Current North Harbour Head Coach and former All Black and Super Rugby winner Ben Afeaki joins the podcast to discuss his incredible journey.

A story that saw Big climb through the ranks and become one of the most promising front-rowers in New Zealand, until a cruel injury halted him from reaching the heights he deserved, forcing him into medical retirement and leaving the game that he loved.

But his story doesn’t finish there – with his eye for detail and ability to create genuine connections and culture within team environments, he was approached to take on a coaching role with his province, which saw him return to Rugby Union, but this time as a coach. The success he's already been able to create in his coaching career to date is nothing short of impressive!

Yarns in the Episode Include:

• What it was in his childhood that contributed to him having an unbelievable work rate as a Big Marn!
• How he nearly got snatched up by another province coming out of school
• What it was like for him debuting as a 19-year-old in the NPC
• Discusses his success in the NZ U/20s and how he played with some of the Greatest All Blacks and what he noticed were some of their key traits they displayed as young men
• How he had to move to the Chiefs for opportunity and how he grabbed it with both hands
• His opinion on Dave Rennie as a coach during the Chief's title reign
• What it was like competing with Ben Tameifuna when he burst onto the New Zealand Rugby scene
• His dream debut for the All Blacks in Auckland
• His career-ending injury and how he navigated through the struggles of battling with it for years
• How he climbed the ranks as a coach, going from an assistant coaching in the NPC to a forwards coach for an international side leading into the 2019 Rugby World Cup
• Who he believes is the next upcoming superstar in Super Rugby

And so much more!

Available in the bio wherever you get your podcasts.

'I don't care, I'll share all my secrets'

We get newly capped Wallaby Carlo Tizzano onto the podcast as he prepares for the 2025 Super Rugby season. Having personally known Carlo from the beginning of his Rugby journey I wanted this episode to dive into his psyche and allow for him to elaborate on why he goes about his business the way that he does.

If you enjoy learning about professional athlete's mindset and psyche - the detail that Carlo goes into throughout the episode about the lessons he's learned and the processes he undertook to get their are fascinating.

Yarns in the episode include:

• Who instilled his competitor's mindset in him growing up and how he draws on it for inspiration
• We talk to some of Carlo's mentors and closest friends to see what their experiences with him were actually like
• Carlo breaks down his goal setting and planning that he says created his successes
• Discusses the media stories between him and Michael Hooper
• How he was perceived at Ealing and how he challenged the culture at the club
• Who he believes is the next big thing coming out of Western Australia
• How the lead into his dream match against the Springboks @ Optus Stadium was one of the most challenging weeks in his career
• Which period of his career he found the most enjoyable and why
• How he deals with the pressure of preparing to perform after his break out season

and so much more!

Available in the bio wherever you get your podcasts

MLR vet and newly capped USA Eagle Sean McNulty joins us on the podcast this week to chat about everything American rugby.
The MLR is one of the newest and most exciting competitions in world rugby, and Sean provides us with an insight into what his experience within the competition has been like. Throughout his career, he has played for the New England Free Jacks, Rugby New York, Los Angeles Gilitinis, Seattle Seawolves, San Diego Legion, and most recently, the Miami Sharks.
For any MLR fans, or if you're curious about what the competition is like, tune in to this!

Yarns in the episode include:

• What it was like debuting for the Eagles this year and what he envisions for this team as they build towards a home World Cup in 2031.
• How the MLR trade system works and what his personal experience was like with it.
• What it's like sharing training facilities with Messi.
• Winning the MLR Shield in 2021 with the Gilitinis and the stories that came with that whirlwind season.
• How the competition has evolved over the years.
• Advice for anyone wanting to venture into this exciting competition.

And so much more!

I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did