Speaker 1: Here at two Good Sports, we would like to acknowledge
Speaker 1: the traditional owners of the land on which we record
Speaker 1: this podcast. There were innerie people. This land was never seated,
Speaker 1: always was always will be. Hello and welcome to two
Speaker 1: Good Sports. It's sports news told differently.
Speaker 2: I'm Abby Jelmy and if I'm doing the intro, you
Speaker 2: just know that Georgie Tunney must be absolutely killing the
Speaker 2: Amazing Race. But I am joined by the amazing Catherine
Speaker 2: Murphy as a stand in mirth.
Speaker 3: Welcome, Oh thank you for having me in. And Georgie
Speaker 3: she's got to be winning the Amazing Race. I mean
Speaker 3: her and Rob even their little fights about how to
Speaker 3: do it would be cute. They should just win the
Speaker 3: cutest couple in Australia race.
Speaker 2: I was about to say, surely it's a popularity vote
Speaker 2: at one point and they just have to win it anyway.
Speaker 3: They'll definitely win one percent. I'm just glad to be
Speaker 3: here while she's off winning.
Speaker 2: Well, mrth you have to be firstly my Good Sports.
Speaker 2: So tell us a little bit about yourself. Obviously you're
Speaker 2: the ABC Sports presenter. You've also written a book with
Speaker 2: Zach Tuohey, so you're across all sport more. But how
Speaker 2: did you end up being a sports journalist?
Speaker 4: Wow?
Speaker 3: That's a crazy I feel like I don't know about you, Abby.
Speaker 3: I feel like it was all I was ever meant
Speaker 3: to do. I remember signing up for journalism in UNI
Speaker 3: and straight away gravitating towards the sports aspect of it.
Speaker 3: I played a lot of sport in Uni. I played
Speaker 3: Gaelic football really badly, and I was so inferior. I
Speaker 3: just interviewed Aaron Phillips today on News Breakfast, so I'm
Speaker 3: really aware of how I was never going to make it.
Speaker 3: You know when you look at someone that really made
Speaker 3: it and you know exactly why you didn't.
Speaker 2: But Aaron Phillips is particularly humbling because she's played basketball
Speaker 2: for Australia and won a silver medal, as well as
Speaker 2: being one of the greatest, if not the greatest, in
Speaker 2: my mind AFLW player that we've ever seen.
Speaker 4: So she's a duel code star.
Speaker 2: So no wonder You're like, Okay, could I just have
Speaker 2: had one?
Speaker 3: Do you look at her and you feel so inferior athletically?
Speaker 3: And I always think when I'm talking to amazing athletes
Speaker 3: like that, God, I need to go to the gym
Speaker 3: or do you close with health?
Speaker 4: Yeah, do you have that thought process?
Speaker 2: We work with athletes all the time. Ob you just
Speaker 2: look at them and I go, I just believe you're
Speaker 2: better than me. Oh yeah, like I just believe you're
Speaker 2: better than me in all aspects. And Aaron is one
Speaker 2: of those ones that I've been so lucky to work
Speaker 2: with in commentary. Not only is she delightful, but she
Speaker 2: does have that glow of like not many toxins into
Speaker 2: my body.
Speaker 4: Oh my god, exactly her guns.
Speaker 2: I'm like, I need to go to the gym, I
Speaker 2: need to lift things, I need to go outside.
Speaker 4: And she's just the nicest.
Speaker 3: Meanwhile, if you tested us for toxins right now, let's
Speaker 3: not go there.
Speaker 4: But she is amazing.
Speaker 3: Honestly, if I told you what I had for breakfast alone,
Speaker 3: you be horrified. I think I had chocolate for breakfast
Speaker 3: because they get a bred me. I know when they
Speaker 3: don't give you breakfast and you're so hungry by nine
Speaker 3: am and it's your lunchtime that I have been known
Speaker 3: to eat terrible things by nine am, which Aaron Phillips
Speaker 3: would never do. But yeah, so failed Gaelic footballer but
Speaker 3: always loved sport, and as soon as I got into
Speaker 3: my course, I knew it was going to be sport.
Speaker 3: And I ended up getting a tour of a TV station.
Speaker 3: My cousin worked there, so a bit of nepotism got
Speaker 3: me in the door for that day. She was just
Speaker 3: showing me around the TV channel, and I remember thinking, Abby,
Speaker 3: TV is so fun, Like I was just straight away
Speaker 3: transfixed by the cam you see on TV and the
Speaker 3: chaos behind the scenes, and I love chaos, and I
Speaker 3: just loved the chaotic nature of it, the deadlines, the adrenaline.
Speaker 3: I started as a producer, I didn't know if i'd
Speaker 3: ever do on camera stuff, and yeah, started there, so
Speaker 3: I kind of feel like I always knew just because
Speaker 3: of that day, kind of that you have in your
Speaker 3: life where you just all of a sudden, you know.
Speaker 2: Well, that's beautiful firstly, and it's amazing that you've been
Speaker 2: able to forge your career for yourself as well. And
Speaker 2: you are our favorite, your Georgie's favorite as well, You're.
Speaker 3: My favorites, and I just love that you're are offsiders
Speaker 3: Hostle Abby. When I got that news, and I got
Speaker 3: it earlier than I should have, I did.
Speaker 2: Before my parents just quiet, like they told me I
Speaker 2: wasn't allowed to tell a soul and Murphy just sends
Speaker 2: me a sly text being like, I don't know, but
Speaker 2: if you know that, we know that, I know that
Speaker 2: you know.
Speaker 4: And I was like, wait what, I'm not going to
Speaker 4: tell anyone. I had to do an investigation. And you're
Speaker 4: a real journalist.
Speaker 3: You're sometimes when I really want to know something. And
Speaker 3: I was so delighted when I heard it that I
Speaker 3: did try not to message you, and the person who
Speaker 3: told me warned me enough to message you, but I
Speaker 3: had to message you because we're so lucky to have you,
Speaker 3: and I can't wait to be on the show.
Speaker 4: Sometimes soon as I say when are we getting you back,
Speaker 4: I'm going to happen. I'm feeling like it's personal. You
Speaker 4: haven't look you're more of a Kelly goal I get it.
Speaker 3: Oh my god, I am dying to come on the show.
Speaker 3: And it's going to happen very soon, I promise.
Speaker 2: And one of the topics that we need to talk
Speaker 2: about this year is rugby, which is going to be
Speaker 2: a major not.
Speaker 4: Rugby league, rugby union.
Speaker 2: And there are some people that you have to discern
Speaker 2: that we're talking about the Wallabies. We're talking about the
Speaker 2: British Irish Lines tour. But as a listener of the podcast,
Speaker 2: you will know that we do a good sport off
Speaker 2: the top or a bad sport, and I'm going to
Speaker 2: lob up my bad sport as every account that designers
Speaker 2: to do an April Fool's post, because they got me.
Speaker 4: They got me, Murph in a real way.
Speaker 2: So as you well know, we do stories throughout the
Speaker 2: week for offsiders that we try to keep an eye
Speaker 2: across all things.
Speaker 4: I sent a message to Danny, my producer. Yes we
Speaker 4: love Danny.
Speaker 2: Simply just a screenshot of this exclusive DCE to sign
Speaker 2: a bombshell contract with the Reds Wallaby's debut for Bledisloe
Speaker 2: Cup looms.
Speaker 4: Oh it Dane.
Speaker 2: He was going to do a five year contract with
Speaker 2: one point four million dollars and I've screenshot it and
Speaker 2: said part of my French but holy shit.
Speaker 3: Honestly, do you know what really got me is on
Speaker 3: the day I was very aware that there was going
Speaker 3: to be a lot of pranks online.
Speaker 4: I didn't know what date it is. I don't know
Speaker 4: what date is any day, but.
Speaker 3: The problem is on April second, because of the algorithm,
Speaker 3: a lot of them.
Speaker 4: Obviously they get most pushed up.
Speaker 3: Yes, so they're coming into your algorithm on April second,
Speaker 3: and I got caught really bad because I just finished
Speaker 3: News Breakfast. It's nine o'clock and your biggest fear is, well,
Speaker 3: your biggest fears.
Speaker 4: That you sleep in and you're not even there.
Speaker 3: But second biggest fear is that you miss something big
Speaker 3: when you're busy and it's really hard to always be
Speaker 3: across everything all of the time. So I opened my
Speaker 3: phone at nine am and I see a post that
Speaker 3: former Wallabies coach Eddie Jones has been appointed the Welsh
Speaker 3: national coach and I shrieked because it's believable. I mean,
Speaker 3: I'm still traumatized from when he was doing those zooms
Speaker 3: with Japan, so like, I'm ripe for the pecking. So
Speaker 3: when I saw that, I almost died. I was like, here,
Speaker 3: I am. I love covering Rugby, want to do more
Speaker 3: of it on News Breakfast, and I've missed the fact Eddie.
Speaker 4: Jones is now coach of Wales.
Speaker 3: Figured out shortly after it he is not just to emphasize,
Speaker 3: but yeah, that is the worst.
Speaker 2: Well, let's lean in now to our main discussion then,
Speaker 2: because we mentioned if we're talking about coaching, we're talking
Speaker 2: about Wallabies. We are still waiting to find out who
Speaker 2: is going to be the Wallabies coach, especially looking forward
Speaker 2: to a World Cup that we have in twenty twenty seven,
Speaker 2: and they're calling this the golden decade of rugby events
Speaker 2: that we're going to have in Australia.
Speaker 4: Leading stop it.
Speaker 3: Even the phrase is a little bit triggering after everything
Speaker 3: that's happened. For sure, we're going into the good years now. Sorry,
Speaker 3: well it's been the best any therapy, this will be
Speaker 3: like rugby therapy.
Speaker 4: Well that's maybe it will be.
Speaker 2: And that's why we always talk we I mean, did
Speaker 2: the Rebels expose last year on what exactly had happened
Speaker 2: there and you mentioned Eddie Jones and the saga that
Speaker 2: that was. It feels like rugby in Australia has been
Speaker 2: wading through the murky waters and has finally found its
Speaker 2: way into the light because things are happening. We've got
Speaker 2: all four of the Australian Super Rugby teams in the
Speaker 2: top six, we have the Reds on top of the
Speaker 2: table for the first time in twelve years. All these
Speaker 2: positive things are happening, but we just need to know
Speaker 2: who this new coach is going to be.
Speaker 4: We are going to know.
Speaker 3: I literally say any minute now. Was expected that it
Speaker 3: would be today or tomorrow. I'd love that not to
Speaker 3: happen today. We're but I'm keeping an eye on my phone.
Speaker 3: We now don't think it will be today or tomorrow,
Speaker 3: and more likely early next week. I would say right now,
Speaker 3: as we said here, Les Kiss, the Queensland Rad's coach,
Speaker 3: is well and truely the man for the job. But
Speaker 3: it's not a done deal. Nothing's been signed. There's a
Speaker 3: lot going on behind the scenes, a lot going on.
Speaker 3: For example, Stu Lancaster, who was with England, He's also
Speaker 3: worked in Ireland, he's worked with Joe Schmidt before. His
Speaker 3: name is suddenly in the mix. Now I can't see
Speaker 3: a former English coach getting that role, but I could
Speaker 3: see him potentially taking over the Reds job if Les
Speaker 3: Kiss leaves, assuming that gets done. But there's a lot
Speaker 3: going on behind the scenes, and it was actually, wait
Speaker 3: for it, a genuinely extensive process and I understand in
Speaker 3: huge breaking news all of those who applied for it
Speaker 3: are actually happy with the process. So what I mean,
Speaker 3: it's a long way from a glass of Chabblis with
Speaker 3: Eddie Jones and let's just say that's how that got done.
Speaker 3: So we're actually doing sports governance in rugby.
Speaker 2: There's a process and Oliver which Philbore is one.
Speaker 3: Of them, and there was more than two meetings. I
Speaker 3: understand with each applicant and they're all happy. I understand
Speaker 3: with the process. As we says here right now, it
Speaker 3: looks like it's Les Kiss, but there's a lot going
Speaker 3: on behind the scenes, so we won't know until we know,
Speaker 3: but we would expect it to happen next week.
Speaker 4: I mean.
Speaker 2: The problem being Joe Schmidt, who obviously is an incredible coach,
Speaker 2: and he put his own hand up and said, look,
Speaker 2: I'm happy to be basically the caretaker for this period.
Speaker 4: But I've got family comments.
Speaker 2: He's spoken openly about his son having disabilities and needing
Speaker 2: to care intend for him. So we have absolutely loved
Speaker 2: his tenure and seeing what he's done with the Wallabies.
Speaker 2: The problem being Joe said he's not doing any media
Speaker 2: until the new coach is announced, so you've got this
Speaker 2: gap in being able to promote what's going to be
Speaker 2: such an incredible tour in terms of the British and
Speaker 2: Irish Lions tour, which is only eighty days away, Murphy,
Speaker 2: if you can believe it.
Speaker 4: Yeah, and I feel like I know why Joe was
Speaker 4: doing that, but I want to have to foot the questions.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and I haven't spoken to Joe. But from the outside,
Speaker 3: look at this. The names that are ultimately looking to
Speaker 3: be successful out of this whole process, Les Kiss, Stu
Speaker 3: Lancaster may be getting a role somewhere. These are guys
Speaker 3: that Joe Schmidt has worked with and it's becoming really
Speaker 3: clear that Rugby Australias still want Joe involved. What's going
Speaker 3: to be interesting is if he is involved, what exactly
Speaker 3: is the title? Could it even be a director of rugby?
Speaker 3: Surely not because he wants to beg himself in New Zealand.
Speaker 3: Will he be a high level consultant? I do hope
Speaker 3: he's involved in some way because I worry about him
Speaker 3: being completely unattached to the Wallabies back in New Zealand.
Speaker 3: He's already worked with the All Blacks. We can't have
Speaker 3: that ip. No, we're going over to New Zealand. Hi
Speaker 3: to Alista, the producer of this podcast, who's from New Zealand.
Speaker 3: I just had to throw that out there, so we
Speaker 3: can't lose that IP. We've already lost a lot of IP.
Speaker 3: So David Nusiphora is a name that not all of
Speaker 3: our listeners will have heard of. He is from Canberra,
Speaker 3: he moved to Ireland to Dublin. He's set up all
Speaker 3: of the structures that ensure the Irish rugby team made
Speaker 3: it to number one in the world. Now, can I
Speaker 3: just say you're not number one unless you win the.
Speaker 4: Rugby World Cup. It's just a ranking, doesn't matter as much.
Speaker 4: But much like world football, the World Cup is the
Speaker 4: beyond end.
Speaker 3: Or exactly, and Ireland unfortunately haven't been past the quarterfinals.
Speaker 3: We're not discussing that your listeners.
Speaker 2: Murphy just looked to the ground like it was solemn
Speaker 2: and that she couldn't believe that she had to admit to.
Speaker 3: Because if I don't admit it, people will point it
Speaker 3: out to me in social media. So David usafora set
Speaker 3: up those structures. Then Rugby Australia managed to get him
Speaker 3: on board as a consultant in the new high performance
Speaker 3: unit which is now in place. Guess what he's working
Speaker 3: with the British and Irish Lions. And everyone was saying
Speaker 3: don't worry about it because he was just helping with
Speaker 3: some contracting. You don't go into a governing body and
Speaker 3: just help with some contracting. You get a lot of
Speaker 3: I and now he is on the opposition side. So
Speaker 3: from that point of view, I hope we keep Joe
Speaker 3: Schmidt in some form, but it's going to be interesting
Speaker 3: to see what that is. Will the new coach have
Speaker 3: the final say, will he be a consultant? That's if
Speaker 3: it is Les Kiss and did that deter other applicants
Speaker 3: like Stephen Larkham, who is definitely in the mix.
Speaker 2: I name that Australian rugby fans immediately feel comfortable.
Speaker 3: With exactly, and so they should because if you look
Speaker 3: at the Brumbi's and they just are excellence personified.
Speaker 4: They're always successful.
Speaker 3: So they're fourth on the ladder at the moment, it's
Speaker 3: so tight with the Reds and number one.
Speaker 4: Stop the count. Let's end soup. Yeah, everyone press the buzzer.
Speaker 2: Let's just leave it with all Australians in the top
Speaker 2: six because it just doesn't happen.
Speaker 3: It doesn't, and you know why it's happening, Abby, Yes,
Speaker 3: all the best players are now condensed into four sides. Boy,
Speaker 3: we'd loss of rebels exactly. Four great coaches. That for
Speaker 3: me is the reason we're seeing such great performances. And
Speaker 3: to have four great super rugby coachus means we'll probably
Speaker 3: have a great Wallabyes side because they're the ones coaching
Speaker 3: the players all year before they get handed over to
Speaker 3: Joe Schmidt. So that's really important. There's no side that's
Speaker 3: kind of dragging players down.
Speaker 2: That was something that Eddie Jones spoke to when he
Speaker 2: was sort of listing the issues as to why the
Speaker 2: Wallabies were supposedly not performing. As he said that we
Speaker 2: don't have enough control over what these players are doing
Speaker 2: at club level. But if the club level has all
Speaker 2: lifted and the standard ass all lifted, and as you said,
Speaker 2: they've all got a leak coaching, all of a sudden
Speaker 2: you find those feeder systems which are so important to
Speaker 2: how we perform at a national level, are starting to
Speaker 2: meet the mark. And I just I think when you've
Speaker 2: got such an important tour coming up, those players that
Speaker 2: are vying for a Wallaby's position, even though you'd like
Speaker 2: to bring your best every week, they just find a
Speaker 2: different gear mouth.
Speaker 3: Oh totally, And you're so right about just the standard
Speaker 3: being lifted in every site, like look at the Western
Speaker 3: Forest just barely losing to the Reds.
Speaker 4: They've had to win over the Brombies.
Speaker 3: That's good coaching across the board in Australia and we
Speaker 3: need it this year, we really do.
Speaker 2: You mentioned see the Western Forest, they're one of the
Speaker 2: teams that have collapsed. They're not collapse and Twiggy Forests
Speaker 2: came in. We've seen so many different iterations of Super Rugby,
Speaker 2: which is now the Super Rugby Pacific, and we know
Speaker 2: it's difficult to garner attention in the Australian sporting landscape,
Speaker 2: particularly when this is a Pacific competition, so you're not
Speaker 2: guaranteed to have an Australian team doing well or certainly
Speaker 2: winning the competition. How important is it for the Wallabies
Speaker 2: to hit this golden era with momentum and really capitalize
Speaker 2: a home World Cup. This is meant to bring two
Speaker 2: billion dollars of revenue to Australia with the amount of
Speaker 2: people that we're expecting to see travel and again you
Speaker 2: think they're twenty twenty Seven's that far away? It's really not.
Speaker 2: And that will all springboard off this British and Irish
Speaker 2: lines tour Marv growing up like, of course everyone in
Speaker 2: our house had a Wallaby's guernsey. Everyone like it was
Speaker 2: something that was you know, everyone loved George Gregan, like
Speaker 2: you had household names as part of that Wallaby's fold.
Speaker 2: And in one generation or less than in a couple
Speaker 2: of decades, that fight for relevance has never been more important.
Speaker 2: But I just feel like this could be it. And
Speaker 2: with names that Joseph Kuso Suali, you playing so well
Speaker 2: and doing that massive jump from codes, You've got like
Speaker 2: an origin star that decides no, I'm going to play
Speaker 2: for the war Retars and for the Wallabies. I just
Speaker 2: feel like there's a genuine momentum shift and it's so exciting.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and you know what, it makes me sad to
Speaker 3: hear you talk about your family all having Wallabies jerseys
Speaker 3: because I did. That's so unbelievable to me, because that's
Speaker 3: what I thought as an Irish rugby fan. I thought
Speaker 3: I was moving to the center of the universe when
Speaker 3: it came to Rogby, because super Rugby when I first
Speaker 3: moved here in two thousand and six, was the envy
Speaker 3: of the world. I soon started to find out, particularly
Speaker 3: in Melbourne that rugby players were not recognizable, even Wallaby's players.
Speaker 3: I remember being in a chemist really early days and
Speaker 3: watching a couple of Wallabies players order anti inflammatories at
Speaker 3: the counter and I was like, I felt like going on, going, guys, keep.
Speaker 4: It down, I know you're injured.
Speaker 3: And then I realized no one else in the chemist
Speaker 3: knew they were, including the guys handing out the prescriptions,
Speaker 3: so they were fine to hide their injuries and playing
Speaker 3: sight and that really shocked me.
Speaker 4: And how far rugby did fall.
Speaker 3: Like you say, there is a huge opportunity, So Australian
Speaker 3: rugby has had all this money before, but they clearly
Speaker 3: haven't used it. Well you mentioned Joseph Suleihi, I mean, wow,
Speaker 3: he is so impressive, the global nature of fascination in him.
Speaker 3: I was really struck by it when he went over
Speaker 3: on the spring tour and obviously had that player of
Speaker 3: the match performance against England and him going to Dublin
Speaker 3: and I beating England.
Speaker 4: Oh, how good? Like it was almost fairy tale stuff.
Speaker 3: Fair right, No, but you always do as Australia have
Speaker 3: the right to beat England. And I find it really
Speaker 3: funny to watch a play out It's absolutely one of
Speaker 3: the biggest rival time.
Speaker 4: Surely he was a player of the Test, which is just.
Speaker 3: Incredible, incredible and unbelievably. Then when I was heading back
Speaker 3: to Ireland for the Test in Dublin, my dad was
Speaker 3: asking about Joseph. My dad was obsessed and I'm like,
Speaker 3: because Irish people are really, you know, hardcore rugby fans
Speaker 3: and just seeing that, I was like, this is amazing
Speaker 3: to have a name that is bringing that attention to
Speaker 3: the sport. One thing I really love about Joseph when
Speaker 3: I watch him is I feel like he really loves
Speaker 3: rugby union. Remember his face when he walked out onto
Speaker 3: twicken and he smiled up at the crowd and then
Speaker 3: he talked about but this is what I've been.
Speaker 4: Saying all along. I love it. My dad brought me
Speaker 4: to Wallaby's matches when I was a toddler.
Speaker 2: He talked about his dad taking to him a game
Speaker 2: where they played Samoa and he was like, for my
Speaker 2: whole life, Like, you know, Unions sort of been what
Speaker 2: I wanted to do. Because there has been that speculation
Speaker 2: his contract is meant to be with options that he
Speaker 2: can opt into up to and over nine million dollars
Speaker 2: for five years and that money just simply isn't available
Speaker 2: to you if you are going to stay in rugby league.
Speaker 2: So a lot of people thought this was a cash
Speaker 2: grab and that maybe he jumped codes because of the
Speaker 2: money that was on offer, whereas he's very quickly proved
Speaker 2: also how level headed, such a lovely young man that
Speaker 2: he can be.
Speaker 4: But he's just like, I wouldn't move unless.
Speaker 2: I loved it, and you can see that radiating off him,
Speaker 2: and even the fact when he was injured for the
Speaker 2: war retars he went and watched the women's side and
Speaker 2: sat with the injured women. Like there's that level of
Speaker 2: just good personness for wander a better word about him
Speaker 2: that I think is so important because you need people
Speaker 2: Alaya George Greens where people want to go and buy
Speaker 2: their guernsey and people want to buy Sulei EA's jumper,
Speaker 2: and that's really cool.
Speaker 3: People want heroes and they also want villains. It's okay
Speaker 3: to have villains as well, but we need them. We
Speaker 3: need villains. We need heroes, like every one of them,
Speaker 3: even though though they're so bloody nights. Whenever I meet
Speaker 3: when I'm like stop making me, like you just stop it.
Speaker 4: I don't want to have these feet, so please or
Speaker 4: thank you, just sit down.
Speaker 3: I know. Oh and speaking of Joseph Sueley and the
Speaker 3: roosters of you talked about April fool ranks for this,
Speaker 3: oh what he did to So they set up a
Speaker 3: chat with him, and Dan mckellor's his coach at the Wartouse,
Speaker 3: secretly filmed him walking up. Don't know how he kept
Speaker 3: his straight face saying, hey Dan, listen, just another thing,
Speaker 3: what do you want me to work on this week?
Speaker 3: And then just another thing. I've been talking to the roosters.
Speaker 3: I'm going back there next year.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 3: Also one more thing. I'm not sure I was gonna
Speaker 3: tell you, but I've been speaking to the roosters. I
Speaker 3: think I'm going back there next year.
Speaker 1: Serious.
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, I didn't know how I was on, I
Speaker 3: tell you, but yeah, I'm not here. I didn't know
Speaker 3: I was an ador, but I just wanted to.
Speaker 2: So this is the multi multi multi million dollar man
Speaker 2: speaking to his head coach, and you just say to
Speaker 2: mkella like he goes white, like he genuinely bought every
Speaker 2: second of it.
Speaker 4: That got me as well. I'm not built for April
Speaker 4: fools Day's stone.
Speaker 3: No, I messaged down mccallar and was like, how did
Speaker 3: you not tell him to guest? Yeah, he said he
Speaker 3: was in so much shock for those few seconds when
Speaker 3: he believed it.
Speaker 4: He was just like stunned.
Speaker 3: It's actually the best egg Bril fools prank that I've seen.
Speaker 2: So we've got our hero, We've obviously got our semi
Speaker 2: got an idea for who our coach will be, but
Speaker 2: we're just waiting to find out whether he is going
Speaker 2: to be less kids.
Speaker 4: So the pieces are falling into place.
Speaker 2: But when we look at this Wallaby side, what would
Speaker 2: be a pass mark for the British and Irish Lines
Speaker 2: tour Because and to give people context for what this
Speaker 2: is because it has been twelve years, so some people
Speaker 2: I go, what are they on about? The first game
Speaker 2: is on June twenty first, it's nine games across six cities.
Speaker 2: Tell us a little bit more about what this tourism,
Speaker 2: why it's so special.
Speaker 3: So it is so special because in the Northern Hemisphere. Okay,
Speaker 3: so for anyone who doesn't know, the team is selected
Speaker 3: from Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales. The best players from
Speaker 3: those four nations get selected for the Lions Tour. Andy Farrell,
Speaker 3: who's the Irish rugby coach, is the head coach of
Speaker 3: the British and Irish Lions. It is hard to explain
Speaker 3: what an honor it is for a player to be
Speaker 3: selected for the Lions tour. You're either a Lions player
Speaker 3: or you never were. And that's how I'm hearing it
Speaker 3: being talked about because Andy Farrell has announced his assistant
Speaker 3: coaches and even to hear the emotion of the assistance,
Speaker 3: it sounds life changing to get to go on this tour.
Speaker 3: And that, my friend, is where the problem arises for
Speaker 3: the Wall because you're not just playing the best of
Speaker 3: four nations, right, And look to put that into context,
Speaker 3: I mean, Ireland only has what five million people are
Speaker 3: so and rugby's like the fourth most popular sport. But
Speaker 3: in Ireland the market isn't as saturated, so it's really big.
Speaker 4: So you're not only playing against the best. When you
Speaker 4: get the.
Speaker 3: Best together, those guys are desperate to play because they
Speaker 3: want to say they played in Alliance Test and when
Speaker 3: they get in that jersey, that coveted jersey, they want
Speaker 3: to stay in it. So you're talking about highly motivated
Speaker 3: individuals who aren't just like on the tour. They are
Speaker 3: desperate to stay in the side and that is so
Speaker 3: difficult for really in this Wallabies era of Joe Schmidt
Speaker 3: and what he's done in such a short space of time,
Speaker 3: that is not easy. That is an absolutely massive challenge,
Speaker 3: and of course they'll do it. They look ahead to
Speaker 3: that and just think. I think there's so many positives
Speaker 3: because of the super rugby performances that win a Twickenham abby.
Speaker 4: That was really.
Speaker 3: Important because there were certain former lines players who were
Speaker 3: talking down the Wallabies and saying the British and Irish
Speaker 3: lines shouldn't tour to Australia like they do every twelve years,
Speaker 3: they should skip it and go back to South Africa.
Speaker 3: That was really offensive to everybody, but I think it
Speaker 3: really helped the Wallabies beat England because it was the
Speaker 3: English former players that were saying that you.
Speaker 2: Didn't hear that was the shock jock, Like, what are
Speaker 2: they saying? Just to make theirs and ruffles and feathers, and.
Speaker 3: They did the Wallabies a favor. You notice that none
Speaker 3: of the Irish former lines said that because they're all
Speaker 3: friends with Joe schmidten They love, genuinely have a great
Speaker 3: relationship with Australia. So that win over England after what
Speaker 3: was said, that is really important.
Speaker 4: Yeah, they made them pay where it matters. Yeah, they
Speaker 4: made them pay in a pack twicken them.
Speaker 2: Oh and it's just one of those things that I
Speaker 2: think when you were talking about the British Irish Lines tour,
Speaker 2: there for me the only thing I could like in
Speaker 2: it too, potentially in Australian sport, even though it wasn't
Speaker 2: at a national level. It's like State of Origin, how
Speaker 2: coveted it is. And when those plays, when the best
Speaker 2: of the best come from different teams together, they lift
Speaker 2: again because there's almost this caliber of greatness.
Speaker 4: Yeah, and horrid to believe.
Speaker 3: Joseph Suwele he played State of Origin as well, Like
Speaker 3: it's just it's wild to think of how young he
Speaker 3: is and how many experiences he's had.
Speaker 2: So what are your hopes again? Firstly, when you've got
Speaker 2: to watch this, what Guernsey are you wearing? This is
Speaker 2: the real question, Murphy.
Speaker 4: That's a really tough one. Abby.
Speaker 3: And I love my job. I love living in Australia.
Speaker 3: I love paying my bills. Joking aside, I really love
Speaker 3: I just love not being unemployed.
Speaker 4: It's great.
Speaker 3: It's just so handy cost of living doing a grocery shop.
Speaker 3: But I do love the Wallabies, and you know what.
Speaker 4: It was, you don't have to by the way I
Speaker 4: actually mean it.
Speaker 3: And it was a really weird time in Dublin when
Speaker 3: I went home because this the Wallabies playing Ireland on
Speaker 3: the Spring tour last year and I went along and honestly,
Speaker 3: the Wallabies are such a good group of guys to
Speaker 3: deal with.
Speaker 4: They always have been as a rule. They're just delightful.
Speaker 2: I remember when I was doing my internship at Fox Sports,
Speaker 2: I went to an NRL press conference and the guy
Speaker 2: basically grunted and was terrifying.
Speaker 4: And then I went to the Union one and the.
Speaker 2: Guy was like, oh, you must be new here, hello,
Speaker 2: and like introduced himself to everyone at the press back,
Speaker 2: made sure everyone had waters. And I was like, well,
Speaker 2: this is just a different caliber of person. But they
Speaker 2: tend to be like that, don't they.
Speaker 4: The Wallabies just are so good.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and to the point where, even when I'm in
Speaker 3: Dublin covering them and the Irish they're playing the Irish team,
Speaker 3: I so want them to do well, and you know,
Speaker 3: Irish people want them to do well because when I
Speaker 3: even admitted or I just broke down and told my
Speaker 3: family I was having these feelings about the Wallabies that
Speaker 3: I wanted them to do well against Ireland. And you
Speaker 3: know what, all my family and friends were like, everyone
Speaker 3: wants them to.
Speaker 1: Chat.
Speaker 4: It's like, guys, I've got something to admit now. You're
Speaker 4: very conflicted, so confused. You've got to help me with this.
Speaker 3: So when I talk to rugby fans in Ireland, the
Speaker 3: reality is globally, everyone wants the Wallabies to be successful
Speaker 3: because for rugby to be successful globally, Australia needs to
Speaker 3: be great again and it hasn't been. And that's why
Speaker 3: everyone voted for Australia to get the World Cup because
Speaker 3: they want to help Australia rebuild and that's why Australia
Speaker 3: has this big opportunity. And yeah, the Wallaby is just
Speaker 3: great to deal with. So when it comes to the
Speaker 3: British and Irish lines, it's tough. But I really want
Speaker 3: the Wallabies to do well and I wanted to be
Speaker 3: highly competitive. That it's the most important thing because British
Speaker 3: and Irish Lions tours are famed for their competitiveness, so
Speaker 3: we really needed to be competitive and I actually think,
Speaker 3: and it's the first time that I've been able to
Speaker 3: let myself think this.
Speaker 4: I think it can be.
Speaker 3: It's going to be difficult, but I think with the
Speaker 3: way or Super Rugby sides are going, I think Australia
Speaker 3: can be really competitive.
Speaker 2: I feel like we need to leave it there because
Speaker 2: it's just such a positive note to end on. And
Speaker 2: we've spoken about a lot on this podcast and that
Speaker 2: there's been so many turbulent times with the Eddie Jones
Speaker 2: as you mentioned, like is he meeting with Japan? Is
Speaker 2: he not going to surprise he's actually going to Japan?
Speaker 2: Who knew everyone knew, And also just knowing what a
Speaker 2: struggling time it's been for Super Rugby with especially with
Speaker 2: the rebels being dissolved and how many people were heard
Speaker 2: in that process. It's just to hear that hope and
Speaker 2: that very informed hope that you have for what rugby
Speaker 2: can be in Australia in the next twelve months, in
Speaker 2: the next you know, leading up to the Games in Brisbane,
Speaker 2: they want the Sevens to be the opening there's rumors
Speaker 2: that the Sevens are going to be the very first competition.
Speaker 2: Can you imagine what that would be like? In a
Speaker 2: new stadium in Brisbane.
Speaker 3: Wow, just amazing, and I should mention as well while
Speaker 3: i'm here, just really quickly women's rugby, oh okay, only
Speaker 3: four levi yeah is in Greek incredible and SEVENS just
Speaker 3: has that platform. But in Super Rugby for women's abbe
Speaker 3: only four rounds, we don't have any time to learn
Speaker 3: their stories. It's not breaking through. It's so far behind
Speaker 3: the NRL. Wow that women's competition and state of origin.
Speaker 3: Kudos to them. They are leading the way giving the
Speaker 3: NRL women a state of origin. So they're leading AFLW
Speaker 3: so far ahead.
Speaker 2: That even the women's team being part of the exhibition
Speaker 2: they had in Vegas, Oh that was so good. So
Speaker 2: they're thinking about putting women on that platform. Because you're
Speaker 2: right when you talk about the domestic competition for women's rugby,
Speaker 2: I'm ashamed to say I'm just wait when.
Speaker 3: It hasn't had any breakthrough, and that's because it's only
Speaker 3: four rounds and they really need to invest in it.
Speaker 3: They need to make it a longer season so that
Speaker 3: we can follow the stories just like we do the
Speaker 3: men's competition. So there's a long way to go in
Speaker 3: Super Rugby for women and shout out to Obviously the
Speaker 3: Melbourne Rebels had a women's side as well, and it's
Speaker 3: now gone too. So that's the only thing I want
Speaker 3: to caveat all of this positivity with that there is
Speaker 3: work to be done in women's rugby.
Speaker 2: And arguably more of a chasm than we see in
Speaker 2: most of our domestic codes between the men's and the women's.
Speaker 3: Absolutely, yes, yeah, But other than that, it is it's
Speaker 3: an exciting time. Got a year ahead, what a couple
Speaker 3: of years ahead?
Speaker 4: I'm going to I'm going to find a Guernsy. More
Speaker 4: of what I'm going to find a photo of me
Speaker 4: wearing a gunsy, please do. And I think that's where
Speaker 4: we want to come back to.
Speaker 2: Is we just implore Australians or anyone listening just to
Speaker 2: get behind rugby.
Speaker 4: Yeah it's going to be and a.
Speaker 2: Promise that if you do invest in some kit, in
Speaker 2: some memorabilia, you are going to get cost per way
Speaker 2: down over the next ten years with the amount of
Speaker 2: tours and the amount of excitement that we have going on. Murph, Firstly,
Speaker 2: we love that chat, thank you, and we love talking rugby.
Speaker 4: I knew that you were the perfect woman for it.
Speaker 4: But you've got a fun fact for us to round
Speaker 4: this out.
Speaker 3: I have a fun fact that was inspired by your
Speaker 3: last episode, which was brilliant by the way, So you
Speaker 3: samboled oh's brilliant.
Speaker 4: You've met him.
Speaker 3: You're talking about how you've met him professionally and this
Speaker 3: is all great, and he did the rounds and media.
Speaker 3: I recall the time I met him in a very
Speaker 3: different situation. So this was years ago, Abby and my
Speaker 3: friend was living in Australia for a few months at
Speaker 3: the time, and she doesn't know anything about sport. A
Speaker 3: lot of my friends don't. I mean, what are they
Speaker 3: doing with their lives?
Speaker 4: I don't know. I only see them when there's no
Speaker 4: sport on. I'm surprised that you have anything in common
Speaker 4: with them. But that's fine.
Speaker 2: Yeah, there was that girlfriend that you need to call
Speaker 2: like well, also, even you feel like, especially when rugby
Speaker 2: is your sport, you still need to start podcasts like
Speaker 2: this where people love sport by going union league, different things.
Speaker 4: You still need to have that conversation. So it's very
Speaker 4: much a thing totally.
Speaker 3: So this friend of mine, Amri has, I thought she
Speaker 3: had very little idea of sport, but I was about
Speaker 3: to find.
Speaker 4: Out ry by the way.
Speaker 3: Yeah, hey, Amory, she lives back in Ireland and so
Speaker 3: we can talk about this freely. So I said to her,
Speaker 3: you've got her. When you're in Sydney, go to Opera Bar.
Speaker 3: It's just stunning. I know it's a cliche, but like
Speaker 3: having a drink there is just the best.
Speaker 2: And if anyone hasn't been to Opera Bar, it is
Speaker 2: the single most picturesque spot you eat.
Speaker 4: Very good friend for recommending it.
Speaker 2: It's literally at the bottom of the Opera House, but
Speaker 2: you're looking back onto the Sydney Harbor, so.
Speaker 4: You've got the bridge.
Speaker 2: It's just spectacular on a beautiful day. It's arguably the
Speaker 2: most pristine spot in the country. It's different or one
Speaker 2: of the most.
Speaker 3: If it's not the most beautiful bar in the world,
Speaker 3: I don't know if I can think of what the
Speaker 3: most beauty for publics, that's a good one.
Speaker 4: We're happy to go on a junket if anyone wants
Speaker 4: to try.
Speaker 3: I'm there, So Amory I send her there. Of course
Speaker 3: I'm late, because I always am, not for work but
Speaker 3: for everything else in life. And I text her ands
Speaker 3: out on my way and she said it's too busy,
Speaker 3: we're going to have to leave, and I said, no,
Speaker 3: it's worth it. We'll get a table. So then she
Speaker 3: calls me and says, I've actually got a table with
Speaker 3: two guys who were kinded of is gone to let
Speaker 3: me sit on the end of their table. And oh,
Speaker 3: that's so good, I think. I said, I'll get the drinks,
Speaker 3: you just hold the table.
Speaker 4: Which is another that's an Olympic sport. Trying to line
Speaker 4: up for the d that's a whole different takes a
Speaker 4: long time. I come back. Guess who she had asked
Speaker 4: to sit in the end of the table. What do
Speaker 4: you even ask him? Not the friend, you say, bold, She.
Speaker 3: Didn't recognize the fastest man on the planet. So when
Speaker 3: I woke up to the table, this is years ago, maybe.
Speaker 4: Still in his prime. He's still Oh he's a ragining
Speaker 4: Olympic champion.
Speaker 3: I don't think he's got to his central coastmar in
Speaker 3: his face that you discussed yet. And I walk up
Speaker 3: to the table and I look at him, and he
Speaker 3: looks at me, and.
Speaker 4: I was sports jo, and you're just like.
Speaker 3: Wide eyed, and he immediately realizes that, of course I
Speaker 3: know who he is.
Speaker 4: And you've got.
Speaker 3: And He's like, I know, she knows, she knows, I know,
Speaker 3: but anything. So I just went a Marie, I can't
Speaker 3: believe you find this kind man to help us get
Speaker 3: a table. Thank you, kind stranger. And I sat down
Speaker 3: drinking my drink looking at him. So there was music on.
Speaker 3: We all have a bit of a dance. Then everyone
Speaker 3: starts to see it's use same bold and from the
Speaker 3: top deck. Yeah, and my friend's like, sir, what So
Speaker 3: we had to leave because everyone else except my friend.
Speaker 4: Amrie knew who he was.
Speaker 2: The end, I just you know what, you just would
Speaker 2: give anything to be a fly on the wall.
Speaker 4: Have you been all right? We've got ric.
Speaker 2: And how much were you eyeing just to have a
Speaker 2: cone of science between you and your friend to be like,
Speaker 2: by the way, arguably the greatest athlete of all time.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 3: And I also, before I would even tell her, I'd
Speaker 3: be like, how do you know? Do you just not
Speaker 3: watch regularly news or are you just shut off from society?
Speaker 4: What happened to you, Amory? That's what I would have asked.
Speaker 4: Do you live in a vacuum? Yeah? She couldn't believe
Speaker 4: it when he was gone, that's amazing.
Speaker 2: Well, I would also love to hear her rendition of
Speaker 2: that story and just whether or not his face was like, yeah,
Speaker 2: well you want to sit on the end of you
Speaker 2: with any general publications you don't want probably asking for
Speaker 2: a photo like hi Sarah and he's like yeah, all right,
Speaker 2: get the phone out and she's like no, can I
Speaker 2: just sit?
Speaker 4: Yeah? Yeah? Do you know what?
Speaker 3: She's the loveliest human alive and she's so yeah, she's
Speaker 3: so fun.
Speaker 4: He really liked her. She just didn't know who he was,
Speaker 4: a very very fun fact. Murphy. As always, it is
Speaker 4: a total delight. You are welcome back anytime.
Speaker 2: George would be so jealous that we've been hanging out
Speaker 2: without her, but thank you so much.
Speaker 4: And again just a.
Speaker 2: Joyful, joyful chat about Australian rugby and we want more
Speaker 2: of them.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and thank you Abby and Georgie.
Speaker 4: Good luck.
Speaker 3: I know you're winning the amazing where she is who knows?
Speaker 3: I love your work on offside is Abby?
Speaker 4: Love? Oh God, bless you. And until next week, everyone's
Speaker 4: bigger Sport