April 17, 2025 • 22 mins
On Sports Fix with Jason Pine and D'Arcy Waldegrave for 17th April 2025, Crusaders loose forward Ethan Blackadder joins the podcast ahead of their big clash with the Blues on Good Friday.
D'Arcy declares war on the term 'sabbatical'.
And the lads are in the chamber to discuss Grace Nweke's Silver Ferns.
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Speaker 1 (00:09):
You're listening to a podcast from News Talks.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
It be follow this and our wide range of podcasts
now on iHeartRadio.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
This is Sportsfix Howard by News Talks.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
It be Hello there, and welcome to the back end
of a short week for many people, the start of
a long weekend for many people, and for everybody listening
a free ship. At episode of the Sports Fixed podcast
for Thursday, April seventeen, I'm Jason Pie.
Speaker 4 (00:34):
My name is Darcy walder Grave. Looking forward to bringing
you this edition before while we disappear off into holiday
land kind of and tell what can you back on Tuesday?
I know that's me.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Ah, I thought i'd give it a I thought i'd
give it a crack over the weekend, if that's okay
with you. Look, I'm not sure if anybody's listening over
the long weekend podcast.
Speaker 4 (00:55):
I'm talking about the podcast not making sport between twelve
and three Saturday and Sunday.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Hey, I'm quite interested in the rise and rise this
year of the Crusaders and Howard is different from last year.
Any chance of a Crusader's guest for us? Today?
Speaker 4 (01:12):
We have got Ethan Blackadder on the program talking to
us about his team this year and how they've different
from last year, what's changed, what's the energy yet, how
do they adjust in between games? And of course what
he brings the party as well. He's a great man.
I really like eating black out, love chatting with him.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
All right, look forward to hearing from Ethan. I know
you've got some thoughts on the Rico Yowane situation as well.
I've got a bunch of predictions I want to get
from you and give across myself. Plus the latest in
sports news, so let's get into it.
Speaker 4 (01:46):
A Before we get into it, let's give big thanks
to our sponsors GJ Gardner Holmes. They've climbed on board.
We appreciate their input immensely.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
Go GJ guard Go go. Indeed, now let's get into it.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
In other news, let's.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Get underway with a look at the big sports stories
around today. Blues and All Black teammate Dalton Papaali gutted
his time on the field with Mark Talaya as running out.
Talaya off to Japan on a three season contract later
in the year.
Speaker 5 (02:17):
Quite an emotional one. It's one of my best mates,
so I just sort of knew before as well. Were
having conversations but at the end of the day, you know, Bruge,
we could take you around the world, and you know
he's doing.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
It to just support himself in his future family. Paul
Temple has been let go as Wellington Phoenix women's coach.
He hasn't been offered a new contract beyond this season
after his team failed to reach the A League playoffs.
During his two seasons in charge.
Speaker 4 (02:41):
Always had clarity that the goal and the target was
to get into the top six. So yeah, that's the
nature of football, and you don't achieve those goals, then
obviously there's.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
The risk here and Arsenal have advanced at the semi
finals of the Football's Champions League for the first time
in sixteen years, beeding Real Madrid two one away to
seal a five to one victory on aggregate. He's player
of the match, Deckland Rice.
Speaker 5 (03:03):
There was a lot of.
Speaker 4 (03:04):
Talk coming here about them coming back because they've done
it so many times before.
Speaker 5 (03:07):
But we had so much believe, even confidence from that
first leg.
Speaker 4 (03:09):
That we had enough to come here and win the game,
and yeah, gout it in our mind and then we've done.
Speaker 3 (03:13):
It in real life.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Dissecting the sporting agenda, it's Sports Fix with Jason Vine
and Dusty Walter Grave.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
And It's warm.
Speaker 4 (03:22):
Welcome now to the Sports Fix podcast. To the Crusaders,
Lucy Ethan, Blackhead, Ethan, how are you. I'm very well
looking forward to the weekend. Bit of a long weekend
for us, bit of a break on Friday. Not for you, blokes, though,
You've got to suit up and play some football on
good Friday. How does that sit with you?
Speaker 5 (03:43):
Yep, for you. Done for us, mate. Yeah, we're booth
not Friday and ready for a big contest against the Blows.
So yeah, we're bloody excited.
Speaker 4 (03:52):
I don't believe for a second. You don't need any chocolate.
Can't you just like justify it by saying there's miss
some energy when I get out on the park. I mean,
don't you guys do this?
Speaker 5 (04:01):
Yeah, we'll have someone on Saturday after a big game.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
Yeah, well it will be a big game. Look, this
is massive. You're obviously sitting at the top of the
table right now. Two defeats what eight six I think
it is At the moment, you're eight game six victories.
You're just ahead of the Chiefs, whereas the Blues are
there down the bottom looking on up and they're on
a bit of a resurgence right now. So what do
(04:25):
you focus on predominantly, what's Pen's been telling you about
what you need to do to make sure you can
stub out the Blues.
Speaker 5 (04:34):
Yeah, it's just about refreshing. You know, we had a
win last week. It was actually a close contest in
the finish, So looking at the Blues again, we've already
played them this year. We had some success up there,
but doesn't really mean anything. It's about really setting completely
and looking at a Blues team that's actually changed in
the last month. So preparing for a good team. But
(04:55):
at the same time, we're on the way up to
and we're going to We're going out there to impose
that game on them.
Speaker 4 (05:01):
Let's look back to that game last week. You were
sitting reasonably pretty then it kind of fell apart in
the last what tem minutes also, and you were gone.
It was a team yellow another yellow as well. You've
got to look at that space in your old man's
big favorite, this word discipline. It's something you're ready got
to look at.
Speaker 5 (05:19):
Yeah, yeah, sort of. It was our era rate. We
were in a position where we were three tries in
front and then I wouldn't say that it's complacency. It
was just skill set eras and we allowed them to
come back into the game. And then that last ten minutes,
as you say, we were down to third amen and
defending for our lives on the line, and there was
(05:40):
some phenomenal efforts there. But to be honest, we shouldn't
have put ourselves in that position if we just treasured
the ball and just put felt more pressure played on top. So, yeah,
some good lessons in that game.
Speaker 4 (05:52):
Well, you know where you went wrong? How do you
tweak that? Is it just on the spot on the field?
Is there anything you can do during the week's lead
up to the next game that might help eradicate that?
Speaker 5 (06:02):
It's got a hard one sort of to put your
finger on it. Sort of when you're out there, it's
like what were looking at the time that we probably
should have probably should have stayed worth a few things
rather than going to quite big plays, especially offline out time.
So yeah, it was just sort of a few years
drop balls or people were not being in the right
spots of that kind of stuff, and we can easily
(06:25):
fix that.
Speaker 4 (06:26):
Well, that's that's good to know. You're not overwhelmed you're
not daunted by it. It's just a couple of little tweaks.
You guys must be lifted. Last year this time last
year things went going particularly well. Did you even look
back at that or is it all eyes forward?
Speaker 5 (06:42):
It's ice forward, to be honest, Like history is called
history and you can look back on it. But we're
a complete different team to last year, Like it's a
year on. People have changed, people are playing different rugby.
You can reflect back if you want, but personally, I
don't look forward injury wise.
Speaker 4 (07:01):
And it's great to see that your riga is feeling
pretty good right now, even though you carry on paying
it a little respects it around. But that was a
big problem last year, the fact that you didn't have
a great deal of players to choose from. So you've
got on back now. But what else have you applied
in order to get this result? We have only like
(07:23):
you've won most of your games this year. Has anything
changed in your outlook and your team play? What else
is different?
Speaker 1 (07:29):
I don't know.
Speaker 5 (07:30):
I don't know if you call it luck or what.
But some years, like quite literally, you'll just have a
crapload of injuries. There's no really good reason for it. Like, yeah,
that's a bit of a mystery, I reckon, but yeah,
this year touch word, We'll just touch it right now. Yeah,
that gotcha? Yeah, yeah, I just I don't know the
physics behind it. But we've got one thing. We've actually
(07:52):
got a lot of real professionals in this team, and
the works they do off the field around getting their
bodies right and all the recovery things. I think that's
actually gone up a level. So yeah, I'm going to
put it down to that.
Speaker 4 (08:05):
Okay, So as far as team tactics canned and attitudes
around what you want to do and what's worked for you,
and nothing much has changed there, you can just apply
it because you've got the cattle to do.
Speaker 5 (08:16):
So yeah, yeah, I think so exactly that now we've
been we've been fortunate to this stage. That's only halfway
through the season. So as long as we keep keep
looking after our bodies and being professionals and we can
have more cattle available.
Speaker 4 (08:33):
Where are you at at the moment with your game?
How comfortable are you with what you're providing right now
that your happy points and where you think, yeah, no,
kn't Ethan, you can do better.
Speaker 5 (08:43):
Yeah, I'm sort of I've got high standards on myself,
so yeah, I'm constantly trying to improve areas of my game.
So I'd say I'm never satisfied. There's always a couple
of areas in a game you might be half happy with,
but there's always areas to sharpen up. So yeah, I'm
just looking for accuracy and what I'm doing at the moment,
(09:05):
so that that's what I'm striving for sport.
Speaker 4 (09:09):
Okay, stop the use of this word and stop it
immediately ends that are on talking to you, the players,
I'm talking to you. I can't stomach it. And I've
been stomaching this word for years and years and years,
and last time I saw, I think there's only been
maybe two or three all Blacks who have actually taken
(09:31):
a sabbatical, and they've taken it as it was meant
to be, not these other guys. Ricka Yuwani, this is
not a sabbatical. You're going on a cash grab and
that's cool. I don't mind, but don't try and tell
me it is a sabbatical. Look, if I'm going to
be a pedant around this, I'll explain what I'm talking about.
(09:53):
A sabbatical essentially is an extended period away from work
granted to an employee for study, for travel, or for
personal growth. Going to Leinster to play rugby is not study,
it's not personal growth. It's kind of travel. What it is.
(10:16):
You're going over there to experience a different culture. Absolutely,
maybe to pick up some tips about how rugby has
played in the Northern Hemisphere. But when push come to shove,
you're going over there to play rugby. You're doing the
same thing. You're running, you're passing, and let's face it,
(10:37):
in your case getting absolutely hammered by the opposition, they're
not going to leave you alone. Rico Jouanni is going
to be an absolute target. Look, he could have been
playing for another Irish team, which case Lendster would have
definitely targeted him because of course Leinster is the home
of Johnny Sexton, who he beautifully trolled at the last
(10:59):
World Cup. So you're not going on sabbatical, right, You're
going over to line your pockets and there's nothing wrong
with that. That is fine. You are a professional if
you are allowed to disappear to the other side of
the world to cash another check doing what you do
best by all means. But don't tell me it's a
sabbatical because it's not.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
The Chamber is now in session on Sportsfax.
Speaker 3 (11:27):
Let's hop into the chamber. Enjoyed the chat with Ethan
Blackadder and your thoughts on Rico Yo want I want
to get to rugby in a sect. But can we
talk eligibility around netball and eligibility around a specific netballer
Grace weki Apple New Zealands Chief Executive Jenny Wiley says
the board will review their ruling over her eligibility, which
is currently in eligibility because she's with New South Wales.
(11:50):
What is your general view on whether Grace Wiki should
be able to play for New Zealand this year?
Speaker 4 (11:56):
At firstly they're going to review It doesn't mean to
say they're going to say yes. That's one thing. A
good out there from Jenny. Whiley secondary you're aware of
a book called Animal Farm, bloke called all Caught a handywriter. Yes,
I've heard of George or well yeah, okay, so some netballs.
You know what I'm going to say about being created
equal and created so on and so forth. You cannot
(12:21):
define what a netballer brings and put one rule across
them all. And this is something that New Zealand cricket
have done really well. This is something that I think
will be leant into by New Zealand rugby in time.
Grace Weke is, with all due respect, a freak of
a player. What she provide and what she brings. Of
course you can do something different from her to keep
(12:44):
her in the sport. Not only piney two assure not sure,
but to hope for victory because she is so good.
But also when you look at the youth coming through
and what they aspire, She's a star amongst the youth
pulling through. They want to see her in a black dress.
They want to see her playing from New Zealand, soor
(13:05):
New Zealand want to get over themselves make dispensation for
her because she's been created more equal than others.
Speaker 3 (13:13):
I am in passionate agreement with you. I totally agree.
And the bit that you that if I was sitting
on the fence, the bit the tip toed thing for
me from what you just said is the fans. The
fans need to turn up and watch our very best
players play in the black dress against all comers and
Grace worky as you say, Das is one of our
very best players, not just at the moment, but probably
(13:35):
could be of all time.
Speaker 4 (13:37):
He just started to I mean when when she first started,
she was great in Auckland and then she was a
bit shaky with the with the black dress on. But
now she's really starting to hit her straps. The next four, five, six,
seven years could be spectacular for her.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
They really could be. And look, it's netball New Zealand's
own rule. They are able to change it if they
want to. They can sider around the table and say,
you know what, in this case, we're going to go
case by case basis. In this case, grace workI can
play for New Zealand and I hope, I really hope
that that is the decision they arrive at. Do you
think they will arrive at that decision?
Speaker 4 (14:13):
I would like to think they're a rather pragmatic board
and they will look at everything and they won't something
that sometimes you said on rugby, Do they take themselves
too seriously? As you said, it's their sport, they're their rules.
They can do what they want. And what do they
really want to do. They want to make the silver ferns,
(14:33):
who is the shot window of the game as strong
as they possibly can.
Speaker 3 (14:38):
Right, it's prediction time. It's only Thursday, but we've got
eased to coming up. So if you will, if I
throw a few fixtures your way, can you give me
your your winner of those fixtures or your analysis of
what might happen?
Speaker 5 (14:50):
Is that?
Speaker 3 (14:50):
Okay?
Speaker 1 (14:50):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (14:51):
I also predict that the pile of kind of brown
stuff on the floor of my bathroom is chocolate egs sick.
I was wondering where you were going with I knew
you would, so I'm so looking forward to feeding my
face because I don't eat sweets. But man, this weekend,
I'm going hard out right.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
Lay it on me, all right. Crusaders Blues christ Church
tomorrow night.
Speaker 4 (15:14):
The Blues record in christiach is awful and I don't
see that changing. They will readjust the Blues great last
week with what they did, with how they changed their
point of attack, and they were much more like last year.
But this Crusader's team is building and building and building.
And that victory against your guys last week I said
(15:35):
a lot about their headspace, even.
Speaker 3 (15:38):
Though it fell apart in the last ten minutes. Discipline boys, Okay, Hurricanes,
my boys. They go out west to Perth to take
on the Force, who have been I think, by pretty
much every measure, fairly impressive this season inside the top six.
Although it's a four win four lost record. They're very
good at home. You reckon the Hurricanes can can shake
(15:58):
free from what has been some really really debilitating inconsistency
and beat the Force over in Perth Saturday night.
Speaker 4 (16:04):
So they murdered the Waratahs a couple of weeks back
correctly correct fell over two consecutive weeks and it wasn't
by much. It's not too far away, and Michael Jensen
played his fiftieth match and he got rewarded by a
business class seat over to Perth. So I would expect
to pick jam out at him.
Speaker 3 (16:23):
Ah.
Speaker 4 (16:24):
This is a hard one to pick because the travel
is so hard for the Hurricanes, but this is a
team very hardened, and i'd expect quite stoppy around what
happened to them some I'd like to think. I think
three of their four captains are on board this weekend.
They can do something from there. Who commands it all
in that quartete? But whoever shouts loudest right.
Speaker 3 (16:46):
Yeah, well, Billy prop to back. I think that's big
only off the bench initially and that's probably sensible, but
I think he'll make a big difference at the back.
What about Ruben Love Love Rubin Love at ten. I
love what they've done there in part of the pun,
I think that is overdue, probably should have happened last week.
I'm glad that they finally have arrived at the point
(17:07):
of having the ten on the back of Reuben loves Jersey.
So I'm looking forward to seeing how he goes. Hey,
Warriors Broncos Saturday Night, big game for the Warriors off
the back of well, I was going to say a
pretty poor performance, a certainly very poor first half. Well,
I was going to give it a caveat very poor
first half. I mean they showed the ability to bounce
back after a very poor first game against the Raiders
(17:29):
in Vegas when they came back and won three on
the bounce. Can they bounce back from losing to the
Storm against a very good Broncos side Saturday night at
go Media and they.
Speaker 4 (17:37):
Got touched up last week? So they'll be filthy. Yep,
they really will be. I look back at that game
last week, and I've talked about this on air. This
is not a disaster, This is not the end because
in the NRL, some teams hump other teams. It happens.
It happened to you two or three times in a season.
The fact that it's always the storm, so be it.
There it is, but they can definitely come back from that.
(17:58):
The trick without some of their rock stars this weekend
is how they apply themselves. Now, if they let the
Broncos get off to a good start, they should be
a little concerned, but they're keep the ball away from
their outsides. If he looked at that team, oh my
lord out the back, they're freak shows.
Speaker 3 (18:17):
Yeah, I'd be going down the guts. I'd be going
down the middle. You're keeping it nice and narrow it
Mount Smart on Saturday night. Finally, Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
What should we expect from Liam Laws on this weekend?
Speaker 4 (18:29):
Well, out of the Bone saw three hundred. I think
by saying that I'm never ever ever going to set
foot in Saudi Arabia again, but I still struggle with that.
Did you know that Lewis Hamilton raced in this first
race back in twenty twenty one and he had the
rainbow helmet, the LGBT helmet. He put that on to
cause a bit of a ruckus and he actually won
(18:50):
that weekend. Liam should be better. Liam had another problem,
didn't he last week? He's had car problems right the
way since the start. You could read that as being
far too many excuses. I don't know, but if maybe
he gets away from his car issues, all we want
to see him do is beat his teammate Haga and
(19:11):
he is an extraordinary right But mate, this is a
fast track, fast street circuit, so it should be a
lot of.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
Fun, all right, looking forward to that so much sport
to taking over the weekend. Haven't even mentioned Auckland FC
about that?
Speaker 4 (19:24):
Yeah, because I can't tell you about Auckland FC because
we've got Phoenix.
Speaker 3 (19:27):
I'm sorry.
Speaker 4 (19:28):
That's okay, better up next year, that's your year. But
what's happening with FC, Well.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
They're getting a lot of drawers at the moment. Look,
there was a set of circumstances under which they could
win the Premier's Plate next weekend at home against Perth.
In order to do that, if they beat Victory on
Saturday night, always tough in Melbourne, they will win the
Premier's Plate. If they beat Perth next weekend, they need
two wins from their remaining three games to absolutely ensure it.
They may not even need that depending on other results.
(19:53):
But if they can beat Melbourne victory on Saturday night,
they bring it back home and keep it in their
own hands. You know what I reckon it'll happen on
Saturday night in Melbourne. Does a drawer? I think it'll
be another drawer.
Speaker 4 (20:05):
Piney, How important is for the site he started off
with in a row and they've played twoed a bit
to a agree, but they're not been getting beaten to
give them strength when it comes to actual finals time
to get the Premier's plate when it really counts at
knockout time. How important is this game, this victory for
them to know that they've got what it takes to
go over to enemy land and actually put teams away.
(20:28):
This has got to be first and foremost what they're thinking.
Speaker 3 (20:30):
Well, I guess the only caveat to that is that
the only time Auckland FC will probably have to travel
if they finish top is. In fact, if they finish top,
the only time they left to travel is for the
away leg of the semi final, a game they don't
necessarily have to win. But what they have shown over
the last little while. Yes they've drawn a lot of games,
but yeah they've been hard to beat, very very difficult
(20:52):
to beat. And come finals time, if you're hard to beat,
then you're likely going to end up with some silver
were we've been in the chamber far too long. Let's
get out of here beating a VICS.
Speaker 1 (21:03):
We've got just the ticket.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
It's Sports Vex how By News Talks IVY and.
Speaker 3 (21:09):
That brings to an end. Sportsbeeks for today. Long weekend
coming up, so the next time you'll get the opportunity
to hear a fresh episode will be on Tuesday, where
there'll be a whole weekend with a sport to talk about.
But there's lots of sport to listen to on the
radio over the weekend.
Speaker 4 (21:22):
US there is an including sports Tour between seven and
eight Monday to Friday. Although good Friday nothing happens at
the station Sport Wives. That's cool because Saturday Sunday, Piney's
got weekend sport todd mid day through three o'clock. Would
love your ears, It would love your interaction on eight
hundred and eighty ten eighty and also text nineteen ninety
two that is z b ZB and then I back
(21:46):
on Tuesday to start sports talk again between at seven
and eight pm, but lots of sport over the weekend. Piney.
This should be a good.
Speaker 3 (21:55):
And absolutely happy Easter folks. See you next week for.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
More from News Talk ZEDB, listen live on air or online,
and keep our shows with you wherever you go with
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You're listening to a podcast from News Talks.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
It be follow this and our wide range of podcasts
now on iHeartRadio.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
This is Sportsfix Howard by News Talks.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
It be Hello there, and welcome to the back end
of a short week for many people, the start of
a long weekend for many people, and for everybody listening
a free ship. At episode of the Sports Fixed podcast
for Thursday, April seventeen, I'm Jason Pie.
Speaker 4 (00:34):
My name is Darcy walder Grave. Looking forward to bringing
you this edition before while we disappear off into holiday
land kind of and tell what can you back on Tuesday?
I know that's me.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Ah, I thought i'd give it a I thought i'd
give it a crack over the weekend, if that's okay
with you. Look, I'm not sure if anybody's listening over
the long weekend podcast.
Speaker 4 (00:55):
I'm talking about the podcast not making sport between twelve
and three Saturday and Sunday.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Hey, I'm quite interested in the rise and rise this
year of the Crusaders and Howard is different from last year.
Any chance of a Crusader's guest for us? Today?
Speaker 4 (01:12):
We have got Ethan Blackadder on the program talking to
us about his team this year and how they've different
from last year, what's changed, what's the energy yet, how
do they adjust in between games? And of course what
he brings the party as well. He's a great man.
I really like eating black out, love chatting with him.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
All right, look forward to hearing from Ethan. I know
you've got some thoughts on the Rico Yowane situation as well.
I've got a bunch of predictions I want to get
from you and give across myself. Plus the latest in
sports news, so let's get into it.
Speaker 4 (01:46):
A Before we get into it, let's give big thanks
to our sponsors GJ Gardner Holmes. They've climbed on board.
We appreciate their input immensely.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
Go GJ guard Go go. Indeed, now let's get into it.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
In other news, let's.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Get underway with a look at the big sports stories
around today. Blues and All Black teammate Dalton Papaali gutted
his time on the field with Mark Talaya as running out.
Talaya off to Japan on a three season contract later
in the year.
Speaker 5 (02:17):
Quite an emotional one. It's one of my best mates,
so I just sort of knew before as well. Were
having conversations but at the end of the day, you know, Bruge,
we could take you around the world, and you know
he's doing.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
It to just support himself in his future family. Paul
Temple has been let go as Wellington Phoenix women's coach.
He hasn't been offered a new contract beyond this season
after his team failed to reach the A League playoffs.
During his two seasons in charge.
Speaker 4 (02:41):
Always had clarity that the goal and the target was
to get into the top six. So yeah, that's the
nature of football, and you don't achieve those goals, then
obviously there's.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
The risk here and Arsenal have advanced at the semi
finals of the Football's Champions League for the first time
in sixteen years, beeding Real Madrid two one away to
seal a five to one victory on aggregate. He's player
of the match, Deckland Rice.
Speaker 5 (03:03):
There was a lot of.
Speaker 4 (03:04):
Talk coming here about them coming back because they've done
it so many times before.
Speaker 5 (03:07):
But we had so much believe, even confidence from that
first leg.
Speaker 4 (03:09):
That we had enough to come here and win the game,
and yeah, gout it in our mind and then we've done.
Speaker 3 (03:13):
It in real life.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Dissecting the sporting agenda, it's Sports Fix with Jason Vine
and Dusty Walter Grave.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
And It's warm.
Speaker 4 (03:22):
Welcome now to the Sports Fix podcast. To the Crusaders,
Lucy Ethan, Blackhead, Ethan, how are you. I'm very well
looking forward to the weekend. Bit of a long weekend
for us, bit of a break on Friday. Not for you, blokes, though,
You've got to suit up and play some football on
good Friday. How does that sit with you?
Speaker 5 (03:43):
Yep, for you. Done for us, mate. Yeah, we're booth
not Friday and ready for a big contest against the Blows.
So yeah, we're bloody excited.
Speaker 4 (03:52):
I don't believe for a second. You don't need any chocolate.
Can't you just like justify it by saying there's miss
some energy when I get out on the park. I mean,
don't you guys do this?
Speaker 5 (04:01):
Yeah, we'll have someone on Saturday after a big game.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
Yeah, well it will be a big game. Look, this
is massive. You're obviously sitting at the top of the
table right now. Two defeats what eight six I think
it is At the moment, you're eight game six victories.
You're just ahead of the Chiefs, whereas the Blues are
there down the bottom looking on up and they're on
a bit of a resurgence right now. So what do
(04:25):
you focus on predominantly, what's Pen's been telling you about
what you need to do to make sure you can
stub out the Blues.
Speaker 5 (04:34):
Yeah, it's just about refreshing. You know, we had a
win last week. It was actually a close contest in
the finish, So looking at the Blues again, we've already
played them this year. We had some success up there,
but doesn't really mean anything. It's about really setting completely
and looking at a Blues team that's actually changed in
the last month. So preparing for a good team. But
(04:55):
at the same time, we're on the way up to
and we're going to We're going out there to impose
that game on them.
Speaker 4 (05:01):
Let's look back to that game last week. You were
sitting reasonably pretty then it kind of fell apart in
the last what tem minutes also, and you were gone.
It was a team yellow another yellow as well. You've
got to look at that space in your old man's
big favorite, this word discipline. It's something you're ready got
to look at.
Speaker 5 (05:19):
Yeah, yeah, sort of. It was our era rate. We
were in a position where we were three tries in
front and then I wouldn't say that it's complacency. It
was just skill set eras and we allowed them to
come back into the game. And then that last ten minutes,
as you say, we were down to third amen and
defending for our lives on the line, and there was
(05:40):
some phenomenal efforts there. But to be honest, we shouldn't
have put ourselves in that position if we just treasured
the ball and just put felt more pressure played on top. So, yeah,
some good lessons in that game.
Speaker 4 (05:52):
Well, you know where you went wrong? How do you
tweak that? Is it just on the spot on the field?
Is there anything you can do during the week's lead
up to the next game that might help eradicate that?
Speaker 5 (06:02):
It's got a hard one sort of to put your
finger on it. Sort of when you're out there, it's
like what were looking at the time that we probably
should have probably should have stayed worth a few things
rather than going to quite big plays, especially offline out time.
So yeah, it was just sort of a few years
drop balls or people were not being in the right
spots of that kind of stuff, and we can easily
(06:25):
fix that.
Speaker 4 (06:26):
Well, that's that's good to know. You're not overwhelmed you're
not daunted by it. It's just a couple of little tweaks.
You guys must be lifted. Last year this time last
year things went going particularly well. Did you even look
back at that or is it all eyes forward?
Speaker 5 (06:42):
It's ice forward, to be honest, Like history is called
history and you can look back on it. But we're
a complete different team to last year, Like it's a
year on. People have changed, people are playing different rugby.
You can reflect back if you want, but personally, I
don't look forward injury wise.
Speaker 4 (07:01):
And it's great to see that your riga is feeling
pretty good right now, even though you carry on paying
it a little respects it around. But that was a
big problem last year, the fact that you didn't have
a great deal of players to choose from. So you've
got on back now. But what else have you applied
in order to get this result? We have only like
(07:23):
you've won most of your games this year. Has anything
changed in your outlook and your team play? What else
is different?
Speaker 1 (07:29):
I don't know.
Speaker 5 (07:30):
I don't know if you call it luck or what.
But some years, like quite literally, you'll just have a
crapload of injuries. There's no really good reason for it. Like, yeah,
that's a bit of a mystery, I reckon, but yeah,
this year touch word, We'll just touch it right now. Yeah,
that gotcha? Yeah, yeah, I just I don't know the
physics behind it. But we've got one thing. We've actually
(07:52):
got a lot of real professionals in this team, and
the works they do off the field around getting their
bodies right and all the recovery things. I think that's
actually gone up a level. So yeah, I'm going to
put it down to that.
Speaker 4 (08:05):
Okay, So as far as team tactics canned and attitudes
around what you want to do and what's worked for you,
and nothing much has changed there, you can just apply
it because you've got the cattle to do.
Speaker 5 (08:16):
So yeah, yeah, I think so exactly that now we've
been we've been fortunate to this stage. That's only halfway
through the season. So as long as we keep keep
looking after our bodies and being professionals and we can
have more cattle available.
Speaker 4 (08:33):
Where are you at at the moment with your game?
How comfortable are you with what you're providing right now
that your happy points and where you think, yeah, no,
kn't Ethan, you can do better.
Speaker 5 (08:43):
Yeah, I'm sort of I've got high standards on myself,
so yeah, I'm constantly trying to improve areas of my game.
So I'd say I'm never satisfied. There's always a couple
of areas in a game you might be half happy with,
but there's always areas to sharpen up. So yeah, I'm
just looking for accuracy and what I'm doing at the moment,
(09:05):
so that that's what I'm striving for sport.
Speaker 4 (09:09):
Okay, stop the use of this word and stop it
immediately ends that are on talking to you, the players,
I'm talking to you. I can't stomach it. And I've
been stomaching this word for years and years and years,
and last time I saw, I think there's only been
maybe two or three all Blacks who have actually taken
(09:31):
a sabbatical, and they've taken it as it was meant
to be, not these other guys. Ricka Yuwani, this is
not a sabbatical. You're going on a cash grab and
that's cool. I don't mind, but don't try and tell
me it is a sabbatical. Look, if I'm going to
be a pedant around this, I'll explain what I'm talking about.
(09:53):
A sabbatical essentially is an extended period away from work
granted to an employee for study, for travel, or for
personal growth. Going to Leinster to play rugby is not study,
it's not personal growth. It's kind of travel. What it is.
(10:16):
You're going over there to experience a different culture. Absolutely,
maybe to pick up some tips about how rugby has
played in the Northern Hemisphere. But when push come to shove,
you're going over there to play rugby. You're doing the
same thing. You're running, you're passing, and let's face it,
(10:37):
in your case getting absolutely hammered by the opposition, they're
not going to leave you alone. Rico Jouanni is going
to be an absolute target. Look, he could have been
playing for another Irish team, which case Lendster would have
definitely targeted him because of course Leinster is the home
of Johnny Sexton, who he beautifully trolled at the last
(10:59):
World Cup. So you're not going on sabbatical, right, You're
going over to line your pockets and there's nothing wrong
with that. That is fine. You are a professional if
you are allowed to disappear to the other side of
the world to cash another check doing what you do
best by all means. But don't tell me it's a
sabbatical because it's not.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
The Chamber is now in session on Sportsfax.
Speaker 3 (11:27):
Let's hop into the chamber. Enjoyed the chat with Ethan
Blackadder and your thoughts on Rico Yo want I want
to get to rugby in a sect. But can we
talk eligibility around netball and eligibility around a specific netballer
Grace weki Apple New Zealands Chief Executive Jenny Wiley says
the board will review their ruling over her eligibility, which
is currently in eligibility because she's with New South Wales.
(11:50):
What is your general view on whether Grace Wiki should
be able to play for New Zealand this year?
Speaker 4 (11:56):
At firstly they're going to review It doesn't mean to
say they're going to say yes. That's one thing. A
good out there from Jenny. Whiley secondary you're aware of
a book called Animal Farm, bloke called all Caught a handywriter. Yes,
I've heard of George or well yeah, okay, so some netballs.
You know what I'm going to say about being created
equal and created so on and so forth. You cannot
(12:21):
define what a netballer brings and put one rule across
them all. And this is something that New Zealand cricket
have done really well. This is something that I think
will be leant into by New Zealand rugby in time.
Grace Weke is, with all due respect, a freak of
a player. What she provide and what she brings. Of
course you can do something different from her to keep
(12:44):
her in the sport. Not only piney two assure not sure,
but to hope for victory because she is so good.
But also when you look at the youth coming through
and what they aspire, She's a star amongst the youth
pulling through. They want to see her in a black dress.
They want to see her playing from New Zealand, soor
(13:05):
New Zealand want to get over themselves make dispensation for
her because she's been created more equal than others.
Speaker 3 (13:13):
I am in passionate agreement with you. I totally agree.
And the bit that you that if I was sitting
on the fence, the bit the tip toed thing for
me from what you just said is the fans. The
fans need to turn up and watch our very best
players play in the black dress against all comers and
Grace worky as you say, Das is one of our
very best players, not just at the moment, but probably
(13:35):
could be of all time.
Speaker 4 (13:37):
He just started to I mean when when she first started,
she was great in Auckland and then she was a
bit shaky with the with the black dress on. But
now she's really starting to hit her straps. The next four, five, six,
seven years could be spectacular for her.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
They really could be. And look, it's netball New Zealand's
own rule. They are able to change it if they
want to. They can sider around the table and say,
you know what, in this case, we're going to go
case by case basis. In this case, grace workI can
play for New Zealand and I hope, I really hope
that that is the decision they arrive at. Do you
think they will arrive at that decision?
Speaker 4 (14:13):
I would like to think they're a rather pragmatic board
and they will look at everything and they won't something
that sometimes you said on rugby, Do they take themselves
too seriously? As you said, it's their sport, they're their rules.
They can do what they want. And what do they
really want to do. They want to make the silver ferns,
(14:33):
who is the shot window of the game as strong
as they possibly can.
Speaker 3 (14:38):
Right, it's prediction time. It's only Thursday, but we've got
eased to coming up. So if you will, if I
throw a few fixtures your way, can you give me
your your winner of those fixtures or your analysis of
what might happen?
Speaker 5 (14:50):
Is that?
Speaker 3 (14:50):
Okay?
Speaker 1 (14:50):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (14:51):
I also predict that the pile of kind of brown
stuff on the floor of my bathroom is chocolate egs sick.
I was wondering where you were going with I knew
you would, so I'm so looking forward to feeding my
face because I don't eat sweets. But man, this weekend,
I'm going hard out right.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
Lay it on me, all right. Crusaders Blues christ Church
tomorrow night.
Speaker 4 (15:14):
The Blues record in christiach is awful and I don't
see that changing. They will readjust the Blues great last
week with what they did, with how they changed their
point of attack, and they were much more like last year.
But this Crusader's team is building and building and building.
And that victory against your guys last week I said
(15:35):
a lot about their headspace, even.
Speaker 3 (15:38):
Though it fell apart in the last ten minutes. Discipline boys, Okay, Hurricanes,
my boys. They go out west to Perth to take
on the Force, who have been I think, by pretty
much every measure, fairly impressive this season inside the top six.
Although it's a four win four lost record. They're very
good at home. You reckon the Hurricanes can can shake
(15:58):
free from what has been some really really debilitating inconsistency
and beat the Force over in Perth Saturday night.
Speaker 4 (16:04):
So they murdered the Waratahs a couple of weeks back
correctly correct fell over two consecutive weeks and it wasn't
by much. It's not too far away, and Michael Jensen
played his fiftieth match and he got rewarded by a
business class seat over to Perth. So I would expect
to pick jam out at him.
Speaker 3 (16:23):
Ah.
Speaker 4 (16:24):
This is a hard one to pick because the travel
is so hard for the Hurricanes, but this is a
team very hardened, and i'd expect quite stoppy around what
happened to them some I'd like to think. I think
three of their four captains are on board this weekend.
They can do something from there. Who commands it all
in that quartete? But whoever shouts loudest right.
Speaker 3 (16:46):
Yeah, well, Billy prop to back. I think that's big
only off the bench initially and that's probably sensible, but
I think he'll make a big difference at the back.
What about Ruben Love Love Rubin Love at ten. I
love what they've done there in part of the pun,
I think that is overdue, probably should have happened last week.
I'm glad that they finally have arrived at the point
(17:07):
of having the ten on the back of Reuben loves Jersey.
So I'm looking forward to seeing how he goes. Hey,
Warriors Broncos Saturday Night, big game for the Warriors off
the back of well, I was going to say a
pretty poor performance, a certainly very poor first half. Well,
I was going to give it a caveat very poor
first half. I mean they showed the ability to bounce
back after a very poor first game against the Raiders
(17:29):
in Vegas when they came back and won three on
the bounce. Can they bounce back from losing to the
Storm against a very good Broncos side Saturday night at
go Media and they.
Speaker 4 (17:37):
Got touched up last week? So they'll be filthy. Yep,
they really will be. I look back at that game
last week, and I've talked about this on air. This
is not a disaster, This is not the end because
in the NRL, some teams hump other teams. It happens.
It happened to you two or three times in a season.
The fact that it's always the storm, so be it.
There it is, but they can definitely come back from that.
(17:58):
The trick without some of their rock stars this weekend
is how they apply themselves. Now, if they let the
Broncos get off to a good start, they should be
a little concerned, but they're keep the ball away from
their outsides. If he looked at that team, oh my
lord out the back, they're freak shows.
Speaker 3 (18:17):
Yeah, I'd be going down the guts. I'd be going
down the middle. You're keeping it nice and narrow it
Mount Smart on Saturday night. Finally, Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
What should we expect from Liam Laws on this weekend?
Speaker 4 (18:29):
Well, out of the Bone saw three hundred. I think
by saying that I'm never ever ever going to set
foot in Saudi Arabia again, but I still struggle with that.
Did you know that Lewis Hamilton raced in this first
race back in twenty twenty one and he had the
rainbow helmet, the LGBT helmet. He put that on to
cause a bit of a ruckus and he actually won
(18:50):
that weekend. Liam should be better. Liam had another problem,
didn't he last week? He's had car problems right the
way since the start. You could read that as being
far too many excuses. I don't know, but if maybe
he gets away from his car issues, all we want
to see him do is beat his teammate Haga and
(19:11):
he is an extraordinary right But mate, this is a
fast track, fast street circuit, so it should be a
lot of.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
Fun, all right, looking forward to that so much sport
to taking over the weekend. Haven't even mentioned Auckland FC
about that?
Speaker 4 (19:24):
Yeah, because I can't tell you about Auckland FC because
we've got Phoenix.
Speaker 3 (19:27):
I'm sorry.
Speaker 4 (19:28):
That's okay, better up next year, that's your year. But
what's happening with FC, Well.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
They're getting a lot of drawers at the moment. Look,
there was a set of circumstances under which they could
win the Premier's Plate next weekend at home against Perth.
In order to do that, if they beat Victory on
Saturday night, always tough in Melbourne, they will win the
Premier's Plate. If they beat Perth next weekend, they need
two wins from their remaining three games to absolutely ensure it.
They may not even need that depending on other results.
(19:53):
But if they can beat Melbourne victory on Saturday night,
they bring it back home and keep it in their
own hands. You know what I reckon it'll happen on
Saturday night in Melbourne. Does a drawer? I think it'll
be another drawer.
Speaker 4 (20:05):
Piney, How important is for the site he started off
with in a row and they've played twoed a bit
to a agree, but they're not been getting beaten to
give them strength when it comes to actual finals time
to get the Premier's plate when it really counts at
knockout time. How important is this game, this victory for
them to know that they've got what it takes to
go over to enemy land and actually put teams away.
(20:28):
This has got to be first and foremost what they're thinking.
Speaker 3 (20:30):
Well, I guess the only caveat to that is that
the only time Auckland FC will probably have to travel
if they finish top is. In fact, if they finish top,
the only time they left to travel is for the
away leg of the semi final, a game they don't
necessarily have to win. But what they have shown over
the last little while. Yes they've drawn a lot of games,
but yeah they've been hard to beat, very very difficult
(20:52):
to beat. And come finals time, if you're hard to beat,
then you're likely going to end up with some silver
were we've been in the chamber far too long. Let's
get out of here beating a VICS.
Speaker 1 (21:03):
We've got just the ticket.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
It's Sports Vex how By News Talks IVY and.
Speaker 3 (21:09):
That brings to an end. Sportsbeeks for today. Long weekend
coming up, so the next time you'll get the opportunity
to hear a fresh episode will be on Tuesday, where
there'll be a whole weekend with a sport to talk about.
But there's lots of sport to listen to on the
radio over the weekend.
Speaker 4 (21:22):
US there is an including sports Tour between seven and
eight Monday to Friday. Although good Friday nothing happens at
the station Sport Wives. That's cool because Saturday Sunday, Piney's
got weekend sport todd mid day through three o'clock. Would
love your ears, It would love your interaction on eight
hundred and eighty ten eighty and also text nineteen ninety
two that is z b ZB and then I back
(21:46):
on Tuesday to start sports talk again between at seven
and eight pm, but lots of sport over the weekend. Piney.
This should be a good.
Speaker 3 (21:55):
And absolutely happy Easter folks. See you next week for.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
More from News Talk ZEDB, listen live on air or online,
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our podcasts on IR Radio.
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