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hello and welcome to episode 26 of
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Runners only with dom Harvey on this
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episode all black Legend Kieran Reed a
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question
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my whole existence in the game at that
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point
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um and then that night yeah
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um
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lost it
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um
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what is my wife and and kind of Justin
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beard and stuff yeah this guy is pretty
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much Superman he's played 128 test
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matches 52 of him as Captain he was
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named world's best rugby player in 2013
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he won two World Cups four Super Rugby
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titles 11 bled as low cups seven
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trination titles the list goes on and on
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since he hung up the boots he's laced up
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the trail running shoes and has clogged
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up some big K's including a big day out
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on the old ghost all right let's get
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into it Kieran Reed
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[Music]
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[Music]
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[Music]
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[Music]
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Runners only with dom Harvey and Kieran
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Reed Runner there you go okay mate this
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is um it's it's an honor to be um in
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your house sitting at your what is this
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like a casino table yeah it's a poker
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table this is actually a gift for my
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100th test
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um yeah so it's uh
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from uh the players the rest of my team
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so um tipped in and I got this made up
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and yeah pretty cool pretty special play
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some poker or 500 or whatever you want
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to play on here so at the moment it's a
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work desk so what a gift what a gift um
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and it's his um it's got your number
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there 1083.
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yeah jeez
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no so we're sitting in what do you call
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this it's like a man cave a shrine yeah
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I think um it's called the games room so
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I'm not sure like you know I've got you
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know a few things up here I probably
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since I've retired I can actually afford
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like I never wanted to put up
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memorabilia while I was still playing
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like all the jerseys you kind of get and
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and things a few things you're gifted
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which I've put up here um well you see
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you're okay with it now but you weren't
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okay with it when you were still playing
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yeah I just felt a little bit weird
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having
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something that was up here talking about
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my career and I was still playing you
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know it felt like I should wait until
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I've actually finished and then and then
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maybe put it up so I'm all right now
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when when my girls get a bit older I can
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bring um their prospective boyfriends in
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here and just uh show them around so I'm
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looking forward to that yeah well you
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must um you must look back now with the
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benefit of hindsight and uh just be
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immensely proud of what you did I
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suppose when you when you when you're in
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it especially for as long as what you
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were you probably don't really have time
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to pause you're just thinking about the
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next the next game or the next season or
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whatever but you must look back now and
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go [ __ ] I did some [ __ ] yeah it is it's
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strange because I think um yeah honestly
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when you're in it you're just going
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through it and you're just doing what
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you need to do it's um you know it's not
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about kind of yeah what you're doing
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it's more just hey what's what's next so
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um for me it was
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I've had time to reflect a little bit I
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think you still like I'm not really that
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person that's going to look back and go
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wow that was amazing or you know
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but you know it's like yeah it was cool
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and it was uh you know all part of it
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now I um Googled you yesterday when I
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was doing some research and uh you
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Google your name and one of the first
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thing that comes up now is Kieran read
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weight loss
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honestly I'm not sure but I think
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everyone it's the first thing if they
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haven't seen me in person since I played
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rugby I've lost over 10 kgs yeah just
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muscle just muscle I don't know it's
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just muscle probably a bit of fat too
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because it yeah
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um running so I am running yeah yeah we
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are getting into that you're doing more
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than just a little bit of literally no
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I've done no weights literally haven't
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picked up a dumbbell or done any weight
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since I've finished
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um you know because I guess you for so
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long you're forced into a gym I had to
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work quite hard to keep my weight on
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when I was playing so you know I'm
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probably naturally about the size maybe
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um anyway so yeah eating lots getting in
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the gym working hard supplements shakes
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all the stuff that you Chuck in your
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body just so you can go and perform on
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the weekend yeah
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um so it was it's a brilliant thing you
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know you finish and then suddenly I
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don't have to worry about that stuff so
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obviously eating a bit less and
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um but I think it's definitely been you
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know I'm not I'm running I'm not running
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ridiculous amounts but oh I think you
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just I'm gonna have to stop you you're
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you're um this is just um classic Karen
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Reed modesty um you um you ran like a
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large chunk of the old ghost old ghost
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Road last year like 55 kilometers of it
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yeah so yeah we did don't you dare tell
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me you're doing a little bit it's an
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ultra marathon yeah I know which was
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which was unbelievable because that was
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about
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three months after I got back to New
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Zealand and with no real training I've
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done 20K was my most before that about
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two weekends beforehand every couple
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weekends before and so the two of those
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runs
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and then yeah the 55k was unbelievable
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I'll go through it was amazing yeah just
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the whole track and just being out in
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the wilderness so yeah it's pretty cool
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for a mate's 40th
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um
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you know we got helicoptered into the
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top the ghost Hut and then we ran out to
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sedanville um and just it was just
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remarkable way like tell you what 30k
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like once the past 20 guys like this is
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the first round got some 30k I'm feeling
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all right after 20 you're sort of known
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territory yeah you are yeah and I was
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like yeah this is actually okay like it
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was
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um going okay it worked out quite well
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so me and another girl we got choppered
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in first with the mate who was kind of a
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ringing on a bike so we all kind of um
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we took off and then the actual Runners
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um arrive you know what do you mean the
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actual oil is they they arrived oh
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they're just fitter than us all right
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for a few minutes later
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um
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or you know 20 minutes later 30 minutes
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later and so we took off and we didn't
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actually you know know so they didn't
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catch us to about
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um
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30k in and we're like we thought they'd
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catch us after an hour so and we're just
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you know going doing our thing and then
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we're like oh we'll stay ahead of them
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now we might as well just keep going and
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then it's probably coincided when they
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caught us at about 30k and then my body
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just shut down and it was a tough 10K
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there and then and then managed to
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um
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run out yeah run basically run out the
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last 10K but for about 10K it was it was
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a decent walk track a for a while but oh
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man it was good well I'm um I've been um
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signed up to do the old ghost Ultra for
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the last two years but due to covert I
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haven't been able to so next year's the
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year and I'm off Thursday about 85ks oh
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amazing mate it's awesome so what I did
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I went back so I went backwards so I
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went downhill so you're going up there
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so
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um that's the whole thing I was thinking
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about I know um Scotty J quite well in
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Stevenson and so and he's done it a
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couple times and I'm like the whole time
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I was thinking this is ridiculous and I
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was going downhill I was like man the
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85k you're going uphill for the 55 that
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we did basically up here although you
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know there are certain bits up and down
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and then you've got that 20K out yeah um
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have you got any desire to do the actual
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living the whole 85
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um I actually yeah probably more so
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something like that than a marathon
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probably
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um I don't know it's just so trails are
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definitely more fun
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a bit more yeah fun like if I run around
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here it's
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you know if I'm just running on the road
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I struggle a little bit
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um just been up to I don't know what it
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is but the body and everything
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um where it's just been up on a trail
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just doing different paces and things
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like that you know downhill uphill and
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maybe walk in a bit and all that seems
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to seems to fit a bit nicely for me yeah
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there's no shame in walking on the
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trails what what um why did you
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gravitate towards Rowling I strike me
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so there's
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all my teammates would have said there
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is no way that I would go running and
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there's no way I was going to go running
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but I don't know so now my kind of
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um you know friend group around which is
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based around I guess our kids and
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um the parents of our of our kids
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friends and stuff
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um they're all into it so they'll uh
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all kind of you know Runners but just
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weekend worries I guess in some aspects
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um but decent Runners and stuff and do a
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bit of Adventure races into a few like
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couple of them done Kepler and
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um and things like that so I guess for
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me it's like well to stay connected and
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you know you got to go out there and do
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it with them so yeah it's gonna enjoy
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them yeah and it's like I kind of when
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you stop you kind of you you
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um you miss that little bit of
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camaraderie you know like that's the
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thing I definitely miss most about not
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playing
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um is the fact that you you tune up with
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your mates every day and uh you know
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laughing and doing all that so getting
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out and going for a run with them if you
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know every couple weekends or something
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um you know it was a bit of fun so ended
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up doing that and I actually enjoy it
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because it was totally different to what
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I've done for 20 years so our
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competitive are you as a person I
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suppose what I mean is obviously like
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when you when you're all black or black
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Captain you're super competitive and
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losing is the worst thing ever are you
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able to just like run for fun and yeah
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yeah I am so I literally I've gone
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as you said like so competitive for so
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long and everything and yes I'm
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competitive in certain things
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but I actually don't need a
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um no I don't need to have that moment
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of real competitive satisfaction to get
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me going you know like yeah yeah you
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know I'm just like I don't need to find
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that anymore you know I've had it for so
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long so
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I can go out for a run until like
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um around home here I'm probably
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competitive against myself a little bit
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especially on like my shorter runs when
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you you know if you just go out the back
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here for six or eight K you can't always
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check in we're not checking your time
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but you're kind of wanting to make sure
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you you do a good time but yeah of
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course up in the hills I know which is a
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good thing though for me is that the
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guys who I run with are faster than me
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so for me it's like I I can't like it's
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good just catch me but I don't I don't
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need to try and compete um and so that's
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all good and um yeah quite quite just
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enjoy it just feel the garden and clear
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the head really like yeah
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I I have to do something and because I'm
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not a big you know guy to go get in the
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weights and things it was like
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if I have a couple days of doing no
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exercise again it's um it's you know I
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just don't feel feel right you know yeah
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oh mate I I 100 resonate with what
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you're saying like for me running is um
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yeah the mental health benefits are
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probably outweigh the physical health
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benefits from being honest yep the
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mental Clarity you get from it is I
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think it's true eh yeah absolutely yeah
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it does it's during the time as well
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when you're running I guess you'd feel
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that but then it's
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just clears you it clears your head and
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clears your mind and you can come back
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and
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and kind of do the rest of your day or
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do whatever it is or you know resets you
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yeah and you so you said you were a
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little bit competitive within yourself
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when you're running around here what
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sort of place are we talking like a five
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minute K Pace yeah four something yeah
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five minute okay so so
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a couple years ago when I still plan and
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I came back and I was like I'll do some
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running I was locked down so
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um I've got a 6K Loop out the back here
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um
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which is kind of on a little bit of a
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trail
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um and it's uh for me I was like started
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about six minute case five case and this
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is when you're playing rugby and you're
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like man but just running was just
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foreign to me yeah and so I just worked
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that down I wanted to get under the five
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minute case for this 6K and so I got I
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did one run 4 15. oh that's a done so
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I've done so then I didn't have to run
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that trail that run next 6K again
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um and so I've done that and then I just
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progress if I'm not even worrying about
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the
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the times to then just go in a bit
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further you know like yeah you know
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going there's a nice there's awesome
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Trails here in the forest couple of 10K
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type loops and stuff and you know you're
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ready for an hour and
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um yeah and doing it so it's like okay
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and so yeah I'll
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you know
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I'll be if I want to run fast between 4
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30 and 5. um you know between four five
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to tenk
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um
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so you know but if I run my
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bit longer I'll definitely be slowing
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down yeah I don't think I kind of hit
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the wall after about that I reckon yeah
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so not that it would bother you at all
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but Richie would smoke you in a 10K yeah
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yeah oh yeah yeah but see I spent 10
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years getting smoked by him and running
00:12:56
sessions every day oh is that right yeah
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what sort of running was involved when
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you're um when you're in all black like
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do you do like a 1 000 meter or three
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thousand meter or no it's no distance
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really it's all based on intervals
00:13:09
interval stuff so it's so you've got a
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Rugby field
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um so it's all based off kind of 100
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meters shuttles so you might do
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a 200 meter run rest and then do 50
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meters or back and forth on the 22 you
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know eight times or something
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um
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and doing it under time pressure so do
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it and say
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you know
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you know 100 meters or 200 meters and 40
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seconds and then
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20 seconds rest and then doing it again
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kind of thing it's all under fatigue so
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it's all kind of yeah at high intensity
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um and so you know rich is a he's a
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runner
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and I wasn't
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um so if I was kind of in his shadow and
00:13:48
over that period Then I knew I was real
00:13:51
fit yeah yeah so
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um that was pretty motivating to be able
00:13:55
to train with someone like that and yeah
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you know and and if like so for a long
00:13:59
basically every day you know work
00:14:01
together doing that stuff so um it was
00:14:03
good it's amazing following like both of
00:14:05
you guys post rugby because I I sort of
00:14:07
remember I'm a bit older than you but it
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seemed like when I was growing up every
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professional sports person that retired
00:14:13
got fat or got back you and Richard
00:14:15
you're leaner and trimmer and fitter
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than what you ever have been yeah I
00:14:19
think so I think it was the same looking
00:14:20
at it so I've uh you go one of two ways
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I think
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I think that is that is legitimately it
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you know
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um and
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there's a lot of man there's a lot of
00:14:32
big props who have who have really
00:14:34
trimmed down a and got and got in really
00:14:36
good shape
00:14:38
um and so I don't know I think it's just
00:14:39
a case of
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maybe now because it's been we live
00:14:43
professional lives
00:14:46
um you know you understand the benefits
00:14:48
of it all and
00:14:49
um you know and what you're doing and
00:14:51
um and maybe your body too realizes hey
00:14:54
if you stop you're going to be in all
00:14:55
sorts so you may as I keep going while
00:14:57
you can yep how is your body now like
00:14:59
you you've um you had um we're gonna get
00:15:03
into your career soon and uh what a
00:15:05
career it was but you um it's amazing
00:15:06
that you played so many tests because
00:15:07
you had so many injury breaks didn't you
00:15:09
over the years
00:15:10
yeah body's actually really good yeah
00:15:12
um so touchwood really it's um
00:15:15
it's in Great Neck like I finished
00:15:17
playing a year ago
00:15:20
um I came back with a real dodgy knee
00:15:22
like my knee is probably the worst thing
00:15:24
and that will go first and so the first
00:15:26
few months when I kind of stopped
00:15:28
playing you know it gave me you know
00:15:30
real hell you know like and it was but
00:15:32
then just from running like I could run
00:15:35
and be fine and then I'd be around home
00:15:37
and I'd you know played soccer or
00:15:38
something out in the backyard and I'd do
00:15:40
my knee and and like hobble away I mean
00:15:43
you know and then it would kind of click
00:15:44
back in place and carry on and I was
00:15:46
like oh but and it just slowly
00:15:48
progressed and got better and better
00:15:49
yeah I think you know you lose a bit of
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weight and
00:15:53
I'm not putting as much stress on it and
00:15:55
you know I've got a disc that I've you
00:15:57
know
00:15:58
um balls in my back and had surgery on
00:16:00
and
00:16:01
that's something that's going to be a
00:16:03
worry at some point again probably
00:16:06
um but at the moment I'm feeling really
00:16:08
good so this just kind of nothing really
00:16:11
that's stopping me yeah
00:16:13
yeah so but I can go for these runs like
00:16:16
go for those long runs and you know feel
00:16:18
tired and sore and everything but but
00:16:20
anything that requires Pace or power
00:16:24
even with the kids you know you finish
00:16:27
that you go oh I'm so sore that night
00:16:30
and stuff yeah how did I do this yeah so
00:16:33
so your career
00:16:35
um you're the third most kept all black
00:16:37
ever who's ahead of you by the way uh so
00:16:39
Richie and KIVI
00:16:42
um right yeah uh he's a five or so
00:16:45
actually I think I think now Sam
00:16:48
whitelock is just ahead of me right I
00:16:50
believe maybe or maybe that's equal or
00:16:52
just past me so yeah I might just slip
00:16:54
down so 128 tests 52 of them is Captain
00:16:58
um two Rugby World caps well by the way
00:17:00
interrupt if I get nothing wrong here
00:17:02
um four Super Rugby titles
00:17:04
yep yep that's the one here um eleven
00:17:06
bleeders low carbs I don't know every
00:17:08
year
00:17:10
and uh world's best player in 2013. yeah
00:17:16
um when do you realize um because I I
00:17:18
suppose the the big mile centers first
00:17:20
of all like being named and making the
00:17:22
All Blacks when do you realize that
00:17:24
you're you're a good or black I don't
00:17:26
know I think maybe when you
00:17:30
maybe when you just
00:17:32
feel like
00:17:33
if you do what you do you're going to be
00:17:36
playing you know maybe if you're playing
00:17:37
consistently for the team is probably
00:17:39
when you realize that
00:17:41
um you know if I want I can be here for
00:17:44
a long time yeah and so for me that
00:17:46
might have been around
00:17:48
just before 2011 maybe you know like
00:17:51
in 2010 after a few years yeah maybe
00:17:54
but you still just want to keep pushing
00:17:56
yourself you know in that environment so
00:17:59
um
00:18:00
yeah it's a it's a strange one I think
00:18:02
when you play first you're just like wow
00:18:04
that's amazing and it's just like it's
00:18:05
kind of like addictive a little bit that
00:18:08
you just want to
00:18:09
um keep pushing yourself as much as you
00:18:11
can and try and try and find what's you
00:18:13
know the limit is for yourself and and
00:18:15
obviously
00:18:17
the motivating factor is the team and
00:18:19
how amazing it is to to play for you
00:18:22
know for you for your nation and in a
00:18:25
team like the all back so oh and what
00:18:27
I'm okay so um yeah 128 test 52 is
00:18:30
Captain What's um what's the difference
00:18:33
in terms of pressure between just being
00:18:34
a player and being a captain well what's
00:18:36
what's the difference you have to excuse
00:18:37
my ignorance I've got no idea no no
00:18:39
honestly it's actually massive yeah like
00:18:43
what admin wise or yeah just everything
00:18:45
really like I think um
00:18:48
um yeah when you're playing like it's
00:18:50
let's
00:18:51
you know yes you you care about the team
00:18:53
and and you're worried about things
00:18:55
um
00:18:56
but you can kind of Park that I guess
00:18:57
once you've finished trainings and stuff
00:18:59
and you go home back to hotel and play
00:19:00
guys play Playstation go for cards
00:19:02
whatever
00:19:03
um whereas I found when as soon as I was
00:19:05
named captain
00:19:07
um that was very hard to
00:19:10
remove
00:19:12
the game from your mind
00:19:14
and so yep there's all these extra
00:19:16
things you've got to do around media and
00:19:17
and admin and stuff and all this extra
00:19:20
responsibility
00:19:22
um which is actually doable that's not
00:19:23
the hard part yeah it's the it's the
00:19:25
part that
00:19:27
um get some trenched in your mind about
00:19:28
the game all you're thinking about is
00:19:31
how we can do this better and so you'll
00:19:33
come back from training you can't just
00:19:34
sit in your hotel and watch you know
00:19:36
Netflix or something you'll be thinking
00:19:38
oh we should be doing this or what if we
00:19:41
did this or that and you and so
00:19:44
because as Captain I guess the
00:19:46
responsibility is more you know more on
00:19:47
your shoulder so I really respect you
00:19:49
know what Richie did and understood you
00:19:51
know that
00:19:52
um
00:19:53
difficult you could kind of tell because
00:19:55
it was hard to be
00:19:57
um
00:19:58
I guess so I had some coffee yeah switch
00:20:01
off and and so it was really about
00:20:02
trying to find spaces to make sure you
00:20:04
did switch off so
00:20:06
um I kind of got to the point where I
00:20:07
was like yeah actually structuring those
00:20:09
those times to
00:20:11
um to switch off and find that balance
00:20:13
especially when you're on tour like when
00:20:14
I was at home it's it's a bit easier but
00:20:16
yeah um
00:20:17
you know when you're on tour and stuff
00:20:19
you can just get stuck in a bit of a
00:20:20
loop um but getting out playing cards
00:20:22
going for a walk with the lads dinner
00:20:24
and stuff like that so
00:20:25
yeah you maybe that's something that um
00:20:28
compartmentalizing maybe that's
00:20:29
something that you managed to do better
00:20:30
than Richie because everyone I've spoken
00:20:32
to says Richie never had a conversation
00:20:34
about anything other than rugby yeah
00:20:36
yeah and it's it's fear and I think it's
00:20:39
you know
00:20:41
he was so did that's what made him so
00:20:44
good yeah and what a lot of people is
00:20:46
and it's like well
00:20:48
um you know he had no kids he had when
00:20:51
he was kept in he he only had a partner
00:20:53
for like the last
00:20:55
couple years
00:20:56
um so his 100 Focus was rugby and yep I
00:21:02
was you know when you're there and in
00:21:03
the moment you're doing that and you're
00:21:04
giving you all and feel like you're
00:21:06
giving just as much
00:21:08
um but there's other things in life when
00:21:10
you've got you know two kids and I had
00:21:12
three kids I had my third when I was
00:21:14
kept in and you just things are slightly
00:21:17
different in perspective I guess in that
00:21:18
way and and maybe also the type of
00:21:20
person I was anyway it was um so I
00:21:23
valued certain things and as
00:21:26
leaders in terms of connection and
00:21:28
creating um
00:21:29
you know connections and teams so
00:21:32
um yeah but I totally
00:21:34
man understand how how stressful it is
00:21:38
though and so I think I you know if you
00:21:40
talk to people around me I think I would
00:21:42
have probably changed even though I I
00:21:43
hoped I didn't but there's certain
00:21:45
things that you know certainly change it
00:21:47
because it's um
00:21:48
yeah there's a bit of pressure there 100
00:21:50
yeah um yeah what made you a good
00:21:53
Captain I mean uh 52 tests as Captain as
00:21:56
[ __ ] it's mind-blowing what made you
00:21:58
good ah
00:21:59
man I don't know I'm not gonna I can't
00:22:01
answer this now it's like you um you're
00:22:03
like you're the most modest person you
00:22:05
could ever ever ever made but can't you
00:22:07
now like look back and go okay this is
00:22:09
why I was good well yeah like I can look
00:22:11
back and and pinpoint certain things
00:22:13
that I think I was good at yeah but like
00:22:16
I don't I'm not gonna stand here
00:22:18
but look I think it is it is a basis of
00:22:22
who I was like I didn't I wasn't trying
00:22:24
to be someone I wasn't I think I was
00:22:26
pretty lucky to come into the kit and
00:22:28
see after
00:22:29
you know I was
00:22:30
you know already nearly 80 tests played
00:22:33
you know I'd kept in the team already
00:22:34
about 10 times or so before I was
00:22:36
actually named captain
00:22:38
um and so I wasn't trying to prove
00:22:40
anything I was going in there genuinely
00:22:42
being who I was as a as a person as a
00:22:45
leader and then going in there and doing
00:22:47
it
00:22:48
for this team that I was really
00:22:49
passionate about and actually helping
00:22:52
people was probably one of my things
00:22:54
that gives me a real you know
00:22:56
I'll get a real big kick out of doing
00:22:58
that yeah um and and still do a little
00:23:00
bit
00:23:01
um now definitely and so I had this team
00:23:03
that was different to the team I'd been
00:23:05
involved in beforehand with all these
00:23:06
young guys coming in and and then you
00:23:08
just want the team to do well and I
00:23:10
think are you just for me it's it's
00:23:12
putting a bit of their ego aside and I
00:23:14
think maybe that's what it did well as a
00:23:16
captain and also probably
00:23:18
um similar to what Richie was is that I
00:23:20
could
00:23:22
make decisions and stay pretty calm and
00:23:24
you know with all the stuff that's
00:23:26
happening out in the field like it
00:23:28
you know I was able to kind of just
00:23:31
Park a lot of that stuff and just be
00:23:33
able to go out there and yeah do my role
00:23:35
yeah yeah I think so and I think that
00:23:37
really helps um
00:23:39
you know um being able to drive a team
00:23:41
around the field if you're in that space
00:23:43
you know yeah but you you must have seen
00:23:46
um so much change in your your time as
00:23:48
an all black like over a decade in terms
00:23:50
of um I'm thinking like uh you know
00:23:52
vulnerability and stuff like that
00:23:54
um your book one of the one of the one
00:23:56
of the best rugby books I've ever read
00:23:57
straight eight it's just it's very
00:23:59
honest and very raw I'm guessing um oh
00:24:02
no we've got to get into that yeah that
00:24:04
was it was it quite different in the all
00:24:06
black fold like when you started in
00:24:07
terms of um I I caught up with um your
00:24:10
teammate Zach Guildford yesterday and he
00:24:11
said in his early days of the All Blacks
00:24:14
like I'd never show any vulnerability
00:24:15
because I didn't want people to think
00:24:16
he's a [ __ ] yeah um was it sort of like
00:24:18
that when you started yeah look I think
00:24:20
it was I think you know as in some ways
00:24:22
I was lucky because I did
00:24:24
you know I caught the end of that
00:24:26
maybe a bit more of that old school
00:24:28
um mentality yeah was it like when you
00:24:30
started like that so when I did see
00:24:31
mentality a little bit yeah all blacks
00:24:34
was probably starting to change a lot so
00:24:35
this was 2008 after
00:24:38
you know what had happened in 07 and
00:24:41
um maybe a bit more responsibility was
00:24:42
being put on the players
00:24:43
um when I first came back into the All
00:24:45
Blacks
00:24:46
um and so it was it was changing but
00:24:48
there was still a bit of okay you know
00:24:51
you show respect first and you do this
00:24:53
and do that and then it happens but um
00:24:57
I think the All Blacks were ahead of the
00:24:59
game
00:25:01
in terms of
00:25:02
you know Graham Henry who got
00:25:04
reappointed and the coaches went Smith
00:25:06
and all them
00:25:07
um actually said to our players that
00:25:10
it's time for you to take over the game
00:25:12
so our leaders in there we're pretty
00:25:13
damn good like led by Richie and a lot
00:25:16
of those guys giving me Lamy was pretty
00:25:17
massive and
00:25:19
and uh and being kind of the conduit
00:25:21
between the younger players and the old
00:25:23
and right
00:25:24
um so
00:25:27
it was
00:25:28
yeah I'm not I'm still gonna say when I
00:25:31
first came in I was walking around on
00:25:32
eggshells
00:25:34
here and [ __ ] scared about doing
00:25:36
anything wrong right because you're like
00:25:37
um you're like the lowest ring yeah yeah
00:25:39
yeah and so you are and I think you
00:25:41
probably still are coming in but I think
00:25:43
you know as a young player now but maybe
00:25:46
the young players coming in now are just
00:25:48
a bit more confident a bit more kind of
00:25:49
yep more assured of themselves because
00:25:52
they've been
00:25:54
um brought up in these environments that
00:25:56
uh
00:25:57
pretty professional like even the school
00:25:59
games just ridiculously professional and
00:26:01
stuff so you know if I look when they
00:26:04
come in at 20 they're not as daunted or
00:26:05
whatever maybe I'm not sure but
00:26:08
um
00:26:09
yeah I what you wanted to create like so
00:26:12
when I was Captain for my last four
00:26:13
years was an ability where I could
00:26:15
someone came and knew I would purposely
00:26:18
go and have a conversation not about
00:26:20
footy with those guys and and just
00:26:22
really
00:26:23
get to know them on a more personal
00:26:25
level and it could just be one simple
00:26:28
conversation because you you know
00:26:30
um there might be a few of them and and
00:26:32
just connection yeah and purely and
00:26:35
simple you know doing that and then just
00:26:37
trying to make them feel a bit more
00:26:38
comfortable and I think it was
00:26:40
yeah definitely done more so when I
00:26:42
finished then when I first came in it
00:26:44
was more just yep okay you're here you
00:26:46
need to fit into What's
00:26:48
um what's happening
00:26:50
and you don't really ask too many
00:26:51
questions
00:26:53
um whereas when I finished it was
00:26:55
okay guys
00:26:56
um be yourself here we want you to be
00:26:58
yourself and we want you to ask
00:26:59
questions if you know if you don't know
00:27:02
or if you need some help and I'm going
00:27:04
to get to know you and it's not up to
00:27:06
you to get to know the older players up
00:27:07
to the older players to get to know you
00:27:09
kind of thing Ah that's so healthy yeah
00:27:11
it's so good so yeah so your book
00:27:14
straight eight which was um co-written
00:27:16
with um Scotty Stevenson how does how
00:27:18
does that partnership work how does how
00:27:20
does that work does does he sit down and
00:27:22
interview you for hours Yeah man so it
00:27:24
was it was interesting actually so it's
00:27:26
it's a bit like doing a very long long
00:27:28
form vodka
00:27:30
um it was just hours and hours of of
00:27:33
talking and I guess I can talk a little
00:27:35
bit and go on and so yeah he did a lot
00:27:37
of um listening I actually think I put
00:27:39
him to sleep one time
00:27:41
he was under a bit of stress like it
00:27:44
when was it I think he's doing
00:27:47
um you know cricket and everything and
00:27:49
all this different stuff at the time so
00:27:51
and I'll just hit just um
00:27:54
we just be on the phone or if we meet
00:27:56
face to face and
00:27:57
um and I'll just talk for an hour or so
00:28:00
and just block it out and do do lots and
00:28:02
lots like that so yeah it was um it was
00:28:04
a lot of
00:28:05
a lot of fun
00:28:06
um to go over things and I just wanted
00:28:09
to make sure it was a true
00:28:10
representation and
00:28:12
um
00:28:13
I guess uh what you go through yeah yeah
00:28:15
all right and when you read the book
00:28:17
back do you feel like you've written it
00:28:19
yourself I do I do yeah yeah it did it
00:28:22
did and so doing it with Scotty was you
00:28:24
know purposeful as well because I do
00:28:26
know I'm quite well and and we're good
00:28:28
mates so
00:28:29
and you know I thought he's a great
00:28:32
writer yeah he's probably
00:28:34
he's amazing at what he does
00:28:36
um and so he did get my yeah my feel and
00:28:39
it does feel like when I read it it's as
00:28:41
if I've written it myself so um yeah
00:28:44
very thankful for that yeah yeah um yeah
00:28:46
there's a few things in the book that I
00:28:48
um that I'd really like to unpack it for
00:28:50
you if you're Keen to Yes um on the
00:28:52
assumption that a lot of people listen
00:28:53
to this wouldn't have wouldn't have read
00:28:54
the book and hopefully after hearing
00:28:56
this I want to go out and buy it but you
00:28:58
talk about crying on three occasions
00:28:59
there's um a head injury a thumb injury
00:29:02
in the the Christchurch earthquake yeah
00:29:05
um what's the thumb injury that seems
00:29:07
like a random one oh thumb injury yeah
00:29:08
what was that um
00:29:10
that was
00:29:12
um just before the lion Series so it was
00:29:15
in South Africa uh bloomfontein
00:29:18
um the heart of the velt up there and um
00:29:22
you know just for half time Crusaders
00:29:24
game against Cheetos
00:29:27
um and uh you know just bust my thumb
00:29:29
and I knew something was bad and we were
00:29:32
playing the lion series was maybe eight
00:29:34
weeks away six weeks eight weeks away
00:29:37
and I just thought the worst a little
00:29:39
bit at that moment
00:29:41
um so you get taken back to the shared
00:29:43
kind of everyone comes I'm sitting there
00:29:45
and at half time everyone comes in
00:29:47
and kind of
00:29:49
you know the team comes in and you just
00:29:51
don't want to give any emotion away to
00:29:52
the team because they come and sleep on
00:29:53
the back are you all good and I was like
00:29:55
yeah I'm all good all good but no you
00:29:56
know your facts no yeah yeah pretty much
00:29:58
[ __ ] and then you go
00:30:01
um and then basically kind of just
00:30:03
keeping all this emotion and then
00:30:05
suddenly as soon as all the boys go back
00:30:06
out for second half I was just like just
00:30:09
lost it and it's more a case of kind of
00:30:11
knowing what potentially you could miss
00:30:14
out on I think and just and I'll just
00:30:16
come back from a bit of injury as well
00:30:18
um
00:30:19
so it was
00:30:20
um
00:30:21
my wrist injury so it was kind of all
00:30:24
that emotion that gets pent up and you
00:30:26
know at that moment it just seems so
00:30:28
massive yeah and then you go so it's
00:30:31
pretty awesome man surf because a crazy
00:30:34
place in in so many different ways but
00:30:36
it is amazing in other ways so
00:30:39
um
00:30:40
the liaison officer I think drove me to
00:30:42
the hospital Private Hospital
00:30:44
in bloemfontein at you know nine o'clock
00:30:46
at night on a Saturday and uh he
00:30:50
on basically the docs here x-ray
00:30:54
um you need surgery
00:30:55
and we'll get up this surgeon he'll come
00:30:58
from wherever he's been so if he hasn't
00:31:00
had too many beers before he turned up
00:31:02
but he comes in and he just said to me
00:31:05
before so the surgeon comes in that
00:31:06
night at about midnight I'm having
00:31:08
surgery and purely because I said you've
00:31:11
got to have it done if you don't if you
00:31:12
wait till you get home it's another week
00:31:14
because of swelling from a um thing and
00:31:17
you might miss the series he's like
00:31:19
kitten I promise you
00:31:22
you'll be playing against the Lions
00:31:25
and like that's what you know so he knew
00:31:27
everything about it he's like I'll fix
00:31:29
you do not worry and um by the way
00:31:31
that's a good voice you do oh it's a
00:31:33
good South African yeah I've spent about
00:31:35
a year of my life in South Africa so I
00:31:37
should should be able to get it but you
00:31:39
know and so
00:31:40
going in there and then just spending it
00:31:42
and then so like spending the night in
00:31:44
the South African Hospital
00:31:46
by yourself kind of the dot because
00:31:49
you're all drugged up and everything you
00:31:51
know you don't have your phone or
00:31:52
anything so I'm literally you literally
00:31:54
just just there because the doc had
00:31:56
taken it away You're you know worried
00:31:57
about
00:31:58
people taking things while you're you
00:32:01
know just lying there so
00:32:03
um yeah it was a a strange time but then
00:32:06
I think you know
00:32:08
you just
00:32:09
in some ways you go okay what's next and
00:32:11
you go okay I've got to get this right
00:32:12
and then you just do it it needs to be
00:32:13
done yeah um and then I came back just
00:32:16
for that first test it's my next game
00:32:18
um
00:32:19
yeah so it was pretty it you know it
00:32:21
works out in the end yeah of course it
00:32:24
does but I suppose at the time it seems
00:32:26
like it's the end of the world yeah yeah
00:32:27
and it's man there's some
00:32:30
I think just knowing different things
00:32:32
like injuries are tough
00:32:33
um I think he's mentioned that
00:32:35
concussion I had oh yeah they want to
00:32:38
talk about that um and also the the
00:32:40
Christchurch earthquake so where were
00:32:42
you
00:32:43
so
00:32:45
2010 at home
00:32:47
um wife pregnant when that kind of big
00:32:49
one shook but what you know I didn't
00:32:51
really think that's the one that was in
00:32:52
the middle of the night yeah yeah
00:32:55
kind of jump out of bed you know and
00:32:57
then we'd leave the next you know
00:32:59
this week a few days later to go to
00:33:01
Aussie to play and
00:33:03
um
00:33:03
kind of didn't sense what an earthquake
00:33:06
was then I guess because a few chimneys
00:33:08
fell down whatever then um
00:33:11
because everyone was asleep and beer
00:33:13
yeah so it wasn't yeah it was like ah
00:33:16
okay sweet
00:33:17
um
00:33:17
and then uh yeah February we're in
00:33:20
uh with Richie having lunch Mirabelle
00:33:23
Mall sushi
00:33:24
and he's on crutches and um
00:33:28
like we just like stood up and I'm
00:33:30
holding on to this the table and he's
00:33:32
getting knocked he can't stand up and
00:33:35
he's just getting knocked off his seat
00:33:37
this place is rocking and you just go
00:33:39
man this isn't good a and it's like
00:33:41
you're looking around and
00:33:44
um looking into the supermarket and
00:33:46
things just falling everywhere and
00:33:47
you're going man this isn't this isn't
00:33:49
right
00:33:50
um and so
00:33:52
and I had an eight week old at home and
00:33:54
it's like okay
00:33:55
man said to him I drove him I was like
00:33:58
man this girl drop you off
00:34:01
um
00:34:02
so we drove dropped him off and then
00:34:05
um on my way home at you know a five
00:34:07
minute Journey took about half an hour
00:34:08
just because suddenly there's flooding
00:34:10
and it's like yeah Perfection everywhere
00:34:13
and like
00:34:14
like concrete fences are just like
00:34:16
rocked over
00:34:17
um
00:34:18
and just yeah it's just it's an unreal
00:34:21
sight and it's kind of you know get home
00:34:23
and
00:34:24
um
00:34:26
and my wife standing on the driveway
00:34:27
with baby kind of you know get me out of
00:34:31
here type of thing and it's like wow and
00:34:33
then suddenly there must be another
00:34:36
um
00:34:37
I have to shaft to shock and then so and
00:34:39
then our place just was around we're
00:34:41
quite close to a little creek and we're
00:34:43
in Shirley which got heavily hammered by
00:34:46
the liquefaction so
00:34:48
but it didn't come off straight away
00:34:49
from our place so it kind of started
00:34:51
coming up then when I got home and then
00:34:53
suddenly
00:34:54
it's basically up you know nearly
00:34:57
getting into a house onto the side of
00:34:58
our house covering our deck
00:35:01
um and a whole you know big old Mounds
00:35:04
in our driveway it's uh it's a crazy
00:35:06
thing it shows you how much power they
00:35:08
have so just a crazy time
00:35:10
um that probably didn't that's not when
00:35:12
I I was just you know here in the moment
00:35:14
there and you're doing things we're
00:35:15
going to stay with my aunt and uncle on
00:35:17
the other side of town and
00:35:18
um
00:35:19
and it was difficult I guess and tried
00:35:21
to get my wife
00:35:23
up to family and Auckland um
00:35:26
and then it wasn't until
00:35:28
so basically from then on we got stuck
00:35:31
in and got a few mates around we cleared
00:35:34
this liquefaction and suddenly like
00:35:36
there's just piles of these little
00:35:37
confessions around the road everywhere
00:35:39
right amazing man so like we
00:35:42
do our street and it's just
00:35:44
you know how big of a job it is is
00:35:47
ridiculous so like we did my house and
00:35:49
then we went round at the different
00:35:51
other houses and stuff and it's just
00:35:54
shoveling crap into wheelbarrows and
00:35:56
taking them out onto the side of the
00:35:58
road and and so I did that and then I
00:36:00
think
00:36:02
um
00:36:03
happen another big Aftershock happened
00:36:05
and
00:36:07
a little bit of perfection came back up
00:36:09
sorry
00:36:09
I cleared it
00:36:11
you know whatever and then I think it
00:36:12
was June and
00:36:15
um and another uh shock happened and
00:36:18
after shocks were happening all the time
00:36:19
so it was quite it was quite freaky and
00:36:20
it's quite it's not a great time yeah
00:36:22
friends of mine Christchurch they became
00:36:24
good at predicting oh that's a four
00:36:26
point yeah you would you would which was
00:36:27
you know terrible way to look it is yeah
00:36:29
and so this one happened and the local
00:36:33
fiction came back up and it was
00:36:35
it was quite decent and it just kind of
00:36:37
really that was the sign of it I think
00:36:40
that really broke me that it was hey
00:36:42
this might not this is going to keep
00:36:44
going and I was like it was like I don't
00:36:46
want to shovel crap for the rest of the
00:36:49
rest you know like here and at the
00:36:51
moment we're still playing rugby and I'm
00:36:52
you know I'm leaving every weekend
00:36:54
because we're not playing at home and
00:36:55
leaving my fan like my wife and kid
00:36:58
and you're going
00:36:59
it's like oh am I you know what are we
00:37:02
doing and it just kind of
00:37:04
it was like a a day off and what I just
00:37:08
kind of was like bit broken you know I
00:37:09
was like yeah I can't do this just beat
00:37:11
him down yeah beat him down and you just
00:37:13
felt that way because you're just
00:37:14
constantly worried about things
00:37:16
um you know when you're away you're
00:37:18
worried because your wife's at home and
00:37:20
you know what what if you know um but
00:37:23
what was amazing was just the spirit of
00:37:25
the community and and how awesome it was
00:37:27
and you just the sense of
00:37:31
knowing that you've you've shared this
00:37:33
experience you know like and there's
00:37:35
and you understood what everyone was
00:37:37
going through yeah and everyone had the
00:37:39
same kind of
00:37:40
feelings and so what was awesome so DC
00:37:43
so Dan Carter said he left over kind of
00:37:46
that side of town as well he's like mate
00:37:49
um I've got says Club Southbridge he's
00:37:52
got so he he had some
00:37:54
few players and things from Southbridge
00:37:56
Rugby Club so this is on a day I think
00:37:58
it's kind of around like a
00:38:00
you know I caught a finalist time or
00:38:02
something you know like um
00:38:04
a day off you should be resting up and
00:38:07
um you know preparing for a rugby game
00:38:09
but it just was a strange strange year
00:38:11
and he
00:38:13
was awesome man like so he got his his
00:38:15
Club in so they come in a minivan from
00:38:17
out in Southbridge and helped me clean
00:38:19
up my my yard and um
00:38:21
you know you do it in six hours instead
00:38:23
of me trying to shovel away for days
00:38:25
yeah so yeah
00:38:27
um and get it done but I think oh that's
00:38:30
awesome yeah that whole understanding of
00:38:33
what it what you went through and it's
00:38:35
it's weird
00:38:36
um just talking about now he kind of
00:38:38
brings back those memories because
00:38:39
generally you kind of you forget hey you
00:38:41
know some
00:38:42
um but yeah it was uh well thanks for
00:38:43
sharing that is your um you're a tough
00:38:45
biker I I think for me like I'm just
00:38:47
pulling into the driveway immediately
00:38:49
afterwards and seeing my wife and child
00:38:51
there I think that would yeah that would
00:38:52
be enough to break me I reckon just know
00:38:54
that everyone's okay yeah oh man um
00:38:56
that's the thing it was
00:38:58
yeah I didn't I didn't you didn't quite
00:39:00
you just would you didn't know yeah
00:39:02
you're like Christchurch doesn't get
00:39:04
Earthworks but you know it's Wellington
00:39:06
you know what's going on so I don't know
00:39:08
it's just you just head to a debt day
00:39:10
and
00:39:11
um but certainly crazy and it wasn't you
00:39:14
know honestly it drives a lot of people
00:39:17
to you know some pretty bad places yeah
00:39:21
of course of course I've been able to
00:39:23
share it with everyone together was was
00:39:24
pretty cool um for us as a team and
00:39:27
Crusaders and then you know across the
00:39:28
community as well yeah and you shared
00:39:30
the story about um Dan and his um
00:39:31
Southbridge mates there's also like the
00:39:32
student volunteer army that were out
00:39:34
doing doing their Community oh yeah it
00:39:37
really brought out the best in people oh
00:39:38
100 and so that's what we kind of tried
00:39:40
to do too you know as Crusaders you know
00:39:42
it was like okay what can we do yeah we
00:39:44
were like then we can't play a game this
00:39:46
weekend let's try and go out there and
00:39:48
help out as many people as we can and
00:39:49
got to the point where the best way for
00:39:52
us to help was through you know our
00:39:54
performance until we put a smile on
00:39:56
people's faces and it's like okay yeah
00:39:58
it's a believable season then yeah it
00:40:00
was Escape for us and for everyone else
00:40:02
to watch and
00:40:03
um you know aside from
00:40:05
you know like
00:40:07
fire out like a couple of points you
00:40:09
know I would have been probably one of
00:40:10
the greatest
00:40:11
championships what happened you have to
00:40:13
remind me what happened oh we you know
00:40:15
played every game away from home you
00:40:17
know that that year so
00:40:18
um
00:40:19
you know Nelson for our home games we
00:40:21
played in Napier for our home games
00:40:23
so every weekend you're shipping up and
00:40:25
going away we played in in London
00:40:28
um
00:40:29
it was unbelievable and then so
00:40:33
um caught a fight so then we went
00:40:35
quarterfinal in Cape Town
00:40:37
no quarterfinal and Nelson semi-final in
00:40:40
Cape Town Final in Brisbane
00:40:43
um and and
00:40:44
we just ran out of puff unfortunately
00:40:46
and maybe the whole okay surprise the
00:40:49
whole occasion of what it was
00:40:52
and and things so
00:40:54
we lost the final
00:40:57
um by a few points we'll be in here just
00:40:59
unbelievable it's called this try from
00:41:01
nowhere um to win the game basically but
00:41:04
the what was amazing was that the fact
00:41:07
that when it came home the next day on
00:41:08
the on the plane and the airport was
00:41:10
just chuckled people that deal was like
00:41:13
one of the moments that you go man
00:41:14
that's why you're playing why you love
00:41:16
this this place here so yeah oh good
00:41:19
yeah the other occasion where you talk
00:41:21
about um you know getting a motion on
00:41:23
your book is um head injury and these um
00:41:25
you get into this um in quite a deep way
00:41:27
in your book and it's actually quite a
00:41:29
difficult portion of the book to read
00:41:31
like I gave me migraines just reading it
00:41:33
like it really Scotty Jane yourself
00:41:36
really sort of captured the the essence
00:41:38
of I suppose what a concussion or head
00:41:39
injury is like I don't envy what you've
00:41:41
been through that sounds awful yeah
00:41:44
that's uh
00:41:47
it's not nice to go through anything
00:41:49
like that I think um
00:41:51
you know a really you question a lot of
00:41:53
things I guess when you're going through
00:41:55
um what um what you go through around a
00:41:57
concussion injury and there's
00:41:58
you know it can happen to a lot of
00:42:00
people can't
00:42:01
um in different walks of life but I
00:42:03
guess the nature of the job I've had
00:42:06
concussions before and you kind of have
00:42:07
your time off and you come back and
00:42:09
you're sweet but
00:42:10
uh this time 2014
00:42:13
um you know these kind of headaches
00:42:16
things didn't go away you know and
00:42:17
you're like
00:42:18
um
00:42:19
okay I'll have time we have some time
00:42:21
off doc mcdoc was awesome Deb Robinson
00:42:24
she's amazing
00:42:25
um you know we just
00:42:27
um would talk a lot about what's
00:42:29
happening and
00:42:30
um and even then like I had a month or
00:42:33
so off the game
00:42:35
you kind of and I'm like I'm feeling
00:42:37
okay but
00:42:38
you know there's obviously something not
00:42:40
quite right and so
00:42:42
I came back for a game
00:42:44
um
00:42:45
and nothing happened in the game felt
00:42:48
really good this was the last game
00:42:49
before we're going to go play for the
00:42:50
All Blacks
00:42:52
um had a great great game
00:42:54
um
00:42:55
then the next day I drove
00:42:57
um
00:42:58
kids we went out um to Oxford I think
00:43:00
had some lunch and stuff and
00:43:02
um
00:43:03
and then uh I started getting like a
00:43:06
headache and it's like it's the next day
00:43:07
at lunch time and stuff and I'm like oh
00:43:09
man that's no good and you kind of sick
00:43:11
and guess what's going on then next day
00:43:13
going to Camp with the All Blacks and it
00:43:15
was like a real kind of tough decision
00:43:17
where I was like oh I had to tell I was
00:43:19
like
00:43:20
I don't think I can do this you know
00:43:22
it's like
00:43:23
so I kind of had to put my hand up and
00:43:25
say no I can't can't play and playing
00:43:27
for their Works obviously
00:43:29
what you want to do so
00:43:31
um
00:43:32
and without actually having a specific
00:43:34
moment that you know and I was like
00:43:38
so I said no can't do it
00:43:41
um
00:43:42
and you know so had two games off
00:43:46
came back for the third test against
00:43:47
England
00:43:48
um and Hamilton and
00:43:51
I I just talking to the doctors and they
00:43:54
were like look this can't this isn't
00:43:56
concussion this must be something you
00:43:58
know anxiety and different things and
00:44:00
whatever but I thought it was like a
00:44:01
well psychological thing not necessarily
00:44:04
psychological but just things that maybe
00:44:06
weren't quite something wasn't quite
00:44:07
right
00:44:08
um
00:44:09
and so I came back and I was feeling
00:44:14
better so I wasn't you know if I put my
00:44:17
hand up if I wasn't feeling great right
00:44:18
in that so I had done that
00:44:20
um and so I came back for the third test
00:44:24
um
00:44:24
and then sometime in the first half like
00:44:26
I
00:44:27
I copped a knock
00:44:30
and I just I knew because of all the it
00:44:33
wasn't even a bad knock and and I knew
00:44:35
what had happened and I was like
00:44:37
but I didn't want to come off more
00:44:39
purely because of what people would
00:44:42
write about you know if I came here
00:44:44
well like you know people would know
00:44:47
I've had this these problems right I
00:44:49
just didn't want to make it bigger than
00:44:50
what it was so right so if I came off
00:44:53
before half time then
00:44:56
the headlines would be care and read you
00:44:57
know about a concussion things like that
00:44:59
and more I just didn't I wanted to
00:45:01
protect my family and my wife and stuff
00:45:04
so well you were worried about
00:45:07
them being worked there yeah yeah so I
00:45:09
kind of got my way to half time and you
00:45:11
kind of can run around on a rugby field
00:45:13
and to be honest
00:45:15
that was our best half for a while and
00:45:17
I've played yeah I could still play it
00:45:19
do it
00:45:21
um
00:45:21
and so but half time I said I came off
00:45:24
and I said to Darkness like that it's me
00:45:27
so I stayed in the shed I cried a lot so
00:45:30
there's another another time so it was
00:45:31
kind of like
00:45:32
um
00:45:33
and I was like I question
00:45:35
my whole existence in the game at that
00:45:38
point
00:45:39
um and then that night yeah
00:45:41
um
00:45:41
lost it
00:45:43
um
00:45:44
what is my wife and and kind of just in
00:45:47
bed and stuff yeah so
00:45:49
um what did you think it might be that
00:45:51
might be the interview yeah you were
00:45:52
there worried about it yeah so
00:45:54
um so it was just kind of and it's
00:45:58
a lot of what hid Knox can you know the
00:46:01
funny things they so
00:46:03
um yeah so it was like oh man this is it
00:46:07
you know what I am doing that's kind of
00:46:10
the end and then
00:46:12
um you know you go well
00:46:16
got back to
00:46:19
um Crusaders and they're like okay we're
00:46:21
gonna do
00:46:22
do these tests on me um
00:46:25
just which was awesome so I went to
00:46:26
concussion specialist tested all that
00:46:28
and flip out of all of it my brain is
00:46:32
100 fine and
00:46:35
um there's you know there's no symptoms
00:46:37
of concussion really or anything or
00:46:39
things like that
00:46:41
um and everything's going good there but
00:46:44
I am
00:46:45
completely out of whack with my balance
00:46:47
so my vestibular are you still to this
00:46:49
day right
00:46:52
um so my vestibular was the system which
00:46:54
is basically you know people who come
00:46:57
out of car crashes and stuff have that
00:46:59
um
00:47:00
where I couldn't um yeah if anything
00:47:02
that we had to move in my eye would eyes
00:47:05
would just take longer to catch up and
00:47:07
you'd get a headache from it so like I'd
00:47:09
be driving I'd drive for five minutes to
00:47:12
to training and just turn your head to
00:47:14
look for traffic and then you get
00:47:15
trained you have a headache and you'd be
00:47:17
like oh what the hell you know but it
00:47:19
wasn't so you'd attribute it to
00:47:22
concussion but it obviously falls from
00:47:24
the whack that my balance was wasn't
00:47:26
good so
00:47:28
I ended up
00:47:29
seeing well two things seeing
00:47:31
psychologist and seeing a balanced
00:47:32
therapist too
00:47:34
gave me all these
00:47:36
uh exercises to do which actually made
00:47:38
you feel worse you talk about this in
00:47:41
the book and um what like what what
00:47:43
drives you to keep doing those exercises
00:47:45
because yeah yeah because yeah you
00:47:47
actually feel you feel worse doing them
00:47:49
because you put in it's like building
00:47:51
muscle in it in the gym like you know
00:47:53
you stress yourself and so the same
00:47:55
thing
00:47:56
um and it was it was hard
00:47:59
and
00:48:00
I must have been real [ __ ] to hang
00:48:02
around with and I didn't really tell
00:48:04
anyone
00:48:06
in my team about it yeah
00:48:08
um
00:48:09
so it was quite like I'm I was kept I
00:48:12
was kept kept in the Crusaders and I was
00:48:14
back playing you know I was feeling like
00:48:16
crap the entire week and then I'd stop
00:48:19
doing these exercises on like a Thursday
00:48:20
and then have two days off before the
00:48:22
game and you kind of
00:48:24
get through the game somehow
00:48:27
um you know start the exercise and feel
00:48:29
crap again but
00:48:30
um but it was but kind of knowing it
00:48:33
wasn't my head and knowing it was you
00:48:35
know so I was like well
00:48:36
I
00:48:37
listening to The Experts here I was
00:48:39
getting some help from a psychologist
00:48:41
around their anxiousness and all that
00:48:42
stuff
00:48:43
um what do you mean the anxiousness
00:48:46
where you just like nervous of going
00:48:47
into context of different things and
00:48:49
what could happen and all this stuff and
00:48:52
and just around that just headaches you
00:48:54
know if you're getting headaches all the
00:48:55
time it's just you know
00:48:57
uh you know it's not great on your
00:48:59
mental well-being
00:49:02
um so more of that side of things say
00:49:03
and kind of clearing your mind a little
00:49:05
bit on that respect so ended up doing a
00:49:08
lot of
00:49:10
um kind of breathing and and kind of
00:49:13
meditation type stuff around it
00:49:16
um aligned with all this other stuff so
00:49:18
around my balance so it was it was a
00:49:21
crazy time like I'm
00:49:23
pretty lucky I'd
00:49:24
I'm out I got out of it and stuff like
00:49:27
um you know with my brain yeah in a good
00:49:30
space it's kind of scary so when you see
00:49:32
a few things pop up in media about
00:49:34
you know I lingering things
00:49:36
um I like like Carl Heyman yeah yeah so
00:49:40
but hey I believe I did what I had to in
00:49:44
the game at the time and you know I've
00:49:46
made sure I did rest when
00:49:48
the actual brain was on on the you know
00:49:50
and then you know stress so you know you
00:49:54
know we just gotta wait and see there
00:49:55
but you know you live your life eh um so
00:49:58
yeah it came it came out of that so I'm
00:50:01
pretty lucky yeah geez you're so
00:50:03
considerate aren't you it's funny that
00:50:05
um you wouldn't want to be um taken off
00:50:06
in the first half because you're worried
00:50:07
about about your wife at home I I um I
00:50:11
caught up with um Harriet Kane for my
00:50:13
podcast a couple of months ago and
00:50:15
um she said a similar sort of thing like
00:50:16
I suppose from the um the wife's
00:50:18
perspective like watching Sam being
00:50:20
stretched off with a back injury on the
00:50:22
other side of the world like it's it's
00:50:24
um it's not a sport for the faint hair
00:50:25
today when it comes to Partners no I
00:50:27
think yeah it's actually you know a lot
00:50:29
worse for them you know like because
00:50:30
they don't know they just seen you go
00:50:32
off and
00:50:33
you know what is the actual what is
00:50:35
wrong and it's always hard and I think
00:50:38
um
00:50:39
you know and they cop the worst too in
00:50:41
terms of like you know the media as well
00:50:43
you know the ones closest to you like as
00:50:45
a player I don't read what the media is
00:50:47
going to write about me but it's not
00:50:49
good for the soul man so but everyone
00:50:51
you know your parents are and your
00:50:53
friends and yeah and it's like well hey
00:50:57
you know
00:50:58
but you know you understand it but they
00:51:00
they ride the wave a bit more than you
00:51:01
do because you're in you know a bit more
00:51:03
insulin yeah
00:51:05
um you know know what's happening anyway
00:51:06
so
00:51:07
um but yeah it is it's hard on on them
00:51:10
and you appreciate exactly what they go
00:51:11
through yeah let's let's talk about your
00:51:13
wife so you're talking about something
00:51:15
light for a second so um your high
00:51:17
school sweethearts yeah we are yeah yeah
00:51:18
yeah so you meet when I met at Russell
00:51:21
College 2002 so it's uh say how old at
00:51:24
the time uh 16-17 right yeah so um yeah
00:51:28
20 years I've been
00:51:30
um together now so it's um who who saw
00:51:33
it
00:51:34
was it a slow burn um uh my wife was I
00:51:39
think I was um in her sights that's what
00:51:42
I'll say
00:51:43
she was uh seventh four miles sixth form
00:51:46
and right okay it's your bunk off for
00:51:49
her um arts history of arts class
00:51:52
whatever what's me do PE I think
00:51:54
to sit in the common room and watch me
00:51:57
do pee so um what were you doing in PE I
00:52:00
don't know
00:52:01
um you know maybe my short shorts or
00:52:04
something I don't know what it was in my
00:52:05
long hair um were you a big deal at
00:52:08
school like were you were the man are
00:52:09
you were very good at we haven't even
00:52:10
got into your Cricket yet you're very
00:52:12
good at Cricket and no I'm guessing
00:52:13
you're very good at rugby yeah but I
00:52:15
think at that at Roseville College you
00:52:17
know been a big Sports style wasn't much
00:52:19
of a thing you know it didn't actually
00:52:21
it didn't give him that status I guess
00:52:23
in some ways you know there's certain
00:52:24
aspects of it but
00:52:26
um no it was generally
00:52:28
yeah the older you wear the more status
00:52:30
you have in the school so us um
00:52:33
you know still sixth form uniform
00:52:36
um and it came down to like basically we
00:52:38
met well
00:52:40
um at a party at a bonfire party it was
00:52:43
um
00:52:44
[Music]
00:52:45
and then yeah it's kind of just it went
00:52:47
from there so you know I was probably
00:52:51
from you know from as a younger guys
00:52:53
hanging out with the older guys anyway
00:52:55
because you're playing with them so
00:52:56
going to a few of those different
00:52:58
parties and
00:52:59
what have you so um it was uh yeah a lot
00:53:03
of fun and I guess it kind of
00:53:05
our relationship just grew and I think
00:53:07
that was pretty awesome that for what
00:53:09
ended up in my career yeah have yeah
00:53:12
been with someone you know for so long
00:53:14
and yeah yeah exactly so
00:53:17
um makes you pretty easily it puts me in
00:53:19
my place so yeah when did you when did
00:53:21
you realize it was love
00:53:23
um
00:53:24
I I don't know I think it was reasonably
00:53:26
early I think probably but maybe that's
00:53:28
just teenage love but you know when we
00:53:30
we moved down to Cannery to give a
00:53:33
couple years later
00:53:34
um
00:53:35
and you know so we probably thought
00:53:38
someone was you know genuinely serious
00:53:42
um and a lot of stuff goes on so you
00:53:44
know if things happen quite quickly you
00:53:45
know um that's at stage of life and
00:53:48
um and knowing that you want to just to
00:53:50
spend more time with her and we went in
00:53:51
flooded down here and yeah and then it
00:53:54
was all it was all roses and you kind of
00:53:56
go yep so you want to spend the rest of
00:53:57
your life with oh that's such a cool
00:53:59
story yeah that's really special so how
00:54:01
long was it before you proposed
00:54:03
um
00:54:04
I got married when I was 20.
00:54:20
it was um
00:54:23
yeah it was just one of those things
00:54:24
they had to had to make some money to
00:54:25
buy a ring I think and and you got three
00:54:28
kids now yeah three kids yeah what two
00:54:31
girls and a boy two girls and a boy so
00:54:33
Al Eden and Reuben um it was so awesome
00:54:36
they're 11 nine and five and they're at
00:54:38
Great ages and
00:54:39
um yeah awesome kids
00:54:42
um all different
00:54:44
um but just amazing yeah and cool to see
00:54:46
and they're all involved in sport and
00:54:48
different things
00:54:50
um yeah it's uh it's amazing eh yeah so
00:54:52
really cool yeah so yeah so your two
00:54:54
daughters they're sort of old enough I
00:54:55
guess to have an appreciation of um what
00:54:57
you did for a job yeah they are they are
00:55:00
and so it's
00:55:02
yeah they they
00:55:04
didn't really appreciate the time um in
00:55:07
fact I think my nine-year-old now so my
00:55:10
last few years I've kept in the all
00:55:11
black students come home so Dad Dad can
00:55:14
you stop being all black Captain
00:55:17
because uh you know you know it's just
00:55:21
the way it is you know you walk around
00:55:22
go out for an outing and people want to
00:55:25
talk to you and take photos and all this
00:55:27
stuff and and that's why I think she
00:55:30
kind of got on the head she's like why
00:55:31
can't you just be dead why can't we just
00:55:33
go to you know the playground and and
00:55:35
you push me on the swings
00:55:38
you're talking like they're um yeah I
00:55:40
don't know you think you think they
00:55:42
would have that that respect that I'd
00:55:43
see you out with your family and they'd
00:55:44
leave you alone
00:55:47
nah but you have to understand that that
00:55:49
was the hardest thing was when you're
00:55:51
out with family and and people would
00:55:52
come up to you yeah that was when you
00:55:55
had to
00:55:56
um you know be very Placid and bite your
00:55:59
tongue a little bit you can't just go
00:56:01
through with it because like for them
00:56:02
it's like they I mean you've got your
00:56:04
kids with them but they they never know
00:56:06
when they're going to see you again no
00:56:07
no so you understand it but it was
00:56:09
always kind of hard you know like when
00:56:11
you but our my oldest year is pretty
00:56:13
good she had just grabbed the younger
00:56:14
too and kind of just walked them over
00:56:16
there and I was like and a lot of people
00:56:18
would a lot of people would say oh no
00:56:20
it's all right they can they can be in
00:56:22
the photo too and I was like no I don't
00:56:24
want my kids in a random person's yeah I
00:56:27
was kind of um but you know that whole
00:56:31
part of it is is pretty amazing like
00:56:34
it's it's foreign because you don't
00:56:36
really expect you know when you're
00:56:37
growing up that you're gonna people stop
00:56:39
you and talk to you and take photos but
00:56:41
um a little bit frustrating when you're
00:56:43
with the family and stuff and so you
00:56:45
just byproduct of that was you just I
00:56:47
just had to be careful well not careful
00:56:49
but we just didn't go to certain places
00:56:52
you know go to them didn't go to the
00:56:54
mall during the school holidays you
00:56:56
don't go to the Margaret mayhe
00:56:57
playground because it's too busy and
00:56:59
stuff so it's like so you'd um you know
00:57:02
would only go to our local playground
00:57:03
and they'd go oh I did this is a small
00:57:06
slide
00:57:07
no we're lucky with anyone's here though
00:57:09
so
00:57:10
you know I was like oh yeah it's all
00:57:13
part of it but
00:57:14
um I think now yeah the older two kind
00:57:16
of realize how potentially it was yeah
00:57:20
it's quite a big thing but yeah yeah a
00:57:22
young man who's doesn't there but
00:57:24
awesome they're at my last game for the
00:57:26
all works so
00:57:27
um yeah especially on the field and
00:57:28
we've got some pretty cool um moments
00:57:30
some cheers videos and stuff like that
00:57:32
so that's cool did you want to talk
00:57:35
about your 34th birthday
00:57:38
happy fourth birthday
00:57:42
ever
00:57:44
uh yeah you know like
00:57:46
um
00:57:47
yeah semi-final not 2019. so oh man yeah
00:57:51
so this was um yeah the Rugby World Cup
00:57:53
semi-final England England beat the All
00:57:55
Blacks in 19 197. I feel like um I don't
00:57:58
know I don't want to put words in your
00:57:59
mouth but because you've won two World
00:58:01
Cups I suppose losing one
00:58:03
is easier to take no no it's not really
00:58:06
no I think because what I talked about
00:58:08
too around the captaincy you know like
00:58:10
this
00:58:11
you know you wanted to do it for the
00:58:14
team but then also you've got all this
00:58:15
responsibility as yourself and I want to
00:58:17
you know prove that I was I was um
00:58:19
capable of doing it as a leader um and
00:58:22
then so you put in so much effort and
00:58:24
work
00:58:26
um and then it doesn't come off and you
00:58:28
know my birthday was irrelevant like at
00:58:30
that point you know a 34th birthday is
00:58:33
irrelevant anyway you're not gonna have
00:58:35
a party or anything for that or you know
00:58:37
you don't get presents anymore so or
00:58:39
winning a World Cup Series
00:58:42
yeah it would have been nice um
00:58:45
you know but what put it in perspective
00:58:47
I guess and that was a that was probably
00:58:48
the hardest
00:58:50
um time on a rugby field for me and post
00:58:52
that game
00:58:54
um having to show leadership
00:58:57
um having to bring the team in show the
00:59:00
leadership like after the loss yeah
00:59:02
after the loss you know like putting on
00:59:04
a brave face yeah like just and not just
00:59:06
a brave face though like showing that
00:59:08
it's genuinely hurting yeah for the team
00:59:10
but also saying to my boys you know who
00:59:13
that hey we're in all that team that you
00:59:16
know if we
00:59:18
um win gracefully we have to be able to
00:59:20
lose gracefully here so let's put our
00:59:21
heads up and let's pay respect to
00:59:23
England and
00:59:25
um and show everyone that you know we'll
00:59:27
pay respect to the crowd and all that
00:59:28
and
00:59:29
and then I you know to those boys there
00:59:32
it's like hey boys how you know you guys
00:59:35
will get another chance here so just
00:59:37
remember this as well
00:59:39
um this feeling
00:59:40
um and so
00:59:42
and
00:59:43
not
00:59:45
downgrading what it was because man
00:59:46
there's a lot of tears and stuff in the
00:59:49
[ __ ] after the game but just being able
00:59:51
to keep it together and and do that was
00:59:53
was what was required you know um and
00:59:56
then because it was my birthday
00:59:59
um
01:00:00
get back to the um
01:00:02
back to the room and
01:00:04
um you know my wife dropped off into the
01:00:06
hotel you know like cards from the kids
01:00:08
and stuff so
01:00:10
um
01:00:11
it was you know in some way it's so hard
01:00:13
to
01:00:15
um
01:00:16
uh you know keep you know it's
01:00:19
perspective of things and it was a real
01:00:21
tough couple of days
01:00:23
um nine
01:00:25
you know what had happened around the
01:00:27
rugby
01:00:27
um
01:00:29
but then it was it was looking back now
01:00:31
I think it was a pretty pivotal moment
01:00:33
potentially in uh in New Zealand psyche
01:00:35
around loss and around how to
01:00:39
um
01:00:40
you know look after people and how to be
01:00:43
vulnerable and how to yeah you know the
01:00:45
public around you know knowing that hey
01:00:48
they've put in this effort and and what
01:00:51
have you and then you know what will be
01:00:52
will be in in terms of results and you
01:00:54
can't always get the positive one can
01:00:56
you say yeah I feel like New Zealand
01:00:58
showed a bit of maturity and I wonder if
01:00:59
that's because um we we had one 2011 and
01:01:02
2015. I remember I can't remember which
01:01:04
one it was but in the maybe the 90s or
01:01:06
the early 2000s like John Hart got back
01:01:08
from a World Cup and was spat on at the
01:01:09
races yeah it's disgraceful yeah
01:01:12
horrible isn't it yeah and that's what
01:01:13
it was and potentially it was you know
01:01:15
that would won two in a row
01:01:16
um
01:01:17
before that so but then
01:01:21
I I hope New Zealand has learned you
01:01:24
know and it's like you're not going to
01:01:25
win every every game yes we want it we
01:01:28
got there to win and you give yourself a
01:01:30
chance to win and um
01:01:32
but there's a point where it is a it's a
01:01:35
game and it's awesome and and as an all
01:01:37
black
01:01:38
man you'd rather the expectation was
01:01:41
that we went man I'd hate to be in a
01:01:43
team where the the fans you know
01:01:45
like the Warriors yeah yeah well you
01:01:48
know it's just like it'd be so it'd be
01:01:50
demoralizing I guess in some ways so
01:01:52
um yeah that's that's what makes it who
01:01:55
we are you know
01:01:57
but there's you know it's a great thing
01:02:00
about sport so
01:02:02
um but yeah it was a
01:02:03
it was a tough week
01:02:06
um but being able to then back up and in
01:02:08
some ways be able to play a final game
01:02:09
for the All Blacks after that after it
01:02:11
loss and
01:02:13
um so was that your final final game the
01:02:15
um the the fourth year with um Wales
01:02:17
yeah Wales yeah yeah so yeah finished
01:02:19
there and actually genuinely be able to
01:02:21
enjoy that game yeah
01:02:23
um no I know it was my last and just go
01:02:25
out there and have fun and remember
01:02:27
things that happened
01:02:29
um you know with a few guys as well who
01:02:31
were retiring so yeah it was good
01:02:34
um yeah you talk about that that um that
01:02:36
semi-final game in the book and then uh
01:02:38
the the next week you have to like watch
01:02:40
watch a video analysis of the game is
01:02:43
that is that necessary that seems like
01:02:45
that seems particularly cruel yeah
01:02:47
pretty cruel Steve Hansen
01:02:51
um
01:02:52
yeah
01:03:02
um
01:03:04
yeah look we had a couple of days to to
01:03:06
reflect and you know it wasn't a normal
01:03:08
week for us that week
01:03:10
um because of you know what to process
01:03:13
all the things we had to but I think
01:03:14
what
01:03:15
Steve and myself was it wasn't about us
01:03:18
who were leaving it was about
01:03:22
the 20 odd guys or more who were going
01:03:26
to still be there right you know yeah
01:03:28
okay so it's like okay we have to create
01:03:29
we have to create an opportunity for
01:03:31
some learning out of this for these guys
01:03:33
and so
01:03:34
um
01:03:35
you know for them to take with them as
01:03:38
they move forward
01:03:39
you know and to whoever was going to be
01:03:41
the next coach of Fozzy and stuff so
01:03:44
um I suppose I mean you do learn more
01:03:45
from your from your from your [ __ ] ups
01:03:48
than yeah what you do is don't you yeah
01:03:50
you don't want to have to wait for you
01:03:52
know a loss but
01:03:54
um that's uh that's how that's a
01:03:56
business you know it's how you learn but
01:03:58
um you know and the other thing was that
01:04:01
man it's in all that Jersey that you're
01:04:03
putting on so by the time you got to the
01:04:05
end of the week it was okay you know
01:04:07
we're at Opportunity privileged to be
01:04:09
able to do this and
01:04:11
um you know let's go enjoy our enjoy
01:04:13
putting on the Jersey again one more
01:04:14
time so yeah what was that like for you
01:04:16
because I remember in um was it 20 maybe
01:04:19
2015 when um Richie played his last game
01:04:21
apparently he got back on the bus back
01:04:23
to the hotel still with his like playing
01:04:25
cat on and left it on for as long as
01:04:28
what he possibly could what was it what
01:04:29
was it like for you that final game are
01:04:31
you are you sort of in the in the
01:04:33
headspace where
01:04:34
where you're thinking okay this is the
01:04:36
last time I'm going to do this this is
01:04:37
the last time I'm going to do that
01:04:39
um a little bit Yeah Yeah potentially
01:04:42
like there's a little bit of that um as
01:04:44
you're going to the ground and stuff and
01:04:45
things like that and even in the hakka
01:04:47
and um yeah
01:04:51
um
01:04:52
and honestly it probably hit me a when I
01:04:54
started leading the Haka so I was um got
01:04:56
a bit of help from TJ and that um but
01:05:00
um
01:05:00
it was yeah I think you know like
01:05:03
once you're on the field you're just
01:05:05
playing the game you know and that's
01:05:06
what it was and then honestly it was
01:05:09
it was it was it was a cool moment
01:05:12
um to be able to finish up and you know
01:05:14
obviously to win that game you know was
01:05:16
kind of irrelevant but awesome to get a
01:05:18
a third
01:05:20
um and then
01:05:22
you know the whole reason I well not the
01:05:25
whole reason I play but one of the
01:05:27
things that I've really enjoyed about
01:05:28
playing or the most enjoyable thing was
01:05:30
the mates you you made you know so
01:05:32
that's what I tried to enjoy over that
01:05:34
week and then after for a couple days
01:05:37
um you know reflecting on on things eh
01:05:41
um but yeah it was hard it was hard it
01:05:42
was pretty emotional time for a lot of
01:05:44
guys there who are moving on yeah and
01:05:46
you've got friends for life who are you
01:05:48
still in touch with who would you
01:05:49
consider like best friends or good
01:05:51
friends yeah um
01:05:55
yeah you do you do
01:05:57
um look I've got some really good mates
01:05:58
from here who are probably the guys who
01:06:00
of my era um so Andy Alice uh White
01:06:03
Crockett uh two really really good mates
01:06:07
um and then Sam white luck as well
01:06:10
um who you know you play a lot of these
01:06:12
guys are and not they are connected to
01:06:14
through my wife through wives and stuff
01:06:15
as well so and and kids so
01:06:18
um those guys are really tight like I'm
01:06:20
actually really tight with Aaron Smith
01:06:21
as well um
01:06:23
he's one who you know completely
01:06:26
different in some aspects
01:06:29
um but on the field we're connected in a
01:06:31
lot of ways and and I really enjoyed his
01:06:34
friendship and
01:06:35
um and helping him out as much as I
01:06:36
could and um you know everyone's
01:06:39
got different aspects of what you do but
01:06:42
yeah I think it's the guys here who you
01:06:43
spend a lot of time with like Luke
01:06:45
Romano
01:06:46
um
01:06:47
and you know you've grown up with I
01:06:49
think yeah yeah the ones that yeah
01:06:51
yeah you really uh enjoy keep in touch
01:06:53
with yeah now you mentioned um Andy
01:06:56
Ellis before and that um triggers a
01:06:58
memory from um another story in your
01:06:59
book
01:07:01
um you and him having um having a
01:07:03
wrestle a wrestle at a wedding yeah yeah
01:07:06
you want to elaborate on that so you're
01:07:08
on the whiskeys yeah this is in your
01:07:11
book but you've got no actual
01:07:12
recollection of this happening
01:07:15
well there's you know it's probably just
01:07:18
from memories from people telling you
01:07:19
right but yeah it was just so who's
01:07:21
winning was it
01:07:24
um and he instead of toasting with he
01:07:28
toasted with uh whiskey that night so
01:07:30
there's a few whiskeys happening um I'm
01:07:32
not big whiskey drinkers really
01:07:34
um and so one thing led to another and
01:07:36
then when we're leaving
01:07:41
so we're trying to get out to a taxi or
01:07:43
something and then I'm not sure what
01:07:45
started it but me and Andy ended up
01:07:46
wrestling on the on the floor on the
01:07:48
grass and
01:07:49
um it carries on for a very long time
01:07:51
and uh so you're quite a bit bigger than
01:07:53
him yeah a little bit bigger yeah yeah
01:07:55
but he's he's pretty competitive so is
01:07:57
it a fun I mean I I guess you you only
01:08:00
know from what you've been talking about
01:08:01
are you laughing while you're doing it
01:08:03
you're laughing now we're laughing but
01:08:05
are you going full scent yeah we're
01:08:07
going close to four percent we're uh
01:08:10
um
01:08:11
or it's more the fact that no one wanted
01:08:13
to
01:08:14
um say the loss for some reason I don't
01:08:15
know but it was just a bizarre kind of
01:08:17
thing hey like what are you doing this
01:08:19
for
01:08:19
me yeah I was like hey you just let me
01:08:23
go and I'll let you go but it was like I
01:08:25
went to kind of like half flick going
01:08:26
and someone would come in and it was
01:08:28
yeah genuinely just trying to I don't
01:08:30
know choke each other out or something
01:08:31
but no it was um yeah it was it was
01:08:34
funny like I remember tickson next day I
01:08:37
was like what we got
01:08:42
it's the most rugby Rich story ever so
01:08:45
it said um one of the Frank's weddings
01:08:46
it's you and Eddie Alice and then um
01:08:48
Richie Morgan breaks the fighter yeah
01:08:51
yeah right well he no he doesn't break
01:08:54
it up he tries to um
01:08:56
uh so he was uh was now going to be here
01:09:00
he's now Owen's brother-in-law
01:09:02
um
01:09:03
so he was told to go in there and sort
01:09:06
us out and he's a young Academy
01:09:08
Chris uh obviously the young Prodigy
01:09:12
um and I'd never met him I don't think
01:09:15
at that point
01:09:16
um he comes in and I end up kind of
01:09:18
grabbing hold of him and giving him a
01:09:21
wee little choke as well taking him out
01:09:23
um
01:09:24
what's yours uh
01:09:26
that GD come in here and try and break
01:09:28
up this fight coming
01:09:30
um yeah and then I don't know how it
01:09:32
ended somehow it ended um and then the
01:09:34
funny thing also the next week is I meet
01:09:37
him in the gym Richie and I go up to him
01:09:40
because that's the type you know if I
01:09:42
meet a young guy I was like oh yeah hey
01:09:43
mate how are you I'm Kieran nice to meet
01:09:45
you yeah yeah you know oh just um you
01:09:49
know thinking it's first time I've ever
01:09:51
met this guy um and uh yeah and then
01:09:54
here's to his credit man he was just
01:09:55
like yeah nice to meet you too
01:09:57
he didn't say anything
01:10:00
um he didn't say anything about it and
01:10:01
then it wasn't until uh Andy uh paid me
01:10:05
out for
01:10:06
um that hey you do know that
01:10:09
oh geez yeah
01:10:12
in the book process that we were you
01:10:14
like oh do I share this so I don't share
01:10:16
that I mean there was no reason for that
01:10:18
story to ever get out
01:10:19
no but it was you know I was just like
01:10:21
so it's a fun story and it's more just
01:10:23
it's like ah
01:10:24
yeah it's a fun story to have and and um
01:10:27
to talk about and just shows kind of
01:10:30
I don't know what it shows to be honest
01:10:31
but it shows you real I think yeah it
01:10:33
shows you human yeah exactly and so it
01:10:36
was it was funny and those guys like
01:10:37
Andy's probably one of my best mates you
01:10:39
know
01:10:40
um and there's so many stories where
01:10:42
we're competitive against each other
01:10:43
even just their trainings
01:10:46
so annoying you know
01:10:47
a classic yeah so it was like you'd do
01:10:51
so much to try and you know but the guys
01:10:54
with the the the sharp voice used to
01:10:58
always piss me off so
01:11:00
um I'll just here try and get one over
01:11:03
them all the time to be honest oh that
01:11:05
sounds like a great relationship okay so
01:11:07
physically you're very healthy these
01:11:09
days um how's your mental health mental
01:11:11
health good yeah good mate thank you
01:11:12
yeah real good um yep really enjoying
01:11:15
life now
01:11:17
um at a slow pace and everything and and
01:11:20
just yeah and a good space loving being
01:11:22
yeah you know Dad and all that stuff so
01:11:24
did you did you slump into any sort of
01:11:26
um not necessarily a depression but like
01:11:28
a thunk after retiring it must be like
01:11:31
to go from the highs of being you know
01:11:33
one of the most successful all black
01:11:34
captains ever to you know to just just
01:11:36
being a civilian it must be like a huge
01:11:38
adjustment uh yeah it's a big adjustment
01:11:41
I've been I've been pretty good like I
01:11:43
was um planning a little bit of what I'm
01:11:44
gonna do like I'm into doing a bit of
01:11:46
work now so I've created kind of like my
01:11:48
own business around leadership
01:11:50
um doing a bit of kind of coaching and
01:11:51
mentoring stuff like that um
01:11:54
with different businesses
01:11:56
um and so that's for me is keeping me
01:11:58
busy
01:11:59
um
01:12:00
and I also can find time for myself to
01:12:03
go potentially go play some golf every
01:12:05
now and then and go see the kids sport
01:12:07
and look after them there so
01:12:09
um there's no not not saying there's
01:12:13
different times we ever have a quiet day
01:12:14
then you kind of go man you know what am
01:12:16
I doing or you know you think of a few
01:12:18
things but no in a really good really
01:12:20
good space yeah that's fantastic and I'm
01:12:23
in the room that we're sitting in which
01:12:24
is like a shrine to you it's um
01:12:26
I mean it must just give you immense
01:12:27
Pride like um looking around at some of
01:12:30
these um Treasures if that's what you
01:12:31
want to call them yeah I guess I like
01:12:33
its memories though and I say that's a
01:12:35
thing that for me is quite cool you know
01:12:37
every time you look at something up
01:12:38
there you know like there's Murray Field
01:12:40
up there which is where I played my
01:12:41
first um first test and so that just
01:12:43
brings back a few different memories and
01:12:45
and the connections you've had and and
01:12:46
the guys that you see on the on the
01:12:48
different things as well so
01:12:50
um yeah it's uh
01:12:52
yeah I I'm very enjoyed my time you know
01:12:55
like playing and doing that thing and I
01:12:57
can look back at it as it is a time of
01:13:00
my life you know that's a hell of a
01:13:01
career so you're going well
01:13:03
yeah I kind of don't need to search for
01:13:05
that anymore you know I can search for
01:13:08
something else yeah yeah absolutely and
01:13:10
what about running goals in the future
01:13:11
what are we going are we going to see
01:13:13
you on the start line at an old ghost or
01:13:14
is that 55 oh I don't know man I don't
01:13:16
know
01:13:17
yeah what would it take to get you oh
01:13:20
look honestly doing it with with a with
01:13:23
some friends you know like
01:13:25
it would be you know yourself or Scotty
01:13:28
or someone saying okay or my mate's
01:13:29
saying oh yeah we're gonna do it and
01:13:31
then you got something someone to train
01:13:32
with you got
01:13:33
someone to have some fun with and do it
01:13:35
like that you know like
01:13:37
um you know I'm not just gonna go out
01:13:38
there and do it myself
01:13:40
um it's all about probably doing it and
01:13:42
then enjoying each other's company
01:13:44
afterwards so yeah
01:13:46
um
01:13:49
I'm not sure what it will be in terms of
01:13:51
goals I don't
01:13:53
um yeah did this Adventure Race up in
01:13:55
Calcutta uh months ago which involved a
01:13:58
bit of biking trekking and different
01:14:00
stuff as well rogaines and stuff so and
01:14:02
that was quite cool you know it was a 12
01:14:04
hour race and
01:14:06
um you know it's you're going I like
01:14:08
those events that yep you're
01:14:10
you're pushing yourself but you're not
01:14:13
going flat Tech you know you know it's
01:14:14
not on the clock you you kind of sopping
01:14:17
a little bit to eat or you know whatever
01:14:19
and yeah it's enjoyable well if you're
01:14:21
looking for like a like a taster event I
01:14:23
recommend the root beer in classic it's
01:14:24
like 32ks but it's a hell of a run it's
01:14:27
beautiful yeah so yeah something like
01:14:29
that man it's probably
01:14:30
you know I think I'll keep going with it
01:14:32
you know definitely going to enjoy it
01:14:34
while I I can at the moment yeah until
01:14:37
the body packs up so oh maybe it won't
01:14:39
maybe it won't yeah it might not and
01:14:40
that's like a good look now yeah so you
01:14:43
know if it keeps going it keeps going
01:14:44
and um
01:14:45
I quite yeah as I said I'm bloody
01:14:48
enjoying it so yeah um keep the body
01:14:50
ticking over and if something pops up or
01:14:52
oh I see it up you know I'm not gonna go
01:14:55
and search for something but all those
01:14:57
type of Trail type event say is probably
01:15:00
the things that get me going yeah it's a
01:15:03
great Community to the trail running
01:15:04
Community real special group yeah they
01:15:06
all seem pretty pretty nice and I am
01:15:07
pretty connected and um
01:15:09
just enjoy what they do
01:15:11
yeah all right well Karen Reed it's been
01:15:13
an hour and a quarter now you've been so
01:15:15
generous with your time
01:15:17
it's probably a great place to end it no
01:15:19
worries mate appreciate it mate thank
01:15:20
you very much for all you've done for
01:15:22
New Zealand over the years we really
01:15:23
appreciate you and thanks for responding
01:15:25
to my request on LinkedIn yeah thanks
01:15:27
man yeah look I think um yeah it's
01:15:30
awesome and I'll just I'll put a plug in
01:15:31
here for you know anyone out there wants
01:15:33
to connect at all karenread.com uh this
01:15:37
is my website and uh go have a look look
01:15:39
at you networking yeah there we go
01:15:41
thanks mate Kieran Reed thanks very much
01:15:43
for listening all the way through I
01:15:45
really hope you enjoyed that episode if
01:15:46
you did enjoy it um the best sort of
01:15:48
marketing we can do to grow this uh
01:15:50
Community is Word of Mouth tell your
01:15:52
friends about it tell your family about
01:15:53
it if you can think of someone that you
01:15:55
think might like to hear it let them
01:15:57
know or share it on your social media
01:15:59
channel another thing you can do is um
01:16:01
just like or subscribe wherever you get
01:16:02
your podcast from and check out the five
01:16:05
star rating if you think it's worthy of
01:16:06
a five-star rating okay um thank you so
01:16:09
much I really appreciate you being here
01:16:11
I really appreciate where this thing is
01:16:13
going and it wouldn't be possible
01:16:15
without um without you guys love your
01:16:16
heaps thank you
