Reuben O’Neill has one of the most interesting stories in New Zealand rugby! A proud Taranaki lad, a cult hero in every team he’s played in, and a man who battled more adversity than most ever knew. From crippling cramps, constant injuries, and being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes — to somehow rising all the way into an All Blacks camp before he’d even played Super Rugby.

In this episode some of the things we talk about were..

- How he's always embraced being himself

- Being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and having no idea how to manage it

- The shock All Blacks call-up having played just a few NPC games

- The setbacks of a Neck fusion surgery, Achilles issues, stress fractures and how he kept coming back

- How injuries turned him into a DJ, a truck driver, a nutritionist and more

- The story behind “DJ Mince on Toast”

- Why he believes the Crusaders have had more success than the Chiefs

And he answers all your questions!

Rueben is a unique human, always happy to be himself, enjoys taking the piss and is not afraid of awkwardness. He's genuine lad and someone who makes every environment better in his own unique way. I'm sure you will enjoy this inspiring story from this great man!

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The Welsh Rugby superstar Hadleigh Parkes is one of the great stories in rugby! A self described battler who played for Manawatu, Auckland, the Blues and the Hurricanes and at one point nearly walked away from the game altogether! It wasn't until a life changing call, a change of mindset and a move to Wales where he quickly turned himself into one of the best midfielders in the World!

In this episode here are some of the things we talk about:

- The glory days of ripping it up for Palmy boys with a stacked 1st XV side.

- Crazy stories from playing in South Africa

- The mindset shift that changed his entire career

- Why he felt it was so important to learn the Welsh national anthem

- Two tries on debut for Wales

- How he played in a Rugby World Cup with a broken hand!

- He answers all your questions!

- And so many more great yarns

Anyone who has played with Hadleigh will know he is one of the all time champion lads. The teammate you just you to be around. Such a humble man who has always enjoyed a good time! I'm sure you'll enjoy this one with the great man.

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Sam Lane is one of NZs very best hockey players and an absolute lad! He is 100+ gamer for the New Zealand Black Sticks, two-time Olympian, captain and full-time financial advisor… somehow all at once. His journey is one of the most unbelievable combinations of talent, tragedy, resilience and pure Kiwi grit you’ll hear.

This episode has everything — the brutal reality of playing for a national team with almost no funding, a run of injuries that would end most careers, the inspirational comeback to make the Paris Olympics, and the heartbreaking loss of his mum during the biggest years of his life.

In this episode, Sam opens up on:

- How NZ Hockey lost 60% of its funding overnight

- How humble the Black Sticks set up is with players literally having to take unpaid leave to represent their country

- The injury setbacks he's had including his knee exploding and his foot collapsing

- The emotional toll of losing his mum to cancer

- His partner Greta's horrific accident after being hit by a car

- The challenge to be available for the Paris Olympics

- What it’s really like playing in the Indian Hockey League

- And the mindset that’s kept him going through it all

He’s humble, tough, honest and one incredibly inspiring lad. I know you'll enjoy this one with the great kiwi Sam Lane!

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