Rueben O'Neil- What a Lad episode artwork

EPISODE · Dec 10, 2025 · 1H 14M

Rueben O'Neil- What a Lad

from What a Lad

Reuben O’Neill has one of the most interesting stories in New Zealand rugby! A proud Taranaki lad, a cult hero in every team he’s played in, and a man who battled more adversity than most ever knew. From crippling cramps, constant injuries, and being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes — to somehow rising all the way into an All Blacks camp before he’d even played Super Rugby.In this episode some of the things we talk about were..- How he's always embraced being himself- Being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and having no idea how to manage it- The shock All Blacks call-up having played just a few NPC games- The setbacks of a Neck fusion surgery, Achilles issues, stress fractures and how he kept coming back- How injuries turned him into a DJ, a truck driver, a nutritionist and more- The story behind “DJ Mince on Toast”- Why he believes the Crusaders have had more success than the ChiefsAnd he answers all your questions!Rueben is a unique human, always happy to be himself, enjoys taking the piss and is not afraid of awkwardness. He's genuine lad and someone who makes every environment better in his own unique way. I'm sure you will enjoy this inspiring story from this great man! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Dec 10, 2025

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