Show Notes
For 12 years, Aaron "Webby" Webb ran the Crusaders Academy: the pipeline that turns 16 to 20-year-olds into Crusaders and All Blacks.
Before rugby, Webby spent 14 summers leading expeditions at a summer camp in Maine, then ran a programme for at-risk teenagers in Christchurch. There, a 14-year-old taught him the lesson he still lives by: every behaviour has a reason sitting behind it.
In this episode, we talk:
• The three character traits that separate future All Blacks from the rest • The slackline test that showed who'd make it — and who wouldn't • Why he visits prospective young players' families at home before deciding • Chay Fihaki's journey from "wouldn't say boo to a mouse" to All Black • How one man running 102 laps of Rugby Park ended up raising $700k for Child Cancer Foundation • Taking on the New York Marathon for Te Tahi Youth with Kieran Read, Ryan Crotty and Colin Slade
🏉 The Long Run: Friday 22 January 2027, Rugby Park, Christchurch. Raise funds for Child Cancer Foundation. https://the-long-run-2027.raiselysite.com/
🏃 Running for Rangatahi(Te Tahi Youth): https://running-for-te-tahi-crusade-with-heart-nyc-marathon-2026.raiselysite.com/
—
Hunger & Heart is brought to you by the Crusaders Leadership Programme™. Whether you're coaching under-5s or a professional team, we all want the same thing: to build cultures of trust, get the best out of our people, and grow players into leaders.
The Crusaders Leadership Programme™ lets you get up close and personal with some of the greatest rugby legends of all time — people like Sir Wayne Smith, Sam Whitelock, and Kieran Read. You'll connect with a global group of ambitious, caring coaches from a range of codes and backgrounds, and most importantly, you'll gain skills and techniques to drive impact and outcomes for your team. The Crusaders Leadership Programme™ is a two-week high-intensity virtual experience. It is delivered exclusively online, accessible from anywhere. Hunger and heart Listeners get 10% off the full price of the program. Use the code HUNGER at checkout. Find out more: crusadersleadership.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from Hunger & Heart with Kaila Colbin
In 2016 Emma Gilmour became the first woman to win a round of the New Zealand Rally Championship, and in 2022 she became the first woman to drive for McLaren Racing, racing electric off-road buggies in Extreme E. She has rolled at speed twice and been knocked out twice: at Whangārei in 2007 and in Sardinia in 2023. She still races, and runs her family's car dealership in her hometown of Dunedin.
Rachel Howard is a footballer who debuted for New Zealand at 20, against Team USA, in front of a stadium that spent the second half chanting her name — but not in a good way.
Sir Graham Henry has the best win record in All Blacks history - but there was a moment in the early stages when he almost walked away from it all.
For two years, the same question repeated in Sam Dakin's head a thousand times a day. He had no idea what was happening to him. Turns out, Sam — who was training for the Olympics at the time — was suffering from OCD. Not the light-switch, hand-washing version most people picture, but the intrusive-thought kind that loops in your head all day and won't let go.
A thousand miles down the Yukon River, from Canada into Alaska and up to the Arctic Circle. It’s the definition of remote — more people have been to the top of Everest than have been past Dawson City. No support boat, no resupply, no road, and no rescue worth the name.