One of the great personalities in sport, Kurt Baker becomes the 100th guest on What a Lad and there's no better lad to raise the bat with! Kurt's had an amazing career in the game and like most careers he's had his fair share of ups and downs. He's won everything possible in the NZ domestic game, ITM Cup Premiership and Championship, the Ranfurly Shield and of course Super Rugby with the Highlanders. A man potentially even more well known as the NZ 7s star has won World Cups, 2 Commonwealth Gold...
Aug 22, 2021•1 hr 27 min•Season 2Ep. 101
Straight back from the Tokyo Olympics as an Olympic Silver Medalist, I was lucky enough to get the great Scotsman and the All Blacks 7s coach Clark Laidlaw on this week. Clarky has an impressive coaching CV having coached Taranaki, The Hurricanes, London Irish and is now the Head Coach of the All Blacks 7s side. I really enjoyed this episode, Clarky gave heaps of insight into the preparation to the Olympics and the actual event itself. We also discuss his time as an assistant coach at the Hurric...
Aug 15, 2021•1 hr 18 min•Season 2Ep. 100
The proud Southern man, Jamie Mackintosh aka Whopper, joins me this week to go through his eventful career to date. During his time in NZ, Whopper was a highly rated school boy who played a record number of games for the NZ age grade sides, making NZ Schools at 16! He then went on to become the face of the Southland Stags, the Highlanders captain and was even capped for the All Blacks. Whopper finished up in NZ rugby with the Chiefs and has since played all around the world including Montpellier...
Aug 08, 2021•1 hr 22 min•Season 2Ep. 99
Imagine a Super Rugby team made up of 2021 NRL players, the best players in League swapping codes, to compete in the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman competition. That's what we have done here in this podcast, so if you enjoy the NRL then this episode is for you. To help select the side I have called on some NRL and Super Rugby gurus, in the form of Hurricanes star Jackson Garden-Bachop, ex Warriors Legend Charlie Gubb and Liam Mitchell the Hurricane and (keyboard) Warrior. These lads all bring some gre...
Aug 01, 2021•59 min•Season 2Ep. 96
He's back! Tom Marshall, the Tasman Mako legend has returned to the province where it all started for him. I was lucky enough to get him around to the What a Lad Studio, to talk about his return and also where he is off to next! Many of you would have already heard Toms journey to the top, in his episode in season 1, which gave us a good chance to get into some detail around his time in Japan. As well as that we discuss in depth about his return to the Tasman Mako! Toey also announces where he i...
Jul 25, 2021•44 min•Season 2Ep. 98
One of NZ rugbys biggest names is off! Liam Mitchell the Hurricane and Manawatu Turbo legend, has decided to head off shore with a deal that no one saw coming. He tell's all exclusively to the What a Lad podcast just because he is an absolute lad. Many of you will already know the Liam Mitchell story from his What a Lad episode in season 1, where he shared is journey from being in the 4th XV at school, to becoming the leader of the Manawatu Bucketheads and then becoming an official Turbo the fol...
Jul 18, 2021•24 min•Season 2Ep. 97
Youth suicide rates in NZ are out of hand and something needs to be done about it, so it was awesome to get the legend Solomon Alaimalo on What a Lad to openly share what he has been through. Even though he is so called 'living his dream' as a professional rugby player, the stresses and pressure that come with it can at some times be all too much. However the power of opening up and being vunerable is such a powerful tool, as Solomon has learnt through these difficult times. I hope this episode ...
Jul 11, 2021•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 95
The legendary lad Otere Black is off! Absolute heart break for NZ rugby, as he leaves NZ shores straight after guiding the Blues to their first Championship in a long time! The beauty of him coming on the podcast is that you get the whole picture for his decision and you can understand why the 26 year old is heading to Japan. Oatsy talks about the offers that he received overseas, his options in NZ and how big of a factor Tokyo Disneyland played into his decision. Anyone who is a regular listene...
Jul 05, 2021•31 min•Season 2Ep. 93
Unfortunately I can't release the Otere Black announcement episode I had planned, just yet. However I jumped on this podcast last week, which was hosted by Nelson College students Wil Thornalley and Ollie Inch. Both of these young men are very talented rugby players who have big futures in the game. Anyway I thought they did a great job, asked some good questions and had obviously put some time into it! If you enjoy it give it a share for the lads! A big couple of weeks coming up for What a Lad ...
Jul 04, 2021•24 min•Season 2Ep. 94
Man I enjoyed this one with one of the Highlanders greats, Lima Sopoaga! Lima has had a very successful rugby career, having started with the Wellington Lions at just 18 and then moving down to the Highlanders not long after. He's also played for the Southland Stags and of course he's represented his country at the highest level, playing for the All Blacks! For the last 3 years Lima has been over in the UK playing for the Wasps, where he openly talks about the struggles that he had adjusting to ...
Jun 27, 2021•1 hr 19 min•Season 2Ep. 92
Alex Malcom may not be your house hold name but if you do enjoy your rugby, then you probably know his Facebook page 'The Legend of Marty Banks'. His page is of course named after one of What a Lad listeners favourite guests, Marty Banks and to hear how the whole page came about is pretty crazy. To think that Alex now gets asked for his autograph or for a selfie at rugby games, for being the man behind a social media page, is something that he is still getting use to. From being a self acclaimed...
Jun 24, 2021•36 min•Season 2Ep. 91
Reed Prinsep is a great lad who has always enjoyed wearing his Speedos. So what we've got here is an old prank from the archives, where our What a Lad prank expert Mark Abbott, calls a young Reedo and offers him the deal of a life time to team up with Speedos. As you'll hear this prank, it really tests the composure of even one of the great pranksters and Reedo handles himself like the lad he is, under all sorts of pressure. As always if you enjoy this episode please share it and if you're keen ...
Jun 20, 2021•6 min•Season 2Ep. 90
Not many people had a crazier 2020 than the great Scott Steele. After being let go by London Irish just before Coronavirus hit, he found himself back at his parents house in Scotland, looking for a job, wondering if he will play professional rugby again. Fast forward 6 months and Scott Steele is making his International debut for Scotland after receiving a lifeline from the Harlequins club in the English Premiership. A crazy story and it's awesome to hear some of the lessons that he has learnt f...
Jun 13, 2021•1 hr 16 min•Season 2Ep. 89
Beauden Barrett is one of the best players in world rugby and one of the best lads you'll meet. It was awesome to get him on What a Lad and go through his journey to date as his journey is one of the greats! In the episode we talk about everything, from what his life was like growing up in his super talented and rugby mad family. We reflect on his incredible career at the Hurricanes and touch on some of his favourite memories in the All Blacks, including that incredible try in the 2015 RWC final...
Jun 10, 2021•1 hr 29 min•Season 2Ep. 88
I was shocked last week to hear that one of Englands most promising young players had to retire due to concussion. It was therefore great to get young Theo Brophy Clews on the podcast and hear how it all happened. Concussion is a huge topic in the game right now and a topic I enjoyed talking about in this episode. Theo who is just 24 years old has been recommended to give up the game that he loves, due to concussion symptoms which is not an easy decision. An England age grade representative, who...
Jun 06, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 87
The current All Black assistant coach and absolute lad John Plumtree joins me this week on What a Lad to go through his incredible career to date. Plum has a very impressive CV, where he represented Taranaki, Natal Sharks, Hawkes Bay and even the South Africa 7s side. As for a coach it's even more impressive, having coached Swansea, Wellington, the Sharks, the Hurricanes, he was also the assistant coach for Ireland and Japan and now of course he is with the mighty All Blacks. Plum gives some gre...
May 30, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 86
With Super Rugby Trans Tasman underway I thought it was a great time to get an Aussie great on What a Lad and who better than the lad himself Brendan Mckibbin. Brendan had a very successful rugby career having played for the Queensland Reds, he won the Super Rugby with the Waratahs, he became a London Irish legend, as well as that he got as close as you can get to becoming a Wallaby! There's so much in this episode, Kibbo loves a yarn and he shares some absolute classics in here. He also gives s...
May 23, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Season 2Ep. 85
After the recent episode with Mark Abbott where we spoke about a few pranks, I thought it was a great chance to play one of my favourite pranks that he did during his time in the Hurricanes info committee. This prank is on the legendary Hurricanes try scorer and absolute lad Ben Lam. Those who know Blam will know he's a pretty low key kind of guy and very switched on customer so it was always going to tough going. However for this prank we follow a similar format to many of the other pranks, whe...
May 16, 2021•8 min•Season 2Ep. 84
This is it, the moment you have all been waiting for (until it got leaked haha) but that's all good because in this episode we have one of the best lads in the game on the podcast, talking in depth about a huge decision in his career. TJ Perenara is without a doubt one of the most influential players in rugby, you only have to look at the impact he has had with the Red Hurricanes in the Top League to see that. It's no wonder that there were plenty of teams wanting him on their books and plenty o...
May 10, 2021•56 min•Season 2Ep. 83
It was great to get me old mate Mark Abbott aka Jared on the What a Lad podcast and go through the big marns journey. After being let go from the Canterbury Academy, Jared decided to back himself and move up to Hawkes Bay a move that instantly paid off. He made the Hawkes Bay ITM Cup squad and after just 5 games he got a phone call from Mark Hammett who was keen to get him involved with the Hurricanes. Jared went on to have a very successful career at the Hurricanes and he was a massive part of ...
May 09, 2021•1 hr 13 min•Season 2Ep. 82
We're trying something new for this one, I've got 3 absolute lads on who have all been on before, Marty Banks, Jackson Garden Bachop and Tom Marshall as we try to pick an NRL side out of 2021 Super Rugby Aotearoa players. Switching codes has been a hot topic lately and it's always interested me to think which players would make a successful transition. How we did it was, we all picked our own team and with out comparing sides until the podcast we tried to come up with a side. Not an easy task bu...
May 06, 2021•44 min•Season 2Ep. 81
I’ve been looking forward to getting the great Willis Halaholo on What a Lad for a while now and man does he deliver with this one! From life as a troubled teenager, surrounded with the wrong crowd. To becoming a Six Nations Champion with Wales! I love hearing success stories like these and hearing the honesty Willis shares his story with is so cool. Willis was always a very talented player but its fair to say he didn’t quite have the discipline required to get to the next level. He became a fat...
May 02, 2021•1 hr 22 min•Season 2Ep. 80
Crossing codes seems to be a hot topic at the moment, so who better to get on What a Lad than one of the greatest to ever do it, Will Tupou. Will was a NRL sensation at a young age playing on the wing for the Cowboys in the 2010 and 2011 seasons. Who could forget his try in Golden Point vs the Knights, one of the greats! As a big league fan, I loved hearing what it was like going into that environment as a teenager, playing with some legends of the game. One of my favourite things about playing ...
Apr 25, 2021•1 hr 23 min•Season 2Ep. 79
Stoked to have one of the great lads, Iopu Iopu Aso join me this week! Some players just can’t catch a break, in 2015 Iopu was in career best form, he had just signed with the Hurricanes and then injury struck. Not once, but 5 injuries in a row and 2 years later, Iopu was never able to get on the field for the Hurricanes. The man they call Fridge because of his work ethic, he was always working, doing all the rehab and everything he could to come right. Unfortunately though, injuries just kept h...
Apr 18, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 78
In this episode I catch up with the Irish legend himself, Jamison Gibson-Park and geez what a lad he is! The kid who was raised on Great Barrier Island, is one of those guys who is good at literally everything! He is still talked about almost everyday at the Hurricanes, as being the greatest mini team signing in history, after he carried the Mavericks to their greatest winning margin. He is soo gifted, so it's absolutely no surprise to see him going on to becoming one of the best halfbacks in wo...
Apr 11, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 77
The man many of you have been waiting for, the lad, the All Black, Jeremy Thrush joins me for this one! Thrushy has it all, a great mo, a great laugh, a great jaw, an amazing voice and of course possesses incredible rugby talents. As he approaches his 36th birthday, Thrushy is still going strong, playing some great Super Rugby in Perth with the Western Force. A place where he has created a cult following, with his handlebar moustache as well as the passion he's been signing the team song (someon...
Apr 04, 2021•1 hr 26 min•Season 2Ep. 76
The recently crowned Six Nations winner, Johnny Williams joins me on What a Lad this week and what a lad he is! At only 24 years old, the current Welsh international has had a rollercoaster career to date, with some incredible highs and some really low lows! Johnny started his professional rugby career at 18 years old, making his Premiership debut for London Irish. He then went on help England win the Junior RWC as he played a massive role for them. Then after being with London Irish through two...
Mar 28, 2021•53 min•Season 2Ep. 75
Angus Ta'avao, what a lad he is! Man it was a good laugh to get one of the real characters in the game on What a Lad and go through his unbelievable journey! One thing I admire about big Gus is his ability to be himself in any situation, he's one of the few rugby players out there who is portrays himself exactly how his is in the changing rooms. He's always a real laugh and such a good lad to be around. On top of that he's also had an incredible rugby journey to becoming an All Black, with the y...
Mar 25, 2021•1 hr 21 min•Season 2Ep. 74
Tim Bateman has probably been one of the most under appreciated rugby players in New Zealand. He's someone you don't really notice how much he does for a team until he's in your side. He has a massive influence on any team that he is involved with! His rugby brain is the best that I played with. So getting him to come on to What a Lad and give an insight into his 15 year professional career was awesome. Timmy was a school boy star for CBHS, who then forced his way into a very stacked Canterbury ...
Mar 21, 2021•1 hr 17 min•Season 2Ep. 73
Here is an absolute treat for you, Conrad Smith, the All Black great, the Hurricane legend and genuinely one of the greatest lads I've come across throughout my career. He is here on What a Lad! The man commonly referred to as Snakey, takes us on his journey that saw him go from being a skinny little half back who couldn't box kick or pass both way, to becoming one of the greatest centres of all time! There's so much in this episode, we talk everything from social media, dealing with injuries, d...
Mar 14, 2021•1 hr 31 min•Season 2Ep. 72
