Matta Parkinson and Carlos Spencer. The attached photo
Spy reveals former All Black and Toffee Pop star Carlos Spencer will be back on TV soon on his rugby trip to France.
Last year, Spencer, 47, discovered her love for DIY 1 on TVNZ Save Carlos Renault And now he has been kidnapped to attend a show called lost in france, In Prime next month before the Rugby World Cup.
Co-starring fellow Māori rugby star and good buddy Matua Parkinson, 48, is the show with Spencer.
Parkinson, who has earned the nickname Wild Man on TV shows that range from hunting and bush survival to more cultural cuisine, is the perfect travel companion for Spencer on his mission to show Kiwis what they really know about France. And it showed what the French really think about us.
In four episodes, Carlos (“Los”) and Matois (“Motz”) will explore the essence of French culture and cuisine, comparing them to the way we do things at home. Still filming today, the pair have traveled to Paris, Biarritz, Narbonne and Toulouse, and say they met the mix of warm and refined French personalities, the legendary French rugby players and the Kiwis who call France home.
“I can’t wait for Aotearoa to witness our adventures. This trip was a real eye opener and sharing it with my old friend Mutz, we had a good laugh along the way,” Spencer told Spy.
“The great thing about rugby is the bonds we’ve had over the years and now we can reconnect and exchange cultures. It’s been great so far.”
Spencer, Parkinson and their team made their way through the bustle of cities to small towns and, of course, to the stadiums where all the matches of the Rugby World Cup will be held in September. Spencer was delighted to visit Stade Raoul-Barrière, in Beziers in the south of the country, where Spencer says his All Black journey began 28 years ago.
The banter is hilarious, says the spy, as the pair travel through Europe’s capital of cuisine and culture and discover if France really is more cultured than Aotearoa.
Among the French dignitaries they met were French rugby players Serge Blanco, Emmanuel Harinorduki, Philippe Sylla, Abdellatif Benazzi, Christian Califano, Gerard Bertrand, now one of France’s largest winemakers, and Franck Mesnil, who now owns an important wine estate. A sportswear company called Eden Park.
The couple can also see France through the eyes of former Samoan rugby player Henry Tuilagi and enjoy his island hospitality with delicious cuisine at his restaurant. Presidential events. France-based Kiwis, including All Blacks Jerome Kaino and Mike Clamp, offer a unique insight into what it’s like to live the French way.
After winning his second French Top 14 title for Toulouse in 2021, Kaino retired and remained a skills coach at Toulouse and assistant coach for the academy.
