May 27, 2026 · 1 hr 19 min · 14 segments
Jeff McTainsh is quickly becoming one of the leading voices in New Zealand rugby. From growing up in Dunedin dreaming of the All Blacks, to commentating games off the TV as a kid, Jeff has built an…
Hey, guys.
Welcome to another episode of the What A Lad podcast, presented to you by Betcha, and here's a little sample of what's about to come in this episode
You, you dream about becoming an All Black or, or representing the Highlanders or playing for Otago, but-
Yeah
... um, that, that obviously wasn't the path.
Calling games off the telly in the, in the lounge, and, and so I started to think, you know, how, how could I potentially get a crack? So it was actually a Will Jordan try for the Crusaders [laughs] and I thought, "I'll just, I'll just chuck my voice down on this and, and send it, send it to the boss and see what happens." So I think that same year in 2020, I started calling NPC.
I looked down, and it was a text from the boss, and it was, "Call me," so ... and he said, um, "You need to get to Eden Park." You know, I s- I thought I was just gonna be there on standby, uh, in a safety capacity, but as, uh, as it turned out, I needed to be in the hot seat.
The lights dimming on Eden Park, and looking out at just this complete packed sea of, of black was just, was just unreal.
You know, it was, it wasn't until later that I realized, kind of dawned on me a bit, mate, that just how big that test was.
What a lad.
What a lad.
What a lad.
What an absolute lad
What a lad.
Well, today I'm joined by a man who's quickly becoming the voice of rugby union in this country.
He now sits as one of the leading commentators in the game, calling some of the biggest games on offer with the perfect blend of energy and accuracy.
But like plenty of the best broadcasters, the path wasn't an overnight success.
He's also covered three Olympic Games, and he's continually built his craft to becoming one of the most trusted voices in New Zealand sport.
On top of all that, he's also a massive lad who everyone speaks extremely highly of.
It is, of course, the great Geoff McTainsh.
What an intro, mate.
What an intro.
[laughs]
We're done, I think.
We're done.
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