Mike McRoberts, All Black? Well, not quite – but if it wasn’t for a certain endearingly cranky All Black coach, the chat the Weekly is having with the much-loved Newshub presenter might be going a lot differently.
We’re catching up with Mike to talk all things rugby – he’s about to return to Japan to front Newshub’s coverage of the 2019 Rugby World Cup − and the celebrated journalist reveals he has a deep love of our national game, which could have gone all the way were it not for a bloke they call Shag.
“I used to play with Steve Hansen back in the day,” tells Mike, grinning. “I played club rugby for years – for Suburbs, and he played for Marist in Christchurch. We were both quite big centers back in the day; he probably kept me out of a few rep teams!
“I interviewed him the other day though and reminded him that I ran [rings] around him once – that got a smile.”
Despite his lost opportunities on the rugby field, Mike’s managed to carve out a niche for himself as Mediaworks’ go-to guy for the big stuff.
He really has seen it all – world championships, natural disasters, political upheavals and breaking news events. And whether he’s donning a bulletproof vest in Syria, pulling on a leotard for Dancing with the Stars or posting a shirtless shot to Instagram that almost broke the internet (he has previously, and rather humbly, compared his toned figure to a “super-market chicken”), Mike always seems to attract attention.
“Ah, well, anything that pushes you outside of your boundaries is good, right?” he says, eyes twinkling.
Denne historien er fra October 21 2019-utgaven av New Zealand Woman's Weekly.
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Denne historien er fra October 21 2019-utgaven av New Zealand Woman's Weekly.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
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