Du’Plessis Kirifi has had one of the more inspiring journeys to the top and is one heck of lad to top it off. From growing up in Taranaki and spending part of his childhood in Samoa, to working three jobs while chasing his rugby dream, Dups has had anything but a straight road to the top.

He opens up on the setbacks that shaped him — missing out on NZ U20s after being told he was “good enough but a bit of a dickhead”, the grind of trying to pack on size when everyone said he was too small, and the lessons he learned from competing hard in his early Hurricanes days.

But through sheer hard work and resilience, he’s gone from labouring on worksites and sleeping in mates’ garages to captaining Wellington, becoming a leader at the Hurricanes, and finally achieving his All Black dream.

In this episode we chat about…

• Growing up between Samoa and Taranaki, and the values his family instilled in him
• The brutal honesty that sparked his turnaround after missing NZ U20s
• The conscious effort he puts into his speaking
• The near move to Japan and the moment that kept him in New Zealand
• The call from Razor
• How he got such big Quads!
• And heaps more

An inspiring story of perseverance, self-awareness — this is such a good epiosde. Dups is not only a competitor on the field but also one of the most thoughtful and articulate players in the game. What a lad!

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The latest Western Force signing George Bridge is our guest this week and what a lad he is! From humble beginnings in Gisborne, to carving up for Canterbury, the Crusaders, and then going on to wear the black jersey on the biggest stage of all! But it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. George had his struggles moving down to Christchurch as a 17 year old, he had to deal with some brutal injuries – knees, pec tears, appendicitis, he had three surgeries in eight months! He even played a Super Rugby Final with a nasty vomit bug. Despite all that, he kept bouncing back and showing his class and always finishing of tries!

Some highlights for me in this one were..

Hearing why he made the leap from Gisborne to Christchurch,

The pathway he took to becoming an All Black,

The influence of Leon MacDonald,

The heartbreak of the 2019 World Cup semi-final,

Why he moved to France and how he found it

His next chapter with the Force,

And heaps more including all your questions.

George is someone who always took his opportunity on the field through work rate and the never give up attitude. Players loved playing with this man cause he would never let them down and he is a champion lad!

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For this one I am joined by one of the Black Ferns’ most exciting talents, Amy du Plessis. Amy’s journey has been nothing short of inspiring, from growing up in South Africa to becoming a Rugby World Cup winner with the Black ferns! Her silky skills and ability to play anywhere has made her a hugely valuable asset for NZ Rugby and now she’s now preparing to take on the world again in the 2025 Rugby World Cup!

In this episode we chat about..

* Life growing up in South Africa and why her family moved to NZ

* How she got into Rugby

* Why she travelled 5 hours a day to play for Otago

* Why her move to Canterbury was “the best thing I’ve ever done”

* Being named in the Black Ferns and working under legends Wayne Smith & Graham Henry

* Playing in front of sold-out crowds and winning the RWC

* Her love for Super Rugby and Matatū

* The build-up to the upcoming RWC and her expectations heading in

* And plenty of great advice

As you’ll hear, Amy is such a champion human, and this yarn is packed with stories, laughs and some really inspiring takeaways. This is such a cool insight into the women’s game as we look to cheer on our Black Ferns to hopefully another RWC!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.