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Sir Buck Shelford: Mens’ health and the state of NZ rugby
Sport Nation • March 30th, 2026 11:50 am
Sir Wayne 'Buck' Shelford. | Photo: Photosport
All Black great Sir Wayne ‘Buck’ Shelford probably wouldn’t have imagined his widely discussed injury during the infamous 'Battle of Nantes' would one day help drive awareness for young men’s health.
Now a campaign ambassador for Testicular Cancer NZ’s “Lump Lottery”, the former All Blacks captain is using his platform to encourage early detection and action.
Already a respected ambassador for the Prostate Cancer Foundation NZ, Shelford’s advocacy is personal. After his own battle with cancer, he is now free from non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
For Shelford, the focus is clear - getting young men to stay ahead of a growing issue.
“We’re educating young men and getting them checked,” he told Sport Nation Mornings.
"The stats are not that big at the moment, but they're growing all the time."
"It's about getting getting it early more than anything else."
Away from his work off the field, Shelford still keeps a close eye on the game he loves.
"Super Rugby is pretty good, but what we're doing is we're all playing the same style of rugby, there's very little difference between the styles of the five franchises in New Zealand."
"The ones that are actually winning seem to be a lot fitter than the others. And the tempo that they play the game is a lot higher."
Shelford also spoke about his passion for North Harbour rugby and its long-term vision.
"We've done what we set out to do. That was to give an opportunity to create more All Blacks within the greater hub of Auckland."
He also offered a solution to Super Rugby’s ever-growing decline in attendance.
"I think they've got to go back to daytime games...we're satisfying the European market, but in our own market we're losing people."
Listen to the full interview below:
