Sportscafe

Three weeks before she died, Rachel Hunter’s mum told her the one thing she regretted. It changed the course of Rachel’s life, and sent her to India. Rachel Hunter wanted to be a ballerina. Then an illness took dance away, and a run on a Glenfield beach set her on the path to New York, Sports Illustrated and supermodel fame. On this episode of Sportscafe Legends, Ric Salizzo and Marc Ellis catch up with Rachel Hunter, calling in from Mumbai. She talks about the 80s and 90s supermodel era and why “it was all relative to that time”. She covers what landing Sports Illustrated really meant, and the paparazzi who chased her while she was pregnant. She explains why, at 57, she no longer needs to be seen as beautiful. Then it gets personal. Rachel shares the regret her mum confided in her three weeks before she died, and how it sent her to India, where she now spends half the year running retreats. Along the way: Jay-Z and Beyoncé, gorillas, Rod Stewart fandom, and Marc’s dream of how he’d like to go. Thanks to our partners: Sal’s Authentic New York Pizza · Southern Alps Brewing Co.

Murray Mexted joins Ric Salizzo and Marc Ellis, who still remembers the day his hero pulled up at the park and told him “good kick, lad” when he was eight years old. Murray tells how Graham Mourie tracked him down in France with a whiteboard and changed how he played No. 8. He covers months alone in a French town where nobody spoke English, packing down beside Cowboy Shaw, and the 1981 test at Eden Park when the flour bombs fell. He also explains why switching off matters as much as switching on. Plus: Stu Wilson driving golf balls down Tawa’s main street at 5am, the day Murray took ten years off his age, and how he met his wife at an airport baggage carousel. Sportscafe Legends is brought to you by Sal's Pizza and Southern Alps Lager.

At 13 he was 128kg, two metres tall and couldn’t do a chin-up. Straight out of school he gave himself two years to make it. Brodie Retallick joins Ric Salizzo and Marc Ellis live from Kobe. Brodie opens up on the 4.30am rowing sessions in Amberley that built him, the Chiefs pre-season where fights broke out every week, and the rivalry with Sam Whitelock that kept them both in the black jersey. He also covers the one thing he regrets about his career, whether a World Cup comeback is on the table, and why his daughters have seen him cry. Plus: the muscle car show he bought, the All Black bus rule nobody tells you about, and Ric’s Japanese business dinner that ended on a hot plate. Sportscafe Legends is brought to you by Sal’s Authentic New York Pizza, Southern Alps Brewing Co. and Gull.

Connor Watson has waited 11 years for his first NRL grand final – and on Sunday he'll (hopefully) line up against the Knights and his old housemate Kalyn Ponga. It's the last Sportscafe of 2026, and Marc Ellis joins the crew for the season finale. Connor talks grand final week and facing Ponga's Knights, while the panel debates the hip-drop that cost Newcastle Phoenix Crossland, and whether the NRL needs an orange card. Lenny relives the Lions' four-minute grand final comeback from the MCG, Wharfie Time and all, along with the Norm Smith debate. Tayla hands out our end-of-season awards, Macca shares his hard-earned advice for a big night out, and two of the year's fan favourites return: the back-fence king and the Talbot Bay Birdwatching Club. Travelling this summer? Get 15% off your first Saily eSIM with code SPORTSCAFE. Download the Saily app and enter code SPORTSCAFE at checkout, or head to saily.com/sportscafe Stay connected in 200+ destinations with no roaming fees and no physical SIM needed.

It's finals season across both codes, and we've got the perfect guests for it. Brownlow Medallist and three-time Brisbane Lions premiership player Simon Black joins us to gives us insights into AFL Grand Final, where he has the honour of presenting the premiership cup. He talks through what grand final week is really like, what he got wrong in his first one, the Lions' shot at three in a row, and why premierships are built over years, not a single season. Knights great Kurt Gidley breaks down Newcastle's rise from last year's wooden spoon to a preliminary final, the Justin Holbrook effect, and what finals footy means to the town. Plus: Connor on the semi-final win and Sam Walker's return, Chur Ma Bro demands an apology for Warriors fans, Joey's legendary 40-nil road graffiti, and the panel picks their AFL Grand Final winners. 🌎Go to https://saily.com/sportscafe and use the code SPORTSCAFE to get an exclusive 15% off your first purchase. Here is your code for free access to Saily: promoCBr3HVigz94sSf4CDWX8 (1GB code)