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Be hello there, and welcome into the latest episode of the Sportsbooks podcast for today, Friday, February seven.
We missed you yesterday.
I'm Jason Pyte, I'm Darcy Waldergrave and you may have missed everybody but piney OLiS having a holiday and I tend to turn off from everything on my day off. Is that mean and cruel?
We're just honest, No, not mean, not cruel, just honest. Which are I think equalities? Fuck that We can abscribe to you for the most part, Darcy, But we are back into it today with a bit of get true.
We haven't yet, I don't think.
Heard from Toahu Harris since his announcement that he will retire as Warriors captain. I think we might be about to end that drought.
Yeah, managed to go into his house, break in hold him down for a microphone note. We're spoken to Tay who super good guy, and what the future is and how the career ended, the injury, so on and so forth. All that's coming out shortly.
All right, look forward to that.
I've got some thoughts on the departure of Joe Schmidt as Wallaby's coach and who might come in. And I want to kick a couple of issues around with you in the chamber as well, So let's get into it.
In other news, let's get.
Started, as always with some of them sports stories floating around today. Zoey Sadowski Senate has secured another World Cup title victory in the snowboardings Big Air on the Slopes of Colorado.
I don't think it's going to be enough.
Fact does mean that zobe Sidowski Senate takes the win here and asper.
She completes the double at the event after also winning the Slope Style title. On Monday last month, Zoey Sadowski Senate won her sixth X Games title at the venue as well. Kiewi tennis player Manique Bowry has broken her silence about online abuse she receives playing on the ITF circuit. She believes most of the messages are from international gamblers because often relate to money lost on results.
I'm going to kill you. I hope you kill yourself.
Any possible thing that you could think of has been said to us like I will find you lots of threats, huge paragraphs about how much we suck.
Liverpool through to the final of English Football's League Cup meantime with a four NELT drubbing of Tottenham and the second leg of their semi final, Looking for.
The Hero of Love Season Final, Your Bad Time dissecting the sporting agenda. It's Sports Fix with Jason Vine and Darcy Walter Grave.
Harris, former Warrior skipper, joins us Now to talk all about his enforced retirement through injury from the game of rugby league and what next? Get a tahoo.
How's it going?
Just going very very well, I suppose the big questions how's it going with you? You had to retire from the game that you love with repeated and now you sat down, you're not doing pre season. That's got to be of a relief surely.
Well, yeah, my rest is certainly appreciating it and being able to spend this time with the family has been really nice.
It's yeah.
The club club have been amazing. They've allowed me the time to spend with family and before any commitments they need you to do.
So what is your relationship now with the club. You're plainly not playing. Are you still under contract you still have a role within the Warriors.
Yes, I'm still under contract for this year. As part of the medical retirement, I've I'm still contracted for this year and obligated to to fill any obligations that are needed from the club. So yeah, just waiting to see how that looks.
But you know, they've been amazing.
They've allowed me the time to sort of get set, spend time with family before the I guess the busy part of the year starts.
You've had time to come to peace with the decision that was pushed on you to retire. You get your entire life at Hidio now and teld who I'm presuming you would have thought a little bit about it. You've got commitments this year to the Warriors, but beyond that, a man who's been involved. Gee, I remember when you first got picked for the key is a the expense of sunny Bill Williams and he came back and you were out. You've been doing this a long long time,
So to consider your future. What else is Tod Harris capable of doing?
What next?
What are you going to do?
Well, that's that's sort of.
Because I'm contracted this year, and and I've got commitments with the club, but I've still still got quite a bit of time to figure that out. So yeah, it's all sort of constantly communicating with my wife and trying to figure that out and how that how that could look. But yeah, first and foremost, I've got to make sure my family's all right and and that I'm fulfilling those my commitments to the club and whatever they need.
So still waiting to hear how that looks.
Like a complete professional. So who's going to be the new captain? Tell who? No one's going to tell us. You've got a rough fight.
Who do you like?
Who do you think's got the ear of the players? And what's the most important thing for the new captain? What's the biggest consideration do you think?
To be honest, I've got no idea who it's going to be. But like the club's in a in an outstanding position, they've got a number of different options and it's I guess it all comes down to what, well where he thinks the team needs. You know, they've you've got Roger theare who has captained the club and he leads by example, But whether he wants the job or no,
I'm not sure. But then you've got guys like Fish coming in who's led his country, who's had the high the most amount of success someone can have in this in this profession. You know Mitch Barnett who led the team for the second half of last year, and you've got a wealth of experience through there like Dylan Walker, Kirk Cape Well all these all these guys like they've got a number of different options. Yeah, it all comes
down to what Webee thinks the team needs. And yeah, so that's that's sort of above my pay grade anyway. So yeah, I'm waiting to find out too.
Yeah, you're glad you're not making that decision. Just a word on the captains. What's the most important part of being a captain from what you know from your experience in the role. Primarily, what does a captain have to do not just win the toss?
Well, I think first like for a captain, first and foremost, his performance has got to be to a high standard and consistent, so that so that when when he does speak, he doesn't have to speak much. But when when he does speak, people listen because they see the work they put in, the standards they hold themselves to and and that they're performing at the highest level. So I think I think that's always got to come first, is the
place performance. So yeah, I think you're looking for someone who can perform under pressure and can do it week and week out, and that's and that's right from Monday through to Sunday, every day of the week.
They've got to be consistent.
And finally, Tahu and always a pleasure. Thanks very much for joining us here on News Talk the B pre season tonight up against the Sharks and explosive game. No Art, Yes, unfortunately can a wee bit of an injury. But from what you've seen so far, how do you like this this new look worri aside, what what do you smile about.
I'm really excited, like obviously with the new combinations with Fish coming in, excited to use the halves run out together.
But I think the thing that.
I want to see most, I guess is guys like Jacob demitric Ali, those guys who have had some any in our experience and they're some of the most talented guys in the team. But I want to see them take the next step because I think if they can sort of perform week in week out to their capabilities. The whole team's performance is just going to go up another level. So I'm excited to see what they do.
And they've had really good preseasons, outstanding preseason, so hopefully they can take that out on the field, take that form to the field and on that.
We'll let you get on with Seemi retirement. Looking forward to hearing what your new role is and I'm sure you are as well. It's that we continue our chats. Really appreciate your time, mark to who thinks for that, no worries, thanks for having me.
Sports effects.
No real surprise to hear the news today that Joe Schmidt will step down as Wallaby's coach at the end of the Rugby Championship. He was initially contracted until the end of the Lions tour this year, but he's extended that by three months, but that will be it. Joshmit's
always said this was a temporary gig for him. His family is still back here in New Zealand and he wasn't prepared to put them through two more years of him being absent, and probably wasn't willing to put himself through that either.
It's the right call. Family first. Always.
I think Rugby Australia probably signed him up and secretly hoped he'd loved the job so much he'd changed his mind and stay. But instead he's given them three more months. But that'll be it his last game in charge October fourth, against the All Blacks in Perth. Regardless of what happens this year, and there is plenty of rugby ahead, three Lions Test matches and the Rugby Championship, Joshmitt will likely leave the Wallabies in a better place than he found
them now. That, of course, is a very low bar, because he found them as an absolute basket case after the departure of Eddie Jones. Anything would have been an improvement on that shambles of a coaching tenure. And while Joe Schmidt hasn't won everybody over, he has at least righted the ship. So now we ask who will take over? Well, the candidates seem to be the super rugby coaches in Australia, Reds coach Les Kiss, Rumby's coach Stephen Larkham, war A
Tars coach Dan McCalla. They seem to be the front runners. There's also a bit of mail around about former coach Michael Checker returning into the fold. But for me, the dark horse is Leon McDonald, no longer part of the All Blacks set up of course, in the market for a job you'd presume, and bringing with them a deep knowledge of New Zealand rugby and specifically the All Blacks environment. Why not follow one key we with another razor against Leon for Bledislow twenty twenty six.
I would love to see it.
The Chamber is now in session on Sportsfix.
Into the Chamber we dive. We've heard from Toho Harris he won't be a part of the Warriors this year. Really interesting to hear from the great man.
But I will be a part of the Warriors, but he won't be playing. I mean, he's still going to be engaged. He's contracted them for the you know, well another year, so he'll be doing something we just don't know what yet.
Right, Yeah, I'll rephrase, he won't be out there with the boots on and that thirteen jersey that we've come to know and love over the past few years. Look, I know this is a question fraught with peril and with a challenging task to even answer it, But what should our expectations be of the Warriors in twenty twenty five.
I don't have any expectations. I've learned after following these guys for longer, and then I can remember that if you set yourself up with expectations, you're going to be very disciple pointed. I want them to turn up, put in their best effort. It give me some entertainment, because that's what they are. They're a form of entertainment. I don't harder any thoughts of them bashing their way through and winning a final. I've often said that I reckon
I'll be in a retirement home before that happens. Ever it does. But I don't follow them, Jason, because I expect them to win everything. I follow them because they might.
Team yep, and that's look, and you you were perfectly able to do that. But I just go back a year and you and I might have even spoken about this a year ago, after the year they had in twenty twenty three, which was so good. We did have expectations, I think, well, I certainly know that I did have it. Had expectations last year of at the very least a top eight finish and maybe a.
Push towards that.
I know what happened.
Yeah, so should I? Should I?
Therefore, Look, I'm not as much of a as a Warriors fan as you, So should I be limiting my expectations? Should I be saying, you know what, if they make the eight, it's pretty good?
Yes, I think so. The more energy behind them and going this time, you're going to do it. This time, it's our year. It's never ever worked. I don't know how well they respond to it. All we can do is, as I said, turn up, play your absolute hardest. I hope, like hell, the Aussie referees don't have their way with us.
I normally do.
And enjoy the process for what it is.
Is this you trying to reverse Jinx this whole thing?
Are you doing that thing where you say, look, I don't have any expectations.
I'm just going to enjoy it.
And what you hope is that the universe will hear that and deliver you a championship.
No, I don't believe in Jinx's There's nothing I can say, do or think that's going to affect anything possibly anywhere ever. Yeah, okay, there's a wee.
Bit of that, all right. I love the caveat love the Cavit at the end. All right, We waiting to see what happens with the Warriors.
No doubt there'll be a topic of conversation on sports Fax across twenty twenty five, as I'm sure will Super Rugby be and Fantasy Super rugg has been launched. This is a new way of engaging fans. I've actually already picked my team for the first week. I'll have to obviously remove a couple of players as they get injured over the next seven days. But I like the idea of a new way of engaging with fans.
I used to play a fantasy rugby back in the day. There was a version of I Think and New Zealand Herald ran one way back when. That's when I first discovered Dealander and Creole. I picked them up in a couple of games and never heard of them before I read something that might be quite handy. Gee they're still playing at an international level. That was my first introduction to those two guys. So yeah, I'm going to climb
in boots and all. I just can't pick the winger that everybody's picked Alreadybody's not there, right.
Jay, Yeah, that's right.
No, there there's an opt out option, and Caleb Clark has taken the opt out option. We'll find out more about that, I think next week when he does a bit of media. But interesting what you said there. You know you found out about players for the first time. I think this is a good way of engaging people about you know, who the players are, because you know
you've got to pick a fifteen every week. Who am I going to put on my you know, on on each side of the scrum, who am I going to play it half back?
Whom I'm going to play at first five?
And it gives you an option, or gives you almost the compulsion to go and look at who the options are, who the players.
Are, Yeah, and you look across the stats and how they've played, so you take a keener interest in players from Australia, for example, players out of fig like, Okay, you may not have been interested before, but you've got a gap where you still want That guy scored a
busload of points last week. Maybe I look at him, So I think it adds extra I don't know if non rugby fans codeheads would climb in like they might, but I think the code heads out there we'll have a wee bit of joy putting the team together every weeks.
That's got yeah joys one day, putting it a time wasting the other. I'm not sure you'll get much out of me on a Friday, and I got off Twitter.
I got off Twitter, so I got plenty of time to waste now, trust me?
All right, good stuff.
Fantasy Super Rugby is up and running for twenty twenty five.
That's us in the chamber for.
Today, beating a X.
We've got just the ticket.
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VV and that is us on the Sports Fix podcast for today, February seven, with a big weekend looming, a new episode, a fresh episode of Sports Fix covering off a lot of what happens over the weekend.
No doubt. We'll drop into your podcast feed around about the same time on Monday.
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