in front of us and we're ready to walk towards that challenge

2:01:39and die absolute best. When do you reckon you'll make a decision about 2030? I might talk to you at April or May, I don't know. Well, look, I'm going to, once we're done here, I know your focus is this, but again, I'm talking back to our conversation, you know, last year. You didn't rule it out. I mean, this is just sixth one. You know, do you feel like you could go again? Could you go again? I mean, it's been a big struggle getting through to these ones. You know, it's taken a lot of work and it's taken a lot of effort from, you know, a lot especially a lot of medical crew and just a lot of people around me to get to this position. So, I'd hate to think what another four years would be like. Maybe I'd have to go on a sit-ski perhaps. I'd talk to Corey, but the thing in Paris, Paris King is that, yeah, we have equipment that can get us down the mountain in different ways and forms of FneB. But yeah, no, in all seriousness, there'd be discussions and figuring out what that may look like

2:02:39post games. You know, the last two seasons leading into where I'm at now has been a little bit, well, actually really successful and some of the best seasons that I've had in recent memory, which, you know, when you talk to my wife, she's kind of like, how are you still in their old man? So, you know, to still be pushing some of these athletes that are born now into the early 2000s and you look at the start list in the years that's pretty incredible. Absolutely, nothing like having your number one supporter with a dose of realism as well. I love that. Just to finish, mate, does this feel a bit full circle? I know there might be more, but, you know, back to Italy, 20 years later, does it feel a bit full circle for you? Yeah, and I think it does. When you look at Torino and Italy and you look at, you know, the map and the journey and going from there to Vancouver and then onto Sochi and Pyongchang and Beijing and then, you know, here we are back in Italy, we're at all began. It is a full circle for sure. Yeah, it feels natural.

2:03:41It feels, I guess, almost more like home and I think it's just been more accessible with where we're at and where we're training compared to, you know, to say the last three campaigns where they've been and parts of the world that are a little bit more remote, a little bit more difficult to get to and to train in. So to be here in the middle of the Dolomites is a very special place. Yeah, well, can't wait to see how it goes for you over the next couple of weeks. Adam always loved chatting to you, mate. All the best for Paralympics number six, as you seek more medals. Like I say, we'll track your progress and look forward to catching up when you're back. Awesome. Thanks, Jason. Cheers to you and all your listeners. No, thank you. Adam Hall on NewsTalkZB 7-3. 4-3, that's us on weekend sport. Thanks for listening in. Huge thanks to Andy McDonald for producing. We'll set him right on on sports talk, taking us out. Sad to hear of the passing of Nilsa Darka in the last couple of days. So laughter in the rain. Our exit song today, set him on tonight. Oh, I love to recreate the walls in heaven and heaven for one alone.

2:04:43For more from weekend sport with Jason Pine, listen live to NewsTalkZB, weekends from midday or follow the podcast on I Heart Radio. For more from weekend sport with Jason Pine, listen live to NewsTalkZB, weekends from midday or follow the podcast on I Heart Radio.