Nick Waiariki:     00:00:00               The Steel Thorns are a real awesome team. Um, they can fight. Um, they are ranked highest in New, New Zealand, uh, for, uh, medieval armored combat. And for myself to join their team and be a part of them would be a privilege. It'd be awesome. The tryouts are gonna be real intense. I know that. Um, they will be watching. Um, they'll be observing. And I'm hoping that I tick all their boxes. I'll try and do well. Yeah, they'll be watching me like a, like a falcon, like an eagle. (Laughing).

 

Martainn Cuff:  00:02:05              Uh, movies do us damage. The geeky, nerdy-type people doing the, "I'm an elf, I'm a wizard," on TV; it makes the rest of the people that do this, um, look like that. So, we've got to try and find the middle ground and show that we are actually a sport.

 

Speaker 1:           00:02:19               See the jawline here? There up is perfectly fine. Absolutely no weapon between the shoulder and the chin.

 

Martainn Cuff:  00:02:27               We have a, a Facebook page which is our, our main means of promoting us. Um, I'm the, uh, PR manager of it. So, that's my role, is I'm not only a fighter. I'm also a PR consultant. Uh, just in the last couple of weeks, um, we've boosted our numbers of likes on Facebook from about 290 all the way up to, uh, 297. Hopefully, by the end of today, there'll be over 300 likes on Facebook. We're looking for ability to fight and how they gel with them as well. If you're an angry little man, you're gonna take the anger into the field. We don't deal in anger. We deal in a controlled aggression. Come on, team! Rut it in! Keep it up! Doesn't have to be fast. It just has to be done. Well done, mate. Keep it up. So, grab your buddy. Remember our buddy system?

 

Martainn Cuff:  00:03:31               It is challenging, um, in many ways: mentally and physically.

 

Speaker 1:           00:03:37               Company, forward!

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:03:37               Uh, there's, there's a lot of technical moves and-

 

Speaker 1:           00:03:42               Right, come on!

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:03:42               ...you don't just step out in, in the limelight and just swing a sword around. There's, there's, uh, ways of doing things.

 

Justin S:                00:03:50               Something that we haven't talked about is the opposition and the fact that they were deliberately targeting hands, knees and feet.

 

Speaker 2:           00:04:01               'Cause they're scared. They know they can't get us down otherwise.

 

Sophie S:              00:04:01               Yeah, but still-

 

Martainn Cuff:  00:04:01               Drop 'em quicker.

 

Sophie S:              00:04:01               ...do we now-

 

Justin S:                00:04:01               That's something that we need to look at, is how we deal with-

 

Dave Briscoe:     00:04:03               We don't wanna play dirty.

 

Martainn Cuff:  00:04:05               I think we need to.

 

Dave Briscoe:     00:04:06               We, we want, we want to go in there, be upfront, be us and say, this is how we do it.

 

Justin S:                00:04:09               And a role that we need in the team is somebody to be an enforcer. So if somebody is being an idiot and deliberately going backs people's knees, that we can single this person out and take care of it.

 

Speaker 2:           00:04:19               I kind, I kind of feel like-

 

Jordan: 00:04:19               I think we need an [inaudible 00:04:19].

 

Speaker 2:           00:04:21               ...we should just take high road. That is my personal opinion.

 

Dave Briscoe:     00:04:23               Yeah.

 

Speaker 2:           00:04:23               I don't wanna sink to their level.

 

Dave Briscoe:     00:04:24               I would rather we take the high road and they will know afterwards.

 

Speaker 2:           00:04:28               If they, if they want to play dirty, then they can play dirty, and we will cope with that, and we will not sink to that level. And we will be better, and we will be beat them anyway.

 

Sophie S:              00:04:34               I think that's [inaudible 00:04:35]

 

Justin S:                00:04:34               For some reason, some of the marshals-

 

Speaker 2:           00:04:34               That's just the way you do it.

 

Justin S:                00:04:38               ...are deliberately not liking this team and deliberately picking on us.

 

Dave Briscoe:     00:04:41               Do you fight to win, or do you fight to, um, be honorable?

 

Justin S:                00:04:46               A lot of the other teams are going, "No, if we can take you out before the competition starts, we will."

 

Dave Briscoe:     00:04:51               He wants us to win in whatever way we can. But there's a few of us that we would rather be honorable and, um, and win that way. And if we can't win that way, well, then we'd rather lose.

 

Justin S:                00:05:01               Targeting fingers, um, targeting your... Hitting your thigh repeatedly so your thigh... You get a dead leg and you can't fight for the rest of the day.

 

Dave Briscoe:     00:05:10               There was a code of chivalry and the code of honor that they all had. Uh, and we've got to try and recreate that as well, not just putting armor on and fighting. We've got to recreate their lifestyle and their, um, their code of honor.

 

Justin S:                00:05:22               They're valid tactics, and you're allowed to do them in the, in the rules. Um, whether it's honorable, that is a different question. Um, overseas, that's, that's the done thing. Um, trying to convince people in New Zealand that that's okay and that's allowed is... It's a hard one.

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:05:57               This is the Turnigy Trooper. Um, it comes factory, as on the box. But at the moment, it's been slightly modified with another body. Uh, I just love the technical side of it. It's just unreal, unreal stuff to make something so small go quick with the controller. Uh, if I had the money and did it with real cars? No, I would rather just buy something like this and race it. Um, I can buy a trillion of them with the money that I would have to buy a real one.

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:06:33               The trial was exhausting. And I, I didn't really expect it to be so, um, so brutal. It was really intense stuff, but it was fun. (Laughing) Just putting that helmet on and just... I just loved it. It was awesome. Oh, I would love to be a part of the Steel Thorns team. Uh, it would be awesome to fight next to a... one of the New Zealand top national teams. It's hard to really to describe them. They just, you know... Basically, they're just real awesome guys. Yeah.

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:07:25               Oh, Martainn? Uh, he's intense. I think his nickname, um, is, um, the Machine. I think he's got it 'cause he just switches on and he just... He's in his own zone and he just does it. He's got a job to do; he'll do it. And, and outside of fighting, he's a good bloke. Yeah, he's, he's really good. He's, he's got a heart, eh. Yeah. But once that visor comes down, whoa!

 

Martainn Cuff:  00:07:59               If I was in medieval times, I probably wouldn't have been a knight, but definitely a warrior. Um, I have a code of honor similar to what they have. I believe I would've been at least on numerous battlefields. Yeah. A lot of people that get into this can't really identify as a geek or as a jock. It's, you know, "Oh, I do geeky stuff," so that's what they think they are. Or they do jocky stuff. Uh, this is the, the first thing that I've ever seen where geek meets jock. Some people take it as just a hobby. So, they go out there, have a bit of a bash of a... have fun. We, in the Steel Thorns, we are trying to make it a professional sport. And, hell, I hope to one day have a- an Olympic sport like this.

 

Speaker 3:           00:08:51               Wow!

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:08:52               Oh! It would be good to be in a team. Um, just that feeling that you get to actually fight with a team and to actually fight against teams, it would be good.

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:09:13               Justin is like the, the father of the team. If he tells you what to do, you do it. He's another awesome guy too. He has just gotten to that, um, that level where he's making armor for everybody all over the world, including my armor.

 

Justin S:                00:09:32               Longsword. Bardiche. Mace. Zweihänder. Ball mace, 14th century. Single sword. Viking axe. Spike mace. War hammer, one of my favorites; absolutely illegal. Falchion. A Scimitar. Ball and chain. Flaming sword: currently legal.

 

Justin S:                00:09:57               Hi, my name is Justin Stockbridge. Um, we're at All Fired Up Armouries. Um, I'm the captain of the Steel Thorns. I've been armoring for 12 years, and everything you can see in this workshop, I've made or bought from the proceeds of making armor or weapons. Basically, this has been my life. This is my passion, and this is my dream.

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:10:20               Dave, I think he's the one that, uh, that keeps the team together. He keeps them motivated all the time. And Dave is, uh, he's a good, he's a good guy, and he's a great teacher as well. He's got a heart of gold, that guy, eh. He's just an all- all-around good guy. He's real cool. He's real cool.

 

Dave Briscoe:     00:10:42               Oh, it's a very tough sport to compete in. Uh, physically very demanding, uh, high-impact. I guess it's sort of like weight lifting; everything's over quick, but it takes a lot out of you in that short amount of time. Um, different sort of fitness required and, you know, strength and everything.

 

Dave Briscoe:     00:10:58               My first time having a go, I was grappling with someone and I thought to myself, "I've got about three seconds before Martainn hits." One, two, boom, he hit, and I went flying. I probably flew four meters in the air before I landed on the gravel. And nothing hurt. Saying, "So, wow, that's awesome. Let's do that again." Oh, yeah. Big adrenaline rush. Yep. Nothing feels better than putting an armor on. Uh, most times, uh, from tournaments and things, I never want to take it off again.

Dave Briscoe:     00:11:26               No, no, I'm not ready yet. [Inaudible 00:11:27] Hey.

 

Speaker 4:           00:11:26               Oh.

 

Dave Briscoe:     00:11:33               Oh, people are always telling me I'm crazy. But I've never, ever tried to say I was sane, so it doesn't bother me.

 

Speaker 4:           00:11:54               Dead!

 

Dave Briscoe:     00:11:54               Oh!

 

Justin S:                00:11:57               This here is going to be my falchion. Now, use gloves, man. It's got all those sharp edges.

 

Martainn Cuff:  00:12:12               So, this will be, hopefully, my weapon at the Pacific Cup next week. This is how it all starts. And it's gonna finish with someone on their back.

 

Justin S:                00:12:24               Yes, we are pushing the rules. But we are also staying within the international rule set. Um, and a lot of people don't like us for us challenging their concepts of what sword fighting is. Uh, no one in New Zealand's used a weapon like this on the field. Uh, there is only one other person with a weapon of this style, um, and that weapon was, um, basically pinned, or banned, um, straight away, because it didn't fit the rule set, even though he fought with it overseas.

 

Martainn Cuff:  00:12:54               Basically, you just got to play to the marshals.

 

Justin S:                00:12:55               Zinzan Brooke said that; didn't he?

 

Martainn Cuff:  00:12:58               Zinzan Brooke did say that.

 

Justin S:                00:13:00               And if this is coming towards me at full pace, at my head, there are gonna be injuries.

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:13:27               There's always gonna be doubts. Uh, it happens. Shit happens, yeah. Um, I didn't make the, the Steel Thorns team as a team fighter, team, member, but... It would be my fitness that let me down. Um, I'm not 100% fit. Um, I've been dormant for years. Um, I'd never thought, ever, that I would get into playing sport again, so I've sort of dormanted myself away from it. Um, now I have to climb back up that ladder again and, and, an, um, be who I once was.

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:14:05               There must be a way of unlocking that, that warrior in me. I think it's been passed down through generations and generations, um, uh, through out bloodline. Yeah, I do. I do. Um, and I think it does come naturally; it's that I have to open where it is. I can't get away from fighting. Um, I've grew up with it.

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:14:35               You, you have a school bully, so you have to fight him too. Yeah, and I was just brought up around it. Um, fighting, fighting, fighting, can't keep away from it. If, even today, you get a cheeky bugger, you, you now he wants to fight. But it's like, "Come on, mate." There's better ways of settling something that I've grown up with. You can either have a broken mouth or we can talk this out. But some of them seem to take it the hard way, so it's part of life, I guess.

 

Justin S:                00:15:27               Pacific Cup, this tournament-

 

Speaker 5:           00:15:28               Let's do it!

 

Justin S:                00:15:30               ...is basically the milestone of the year. So, from here on out, this is where the competition starts. This is when we get serious.

 

Speaker 3:           00:15:35               How do you get eliminated?

 

Justin S:                00:15:38               Uh, eliminated? You hit ground, um, through either force for the, um, weapon hitting you, or getting tripped, punched... um, basically any way possible.

 

Martainn Cuff:  00:15:47               The whole aim of the Steel Thorns, as well as having fun and getting out there and giving it a good showing, is we want to take this to high professional level. We definitely kick he sport into gear. Uh, a lot of people go out there with a hobby in mind; it's, it's more than that.

 

Sandy Cuff:         00:16:02               Yeah, no, he does. He enjoys this. This is good. And it gives him... uh, it's an unusual interest. And when I talk about it at work, they, um, they say, "Oh, yes, we've seen that, that re-enactment stuff." I be like, "Please, for God's sake, don't ever call it re-enactment." I did that once and got a two-and-a-half-hour lecture on the difference between re-enactment and what he does, so...

 

Speaker 6:           00:16:24               We need you to make a ruling on these, because they're passing in that plane-

 

Speaker 7:           00:16:25               [Inaudible 00:16:25] face it the right way.

 

Speaker 8:           00:16:25               Mm-hmm (affirmative).

 

Speaker 6:           00:16:29               ...but they're not passing in that plane.

 

Speaker 8:           00:16:32               Well...

 

Justin S:                00:16:33               I've got the international knight marshal-

 

Speaker 8:           00:16:34               Mm-hmm (affirmative).

 

Justin S:                00:16:35               ...photos on them and he has allowed them.

 

Speaker 6:           00:16:37               Yeah.

 

Justin S:                00:16:37               And he is aware of them.

 

Speaker 6:           00:16:39               He is aware of them, is he?

 

Justin S:                00:16:40               Well, no, I'd, I'd argue that that is fully le- legal under the rules. They've been used over-... Versions of them being, uh, used overseas. Just because you have personal dislike of these weapons...

 

Speaker 6:           00:16:50               No, they were failed last under 1.2.6; we felt they were dangerous weapons.

 

Justin S:                00:16:57               Okay. So, guys, from now on, I really don't want you guys talking to the oppositions. Try and avoid talking to the marshals. 'Cause what they're gonna try and do now is psych us out; start playing mind games. And, quite frankly, I don't wanna play mind games. I don't wanna deal with it, and I don't want you guys to deal with it either.

 

Martainn Cuff:  00:17:12               We wanna annihilate their center line. Latch on, take one of theirs down.

 

Justin S:                00:17:18               All right. I want everyone to shut your eyes for a second. Take a big, deep breath in and out. And in... Breathe out. Okay. Put your hand on the door handle. Breathe in, breathe out. I want you to twist the door handle and open the door. And that door's gonna take you to your happy place. Breathe in, breathe out. Go into your happy place. For the rest of the day, I want... When you're feeling stressed, I want you to remember right where you are. Okay? And this is where I want you fighting.

 

Martainn Cuff:  00:17:59               Me, I like to be the calm before the storm. A lot of people pick up a weapon and they go, "Oh, yeah, I'm using a weapon." When I pick up a weapon, I become a weapon.

 

Steel Thorns:      00:18:07               Steel Thorns!

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:18:11               The Pacific Cup is, uh, to find who is suitable to go over and fight for New Zealand, pretty much. Um, yeah.

 

Justin S:                00:18:32               Get into it.

 

Martainn Cuff:  00:18:32               Right!

 

Crowd: 00:18:32               Go get 'em. Go, go, go! Yeah!

 

Martainn Cuff:  00:18:32               It didn't go as planned. Um...

 

Speaker 2:           00:18:50               We came across great opposition.

 

Martainn Cuff:  00:18:51               Yeah.

 

Justin S:                00:18:54               Pick a fighter. One fighter. Two people, or that three, that triangle, straight into that fighter, regardless of what the opposition are doing. Get straight in, fast and hard. Yeah, Steve! You're allowed to sit down on the fence. It's a valid tactic.

 

Speaker 8:           00:19:21               Does it say in the rules that you can sit on the fence?

 

Justin S:                00:19:22               Show me where it says you're not allowed to sit.

 

Speaker 8:           00:19:23               Exactly.

 

Speaker 9:           00:19:23               No, he's allowed to sit on the fence. What...

 

Justin S:                00:19:25               He is.

 

Speaker 9:           00:19:25               What he's not allowed to do is stand up, and then say, the marshal's like, err, and the marshal says, "No, he's not." 'Cause James was asking the marshals whether he was in or out and it was unclear.

 

Justin S:                00:19:37               Excuse me. I'm talking to the kn- knight marshal. If you want-

 

Speaker 9:           00:19:38               Yeah?

 

Justin S:                00:19:38               ...to talk to me, please talk through the knight marshal.

 

Speaker 9:           00:19:40               Okay.

 

Justin S:                00:19:41               Knight, knight marshal?

 

Speaker 9:           00:19:42               Well, yeah, that was cheating motherfucking action.

 

Speaker 8:           00:19:43               [Inaudible 00:19:43] You don't sit on the...

 

Justin S:                00:19:48               I, I believe that's absolutely fine. Oi! Don't talk to my fighters! Away from my fighters, please.

 

Speaker 9:           00:19:52               No, I'm allowed to be here.

 

Justin S:                00:19:54               Steel Thorns, do not talk to other teams during this fight. Concentrate on this fight. That's my job to be hated. You've got this, man. I believe in you, dude. And you just show what you can do. That... I want to see that, that flying punch shield so we can get it on camera.

 

Martainn Cuff:  00:20:13               All right.

 

Justin S:                00:20:16               Jordan. I believe in you. Okay? I wouldn't have let you on this team unless I thought you could more than what you've done. I really want you to push yourself for this next fight. Give me everything you've got. All right? Can you do that for more?

 

Jordan: 00:20:28               Yeah.

 

Justin S:                00:20:29               Sure?

 

Jordan: 00:21:03               Yeah.

 

Justin S:                00:21:17               Where you going?

 

Speaker 2:           00:21:17               [Inaudible 00:21:17].

 

Justin S:                00:21:17               Yeah, the [inaudible 00:21:17].

 

Speaker 10:         00:21:17               No, it's [inaudible 00:21:17]

 

Speaker 11:         00:21:17               By the left, march.

 

Justin S:                00:21:17               Come on, guys.

 

Sophie S:              00:21:17               I know. I know.

 

Martainn Cuff:  00:21:18               Regrettably, we lost the Cup. What I like from the team is after the initial shock of the first one, for the green guys, your aggression level and wilfulness and drive just improved a hundredfold. Um, yeah, we lost the first one, but that was your blooding. And from that, you took away, and you just came out on the second and third fight, psyched and, and aggressive and wanted it and wanted more and hit harder and hit faster. So, well done to you guys.

 

Justin S:                00:21:50               One sprained ankle, one dislocated shoulder. So, two of them off to hospital. Again, this is not LARPing. Um, w-, we've said this a few times. If the LARPers want to come and play with us, then they need the armor; it just doesn't happen. You know, this is what happens when jocks meet geeks.

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:22:22               Whoa! Look at my grouping. When I went to Justin's for tryouts and, um, I couldn't get into the Steel Thorns, and then, um, I was like, "Hey, how about we, we have a Rotorua team?" 'Cause we're, we're gonna have to have one otherwise Rotorua won't be on the map, or Rotorua will be this little black spot with a lot of teams around it. So, um, I started forming the Hornets. Wow! And Rotorua has a team. Slowly progressing (laughing).

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:23:15               A lot of, uh, style of cars here are all the same. They've all got big mags and big turbos and all that sort of thing, but I have ever seen a, um, a, a, a rat. Um, hopefully it catches on. I reckon it's quite a cool style. Well, it's still the same vehicle, it's just aged and withered and stuff. And all I've did was to sort of bring that rustic look out and put some mags on it. You got a bit of sticker-bombing here and, um... 1070. Gotta love 1080. Um, and sort of my life that, uh, sort of says who I am. Like, I'm sort of like the, the single guy that's got two dogs and rides horses (laughing). Um, sadly, um, she's passed away. She's real nice dog.

 

Martainn Cuff:  00:24:42               Everyone's got a bucket list or... maybe not written down, but at least in their head. I've actually got one written down. Um, 100 Things is a book I read; absolutely love it. On my 100 things to do before I die, represent New Zealand at something. This is gonna be my something. Uh, see the big, big five in Africa; tick. Climb Kilimanjaro; tick. See wolves in the wild.

 

Martainn Cuff:  00:25:10               Ever since I was, I was five, um, I watched a movie called Wolves of Willoughby Chase. And, uh, absolutely put the shits up me. One scene on it, a girl, middle of the night, traveling on a train, snowy, dark forest. And the train stops. I can't remember why it stops. And something goes past the window. She, like, looks closer to the window and then a wolf head just goes through a window and tries to get her. Yeah. That is why I'm scared of wolves. And they, they hunt in packs.

 

Martainn Cuff:  00:25:41               Um, and I actually use that on the field, to be honest. Um, my falchion is called Wolf. And once I finish my two-handed sword, I'll probably name it, um, Pitch Black. When I get my poleaxe, I'm gonna name it, um, Deep Water. Three things that I'm scared of in the, in the world are those three things, and I name my weapons after them because I want to control my fear and introduce everyone else to my fear. And what better way to introduce a fear then straight in someone's face?

 

Sophie S:              00:26:21               I got into medieval fighting in Wellington, and I spared Justin there. Um, and then, during a tournament in Levin, there was a wench fight, which I was involved in and Justin was the prize, so we all had to battle for Justin. He ended up, um, his pig face, which is a sharp-nosed beak on the helmet, ended up stabbing me sort of just left of my eyeball. Um, but in the long run, I think I got the prize (laughing).

 

Justin S:                00:26:44               The reason why I was the, the knight in the at scenario is I was in full plate armor, and I was all nice and shiny. So, uh...

 

Sophie S:              00:26:56               He looked very handsome with a face plate on.

 

Justin S:                00:26:58               (Laughing).

 

Sophie S:              00:27:01               We've been medievaling for... Well, I've...

 

Justin S:                00:27:04               16 years.

 

Sophie S:              00:27:05               Yeah, I've been going about 12. Um, and we can do without. So, that's probably why we're here. Everyone's got a dream here, and they'll all work together to help you with that dram, even if it's silly or crazy.

 

Justin S:                00:27:17               Me, I grow up and I follow my dreams. I've described it like a, um, a guy going full bore on a mountian bike down a hill and then being able to get to the bottom... you know, it's... without crashing; it's the same feeling, that adrenaline rush.

 

Sophie S:              00:27:32               We always vet out team. So, Steel Thorns is a family, and we always say, you know, my brother and my sister, 'cause we're always a family.

 

Justin S:                00:27:38               Yeah. It's a lot more than just the fighting. It's everything else that goes with it.

 

Sophie S:              00:27:41               Hm.

 

Justin S:                00:27:41               And a lot of people just don't understand that.

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:27:55               Uh, hopefully that, uh, some people are interested in it and come along and do it. Uh, Dave comes over. He's like a head trainer for the club... Hornets team. Trains up the Hornets... to train up the Hornets team. He- he's like head trainer. Getting hot just putting the bloody thing on. I've got it out there on, um, the internet stuff. And I'm hoping that will get a bit of interest.

 

Speaker 12:         00:28:24               [Inaudible 00:28:24] Here you go.

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:28:24               Oh, just a Mackintosh. I've been telling people about it and what it's like to do it and how safe it is. And hopefully, uh, people will come along.

 

Speaker 13:         00:28:36               Oi! Whew!

 

Speaker 12:         00:28:36               And our last time it wasn't on TV, it was on YouTube.

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:29:03               No, nobody hasn't really come to training day, except Dave. Um, I'm not gutted about it 'cause I still get to train. Um, if people are interested in coming along, come along. I just treat it as a normal day, normal training. Um, if people don't turn up, people don't turn up. People don't turn up to trainings anyway. It's, um...

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:29:49               Mean, bro, mean. (Laughing)

 

PART 1 OF 3 ENDS [00:30:04]

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:30:00               (laughs) I'm a Hornet. The Hornets, or the Hornet. Um, it's, uh, pretty much myself at the moment. Um, all the foundations are all built. And, um, it's just for people to come along and come and do it. Yeah. Just need the team. Come along and have a go.

 

Martainn:            00:31:11               Test. Test. Test. Hello? So, this isn't LARPing. A lot of people do think it is LARPing. Nothing plastic, nothing fake, no foam. I call it Wolf, because that's one thing that I'm scared of. Out of everything in the world, wolves are what I'm afraid of. And so, I introduce my fear to everyone else. (laughs) Hold out. There we go.

 

Speaker 15:         00:31:38               Yeah.

 

Martainn:            00:31:38               Uh, as the Steel Thorns' media consultant, we couldn't have asked for a better day than that. They, they seemed to be engaged in the, uh, the speech and do like the video. And at the end there with a little bit of hands-on, they thoroughly enjoyed that. So, I think it went really well.

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:32:06               I've been accepted into the New Zealand team. I don't know how they did it, but I managed to get in. (laughs) It's sort of amazed inside, bro. (laughs) I don't know what to really think, really. Overwhelming. (laughs)

 

Speaker 16:         00:32:22               That camera is in your face, eh? You're trying to do (excitement)

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:32:22               (laughs)

 

Speaker 17:         00:32:22               We get to see you bloody modeling, bro.

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:32:22               (laughs)

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:32:33               I don't know how I-I did it. It's just unbelievable. Dave was the one that told me that I got accepted into the New Zealand team. And it was awesome to hear that. It was awesome.

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:32:46               I think, um... Dave may have told the, the New Zealand team how hard I've been training with him. Yeah. Well, that's what I'm guessing.

 

Speaker 18:         00:33:02               Oh, it's a big buzz. All your whanau will be proud of you.

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:33:03               The fighting for New Zealand is okay. Th- like, they- they don't really think about it. But it's, it's the going overseas part they don't believe. Yeah. Being Maori and that (laughs) and, um... coming from a rough background, and... They actually got a fright that, uh, I could probably get out of the country. (laughs) Uh, the real challenge will be to get the money together and sorting out the legal side of getting over. Um, I got into a little bit of trouble back in the day. Um, driving convictions and stuff, and I've heard that, um, some convictions won't let you out of the country. It could be a dream come true.

 

Speaker 19:         00:34:00               This is um... snack food for the Steel Thorns, while they fight tomorrow at the Levin medieval market. Uh, Martainn has always gone full at it, at just about everything and anything he's had a mind to. It's part of his ADD. He sort of, gets- When he does get focused, he's very one-eyed focused. Um, he seemed a bit slow at doing things, like all his milestones were a little bit slower than everybody else's. Getting hurt and not realizing that he'd hurt himself. He couldn't use cutlery. He had to have all his food so he could eat it with his hands. He's mad. What can I say? Takes after his father, I think.

 

Speaker 19:         00:34:43               With a high pain threshold, you just were not aware that you were hurting yourself. The number of times that you ended up in the emergency department. It made life very difficult for him, because part of the games at school, were "Let's see if we can get Martainn to nut off." Martainn's always had a very strong moral and ethical code. Um, it was a shame, what happened. It's- it is what it is now, though. And they just have to move on and accept it. But they were very close and... yeah, it is. It's a shame. And it's, it's a shame that it's happened, but it's happened. And, um, it is what it is.

 

Martainn:            00:35:31               We were best mates. He was practically like a brother to me. So, we were sitting there at a bar, having a few drinks. And he, um, he suggested that if I ever wanted to cheat on my wife, that, uh, now was the time to do it. And that just called my integrity into it. He said, um, that it would be our little secret. Anything that happens on our nights out, just between me and him. Uh, it just didn't sit right with me. I'm not one for cheating. I was angry and frustrated, and felt like I was betrayed. I ended up taking my frustration out on a table. Nothing violent, just a frustrated flip of the table. A game of Monopoly, you're losing at Monopoly and just flip the board because you're angry at the game. I ended up breaking one of the legs of it. And, uh, I ended up getting taken to the cells by the police.

 

Martainn:            00:36:20               I heard that he used to ask about me. Um, I've learned from that night that I need to temper myself. Um, and that's where the sport helps, it's because, on the field I can actually unleash any, um, pent-up aggression, um, but it's still controlled. And, yeah, if I had this sport sooner, I probably wouldn't have done what I did.

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:36:55               Today I am heading to the bank. With the time I have to save, I don't have enough. So, I am hoping that the bank could loan me a little bit more, a little bit more to get me over there. I'll be stocked if they do lend me the money. You know, paying it back is easy. It's getting it. (laughs) Okay.

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:37:18               It went good. The interview went well. Um, I mean, I'm happy. Uh, it's a lot of, that's a lot of weight off my, off my chest now, so I can relax. It won't be really real till I'm on that field. Ye-hee!

 

Speaker 20:         00:38:05               How did the helmet go?

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:38:05               Good.

 

Martainn:            00:38:24               We tried fundraising to get the Steel Thorns over the seas, either this year or next year, uh, with a Givealittle page. Um, as honorable as our intentions were to get us over, there's just no way we could compete against, um, sick kids who, who need treatment and just can't afford it. Um, so we won't be doing that again. Um, so, I've pitched a few ideas, uh, for like sausage sizzles throughout the year, um, a raffle. We're even talking about a shooter night, which is you shoot one of us with a crossbow. At this stage, um, regardless of what's going to happen, I am going to go overseas.

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:39:14               Um, I've never thought that I would go overseas, ever. But, uh, since I've been doing medieval, it's sort of pushed me to go over. My first ever passport. Um, and I think if I wasn't doing medieval I wouldn't be going over. But, uh, I'm doing it, and I'm going over, so... awesome.

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:39:40               This is to get me in and out of customs. It's like, uh, a computer-chipped thingy-majiggy, doofinacky. (laughs) Yes, I've been a naughty boy. Um, it'll be customs I'll be worried about, you know... I don't know what the level, level of crime is. I haven't been to jail, I've never been to jail. I've been in custody, but not to jail, which is good, um... I think it'll be all right from there. And the ticket has been done, so... Looking forward from here now. So, it's, it's starting to get a bit real, it's starting to get real.

 

TV:         00:40:27               The Frenchman is using the rail, trying to sit on it. It's kind of difficult and dangerous for the referees, because you've got-

 

TV:         00:40:32               Oh, The Swedes drown in pain!

 

Speaker 21:         00:40:33               Uh!

 

TV:         00:40:37               Oh, that was dirty. That was after the bell.

 

Speaker 21:         00:40:40               It's kind of, really hard to describe the feeling you get when you represent your country on the list. And, just being, uh, coming up against the best in the world. Uh, it's always, you know, over-inspiring, and then the reality hits, crunch. And that's when the combat starts.

 

TV:         00:40:58               This is where it gets really difficult and dangerous for the referees, because-

 

Speaker 21:         00:41:04               The first fight against the big French team. The big guy grabbed my arm and just dislocated it. And I, I come up to his nipples at my eye height, he's huge. It's the whole experience. It's mind-blowing. So, you know, it's just... bang! It's alpha males versus alpha males.

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:41:25               Codpiece. You have to take it all off if you wanna take a piss. With these ones, you sort of lift it and... This would be the first time I've ever flown in a big plane.

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:41:40               Yeah, a lot of people have doubted me, um, in the past. Uh, in everything that I can't do, which is total fucking bullshit. And, um, going over there is going to sort of show them that they're wrong.

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:42:10               Um, I actually see fighting for my country as, "Oh, you're just another fight for my country," but when I really thought about it, it's, uh, it's quite a big thing.

 

Speaker 20:         00:42:22               Why are you sleeping in the car?

 

Martainn:            00:42:56               Um, the keys weren't left here for us. Um, so that's why I'm sleeping in the car. I opted for the car and David and Justin slept in the tool shed. I think most of the Steel Thorns, um, have a very professional mindset when it comes to doing this sport. But the three that are here, this is, this is the high-end, this is the professional mindset, you have to be in that top gear in your head. Uh, or you just don't come away with a win.

 

Justin:   00:44:39               I love that you can talk to everyone, even though you just hit them in the head with a big axe. I think it has been a lot easier living back then, because you wasn't thinking about all of the shit we have now. "My iPad is broken! Oh..." (laughs)

 

Justin:   00:44:55               Yes, a simple world, I think. In many ways. And that's what I like. We have too much shit now.

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:45:09               Okay. (laughs) Okay, the lower body. Oh, there you go. Ah, that feels good. Denmark? Um, it's a real interesting place. It's, uh, different to New Zealand, in architecture. For $500, you could buy a lot of things in New Zealand with it, but here, it's like, uh, $500 bread or a $500 drink. And, uh, that's all you get. (laughs) So... quite different here. It's, uh, it's an eye-opener for myself. Here in Denmark you drive on, uh...you drive on the right-hand side here. In New Zealand you're driving on the left, so it's a bit scary. (laughs)

 

Justin:   00:46:08               Hello? Knock, knock? I think they've all gone. I brought the Japanese guys some ice for their beers, because they were complaining about them being warm.

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:46:19               And they're not in there?

 

Justin:   00:46:20               No, they've all bailed. We are warrior gentlemen, you know, like, this is a very pure thing. For me, time slows down, whether it is perception or the chemicals rushing though my veins. It's... it is that moment, and in that moment when you look around and you see all of your guys, you know, connecting.

 

Martainn:            00:46:43               Justin's normally been the captain for the last couple of events coming overseas, uh... It is a little bit difficult to be able to step back and watch someone else take charge.

 

Justin:   00:46:55               Hitting someone with a weighted stick, really, I mean... we've been doing it since the dawn of time, um... But now it's a sport.

 

Speaker 22:         00:47:20               She thinks she can use it.

 

Justin:   00:47:21               No, she can't.

 

Speaker 22:         00:47:23               Well, you didn't tell her that.

 

Justin:   00:47:24               No, I didn't need to. Is she really that daft?

 

Speaker 27:         00:47:26               Oh, on safety the shield's fine, it's just the design is like, so far out. It's like, no.

 

Speaker 21:         00:47:32               I think sieging would be the main way of taking it. Because, realistically, they're only gonna have...maybe six months worth of food. Um, and I don't need to have my whole army singing.

 

Martainn:            00:47:44               I'll probably have to get mortars in, if I was to use period weapons. And, peasants lining the moat, drowning, and you walk across them and storm the castle.

 

Speaker 23:         00:47:55               Where the back of your hand is.

 

Martainn:            00:48:16               My game plan is that of just to be relaxed, and cool, calm and collected. When I've sized up some opponents, that's when I'll start to, to psych myself up and have a think about how am I gonna beat these people, how am I gonna win throughout the day, and then how am I gonna do my job on the field.

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:48:29               A nasty piece of work. Your head ends up in there and then the rest of it over there...

 

Speaker 28:         00:48:38               ...And this is called the "Double-Penetrator"

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:48:40               (laughs)

 

Speaker 28:         00:48:42               The actual name, from the manufacturer, is the halberd of double penetration. (laughs)

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:48:54               (laughs)

 

Random person:               00:48:54               You have a flag!

 

Martainn:            00:48:55               I get inside people's heads by being underestimated and then going out there and doing impressive things. Um, that's how I get in people's heads.

 

Speaker 29:         00:49:00               Right, line up behind those two, those two lines... and we'll move on. Right.

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:49:19               I've grown up with fighting all my life. Every time I try and move away from fighting somebody wants to have a fight and it's hard to get away from that. Yeah, like, uh, guys that think that they're tougher than you, want to pick on you, and... Yeah, so... this is real, but to a point. But the other fighting, it is real, to the death. Or, to a knockout, to a- Somebody is gotta get to the hospital or end up in a cardboard box, you know? But this in here, you can go home and... you fight, you get smacked up it's okay. And...you're still here.

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:50:02               Wicked atmosphere, you see all the fighters and... countries, and flags, and... And that's who I'll be fighting. It's real now. (laughs)

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:50:46               The plan is to go in the middle, so.... that's the plan.

 

Dayna:  00:50:57               If you want to do something, no one will stand in you way and tell you you can't do it. It's got all to do with your effort. You put the effort in, you will be rewarded by a community.

 

Speaker 26:         00:51:09               I'm really proud of you. That was use of your size, that's your advantage. Look at me, that's what I do. I want you to cross up like I taught you. And then you step back and you throw two shots right to the temple.

 

Speaker 26:         00:51:23               If you can get someone to a meter in that list, put them through it.

 

Speaker 26:         00:51:29               Smash!

 

Speaker 24:         00:51:29               Fight!

 

Speaker 25:         00:51:29               Keep up! Keep up! Keep going! Low blow!

 

Speaker 26:         00:51:29               Big hits! Big hits! Big hit! Yes!

 

Speaker 25:         00:51:29               Come on,Dayna!

 

Speaker 24:         00:51:29               Stop!

 

Speaker 30:         00:51:29               Denmark win!

 

Speaker 26:         00:51:29               You be proud of yourself. You can be really, really, proud of yourself, right?

 

Dayna:  00:51:29               (crying) Okay.

 

Speaker 26:         00:51:29               Oh, here she comes, here she comes.

 

Danya's Friend: 00:51:29               Are you okay?

 

Speaker 26:         00:51:29               Okay, okay. You did amazing. You did really well, okay?

 

Dayna:  00:51:29               (crying)

 

Speaker 26:         00:52:33               You did amazing! You did so good.

 

Speaker 26:         00:52:38               For Danya, she's come into this heart and soul, it's gonna be hard for her. It's just, it's just gonna be a few moments of working through that process within herself.

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:52:48               She did well, that's all I can say, she did very, very, very well. Very fucking well, actually. (laughs) Fucking well. (laughs) She did well.

 

Speaker 31:         00:53:10               And I put my socks outside on the balcony on level one.

 

Speaker 32:         00:53:14               And we could still smell them every time we went out to the hallway.

 

Martainn:            00:53:25               (laughs)

 

Speaker 33:         00:53:25               Traveled 500 km to get here.

 

Speaker 34:         00:53:25               What's happened?

 

Speaker 33:         00:53:26               Well they rode here. And there's deer everywhere here. So, they'll be here to get the deer.

 

Speaker 33:         00:53:31               Yup, the new female could produce cubs this spring in farmland in West Jutland, after two wolves were filmed together last autumn.

 

Speaker 35:         00:53:40               Hey Martainn, you might want to see this.

 

Martainn:            00:53:43               There's your tea. Please don't hit me!

 

Speaker 35:         00:53:43               You might want to see that.

 

Martainn:            00:53:43               Oh, bastard.

 

Martainn:            00:53:50               [inaudible 00:53:50] is it?

 

Speaker 35:         00:53:51               Wolves here.

 

Martainn:            00:53:52               Oh, but how far away from us?

 

Speaker 35:         00:53:55               Like here. This area. This farmed area that we are right now.

 

Martainn:            00:53:58               I don't believe you.

 

Speaker 35:         00:54:00               No, that's an actual article in the papers. They are here. Wolves are here.

 

Martainn:            00:54:07               [inaudible 00:54:07] 500 K from Germany.

 

Martainn:            00:54:08               It doesn't say its around here, so it's all good.

 

Speaker 35:         00:54:22               West Jutland it says, and that's where we are.

 

Speaker 33:         00:54:25               And all of the farmland.

 

Martainn:            00:54:26               Right, enjoy your tea.

 

Speaker 33:         00:54:28               Yeah, he was downplaying a little bit, I think.

 

Speaker 33:         00:54:34               It'll be ticking over. It'll be ticking over. He'll be thinking about it.

 

Martainn:            00:54:47               It's the half-breeds. Half dog, half wolf that you got to worry about. Because they tend to be more, um...they lose their fear of humans. They actually start coming into town. So our boys thought, if I come across a lion I'll be able to fight a lion. Maybe not for long and may not survive, but as soon as you see one wolf, you're gonna know there's at least three others. And they're not in front of you. They'll be behind you already. So, that's the scary thing. Knowing that as soon as you see one there's bound to be more. Trust Dave to say they're here already.

 

Speaker 33:         00:55:26               It would be cool to see one while we're here though.

 

Martainn:            00:55:32               You can't rid of fear. Fear you either use or it uses you. So fears always there. If you don't feel fear then what else are you feeling?

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:57:24               ( laughs)

 

Speaker 36:         00:57:38               Stay low and just wail on her legs.

 

Speaker 37:         00:57:40               I'm not here to be maliciously manipulating his ego in any sort of way. It's just how the cards came out on the day.

 

Speaker 38:         00:58:15               It's more, more angry about the fact that, he, the way he did it.

 

Speaker 37:         00:58:21               I picked the strongest eight in positions.

 

Speaker 38:         00:58:25               If I was captain and somebody wasn't on the team who thought he was. You pull him aside and in a nice private conversation go, "This is why." You don't announce it in front of everybody.

 

Speaker 37:         00:58:38               You know, Justin was always going to be there for any injury, but the injury wasn't there. So, you know, it just is what it is.

 

Speaker 38:         00:58:46               If it had to be somebody, I'd rather it be me, because I got big shoulders. It is what it is.

 

Speaker 37:         00:58:54               It is what it is, man.

 

Nick Waiariki:     00:59:01               The thing that I'm afraid of is not seeing my own shadow. Um, it's like a reality check. So, whether I'm dead or not. Whether I'm fully alive or not alive. To hear about wolves being in Denmark, um, at the same time we are here, at the same moment, um, and Martainn and a whole thing. I think it's meant to be. Almost like a spiritual trip.

 

Martainn:            00:59:56               I believe that the wolf is the apex predator of the world. You don't hear them being called the-

 

PART 2 OF 3 ENDS [01:00:04]

 

Martainn:            01:00:03               ... of the world. You don't hear, um, them being called the orcas of the land, but you do hear the orcas being called the wolves of the sea, so there's gotta be something in that. No matter how big the foe, they're there to take it on, and they know they can win as a team. The area that we fight our combat in, um, today's standard it does seem pretty simple. And there's not all this PC gone mad stuff, it's like- there's someone in America who self-identifies as a peewee footballer, and he's in his 40s, and they let him play peewee football against kids. To me, that guy needs to grow the fuck up and get a life.

 

Dave Briscoe:     01:00:50               Yes, will admit at times being a bit disappointed because I haven't got a nickname yet, 'cause it would be nice. But- but it's not easy to- because I- Martainn's named the Machine, it just jumped at us.

 

Martainn:            01:00:59               You've got to earn your nickname, earn your trophy, um, and bring prestige not only to yourself but to your team, you know? It's not just a given thing. Even Justin doesn't have a nickname at the moment.

 

Martainn:            01:01:13               I went to a Catholic boys school. I, in third form, was daydreaming out the window and just, "Uh." Looking out the window, and I got a boner. And since I wasn't listening to the teacher, I was just looking out the window, uh, she made me stand up, 'cause that was our punishment for not listening, you've got to stand up. And so I stood up and just leaned on my desk. And she's like, "No, no. Stand up properly." I was like, "Fuck. No. I'll just own it." So I stood up properly, and there I was with a raging hard on, and she couldn't take her eyes off it, eh? So I don't know why I didn't get a nickname from that or something to stick with that all the way through.

 

Martainn:            01:01:47               To pop into my head, the jackhammer or the jackrabbit, because he is able to run around the field every time we have a fight. He's out there running around the field, backwards and forward, backwards and forward, and he still hits hard. But, you know, you've got to think about can it be used in a negative as well. Like the Machine can't, so you gotta think hard and long how it's gonna affect him. 'cause we all know that when you do get that name, oh you gotta value it.

 

Dave Briscoe:     01:02:14               And that commentator came up to him, ripped his phone-

 

Nick:      01:02:18               Uh, getting ready for the five versus five, the mens. Yeah, I'll be, uh, on weapons, uh, for weapons dropped in- in the list. I am here to aid, give them a weapon if they even need it. I don't really want to let the team down. I'm just gonna have to do 110% as I- as much as I can. I've- I'll show you my weapons, I've got- I've got this. I brought it for a reason. This is a mace. I brought it so I can get in closer 'cause I'm shorter. I can try and disable their legs. Falchion, that's one of them. You know how boxing goes? If you cut somebody keep working that area. So if I can keep bruising that area, I can just keep working it. This one's got a handle. I love that, it's like a knuckle buster.

 

Speaker 39:         01:03:19               Do you have any martial arts training back in New Zealand?

 

Nick:      01:03:22               Uh, yeah, uh, I did, but I- I got out of it. Yeah, I don't want to really go back to that sort of thing. I- uh, it turned from friendship to shit. Put it that way. Um, one day, one training day, like one day, um, they had, uh, a must of been a sensei that come from Japan, or from Korea, and they come over and they put on a display, uh, and what they normally do. They did a display and my sister was a part of it, and I come from a fighting background sort of thing. I just love hitting. And they knew who I was, they fucking knew who I was, yeah since I was a little kid, they fucking made me.

 

Nick:      01:04:07               And, um, I think the guy did a, uh, like a- like a, uh, a roundhouse for the pad, but the pad was right by her head. And went to come and do a roundhouse, a-and missed the pad and hit her head. And she started crying, right, and I went fucking ballistic. Um, it was all over maybe in a couple seconds. Like, just sort of just keep smashing, and like. Didn't give him time to say nothing like, "Sorry," and that. Just walked up and just ba- ba- ba- ba- ba- ba- boom. And he was dozi- he was sort of dozing like I kicked him smack- smack in the chin. I did a sidekick, smack for the chin. And he went down, and everybody pulled me off him. Yeah, and then everything- I'll- everything started getting ugly from there (laughs).

 

Speaker 40:         01:05:23               So four, five, seven, ten are our four fights.

 

Speaker 41:         01:05:39               Yeah.

 

Speaker 40:         01:05:39               Which is Austria, Italy, Finland, France, in order.

 

Speaker 41:         01:05:43               Yeah, yep.

 

Speaker 40:         01:05:43               So France is our last fight.

 

Martainn:            01:05:43               I'm- I'm nervous. I'm excited. Um, I'm getting hyped. And I'm focusing it into what my job needs to be. I'm going out there and putting my best foot forward, uh, the same foot that I've put forward to get on to this team, to impress the captain, I'm gonna out onto the field to impress the world.

 

Dave Briscoe:     01:06:05               (Laughs).

 

Dave Briscoe:     01:06:13               Austria first up, should be a good fight.

 

Martainn:            01:06:17               Two rounds we won, just, uh, my vision.

 

Announcer:        01:06:20               James Bennett, the New Zealand captan leads the Kiwi team on the list here.

 

Speaker 40:         01:06:34               I'm more for everyone being complete equals, and he's very much a dictatorship. He needs to be super dominant, because I was the previous captain. Not last year, but the year before. So he's trying to make his mark, and make sure he's the big man on campus. Which is- it needs to be done, um, it's just unfortunately I got the rear end of it.

 

Speaker 42:         01:06:55               Runner on the left. Watch the runners! Watch the runners guys!

 

Announcer:        01:07:21               New Zealand needs to watch their backs, Austria's got in behind them.

 

Speaker 40:         01:07:27               Tense at the start, and then once they got a flanker in behind, it was all over for New Zealand.

 

Announcer:        01:07:29               Round two, New Zealand need to win this round, or Austria takes the match.

 

Speaker 42:         01:08:30               Come on Leon! Come on Leon! Grapple! Got him Martainn! Come on Martainn!

 

Announcer:        01:08:30               Martainn Cuff is really taking it to Austria out there.

 

Speaker 42:         01:08:30               Yeah, yeah.

 

Announcer:        01:08:30               Gosh does he looks hungry.

 

Speaker 42:         01:08:30               Hit him! Hit him! Yeah Martainn! Ah! Come on!

 

Announcer:        01:08:30               There's a win for the Kiwis, which puts them even tighter. And the match goes to Austria, the Kiwis will be disappointed they had lost that one. It's a tough draw for New Zealand, straight into another bout against Italy now.

 

Speaker 43:         01:08:30               Bout five!

 

Speaker 42:         01:08:30               Runner at the back! Martainn, runner at the back!

 

Announcer:        01:08:55               That's a win for Italy, beautifully wonderful.

 

Dave Briscoe:     01:08:55               You fight the first round, and then you swap for Dylan. We've just been outsmarted a couple of times really. We weren't able to keep up with how fast they changed their play.

 

Martainn:            01:09:03               That big guy, mammoth.

 

Speaker 44:         01:09:04               Yeah.

 

Martainn:            01:09:05               I took that fucking big guy.

 

Speaker 44:         01:09:06               It was a good round.

 

Speaker 41:         01:09:06               These guys are not big guys, they're gonna run a lot. So run them ragged.

 

Dave Briscoe:     01:09:11               Martainn?

 

Martainn:            01:09:11               Yeah.

 

Dave Briscoe:     01:09:11               We'll have you sub on for me for the second round.

 

Martainn:            01:09:13               Okay.

 

Dave Briscoe:     01:09:13               Because we don't want-

 

Announcer:        01:09:13               Finland and New Zealand please enter the list. The Kiwis seem to be letting the Finns approach.

 

Speaker 42:         01:09:13               Briscoe your back!

 

Announcer:        01:09:13               And the match has faltered, that's the match to the Finns. You've really got to feel for the fighters in this heat today, 34 degrees out there.

 

Speaker 41:         01:09:13               Armor's more important than water at the moment.

 

Nick:      01:10:00               Quick, eh?

 

Speaker 45:         01:10:09               You're doing really well Dan. Really well.

 

Speaker 41:         01:10:09               Where's Leon?

 

Announcer:        01:10:31               New Zealand and France prepare to enter the list. Looks like the kiwis are fighting without reserves.

 

Speaker 42:         01:10:38               Get him Briscoe!

 

Speaker 40:         01:10:38               Briscoe watch out!

 

Speaker 42:         01:10:38               Briscoe your back!

 

Speaker 46:         01:10:42               For the back of the spine. It was- No. No. Straight to back. Straight to back. No.

 

Speaker 47:         01:10:50               [Foreign language 01:10:50].

 

Speaker 46:         01:10:52               [Foreign language 01:10:52].

 

Speaker 44:         01:11:05               From what I know of, he took a vertical ax strike down the, um, center of his spine, and it just dropped him. That's a red-cardable offense.

 

Martainn:            01:11:30               Thank you.

 

Speaker 48:         01:11:30               Can I borrow you? Get Justin, and tell him to grab Briscoe's ID for me?

 

Speaker 45:         01:11:30               Okay.

 

Martainn:            01:11:30               Is he at the medical tent?

 

Speaker 45:         01:11:48               Okay here we- here's what it is, he got repeated strikes to his spine. He went down, and was not able to move, and had limited sensation. He is going to be transported to the hospital. That is where we are at right now. The French team was red-carded for this.

 

Speaker 41:         01:12:12               Everyone I need, um, someone to go around and find out who is injured where, what armor is broken. We've still got the teams tomorrow, all right?

 

Nick:      01:12:46               The medics had to take all of his gear off to assess as to what happened to him.

 

Martainn:            01:12:53               It's all about the teams. It's all about the teams now.

 

Nick:      01:13:14               Um, to see Dave like that it's, um, I've never- I've- I haven't encountered seeing Dave like that before. Just to see a friend go down like that, it's quite emotional. Um, and having the medics there working on him, I wasn't expecting something like that to happen. I was... yeah. Real bad. Um, he's really a great friend. Um, for myself, as a father, it's hard to be emotional for like stuff like that. Um, but when Dave got hurt, that was like pretty hard out, so.

 

Dave Briscoe:     01:14:23               The impact pressure on the nerves, uh, caused some temporary loss of function. Uh, and then once the immediate swelling reduced I also got movement back. Just the fact that I couldn't- might not be able to walk again, was going through my head. And, uh, yeah, it was- I was really panicking until I could move again. I, er, you just can't explain it, I was just total panic. Uh, and they cut my armor off me, so even if I was given the all clear, uh, there's a lot of work to be done before I could put the armor back on.

 

Speaker 49:         01:15:06               [Foreign language 01:15:06].

 

Speaker 41:         01:15:06               Nick?

 

Nick:      01:15:09               Yeah?

 

Speaker 41:         01:15:09               Can I borrow you so I can put my arms on?

 

Speaker 41:         01:15:28               About to make history, the biggest New Zealand team to fight on international soil in this sport.

 

Martainn:            01:15:40               Game time. Ten versus ten. Let's get it on.

 

Nick:      01:15:46               Its heavy under here. (Laughs) It's heavy. And I've been walking all day, up and down the road. I feel real, uh, re- restricted and tight. No. I want to be loose. I feel tight around the legs, I can't bend very good. Yeah, I am. Bit of armor stiffness, it's not articulating the way I should- it should be. I want to be loose, so that I throw a kick or something.

 

Speaker 40:         01:16:45               The calm before the storm.

 

Speaker 41:         01:16:57               To fight for New Zealand in a team would be like, that it would be awesome.

 

Announcer:        01:17:09               France and New Zealand, please report to the list. France and New Zealand, please report to the list.

 

Speaker 46:         01:17:59               Go Kiwis!

 

Speaker 43:         01:17:59               France, are you ready? Fight!

 

Announcer:        01:17:59               And it's a victory for the French, a gutsy performance from the Kiwis though.

 

Nick:      01:17:59               That was quite tiring that first one. Um, I tried to read the game plan, but I, uh, knew what would happen. I knew someone was gonna run up behind me if I wasn't watching my back.

 

Martainn:            01:18:17               Fucking intense. Beautiful though. Beautiful sport.

 

Speaker 41:         01:18:30               We're getting cut up in the backfield, okay? We've gotta stop that from happening. Let's do this guys. We've come a long way.

 

Speaker 50:         01:18:41               It's only Sweden.

 

Announcer:        01:18:42               And that's a victory for Sweden.

 

Speaker 41:         01:18:52               Duck tape? Water!

 

Speaker 41:         01:18:55               A few more injured now. It's not gonna stop us. One boy's got an injured foot, took an ax to the foot. An ax to the foot, think about it.

 

Nick:      01:19:05               We've had so many injuries, we've only got six fighters left. Justin, and I, and Martainn are all still in it.

 

Dave Briscoe:     01:19:19               All our fighters that have fallen and are injured and can't continue, we're gonna go in lean against the back of the list, just as a sign of respect to Denmark, to show that this is all the fighters we've got that can't continue, but they're still in there. Because we respect our opponent.

 

Martainn:            01:19:35               Yup. Good, good, good, good. Good to go. Yeah, that'll do. Fuck it.

 

Speaker 43:         01:19:37               Fight!

 

Speaker 48:         01:19:37               Come on New Zealand!

 

Announcer:        01:19:37               And that's a win for the home team.

 

Nick:      01:19:40               Oh, so intense. I've got people coming from all over the place. Um, I tried to read the game plan, but, uh, it, uh, went all wrong. I just want to get somebody down. Just to get somebody down would be awesome. It would be really awesome.

 

Announcer:        01:20:20               Great fight from the Kiwis here but the main point to Slovenia. And that would be the end of the competition for New Zealand, here.

 

Nick:      01:20:20               Did you get any of it? Thank you.

 

Speaker 51:         01:20:20               Thank you very much. Good fight.

 

Speaker 41:         01:20:20               You did fucking awesome bro.

 

Nick:      01:21:37               ( Laughs).

 

Speaker 50:         01:21:37               That was excellent.

 

Nick:      01:21:37               (Laughs).

 

Speaker 52:         01:21:37               Well fought.

 

Nick:      01:21:55               Fuck man. I was fucking watching the game play, and then he- they disappeared and I was trying to find the other guy that was gonna come up behind me, and that's where I saw nothing. Oo-ah!

 

Speaker 39:         01:22:13               You're happy man?

 

Nick:      01:22:19               Yes, 'cause it's all over. And I can have a fucking holiday. I'll get this shit off. Fucking, it's weighing me down.

 

Speaker 40:         01:22:31               I am so proud of you. You did so well.

 

Nick:      01:22:34               (Laughs).

 

Speaker 40:         01:22:34               So proud of you bro.

 

Martainn:            01:22:35               Loved it. Absolutely fantastic fun out there.

 

Speaker 53:         01:22:42               Oh that was epic, (laughs) yeah. I know now I'm going to Valhalla when I die (laughs).

 

Speaker 40:         01:22:46               Hey, wait for the toast.

 

Speaker 50:         01:22:46               I'm coming for you, no I'm coming for you.

 

Speaker 54:         01:22:46               There's a target.

 

Speaker 41:         01:22:46               Kiwi!

 

Martainn:            01:23:51               The caliber and the scale of th-this event, it just blows my mind. And I walked out there, into the list, and I fought would class fighters, and I walked off again. I just proved that even the little guy can take down the big guy. Uh, you've just got to show no fear, you've just got to be the pit bull in the ring. You just got to go for it. Nick, he is going to go back to New Zealand a better fighter.

 

Speaker 40:         01:24:31               There has been some goods, and some negatives for this, uh, whole tournament. But I think, as a whole, New Zealand is gonna be stronger because of it. Passion is hard, you know, you've got all this passion, um, going in one direction, and it might not be the same direction as other people are going on. So you know, sometimes you just have to put your head down, and go forwards. People will j- follow you, that's great. If they don't then, you know, you then walk your own path. So it's about not holding grudges, and moving forwards.

 

Martainn:            01:25:32               Can you tell me about the wolf?

 

Speaker 55:         01:25:33               Yes, uh, the wolf, this is a symbol of Fenris. Fenris is, uh, a wolf that is guarding, uh, at the end of the rainbow, on the way up to Valhalla. And th- the wold is lying there at that port, and then if you have the symbol of the wolf, then you will maybe be, uh, accepted up in Valhalla. Oh, this is a very, very wise thing to do, you know? Now we'll see how it is. Then there's a bit of filing work, and of course, this is not something a master does.

 

Martainn:            01:26:17               I've definitely mastered my fear, coming to an international tournament, uh, I'm stepping into the list with- with the worlds best. It's, uh, totally, just totally blowing my mind. Coming here, I was at one level. Leaving here, I've gone up a couple of levels. A whole new mindset. Um, a whole new skill level. A whole new way of battling is what I'm thinking back to New Zealand.

 

Speaker 55:         01:26:46               So here you are sir. The Fenris wolf. And I look forward to meeting you in Valhalla.

 

Speaker 39:         01:26:55               Valhalla.

 

Martainn:            01:26:57               Valhalla, yep. On the road.

 

Nick:      01:26:59               So how many did you pre-order? 'Cause I'm hoping we have enough for everyone. Mark of respect man.

 

Dave Briscoe:     01:27:06               That's great, thanks.

 

Nick:      01:27:07               Yeah.

 

Dave Briscoe:     01:27:07               It means a lot, it really does. There's a story behind that.

 

Speaker 44:         01:27:10               You earned it (laughs). So congratulations mate. I'm sorry you got hurt and stuff.

 

Dave Briscoe:     01:27:14               Yeah. I've just been gifted my New Zealand tabard that I was wearing that was cut off me, so they could take me to the hospital.

 

Speaker 40:         01:27:22               I have our pins as well.

 

Speaker 48:         01:27:24               Yay.

 

Nick:      01:27:26               This pin here, uh, is a participating in the medieval battles here in Denmark. Just to say that you were there, you fought, and you go home with something.

 

Speaker 39:         01:27:40               Are you proud of what you guys have achieved?

 

Nick:      01:27:42               At this point, yeah. Yes. Especially with the new faced.

 

Speaker 39:         01:27:45               Do you miss home?

 

Nick:      01:27:47               I do, really do. Really, really do. I can't wait to get home.

 

Speaker 39:         01:27:53               What's the nickname that you guys are giving him?

 

Nick:      01:27:54               Cool Nick the Grin.

 

Speaker 39:         01:27:55               (Laughs).

 

Dave Briscoe:     01:27:56               'Cause he's always got that massive grin on his face, no matter how tough things get.

 

Nick:      01:28:00               Yeah. I think I got that, um, when I was doing NAAMA level which is the beginners level. Yeah. (Laughs).

 

Dave Briscoe:     01:28:08               It stuck.

 

Nick:      01:28:09               It stuck. And at work, they call me, um, fucking Hercules.

 

Dave Briscoe:     01:28:19               (Laughs).

 

Nick:      01:28:19               (Laughs).

 

PART 3 OF 3 ENDS [01:29:30]