Bradley Slater

... line and takes the field? I, I look at the Australians, for instance.

Fifita, Best, Bradley, Tedesco, Walker, all named in the extended reserves.

Mm.

That's a lot of talent.

So talk to us about the change.

Was it mentally? Is there something in the game that, that Hoe and the coaching group or the players focused on to get a real shift and turnaround in terms of attack?

Um, yeah, I feel like reflecting on what's made us a good team the past couple years, um, obviously Barnsey was a huge part, um, driving all of our attack stuff, but without him, Tim around, um, without the likes of Bradley Slater and, um, Joshy Jay around, it was quite hard to, um, install that with a lot of the new boys.

But, um, yeah, I really feel like the last couple weeks we've really, um, believed in what's made us a good team over the past couple years and, yeah, hopefully, um, people watching our games can see that.

But, I mean, Taranaki have got back all the All Blacks.

Bradley Slater's out there scoring two or three tries a game.

And Otago, I mean, Hawke's Bay was so fancy at the start of the season.

Oh,

Even without Josh Jacob, they're just playing their style.

They've got a line-out drive going with Bradley Slater hooking onto it at the end.

I think he scored a couple of tries.

Kalem Bosheir is now coming back in after injury, and they've got X-Factor with Naholo and Ratu Maitavuki-Nipkins on the wing.

So good on them, but their season has come to an end.

So we're going to see Canterbury against Taranaki in that second semi-final, and boy, this is going to be a hell of a battle up front because, as Campbell just mentioned, Taranaki's line-out drive with...

You know, you get Bradley Slater calling the shots there.

It's tough.

In MPC quarterfinals, Taranaki defeated North Harbour 50-31 on the North Shore.

Bradley Slater scored a hat-trick of tries for the visitors.

Otago and Hawke's Bay are currently playing in today's other quarterfinal.

Blackcaps baseballer Will O'Rourke will miss the upcoming tour against India as a precaution.

I think that is just huge.

This Taranaki side, yes, they didn't have Bradley Slater when they were struggling coming in in eighth, but it's more reflective team sheet-wise of the team that was coming eighth than the team that has finished where they have.

In saying that, still some deadly players in there, and they're not a team to underestimate.

But I think home ground factor, like I was surpri- I would've flipped the odds.

In NPC rugby, Taranaki has booked its quarterfinals berth after the side featuring all-black brothers Bowdoin and Scott Barrett trounced Wellington 68-26 this afternoon.

Taranaki's Bradley Slater told Sky Sport it was the team's third straight win by 50 points or more.

It wasn't the best today.

There's still plenty for us to work on going into next week, but we're stoked that we can be there.

Um, so yeah, focusing on that first, I suppose, and then, um, worrying about the milestone later.

Over the season you've obviously had a bit of churn through the squad, uh, and you've, you've had some new young up-and-comers arrive, uh, the likes of, I don't know, Scott Barrett, uh, Bradley Slater, these guys.

Uh, what sort of, what sort of difference has that made coming into i- into the side for you guys, especially towards the end of the season?

Yeah, they're unreal.

But of the players who went to South Africa, who's going to miss out? Well, first of all, you can rule out Ardie Savea, Luke Jacobson, Caleb Clarke, Anton Lienert-Brown, Billy Proctor, and Oli Norris because they're injured.

Tour replacements such as Solomona Mu, Bradley Slater, and Ufa Tu'ungafasi probably won't be needed.

Um, there's another couple who came home straight from South Africa, Josh Jacob and Siale Lauaki.

Conversely, Cortez Ratuva, Quintin Paea, Anton Segna should be back in consideration.