What a Lad

WRL- What a Lad Rugby League Side

We're trying something new for this one, I've got 3 absolute lads on who have all been on before, Marty Banks, Jackson Garden Bachop and Tom Marshall as we try to pick an NRL side out of 2021 Super Rugby Aotearoa players.
Switching codes has been a hot topic lately and it's always interested me to think which players would make a successful transition.
How we did it was, we all picked our own team and with out comparing sides until the podcast we tried to come up with a side. Not an easy task but it does make for some interesting debates.
If you think you can pick a better side head over to the What a Lad instagram page and give it a go! The person with the best team will win a very juicy prize! Also make sure you share this podcast, it helps out massively.
Also we will be getting jerseys made for this team, only one in each position so if you're interested in owning a WRL personalised jersey stay right on and the info will be out soon!
Side not- if you haven't heard the full What a Lad episodes with either of these 3 lads, go back through the archives and check them out!
 

Willis Halaholo- What a Lad

I’ve been looking forward to getting the great Willis Halaholo on What a Lad for a while now and man does he deliver with this one!
From life as a troubled teenager, surrounded with the wrong crowd. To becoming a Six Nations  Champion with Wales! I love hearing success stories like these and hearing the honesty Willis shares his story with is so cool.
Willis was always a very talented player but its fair to say he didn’t quite have the discipline required to get to the next level. He became a father at 17 and was doing all the wrong things, drinking, fighting, drugs. He then had a moment where he realised he wanted to change his life and he decided he was going to give rugby a proper go. He moved to Southland by himself, slept on a couch and started carving up.
Then came a Hurricanes contract which lead to a Super Rugby title, where Willis played a huge role.
Willis then made the decision to move to Wales with Cardif and is now playing at the highest level of rugby as he runs out for the Wales International side, which were recently crowned the Six Nations Champion.
This episode has so much in it, and there is so many lessons that can be learnt from it. Willis is an absolute lad for sharing and if you enjoy this episode please give it a share!
Also the Merch is out now so if you enjoy the podcast please go get yourself some Lad gear to help this podcast survive.

Will Tupou -What a Lad

Crossing codes seems to be a hot topic at the moment, so who better to get on What a Lad than one of the greatest to ever do it, Will Tupou.
Will was a NRL sensation at a young age playing on the wing for the Cowboys in the 2010 and 2011 seasons. Who could forget his try in Golden Point vs the Knights, one of the greats! As a big league fan, I loved hearing what it was like going into that environment as a teenager, playing with some legends of the game. One of my favourite things about playing with Tups, was the amount of JT (Jonathan Thurston) stories he had, so there's plenty of those in this episode.
After 2 years in the NRL Tups decided to change codes and head to the Western Force, where he made a seamless transition. His rugby union career has gone on to be a very successful one, playing international rugby for Japan at the 2019 RWC being a highlight. However, it was crazy to hear that he almost didn't play at the World Cup, due to some mental health struggles, something I never knew about playing alongside him.
There is so much in this episode, which cover the highs and lows of professional sport and it was awesome to get Tups come on and share his journey so honestly. As you will hear, he is an absolute lad and if you enjoy this episode please give it a share.
Also make sure you head over to www.whatalad.comwhere you can preorder some merch, or find discount codes for Straight Face razors or Pure Sport CBD.

Iopu Iopu Aso - What a Lad

Stoked to have one of the great lads, Iopu Iopu Aso join me this week!
Some players just can’t catch a break, in 2015 Iopu was in career best form, he had just signed with the Hurricanes and then injury struck. Not once, but 5 injuries in a row and 2 years later, Iopu was never able to get on the field for the Hurricanes. The man they call Fridge because of his work ethic, he was always working, doing all the rehab and everything he could to come right. Unfortunately though, injuries just kept happening! This took it’s toll on Iopu mentally and it was awesome to hear how he got himself out of a down hill spiral.
There were still plenty of positives to come from his career, representing NZ at 7’s a huge highlight, winning the ITM cup with Taranaki and also although he didn’t get on the field he played a massive part in the Hurricanes 2016 victory!
Having recently decided to hang up the boots after finding a new passion creating video and graphic content, Iopu has made a seamless transition to life after rugby. Go check out his work at https://www.instagram.com/iopu_iopuaso/?hl=en or https://www.instagram.com/iia_visualz/?hl=en
As you’ll hear in this episode, the fridge is a champion lad and a team mate who would always have your back. If you enjoy this episode please give it a share, all shares are very much appreciated!
To get involved with the What a Lad merch head to www.whatalad.com and go get some gear to help grow the podcast. Presales start as of today! The Pure Sport CBD and Straight Face promo codes are also on that website too!

Jamison Gibson- Park - What a Lad

In this episode I catch up with the Irish legend himself, Jamison Gibson-Park and geez what a lad he is!
The kid who was raised on Great Barrier Island, is one of those guys who is good at literally everything! He is still talked about almost everyday at the Hurricanes, as being the greatest mini team signing in history, after he carried the Mavericks to their greatest winning margin. He is soo gifted, so it's absolutely no surprise to see him going on to becoming one of the best halfbacks in world rugby.
Jammo has had a very successful career, winning the ITM cup with Taranaki, Super Rugby with the Hurricanes, the Champions Cup and Pro 14 a number of times with Leinster and now he's at the pinnacle of the sport playing International rugby for Ireland.
Like all rugby careers, it hasn't all gone to plan, with Jammo missing out on the NZ u20's a side he was expected to make. He was also completely blind shotted from the Blues after one minute being their starting halfback, to having no contract the next week. It just goes to show the brutal reality of professional sport and some of the challenges you face in it.
After listening to this episode, I'm sure you'll realise what a great lad Jammo is and if you enjoy listening to this episode as much as I did please give it a share.
Thanks to www.straightface.co.nz and www.puresportcbd.com for helping bring this episode to you and to get a discount from either of those partners all the information is on the www.whatalad.com website!

Jeremy Thrush - What a Lad

The man many of you have been waiting for, the lad, the All Black, Jeremy Thrush joins me for this one!
Thrushy has it all, a great mo, a great laugh, a great jaw, an amazing voice and of course possesses incredible rugby talents. As he approaches his 36th birthday, Thrushy is still going strong, playing some great Super Rugby in Perth with the Western Force. A place where he has created a cult following, with his handlebar moustache as well as the passion he's been signing the team song (someone like you) with.
In this episode we go through his impressive 14 year professional rugby career which includes playing for the Wellington Lions, over 100 games for the Hurricanes, 11 caps for the All Blacks, as well as a 4 year stint in the UK with Gloucester. Thrushy has plenty of good stories from his time in the game and he also give some great insight into the mental side of the game and the pressures involved with playing at the highest level.
Thrushy is one of the real characters in the game, I loved having him on the podcast, I hope you enjoy this episode and if you do please give it a share.
If you're after any information about the podcast or keen for a discount from one of our partners, then head over to www.whatalad.com or any questions just message me through the What a Lad instagram page https://www.instagram.com/what_a_lad_podcast/?hl=en 

Johnny Williams - What a Lad

The recently crowned Six Nations winner, Johnny Williams joins me on What a Lad this week and what a lad he is!
At only 24 years old, the current Welsh international has had a rollercoaster career to date, with some incredible highs and some really low lows! Johnny started his professional rugby career at 18 years old, making his Premiership debut for London Irish. He then went on help England win the Junior RWC as he played a massive role for them. Then after being with London Irish through two relegations, a promotion and many injuries, he decided to move up to the Newcastle Falcons.
In 2019 John boys career took a blow as he was diagnosed with testicular cancer which meant he had to go through surgery and chemotherapy. Obviously a extremely tough period for him to get through but hearing how he dealt with that set back and how quickly he recovered was inspiring.
Then after moving to Wales to join the Scarletts, Johnny quickly made an impression and forced his way into the Wales international side. A side he grew up supporting with his Welsh father.
As you'll hear in this episode Johnny is a great lad who has a huge future in the game. He's also doing some great work around testicular cancer awareness, if you feel ANY abnormalities in your balls please just go get them checked.
If you enjoy this episode or know someone who you think would, then please share it, all shares are very much appreciated.

Angus Ta'avao - What a Lad

Angus Ta'avao, what a lad he is! Man it was a good laugh to get one of the real characters in the game on What a Lad and go through his unbelievable journey! 
One thing I admire about big Gus is his ability to be himself in any situation, he's one of the few rugby players out there who is portrays himself exactly how his is in the changing rooms. He's always a real laugh and such a good lad to be around.
On top of that he's also had an incredible rugby journey to becoming an All Black, with the year he made his debut, he had just been let go by the Waratahs and couldn't get a contract in NZ other than a temporary replacement player contract for the Chiefs. A true case of never giving up on yourself or your dreams and keep believing in yourself.
There's so much in the episode, it's obviously full with humour but it's also very inspiring hearing how Gus has overcome the challenges that have been in front of him. If you enjoy this episode please give it a share, I'm sure you probably already know but this will just confirm to you What a Lad Angus Ta'avao is!
If you want to get involved with Pure Sport CBD head over to www.whatalad.com for the promo code for 20% off this great product.

Tim Bateman- What a Lad

Tim Bateman has probably been one of the most under appreciated rugby players in New Zealand. He's someone you don't really notice how much he does for a team until he's in your side. He has a massive influence on any team that he is involved with! His rugby brain is the best that I played with. So getting him to come on to What a Lad and give an insight into his 15 year professional career was awesome.
Timmy was a school boy star for CBHS, who then forced his way into a very stacked Canterbury and Crusaders side at a real young age. He left NZ rugby in his early 20's to play in Japan and returned back to NZ 2 years later to join up with the Hurricanes and the Wellington Lions. Timmy was forced to head back to Japan, so that his wife Laura could get the best treatment she could for her multiple sclerosis, which she was diagnosed with in 2012. He then returned back to Christchurch for family reasons, before being offered a contract to finish up with the Crusaders. He has since retired every year but is currently still playing in Japan with the Toshiba Brave Lupus.
Off the field Timmy is someone who's always been working at life after rugby and he now has two very successful businesses in the form of, the Cloud 9 float Club and O-Studios, which are both based down in Christchurch. 
Timmy is incredibly smart, inspirational, absolutely quality rugby player and what a lad. He is someone I always enjoyed talking to throughout my career and he goes even better on a podcast, so if you enjoy this episode as much as I did, please give it a share. If you're in the Christchurch area do your self a favour and go and experience a float at Cloud9 studios or go check out O-Studios.
 
 

Conrad Smith- What a Lad

Here is an absolute treat for you, Conrad Smith, the All Black great, the Hurricane legend and genuinely one of the greatest lads I've come across throughout my career. He is here on What a Lad!
The man commonly referred to as Snakey, takes us on his journey that saw him go from being a skinny little half back who couldn't box kick or pass both way, to becoming one of the greatest centres of all time! There's so much in this episode, we talk everything from social media, dealing with injuries, dealing with pressure, the life after rugby transition, the great work he's doing for the charity 'So They Can' and of course plenty of rugby chat.
Listening to this episode will just reinforce to you what a lad the great Snakey is, he's very intelligent, he has a great sense of humour and he is just a genuinely good person. He's someone who taught me so much throughout my career and he was always happy to help others. I'm sure that you will get a lot out of this episode and if you do enjoy it please share it. Conrad obviously doesn't have social media so we will need all the shares we can get with this one. Thanks for all the support so far, it's all very much appreciated.
If you are keen to try the Pure Sport CBD oil, which has been loved by plenty of listeners already. Then head over to www.whatalad.com and you will see a link and the promo code there for you to enjoy. Any issues feel free to message me via https://www.instagram.com/what_a_lad_podcast/?hl=en