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Speaker 1: In a big old year for New Zealand Rugby, hasn't it,

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Speaker 1: both on and off the field. We've got the new coach,

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Speaker 1: new players, new markets, new challenges, new controversies. Next year

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Speaker 1: is looking to be no different because the board is

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Speaker 1: going to be revamped and obviously the Sky deal is

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Speaker 1: still waiting to be signed. New Zealand Rugby CEO Mark

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Speaker 1: Robinson is with us for the final chat this year. Mark, Hello,

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Speaker 1: I'm well, thank you. Now listen, give me tell me

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Speaker 1: the honest truth. How are you feeling about that hacker?

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Speaker 2: Now? We are we We're sorry, we're the hacker. You've

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Speaker 2: you've you've lost me. We're through through the tours.

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Speaker 1: Oh are you? Are you sort of like which are

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Speaker 1: you doing? That thing where I say the hacker and

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Speaker 1: you go, which hocker are you talking about?

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Speaker 2: Was incredible right through the India tour, you.

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Speaker 1: Know I'm talking about.

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Speaker 2: Performed, was was a real talking point right through the tour.

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Speaker 2: So yeah, you'll left to forgive me.

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Speaker 1: That, okay, So I'll just paint the picture for you.

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Speaker 1: So the very last hacker of the tour was the

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Speaker 1: hacker where TJ did the little the little totalk all

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Speaker 1: to the he Coy. How are you feeling about that one?

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Speaker 2: Oh? Well, I mean we we were really at the time.

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Speaker 2: I think Scott and Scott supposed spoke to that in

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Speaker 2: the aftern of the of the match. It was fantastic.

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Speaker 2: You know, TJ had the opportunity to go out in

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Speaker 2: his final final match. He obviously did the call of

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Speaker 2: the of the hacker and you know it was great

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Speaker 2: to see both him and Sam go out on a

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Speaker 2: match in a new market like that. And Turin well

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Speaker 2: sort of I guess supported by the team.

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Speaker 1: Cool. So if somebody came to you, if one of

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Speaker 1: your players came to you again and was like, hey,

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Speaker 1: there's this really controversial thing happening in New Zealand. I

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Speaker 1: want to do a hacker and support one side, would

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Speaker 1: you be like, yeah, go for it. Uh.

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Speaker 2: Look, we're working at at the moment here that is

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Speaker 2: you know, all sorts of things you've talked before about

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Speaker 2: trends and things happening in the sport. This is a

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Speaker 2: fantastic sort of evolution to the sport where you know,

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Speaker 2: we're working with athletes who want to use their platform

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Speaker 2: to have views on things and our role is to

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Speaker 2: balance that.

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Speaker 1: With Seriously, though, do you not think that there was

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Speaker 1: anything wrong with that, because the country is split on

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Speaker 1: this right, So all that happened is a whole bunch

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Speaker 1: of rugby fans got really annoyed.

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Speaker 2: It's a beautiful thing about sport and a lot of

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Speaker 2: things that we do we're opening. We've been very clear

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Speaker 2: that we're open to a huge amount of scrutiny, and

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Speaker 2: that's often the case with many things that happened our sports.

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Speaker 2: So you're a feud a few of them in the intro,

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Speaker 2: so you know, we work through it at the time.

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Speaker 2: We've got a huge amount of things that we're looking

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Speaker 2: forward to in the new year, and we're getting on with.

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Speaker 1: Say, let's say that one of your future hucker leaders

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Speaker 1: comes to you and is like, do you know what

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Speaker 1: I love David Seymore's treaty principles, Bill, I want to

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Speaker 1: hucker and support of that. Would you be cool with that?

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Speaker 2: Let's things have worked through in the team heater and

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Speaker 2: as Scott and Scott both spoke to in the aftermath

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Speaker 2: of the in the Italian game, so we're broadly across

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Speaker 2: you know, the conversations that happened there. But that's that's

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Speaker 2: for the All Blacks. The players, the team management to

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Speaker 2: work through and we know they have great conversations about

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Speaker 2: that and are really open and.

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Speaker 1: Honest I'm surprised that you guys are taking an open

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Speaker 1: minded approach to this because I feel like it Honestly,

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Speaker 1: it wounds so many people up so badly. You'd be

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Speaker 1: better off staying out of politics, don't you think.

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Speaker 2: Well, broadly, you know, we we we tend to but

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Speaker 2: we've we've got to recognize that this is a really

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Speaker 2: interesting time across the country. You know, there's there's lots

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Speaker 2: of different views on this, and this is a matter

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Speaker 2: that was worked through with the team and as I say,

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Speaker 2: there's not too much more to say about it at

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Speaker 2: this stage.

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Speaker 1: Okay, is there going to be something to say about

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Speaker 1: it at a later stage, Well, let's.

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Speaker 2: We'll get I think everyone needs to get to the

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Speaker 2: beach for a Well, we'll see what happens to the.

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Speaker 1: January looking forward. Okay, hey, listener, you're going to let

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Speaker 1: raise a pick and players overseas.

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Speaker 2: Oh, look, we've been really clear on this too, heire.

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Speaker 2: So we're you know, we remain open mind around but

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Speaker 2: at the same time, we are very very comfortable with

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Speaker 2: the policy we have in place at the moment, we

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Speaker 2: are comfortable that the players are really clear on it

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Speaker 2: and their representatives and there's flexibility within the system we

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Speaker 2: have at the moment to be able to look at

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Speaker 2: the sabbatical type initiatives. So there's something that's This is

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Speaker 2: something that's always reviewed from time to time, but at

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Speaker 2: the moment where we're very it's very comfortable with where

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Speaker 2: it sits.

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Speaker 1: Have you got Richie Muwanga back yet?

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Speaker 2: Just Look, we don't speak on matters around you know,

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Speaker 2: player contracting publicly, so so I probably can't adswer that

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Speaker 2: one to your to your liking either either.

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Speaker 1: Unfortunately, Now, what's going on with the French? Because they

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Speaker 1: they are being bits of dicks, aren't they. They don't

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Speaker 1: to come and play against us in the US. They're

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Speaker 1: sending the B squad and they won't even wear the

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Speaker 1: right catch when we play against them. What's up?

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Speaker 2: Look, we we've had some really good conversations with the

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Speaker 2: French in recent times. I was obviously there spent quite

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Speaker 2: a signilic amount of time in November. Look, I think

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Speaker 2: we'll have to wait and see as to what the team,

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Speaker 2: as they said, it will depend on the final of

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Speaker 2: the domestic leagues, but we know it will be incredibly

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Speaker 2: strong team. We strong.

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Speaker 1: What are you talking about it's a bee squad?

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Speaker 2: Well, it won't be. No, I'm sorry, it won't be

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Speaker 2: a B squad. And if you look at the trend

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Speaker 2: of the player depths in France at the moment and

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Speaker 2: where their twenties have come from, they might be without

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Speaker 2: Summer they're more well renowned players. But I'll certainly have

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Speaker 2: a very strong team.

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Speaker 1: And if they put Kai bosh on playing that match

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Speaker 1: in the US, have.

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Speaker 2: They They weren't in favor of it, so we you know,

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Speaker 2: we obviously wanted to explore or the opportunity. We hadn't

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Speaker 2: finalized where we were at with that game either, but

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Speaker 2: it would been good to have the options. So so, yes,

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Speaker 2: they haven't been in favor. I see they've come out

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Speaker 2: and talked about that publicly. But you know, we just

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Speaker 2: have to move on. I mean, it's huguely exciting that

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Speaker 2: we're going to get sex domestic test matches in New Zealand,

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Speaker 2: South Africa France, so you know, two of the top

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Speaker 2: four teams in the world and in Australia for a

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Speaker 2: traditionally massive leaders though. So look, we're moving on with it,

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Speaker 2: and it'll be great to have all those games played

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Speaker 2: a cosss.

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Speaker 1: Hey, very very quickly. You're going to get that Sky

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Speaker 1: deal signed by the end of the year.

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Speaker 2: Well, working on it. But you know, I said, there's

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Speaker 2: a bit of media speculation over over the weekend. You know,

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Speaker 2: we don't. We don't tend to sort of engage in

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Speaker 2: that sort of stuff. But yeah, we're working really constructively

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Speaker 2: of Sky and we'll keep things moving.

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Speaker 1: How the book's looking. You got any money the WhatsApp?

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Speaker 2: The books are the box? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,

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Speaker 2: we're we're going. Okay, thanks for checking in on that.

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Speaker 1: I'm checking in on it because once you say, I'm

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Speaker 1: that deal with with Sky is going to be a

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Speaker 1: lot lower than it was last time.

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Speaker 2: Again, you know, we don't. We don't comment on what

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Speaker 2: we were read in the paper.

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Speaker 1: Honestly, I feel like I know more about what's going

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Speaker 1: on than you. You sometimes the way you want to

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Speaker 1: dodge these questions.

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Speaker 2: Oh no, you might mean overall, we're really happy for you.

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Speaker 2: The game debt, he that you know, we've had a

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Speaker 2: really positive you look at community game. If you want

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Speaker 2: to talk about any of that stuff, it'd be great.

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Speaker 2: To talk about the positive stuff. But I understand there's

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Speaker 2: lots of other stuff that sort of takes up people's mindsation.

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Speaker 2: But talk about what you want to talk.

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Speaker 1: About, you know what. You make a very good point.

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Speaker 1: We do actually need to talk about the community game

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Speaker 1: at some stage because it is really important. Marke listen,

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Speaker 1: Thanks very much, Go and have a lovely summer break

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Speaker 1: and merry Christmas you and your family. That's Mike Robinson,

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Speaker 1: New Zealand Rugby CEO. For more from The Mic Asking Breakfast,

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Speaker 1: listen live to news talks.

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Speaker 2: It'd be from six a m.

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Speaker 1: Weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio