Rugby Direct Newstalk ZB

Elliott and Liam catch up with legendary All Blacks halfback Aaron Smith on a range of topics after the completion of his first season playing for Japanese club Toyota Verblitz.

We reflect on Aaron's All Blacks career, his first season in Japan, the successors to him at halfback for the All Blacks, the continuing eligibility saga in New Zealand Rugby and the special plan he has for some of his jersey collection.
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This week on Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith and Liam Napier break down the news around Sam Cane's departure from New Zealand Rugby after this year and who leads the race to be both captain and openside flanker for the All Blacks in 2024.

We dig into the weekend that was in Super Rugby, with the Blues taking another step towards top seeding and we analyse a shock Black Ferns defeat to Canada.
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This week on Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith and Liam Napier run through the reaction from their interview with Chris Lendrum, specifically the desire to bring Richie Mo'unga back to new Zealand Rugby sooner rather than later.

We dig into the Blues going top of the ladder after denying the Hurricanes at Eden Park, as well as more questions on the Crusaders front after the Highlanders taught them a lesson or two under the roof in Dunedin.

We also dig into the Black Ferns and New Zealand under-20s posting impressive victories.
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On a special edition of Rugby Direct, Elliott Smith and Liam Napier catch up with New Zealand Rugby's general manager - professional rugby and performance Chris Lendrum, canvassing a range of rugby topics.

We delve into how his job has changed over time, sabbaticals and whether contracting is working the right way for New Zealand rugby, whether players will be selected from offshore in the next while, the future of Super Rugby and NPC, the Olympics and plenty more across nearly an hour.
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This week on Rugby Direct, Elliott and Liam discuss the latest in Super Rugby as the Hurricanes bounce back, the Blues find their way late against the Rebels and the Crusaders sink again, this time to the Reds.

We also dig into talk of the Qataris investing into rugby's new Nations Cup and ponder the future of the Melbourne Rebels following another twist in the sorry saga.
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On Rugby Direct this week, Elliott and Liam debate whether the Hurricanes are still the Super Rugby favourites after their loss to the Brumbies, or whether the Blues now have claims to that title.

The Crusaders are back... or so Elliott claims, while we dive in-depth to talk about the Highlanders vs Force.

Liam also breaks some news around the Melbourne Rebels' future and debate whether an ANZAC Day Bledisloe Cup test would work.
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