Finishing up season 1 with a screamer – Super Rugby centurion and former Western Force captain Ian Prior jumps on the pod to share his journey.

From his humble upbringing and the uphill battle he faced as a junior to climb the ranks, this story of persistence and hard work will be enjoyed by anyone who loves to see the grafter getting a crack.

He provides amazing insight and shares plenty of his most memorable stories throughout his 16-year career. If you're an Australian Rugby fan, I guarantee you will be fascinated by the detail that he goes into with them.

Yarns in the episode include:

• The unique training methods that he undertook as a junior to develop his game
• How he was approached by Ewen McKenzie to come in on the Reds and why he hung up on him twice before believing it was actually him
• How it was winning Super Rugby with the Reds in his first year as a pro
• The psychology involved with the Reds that contributed to their successes during the 2011 season
• He weighs in on why he thinks the Brumbies' program has been as successful as it has been for such a long period of time
• The difficulties during his early years at the Force when they were facing extinction
• Training with Marcus Smith as he had just come out of school and his initial impression of him during his time at Harlequins
• What it was like being named the captain of the Western Force when they were creating the new competition
• Nearly getting run over by a skydiver during a pre-game warm-up
• The importance of visualization and how he utilized it to take his game to bigger heights
• What foundations he wanted to prioritize and put in place with the Force as the franchise rebuilt

...and so much more!

Available in the bio wherever you stream your podcasts.

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