The Hurtlocker

Ever since we were young, we’ve always known Ajay would be a proper weapon. Ajay has been carving up grades since the under-13s level, and since then, he’s gone from strength to strength. Growing up in South Auckland, Ajay comes from a great family, and like many of us who grew up in SA, he wouldn’t change a thing about his childhood. His family helped push him through different sports, and now he proudly dons professional rugby jerseys. Ajay’s won 1st XV 1A competitions with St Peter’s College, where his team went over to Japan for the SANIX tournament and finished as runners-up. He made New Zealand Schoolboys and New Zealand Barbarians before flying down to Dunedin to continue his professional career. There, he joined the Dunedin Sharks for club footy while also being part of the Highlanders and Otago rugby development systems. From there, he went on to represent New Zealand U19s, the Highlanders U20s, and eventually made his NPC and Highlanders debuts. We’re super proud of the uso and his journey so far, and can’t wait to see what the future holds for him. Make sure you head over to his Instagram @ajay_faleafaga to follow his journey. Like, sub up, and share the love, family. Appreciate ya for tuning in,Ron

Raised in Palmy, later touching down in Wellington, Isaiah "Ice" Mapusua grew up in some of NZ's footy hot spots. Attending renowned rugby powerhouses St. Pat's College and Scots, he was immersed in a culture of rugby. Halfway through Year 10, Isaiah and his family moved to Auckland, the 09. Here he joined King's College. After playing First XV rugby, he took himself south to Dunedin for university. But Ice didn't stay long. A call from Japan opened new doors, and soon he found himself attending the prestigious Keio University. Now, he plays for Toyota Verblitz and recently made his debut for Japan's Brave Blossoms in the 2024 Pacific Cup. More than a friend, Ice has been family for me since the jump. Stoked to have him join us in the little studio. Hit that like button, drop a comment, and subscribe to support the poddy! Keep up with us on socials @hurtlockerpod for the latest posts and updates. Love 🫳🏽

This week on The Hurtlocker, we sit down with All Black #979 – Pita Alatini – one of the smoothest centres to ever wear the black jersey. From carving up in SA, South Auckland to making his All Blacks debut, Pita brings wisdom, knowledge and laughs sharing some deep insights from a legendary era of Kiwi footy. 🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe! 📲 Follow us on socials for more clips & behind-the-scenes: Instagram | TikTok | Facebook | @thehurtlockerpod

In Session 5 of The Hurtlocker, we sit down with the uso Charlie Faumuina. South Auckland born and bred, the man has taken S.A, Samoa, and New Zealand to the world. Through pure hard work and dedication he became an Auckland, Blues, All Black, Manu Samoa and Tolouse gun, winning a Rugby World Cup in 2015, and becoming a Top 14 champion in his last year of code. Post footy he continues to stack wins as a father, husband, investor, podcaster, and now a footy coach. We are blessed to have the legend on the poddy, and look forward to you, our Hurtlocker family, hearing his message. As always family, like, comment, and subscribe. Another poddy down, more content to come. GRATEFUL.

Session 4 of The Hurtlocker features none other than the young gun himself — Kyren Taumoefolau. The man hasn’t even celebrated his 21st birthday yet… but he’s already played in a Rugby World Cup, represented his Tongan heritage in both 15s and 7s, run out in Super Rugby for Moana Pasifika, and laced up in the NPC with Tasman Mako. Hard work always pays off — and Kyren is living proof of that. As a friend and brother, I’m stoked and grateful we got him in the studio. Big shoutout to you bro for trusting us and giving us your time. Hope you enjoy this one, HL family! As always — like, subscribe, and drop a comment. See you next episode 🫡

Caleb Tangitau Joins The Hurtlocker for Session 2 In this episode, we sit down with the Highlanders new winger and former Auckland Blues and All Blacks Sevens young gun Caleb Tangitau to talk about his journey in rugby. The highs and lows of professional footy, and what’s next for his career. We also dive into some fun segments, including a NBA Rugby XV and a Q&A! Some of the things we covered: - Caleb’s rise through the NZ rugby system - Playing for the All Blacks Sevens & winning a medal at the Commonwealth games - Transitioning to Super Rugby with the Blues and now Highlanders - Fun segment: Picking a Rugby XV of NBA stars - Fan questions & quickfire Q&A 📲 Subscribe for more footy content! Please like, comment, and share if you enjoyed it and we'd love honest feedback to help us grow. 🎧 Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts 📸 Follow us on Instagram & TikTok: @TheHurtlockerpodcast and @hurtlockerpod https://rss.com/podcasts/thehurtlocker/ #TheHurtlocker #CalebTangitau #SuperRugby #AllBlacks7s #RugbyPodcast

This one's special. The first poddy done for The Hurtlocker, and done with none other than my uso Che Clark. His resume speaks for itself. At just 21 years of age Che has played over 50 games for the King's College 1st XV side, ticked off every age grade rugby representative honour including two years in the New Zealand Secondary Schools lineup, he's won a bronze medal with the All Black Seven's team at the Commonwealth games, and already made his debut for Auckland in the NPC competition.To top it off he has just recently signed a full-time contract with the Auckland Blues for the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season. Che will play a huge part in the future of footy in New Zealand in amongst the many young talented players coming through the ranks. The next generation is strong.Follow Che on instagram: @itscheclark Watch his journey. Leave some feedback for the first ep! So I can learn, and the content can grow and get better as the brand grows - leave a rating for us 🤞🏽 🎵Music licensed from Lickd. The biggest mainstream and stock music platform for content creators. MET GALA by Gunna, License ID: EoZBOKMo2DV