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Speaker 1: You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine

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Speaker 1: from News Talks EDB, a.

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Speaker 2: Journey around the New Zealand based super rugby sides. It

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Speaker 2: was something of a breakthrough season for Mowana Pacifica in

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Speaker 2: twenty twenty five. They won six matches, including victories over

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Speaker 2: the Hurricanes, the Highlanders, the Blues and the Crusaders.

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Speaker 3: Palla Greedy, Mowana Magnificence, Americule ad March for Tanoh Mugger's

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Speaker 3: been for the first time. They beat the Crusaders and

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Speaker 3: Christs full time forty five sweety nine.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, just one of a number of memorable performances from

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Speaker 2: Mowana Pacifica. Last year they finished seventh, just outside the

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Speaker 2: playoff spots. They will open their twenty twenty six campaign

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Speaker 2: up in Lautoka, up against the Fijian Druer in round

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Speaker 2: one a week today. Mowanna Pacifica head coach is Tana Umanga,

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Speaker 2: of course, who joins us now TONA. Thanks for in

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Speaker 2: the time this afternoon. Twenty twenty five was your best

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Speaker 2: ever season by quite some distance, So how do you

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Speaker 2: push on to even greater heights in twenty twenty six?

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Speaker 4: Hey, Jason, how are you. Yeah, that's the question really,

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Speaker 4: and that's the challenge for our group. You know, how

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Speaker 4: do we how we push forward and take another step?

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Speaker 4: And you know, it's something that our group have been

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Speaker 4: very aware of, not resting on last year's laurels. And

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Speaker 4: last year was last year, and obviously our group was

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Speaker 4: different last year, and you know, having the great man

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Speaker 4: Artisa there, he made a big difference for us, both

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Speaker 4: on and off the field. So we acknowledged that. And

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Speaker 4: you know, we've had a group of plants that know

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Speaker 4: that they have to step up, you know, take the

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Speaker 4: learning from last year, but now they've they've got to

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Speaker 4: make sure that they step into the breach and also

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Speaker 4: the spaces that's been left behind by you know, by

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Speaker 4: ARTI and by others that have moved on from our group.

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Speaker 4: And you know, all accounts, I have been very happy

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Speaker 4: with the way our groups stepped up to that. Our

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Speaker 4: leaders have really pushed the envelope. But now, you know,

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Speaker 4: you know, we had our first hit out and yesterday,

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Speaker 4: which was good. Good to actually get a game against

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Speaker 4: someone else. You know, you gets get sick of playing

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Speaker 4: against each other or trading against each other, and uh,

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Speaker 4: you know, there were some good things and obviously some

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Speaker 4: work ons and you know it's going to be a

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Speaker 4: true battle of the Pacific when we go up to

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Speaker 4: Latoka and played our Fijian brothers over there.

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Speaker 2: Yep, look forward to that next Saturday. Your squat done

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Speaker 2: has had more player turnover than pretty much any other side.

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Speaker 2: How have you handled that challenge as a coaching team?

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Speaker 4: Oh, it's I think that's part and parcel of you know,

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Speaker 4: the landscape of Moana and you know, we can provide

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Speaker 4: opportunities for players and hopefully you know, like you know,

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Speaker 4: it is a tough one. We say to our plans,

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Speaker 4: you're not going to make your money with us, but

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Speaker 4: you make a name and then the money will come

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Speaker 4: from that. You know, we can give you opportunities to

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Speaker 4: get your name out there and if you play well enough,

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Speaker 4: you know, who knows who'll come knocking out your door.

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Speaker 4: And you know it was iron for us last year

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Speaker 4: for a few players that have gone over to to

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Speaker 4: provide for their families, you know, and you know, make

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Speaker 4: some money for them and their futures. And again it

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Speaker 4: just opens up other opportunities for players to come through.

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Speaker 4: And you know that's I know, that's a big work

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Speaker 4: on for all and us ourselves is around creating those

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Speaker 4: pathways underneath. So when when players do transition overseas or

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Speaker 4: to other clubs, then we've got something coming through and

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Speaker 4: our pathway team, they've done a good job and we're

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Speaker 4: just going to make sure that, you know, it comes

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Speaker 4: to fruition for us.

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Speaker 2: You've also added at the top end, at the other

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Speaker 2: end of the experience, Sky former All Blacks midfield and

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Speaker 2: Nanni la Mape. How how has he fitted into the group?

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Speaker 2: How important is he going to be for you?

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Speaker 4: Oh, he's you know, he's I think we're quite fortunate

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Speaker 4: and when guys arrive here, they fit in pretty well.

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Speaker 4: You know, the cultures are what they're used to. They've

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Speaker 4: all got, you know, friends from from other other other teams,

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Speaker 4: and you know that they've known the previous previous walks

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Speaker 4: of life. So you know, he's fitting really well and

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Speaker 4: manly so understated himself. You know, he just wants to

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Speaker 4: get and meet the guys. He wants to just show

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Speaker 4: what he's worth with his actions. But you know everyone

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Speaker 4: gives them the utmost respect as you do with someone

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Speaker 4: that's achieved what Nanni's achieved, and you know He's really

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Speaker 4: led led really well for us. He's coming good, Nick,

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Speaker 4: and he's just coming. He's he's a competitor and I

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Speaker 4: think that's what he enjoys. And I think our players,

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Speaker 4: like you know that they know that he's going to

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Speaker 4: push them. When he's pushing them, he's pushing himself as well.

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Speaker 2: You scored plenty of points last year, Tana, but also

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Speaker 2: conceded a few. How much of a work on has

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Speaker 2: your defense been?

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Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, I know that has been a bit of

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Speaker 4: a focal point for us and we're still going there.

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Speaker 4: Alandas has done a great job and really pushing you know,

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Speaker 4: some standards around that. And you know, like you said,

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Speaker 4: we can score points, it's just trying to stop people

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Speaker 4: scoring points where that is the key for us. And

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Speaker 4: obviously if you want to go further into the postseason,

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Speaker 4: you know, you see the lights of the top teams,

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Speaker 4: that's when they really put the screws in around their defense,

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Speaker 4: and so you know, we're no different. So it is

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Speaker 4: an ere that were hopefully we can wreckfy this season.

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Speaker 2: How do you fill the gap left by Addie Savia?

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Speaker 4: Oh, you know, we boast it right at the start

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Speaker 4: our first day together. You know, no one can through

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Speaker 4: that space, no one person. So I think it's a

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Speaker 4: collective effort. You know, we talked around everyone has to

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Speaker 4: step up, and as I mentioned before, our leaders have

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Speaker 4: done that. You know, they're stepping up. You know, it's

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Speaker 4: it's still a big shadow to have hanging over us.

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Speaker 4: But our boys, you know, they embrace that because they know,

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Speaker 4: you know, that they can call upon you know, one

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Speaker 4: of the best players in the world at the moment

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Speaker 4: until seek his advice, you know, so it doesn't become

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Speaker 4: a shadow. It's one that they actually where it was private.

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Speaker 4: They've been able to play with Artie Severe and also

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Speaker 4: you know, obviously we've got his brother here, but also

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Speaker 4: they can call upon him whenever they want. And Artie

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Speaker 4: is such a great man that you know, he's still

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Speaker 4: available to our players if they want to chat and

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Speaker 4: and things like that. So you know think you know,

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Speaker 4: obviously he would his shadow would loan large over most.

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Speaker 4: But I think for us, you know, we see it

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Speaker 4: as a as I said, it gives our boys confidence

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Speaker 4: that they know they've got someone like that in the corner.

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Speaker 4: And also, you know, someone like it that we don't

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Speaker 4: want to let down. Who's you know again, what he

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Speaker 4: did for us last year, you know, and amongst amongst

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Speaker 4: a lot of people that were trying to turn them

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Speaker 4: away from coming to Moana, he stuck to his guns

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Speaker 4: and his beliefs, and you know it didn't affect him

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Speaker 4: or his play, you know, once he left us. So

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Speaker 4: you know that's something for us to take confidence from.

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Speaker 2: So in terms of the leadership, Miracle Fighter Lungy is

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Speaker 2: your twenty twenty six skipper. What are the leadership qualities

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Speaker 2: you saw in him that that led you to hand

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Speaker 2: the armbands over to Miracle?

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Speaker 4: Look, I think miracles are very you know. Again, he

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Speaker 4: doesn't say a lot, but when he does speak, you

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Speaker 4: just see that the players respect what he says. He

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Speaker 4: has a real empathy for the whole team and he

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Speaker 4: wants to He has a good feel around what the

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Speaker 4: team needs, not just himself or not what certain players need,

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Speaker 4: and he's willing to stand up for that, you know,

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Speaker 4: and my and my discussions with him. Obviously he's still young,

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Speaker 4: you know, it's new for him, so it's going to

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Speaker 4: take him a little bit to sell in that role.

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Speaker 4: But he's got good support around him and some old

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Speaker 4: heads that will help him through that. And you know,

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Speaker 4: we're expecting him to grow into this role. And you

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Speaker 4: know he also for me, you know, he's one of

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Speaker 4: our best players in our team, and that's got to

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Speaker 4: be part of, you know, the leadership. You know, he

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Speaker 4: through some foremost you're a player, and he is that.

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Speaker 4: You know, he's one of our most outstanding plas and

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Speaker 4: so that that gains a little lot of respect from

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Speaker 4: those around him. And as long as he can focus

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Speaker 4: on that role first and foremost, and then the leadership

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Speaker 4: will come with it.

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Speaker 2: That would respect Tonna. Do you think last year was

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Speaker 2: the year Moana Pacific had gained the respect of everybody

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Speaker 2: else in the competition?

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Speaker 4: Yeah? I think we did. I think we did. And now,

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Speaker 4: you know, like for us, we've got to back that up.

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Speaker 4: You know, like I said, last year was last year,

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Speaker 4: and now you know, I think that respect now is

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Speaker 4: probably well that was just because Ardie Savier was here

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Speaker 4: with us, you know, and now the artist's gone. I

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Speaker 4: think we have to in more respect now, you know,

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Speaker 4: like just because Artie was here and now we've got

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Speaker 4: a new group, Artie's not here, I think they'll think, oh, well,

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Speaker 4: they're just going to go back to where they were

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Speaker 4: before and that's something that we you know, we've got

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Speaker 4: to talk about and we've talked about and they I

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Speaker 4: need to understand that this new wave of player has

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Speaker 4: to earn their respect again.

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Speaker 2: See, there's gonna be some occasion up in lat Token

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Speaker 2: next week, isn't it. You're looking forward to starting your

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Speaker 2: season in that way?

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Speaker 4: Oh yeah, I'm fine with me. They've got new Totuns

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Speaker 4: boxes up there that got air conditioning and for.

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Speaker 2: The love it but yeah, I mean yeah, yeah, I

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Speaker 2: mean obviously the heat, but I mean that seems like

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Speaker 2: a really really I like that we're starting with a

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Speaker 2: Pacific Derby like this. I mean, are you boys looking

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Speaker 2: forward to it? Yeah?

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Speaker 4: Yeah, no, again, you you know, you've got to embrace

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Speaker 4: the whole occasion. You know, I think, as I said

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Speaker 4: right at the start, the you know, having the two

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Speaker 4: Pacific nations that have been incorporated into you know, the

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Speaker 4: Super Rugby Pacific, it was a great idea, you know.

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Speaker 4: And obviously it's not ideal that we're going up to

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Speaker 4: lot Ok in the in the midst of the heat there,

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Speaker 4: but that's just part of it. And you know, our

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Speaker 4: going up to Fiji and you know what what what

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Speaker 4: how they love rugby, and I think it's you know,

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Speaker 4: like you say, it's an occasion to be embraced by us,

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Speaker 4: and we know it's going to be hard, you know,

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Speaker 4: and you know we haven't been done any favors in

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Speaker 4: our draw around. Then we come back and have a

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Speaker 4: short turn around before we've got to go back down

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Speaker 4: to Wellington and play them, So you know, you know,

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Speaker 4: these are just part of the trials and tribulations that

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Speaker 4: both our sides have to go through. You're just going

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Speaker 4: to embrace it and go for it.

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Speaker 2: Great approach, great to chat has always Tana. Thanks for

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Speaker 2: taking the time on the eve of the new season.

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Speaker 2: Look forward to catching up across the next few months

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Speaker 2: or so.

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Speaker 4: You take care.

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Speaker 2: You take care too, Tana. Thanks and day tana Umanga.

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Speaker 2: There of course the unmistakable voice of the great man,

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Speaker 2: the head coach of Mauana PACIFICA. That'll be the big question,

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Speaker 2: may how do you do it without Artie another great man? Well,

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Speaker 2: I guess that's the challenge for tana Umanga and he's

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Speaker 2: never been shy of one.

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Speaker 1: For more from Weekends Sport with Jason Fine, Listen live

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Speaker 1: to news talks at b Weekends from midday or follow

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Speaker 1: the podcast on iHeartRadio