Speaker 1: You're listening to a podcast from News Talks at b
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Speaker 2: This is Sportsfix Howard by News Talks.
Speaker 3: It be welcome on into the Sports Fix podcast.
Speaker 2: Hello, one and all.
Speaker 3: My name is Darcy Waldgrave and coming up in this
Speaker 3: edition on Wednesday, the nineteenth.
Speaker 4: Of March twenty twenty.
Speaker 3: Five, colleague Jason Pine caught up with Chris Wood, Superstar
Speaker 3: striker All Whites Captain and had a yarn with him
Speaker 3: and to be rood of us not to play that
Speaker 3: for you.
Speaker 4: That is coming up shortly.
Speaker 3: I've got some opinion based around.
Speaker 5: Another stadium consortium, but this one might actually work because
Speaker 5: it's got something the others don't, actual money, I think.
Speaker 5: Clay Wilson, director of Sport for News Talks heb joins
Speaker 5: us as we float up and shoot down.
Speaker 3: A couple of the sporting issues of the day. That's
Speaker 3: our master plan. So without further ado, let's do this.
Speaker 3: In other news, speaking of sports, Georgia Miller is amped
Speaker 3: to get back into the filth of the fifteens. The
Speaker 3: seven Star is available for the Black Fern's World Cup selection.
Speaker 4: The from a Canterbury fifteens.
Speaker 3: Rep is one of seven Seven's sisters to make themselves
Speaker 3: available for Alan Bunting's defending champions. The tournament is said
Speaker 3: to go in England later this year.
Speaker 6: There's some high level professionals in that team with heaps
Speaker 6: of knowledge that man, I just love to learn off
Speaker 6: and just be a sponge, which I think is really exciting,
Speaker 6: like a whole new challenge.
Speaker 3: So yeah, can't like for a mole scrum.
Speaker 1: For dirty work.
Speaker 3: Returning White Ferns superstar Soviet Divine is back for the
Speaker 3: Australian series after spending time away from the game to
Speaker 3: look after her well being. Did she think though her
Speaker 3: time was up with the reigning TEA twenty champions.
Speaker 6: Completely honest, Yeah, certainly to be able to have to
Speaker 6: process through a few of those things. Obviously unfortunately not
Speaker 6: getting any younger, so they natural came into mind.
Speaker 3: But yeah, I'm just really.
Speaker 6: Excited to be here, just gonna be focusing on each
Speaker 6: day as it comes and just really enjoying every day
Speaker 6: with the White Fence.
Speaker 3: Sophie Youth is overrated and Chris what the giant of
Speaker 3: New Zealand football and all whites Skipper wouldn't mind playing
Speaker 3: a league football back home when he returns after his
Speaker 3: EPL time, but with who EFC or Phoenix.
Speaker 7: The Wellington Boys have told me that it's not always
Speaker 7: like this, so yeah, I'm open to both clubs. That's
Speaker 7: why we've got two professional clubs in New Zealand's if
Speaker 7: the time comes and there it arrives that I might
Speaker 7: be able to come back to New Zealans.
Speaker 8: It was definitely something I'll think hard about.
Speaker 3: Spoken in sport by the stars who are in.
Speaker 1: The thick of it news It's Sportsfix with Dancy halde Greve.
Speaker 4: We're joined now by a very happy man.
Speaker 3: His name is Jason Pine of course sports Fix co host.
Speaker 3: He is one of my colleagues at News Talk c
Speaker 3: B and on Sports Talk and he got to catch
Speaker 3: one of the superstars of football.
Speaker 4: From New Zealand.
Speaker 3: He is the All Whites Skipper. His name is Chris Wood.
Speaker 3: He is him and the Pine Man Sports Fix.
Speaker 2: Chris Wood, Welcome back to New Zealand.
Speaker 9: Welcome back to the scene of fifteen and a half
Speaker 9: years ago, a game against Bahrain when in the eighty
Speaker 9: third minute you were seeing time to help secure a
Speaker 9: one nil win. What do you remember most vividly about that.
Speaker 7: Night, probably the final whistle when the excitement and everything
Speaker 7: went round the stadium. Run the team and yeah, knowing
Speaker 7: that we completed something that was truly historical in New
Speaker 7: Zealand history.
Speaker 9: Could you ever have imagined that, you know, that would
Speaker 9: be the springboard for you to go on to achieve
Speaker 9: what you have as a professional footballer.
Speaker 7: No, looking back, obviously, I'm very proud of what I've
Speaker 7: been able to achieve throughout my career. It was a
Speaker 7: great start in my career, been able to go to
Speaker 7: a World Cup so early on, and hopefully now the
Speaker 7: old age I can go again then if we're lucky enough.
Speaker 9: So you mentioned the World Cup in twenty ten games
Speaker 9: against Slovakia, Italy Paraguay, you came on in all three.
Speaker 9: Do you ever think back to that shot against it
Speaker 9: only that just defeated the post.
Speaker 7: Look, yeah, it pops into the memories every so often.
Speaker 7: It would have been nice if it trickled on the
Speaker 7: other side, but it wasn't meant to be. I think
Speaker 7: the team done extremely well that year and obviously three
Speaker 7: jaws unbeatenside in the World Cup. It's a pretty proud moment.
Speaker 9: How determined are you to get back there sixteen years on.
Speaker 8: Very determined. It's been under no illusion.
Speaker 7: I spoke about this so long from a old period
Speaker 7: times in the other qualifying qualifying campaigns that I want
Speaker 7: to get back there. It feels like this team and
Speaker 7: myself have unfinished business on the world stage, and that's
Speaker 7: what we want to do.
Speaker 9: It's a very different qualification path now. Of course, two games,
Speaker 9: one against Fiji here and then potentially a final on
Speaker 9: Monday night. How do you make sure that you just
Speaker 9: go one game at a time and leave nothing to chance.
Speaker 7: Well, that's all we've got to do. It's what we're
Speaker 7: focusing on more week. We're focusing on Fiji and that's
Speaker 7: all we can do because you can't think too far ahead.
Speaker 7: We're going to have a very tough game here and
Speaker 7: we need to make sure we're on our a game
Speaker 7: to come out on top. They're going to cause us problems,
Speaker 7: but we need to make sure we play our games
Speaker 7: hopefully nulla fay everything else.
Speaker 9: So the team I think are all together now. I
Speaker 9: think the last players arrived last night. How do you
Speaker 9: spend the next forty eight hours as you prepare for
Speaker 9: the game against Fiji?
Speaker 7: A lot about it as connecting off the pitch, getting
Speaker 7: back to what we used to and then adding a
Speaker 7: few implements and training this afternoon tomorrow that we can
Speaker 7: find tune ready for Friday night.
Speaker 9: You've always answered the All Whites call. You know, you
Speaker 9: could easily have pulled a mystery hamstring on occasion and
Speaker 9: not come. You've always come, whether it's a World Cup
Speaker 9: qualifier or a friendly in some far flung part of
Speaker 9: the world. What is behind your deep desire to always
Speaker 9: play for the All Whites?
Speaker 7: The weather, of course, the reason I'm back here. No,
Speaker 7: I love pulling on the shirt. I love being around
Speaker 7: these boys. It's home, and even when we're not playing
Speaker 7: at home, we'reen I go away with this team, it
Speaker 7: feels like home because you're around the same characters, the
Speaker 7: same culture that I grew up with, and it's just
Speaker 7: a pleasure to be around this group.
Speaker 9: Premier League season, can we just talked briefly about that
Speaker 9: Nottingham Forest having a under full season. As are you
Speaker 9: at the start of the season, did it feel like
Speaker 9: something like this was in the offering?
Speaker 7: I don't think anybody can say that we would have
Speaker 7: been where we are, but we did have high hopes
Speaker 7: of being top ten or aiming to top ten, and
Speaker 7: that's where our goals were at the start of the
Speaker 7: season and hopefully we've been able to achieve that, and
Speaker 7: now it's looking on and beyond and seeing where we
Speaker 7: can get to.
Speaker 9: What have been the keys to Nottingham Forest's success this season.
Speaker 7: Camaraderie, consistency, a team sticking together. I think the work
Speaker 7: we do off the pitch is what brings it on
Speaker 7: the pitch, fighting for each other, and I think that's
Speaker 7: shown over course of the season why we've stuck together
Speaker 7: so well, and while we were at where we are.
Speaker 9: In eighteen goals for you, you best ever return on
Speaker 9: a Premier League season. More to come, we hope. And
Speaker 9: you've talked often about how a lot of it is
Speaker 9: down to your teammates.
Speaker 10: Is this the team in which you have been.
Speaker 9: Given the best service do you think across your elite
Speaker 9: football career.
Speaker 8: I think it's up there, definitely.
Speaker 7: I think it's a team that creates a number of
Speaker 7: chances and things like that, which obviously aids in my strengths.
Speaker 7: I'm a player that strives on delivery and service, so
Speaker 7: I definitely can't do it all without my teammates around me.
Speaker 7: So I've got a fantastic team both here and in Nottingham.
Speaker 7: That's supply me with chances and it's by me trying
Speaker 7: to stick them away.
Speaker 9: Eighty seven Premier League goals all up. Now, Mark Duka
Speaker 9: best Australasian is on ninety one. I'm not sure whether
Speaker 9: you are numbers driven or not, but you were you
Speaker 9: aware of that stat?
Speaker 7: He yes, I do know the number very well. It
Speaker 7: is one I'd like to tick off if I can
Speaker 7: this season. It is a driving aspect, so yeah, if
Speaker 7: I can get to ninety two this season, I'll be
Speaker 7: very happy.
Speaker 9: Speaking of numbers, and just back to New Zealand, you
Speaker 9: are only eight short of Ivan Vistill. It's one of
Speaker 9: your teammates in twenty ten in terms of overall caps
Speaker 9: for New Zealand again, is that something in your sights?
Speaker 9: And maybe on towards the one hundred after that?
Speaker 7: Yeah, I started a set firmly past I was number
Speaker 7: but hopefully I can get there sooner rather than later
Speaker 7: if there's no mess ups or anything like that. So yeah,
Speaker 7: I'm looking to the future definitely, and.
Speaker 9: The only New Zealander to score more goals for this
Speaker 9: country than you is Amber Hearne. She has fifty three
Speaker 9: from memory forty one? Again, is that something you'd like
Speaker 9: to like to perhaps the pass in the time you
Speaker 9: have left in the.
Speaker 8: All night hell.
Speaker 7: Look, I want to try and get closer least I
Speaker 7: want to get to the fifty marks. So that's a
Speaker 7: goal of my horizon. If I can get to fifty
Speaker 7: three and be joined or get surpassed, that will be
Speaker 7: down to in future.
Speaker 8: So we'll see where we go.
Speaker 9: Just to finish. Been a bit of talk over the
Speaker 9: last couple of days and some of the media you've
Speaker 9: done about a return home. The weather isn't always like
Speaker 9: this in Wellington, but could I pitch for Wellington Phoenix?
Speaker 9: They're on a good day. This place is very nice.
Speaker 7: Look, the Wellington boys have told me that it's not
Speaker 7: always like this, so yeah, I mean, I'm open to
Speaker 7: both clubs. That's why we've got two professional clubs in
Speaker 7: New Zealand. If the time comes and there it arrives
Speaker 7: that I might be able to come back to New Zealand.
Speaker 7: It was definitely something I'll think hard about.
Speaker 9: And very finally, you're going to be a dad. How
Speaker 9: excited are you about that?
Speaker 8: Very excited.
Speaker 7: I mean, myself and my wife are very much looking
Speaker 7: forward to it. She's in the latter station now, so
Speaker 7: she's just holding strong, holding down the four back home
Speaker 7: until I get back.
Speaker 9: Wonderful exciting times on the pitch. And offer Chris congratulations
Speaker 9: on everything you've achieved so far the season with notting
Speaker 9: the forest. All the best for these these two games
Speaker 9: to come appreciate it.
Speaker 8: Thank you.
Speaker 1: This is Sportsfix, your daily does of sports news.
Speaker 2: How in by news talks be.
Speaker 3: This time Wow, we'll see the constant debate, the argument,
Speaker 3: the propositions from numerous consortiums across the nine to put
Speaker 3: up a stadium that adequately fits the desires, that wants,
Speaker 3: the needs of Auckland City, Poor Auckland. A number of
Speaker 3: stadium scattered across the city, all representing various needs and
Speaker 3: wants for Auckland, but not the brand new superstar stadium
Speaker 3: that everybody's so desires. So what's changing when it comes
Speaker 3: to this new proposition. Well, one thing's changing and that
Speaker 3: is the size. And in this new proposition, maybe a
Speaker 3: stadium with a size that's fit for purpose in a k.
Speaker 3: The video has been released a flyover for this proposed
Speaker 3: new stadium. It's been backed by none other than NBA
Speaker 3: basketball superstar mister Steven Adams. Ali Williams, former All Black,
Speaker 3: also fronts the proposal, and of course Animobray and Bill
Speaker 3: Foley and Bennett Rosenthala behind it too, which is helpful
Speaker 3: because they're all billionaires. It's going to be a twelve
Speaker 3: and a half thousand seat stadium. It's in Western Springs,
Speaker 3: Rest in Peace, the wonderful speedway there. But that's the
Speaker 3: advancement of life, isn't it. Things change constantly.
Speaker 2: So will this work.
Speaker 3: Several restaurants are outdoor covered basketball courts, and of course
Speaker 3: a stadium to play football, and it seems that purpose.
Speaker 4: It seems it's going to be the right size.
Speaker 3: It's five k away from central Auckland, may be a
Speaker 3: bit more than a casual stroll, but I'm sure they'll
Speaker 3: sort out transport options. The big thing here is will
Speaker 3: it get built?
Speaker 4: Build it?
Speaker 3: And they will come, But it's the building it. It's
Speaker 3: been a problem for Auckland for a number of years.
Speaker 3: Talking with Bill Foley a few years back, he said
Speaker 3: he gets things done, so maybe maybe he gets this done.
Speaker 3: And there was a new stadium in Auckland for all
Speaker 3: of us to enjoy.
Speaker 2: The chamber is now in session on Sportsfix.
Speaker 3: When the chamban Aklay Wilson that joins us. He is
Speaker 3: the director of Sport for News Talk z B has
Speaker 3: your direction going, mate, I we're about to find out
Speaker 3: you in the right way.
Speaker 10: Well let's see if we agree on which way we're
Speaker 10: going or not.
Speaker 3: Now let's not agree, let's argue. Although I don't think so,
Speaker 3: we're quite similar in our thought process. So thanks for
Speaker 3: coming in here. A few stories fighting around the Black
Speaker 3: Ferns fifteens ahead of the World Cup and the defense
Speaker 3: of course, are of that trophy which is going to
Speaker 3: be awfully up over there and England they've got seven
Speaker 3: seven sisters that have made themselves a vail.
Speaker 10: That fast five times.
Speaker 4: Tell me what you make of the seven seven sisters.
Speaker 10: I think it's a pragmatic decisions. It's on the outside. Yes, Okay,
Speaker 10: you look at it and you say these players have
Speaker 10: effectively from what I can tell, been picked for the
Speaker 10: Black Ferns.
Speaker 4: While you say this is a given. They've made themselves available.
Speaker 3: So that because they're talking about Corey Sweeney and Bunting
Speaker 3: getting together and having a conversation, so that would suggest
Speaker 3: that's almost a given right.
Speaker 10: Yes, exactly. And these players are already confirmed to join camps,
Speaker 10: so they're not picked to play games, they're picked to
Speaker 10: be in in a Black Ferns squad. But I think
Speaker 10: you look at all seven of these players, and particularly
Speaker 10: three or four of them, the more prominent names, and
Speaker 10: you say, these are very very good rugby players. Okay,
Speaker 10: they play, they specialize in sevens, but we've seen how
Speaker 10: they've been able to go back and forth, the likes
Speaker 10: of Stacy Waika, Teresa Sfaro, Sarah Hidden. He's not part
Speaker 10: of this trench, but we've seen what she's done in
Speaker 10: fifteen's that they can go back and forth very well,
Speaker 10: and in the women's game, very very valuable to a
Speaker 10: fifteen's team in a World cupier, like you say, without
Speaker 10: defending a title in the Northern Hemisphere and once again
Speaker 10: will not be the favorite to win the title if
Speaker 10: you want your best players, right, and these players in
Speaker 10: New Zealand are among our.
Speaker 3: Debts, and they don't want to go on there thinking
Speaker 3: we're defending a title.
Speaker 4: They're going to go in there and win it all
Speaker 4: over again.
Speaker 3: And there's some speed, there's some aggression, there's some talent
Speaker 3: in Here's any particular of the seven women there that
Speaker 3: actually really appealed to you to go, I want to
Speaker 3: see this woman play well.
Speaker 10: I think the names that will jump out to most
Speaker 10: people are Teresa Setefaro played it and I remember she
Speaker 10: had a great fire in that World Cup we hosted here.
Speaker 10: And of course Stacy Waker is someone who people know
Speaker 10: very well. The name I think we're going to see
Speaker 10: more of, or is going to get more prominence with
Speaker 10: the shift of fifteens for the World Cup is a
Speaker 10: easy PODi Lane, someone who's really highly spoken about within
Speaker 10: that sevens environment. She's effectively become the sort of playmaker,
Speaker 10: the orchestrator of that sevens team, still very young, but
Speaker 10: has been in that sevens environment for a long time now.
Speaker 10: Someone who I'm particularly excited to see what she can
Speaker 10: contribute to a fifteen's environment. Where does she play, I
Speaker 10: don't know, type of player that you could put her
Speaker 10: probably anywhere in the back line, maybe not maybe not
Speaker 10: a midfield, but wing, fallback, half back, you know, like
Speaker 10: one of those players who has such a great skill set,
Speaker 10: such a great understanding of the game that really excited
Speaker 10: to see what someone like her can do. I haven't
Speaker 10: seen play fifteens can can do and add.
Speaker 3: To a transparent skill, Yes he has them. Georgia Miller's
Speaker 3: a one to watch as well. Plainly she's made a
Speaker 3: real statement what she's done so far, and she screens winner,
Speaker 3: doesn't she?
Speaker 10: Yeah, imagine checking her in at second five in a
Speaker 10: black Fern's back line. I'm sure Ellen Bunting, who of
Speaker 10: course has come from that seven's environment, is rubbing his
Speaker 10: hands together at player like Georgia Miller, who just bus
Speaker 10: tackles pace to burn skills athleticism Like I say, you know,
Speaker 10: you look on the other side of it, you say,
Speaker 10: here's seven spots in a black Ferns squad that aren't
Speaker 10: going to go to people who are committed full time
Speaker 10: to the fifteens.
Speaker 3: They want to win first and foremost right, and that's
Speaker 3: the sacrifice they're going to make. Will this be enoughty
Speaker 3: thing to pick up the appreciation, anticipation, engagement ahead of
Speaker 3: the actual tournament itself in England? Or is it a
Speaker 3: case of the other side of the world it's the
Speaker 3: middle of the night.
Speaker 4: They might struggle with.
Speaker 3: This one because even though Opiki's had some great games,
Speaker 3: it's not exactly set the world on fire, has it.
Speaker 10: I think any prominent names you can add to something
Speaker 10: like this, it's it's gonna help. I don't think or
Speaker 10: I don't imagine that's why they've done it. They've done
Speaker 10: it because these players are very good and they think
Speaker 10: they can help them defend a World Cup.
Speaker 3: We're in a World Cup again, Stop saying defend.
Speaker 10: But these these names, these prominent sevens names, the likes
Speaker 10: of Georgia Millerstacy Waika Setefana, they do add name value.
Speaker 10: They do add a next another level of star power
Speaker 10: to the fifteens team outside of the likes of Noua
Speaker 10: Demand the players that really jump out of the fifteen's team.
Speaker 10: So I think it will help definitely in that sense
Speaker 10: as we get closer and closer to the World Cup
Speaker 10: and they're and they're involved, and we see them out
Speaker 10: there playing for the for the fifteens team.
Speaker 3: Sad day and you Seelling Herald a writer Christopher two
Speaker 3: has been writing for four plus decades and news talk
Speaker 3: ZB seell inherible part of NZME, so all the sports
Speaker 3: kids all sit in the same pile together. He's gone
Speaker 3: hugely missed that with what he does and his style,
Speaker 3: his attitude around the building, the way he encapsulates his
Speaker 3: love for sport, and the way he doesn't swim against
Speaker 3: the type. But he's definitely old man, his own man.
Speaker 4: That'll be missed for sure.
Speaker 10: And you know, I've had the pleasure of being able
Speaker 10: to sit pretty much right across the desk from from
Speaker 10: Rats when he's when he's come into the office throughout
Speaker 10: my almost two years here. And you know, first and foremost,
Speaker 10: just a great guy to have in the team. You know,
Speaker 10: he's kind of been almost the sort of unspoken comata
Speaker 10: or of the of the New Zealand heroes that have
Speaker 10: Newstork ZB Sport team, someone of course has had so
Speaker 10: such a long time in the industry, has covered so
Speaker 10: many different things you can't not have an immense respect
Speaker 10: for him. But also just a lovely bloke. And I
Speaker 10: think that's a key thing.
Speaker 3: That sometimes say that a lot about people that are
Speaker 3: leaving because it's the nice thing to say, But Chris
Speaker 3: really is a lovely bloke.
Speaker 10: Yeah, And I think for someone like him, who, especially
Speaker 10: in the latter part of his career, has been known
Speaker 10: as an opinion writer, and we'll often have opinions, because
Speaker 10: that's what opinions are like that people don't agree with that,
Speaker 10: people don't see that. That's the sort of that side
Speaker 10: of someone like him and is just a lovely bloke
Speaker 10: who's who's really had the conviction, like you say, sometimes
Speaker 10: to be as omanticity people.
Speaker 3: He rubs people out the wrong way, like Amim Why
Speaker 3: used to read his stuff at radio Sport Days and
Speaker 3: then I finally met him.
Speaker 4: We joined up, and I was like, what's this guy
Speaker 4: going to be?
Speaker 8: Like?
Speaker 3: I was very defense of like, Wow, he's really nice.
Speaker 3: He's just strong convictions and he doesn't mind saying for
Speaker 3: great debate around the.
Speaker 10: Office too totally, and like that's how some of our
Speaker 10: best story ideas, those kind of directions you want to
Speaker 10: go and are formed by having those discussions, those debate debates,
Speaker 10: rats watches everything. This is another thing I learned about him.
Speaker 10: You know, when he makes these these statements or has
Speaker 10: these opinions, they're not things that he just comes up
Speaker 10: with off the cuff. He loves and lives for sport.
Speaker 10: He has his whole life and he knows what he's
Speaker 10: talking about. You might not always agree with him, but
Speaker 10: he knows his stuff. For sure, so definitely a sad day.
Speaker 10: I mean, forty odd years is a long time to
Speaker 10: be at any company, let alone in an industry like ours.
Speaker 10: It's changed as much. So so a sad day, but
Speaker 10: lots of lots of great things. I mean you read
Speaker 10: the back page of the Herald today. He's done some
Speaker 10: amazing things and a great great man.
Speaker 3: And on that Clay Wilson, Sports News, Director of News
Speaker 3: Talks He and b we thank you very much for
Speaker 3: your time and at your opinion, you look after yourself.
Speaker 2: You two does chairs dissecting this sporting agenda. It's sports
Speaker 2: Vex with Darcy Waldegrave.
Speaker 3: And that's the sports X podcast. Another day, another dollar.
Speaker 3: Thanks for much for joining us, Darcy water Grave. That's
Speaker 3: been the nineteenth of March twenty twenty five. Make sure
Speaker 3: you tune on into sports Talk between seven and eight
Speaker 3: Monday to Friday with myself or Jason Pine and of
Speaker 3: course Piney controlling a whole shoot match on weekend Sport
Speaker 3: between midday and three Saturday and Sunday. If you've enjoyed
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Speaker 3: for listening, Catch again tomorrow Sport.
Speaker 2: Of six.
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