Match Fit to Rebound on Three

Three will premiere season two of the award-winning Match Fit on June 8 and repeat each episode on Saturday mornings in Te Reo Māori and on ThreeNow.

Here’s the media release:

MATCH FIT RETURNS FOR A SECOND SEASON AHEAD OF MEN’S HEALTH WEEK 

25 May 2022 – Warner Bros. Discovery has announced that the award-winning format Match Fit will return for a second season to Three and ThreeNow ahead of Men’s Health Week.

This important docu-series delves deeper into the health realities that face men and their whānau in Aotearoa.

Rugby World Cup winning coach Sir Graham Henry and rugby royalty Sir Wayne Shelford bring together a team of former All Blacks from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Season two sees five returning players, Piri Weepu, Eroni Clarke, Kees Meeuws, Ron Cribb, and Charlie Riechelmann, alongside new competitors, Brad Mika, Glen Osborne, Rico Gear, Corey Flynn and the late Va’aiga Tuigamala (Inga Tuigamala).

Sadly, Inga Tuigamala passed away after the filming of this series. With the support of Inga’s family, his story is shared alongside his Match Fitbrothers to continue to highlight the important conversation around men’s health in New Zealand. This series is dedicated to the legendary former All Black.

Sir Graham Henry comments: “The health message conveyed in this season is more important than ever. It delves deeper into the
physical and mental challenges that men face in Aotearoa today, and also explains the health solutions that men can embrace.

“The star of the show was Va’aiga Tuigamala who tragically passed after the completion of filming. Inga was immensely popular and a wonderful friend and support person of everyone involved in the show. Our thoughts are with his wife Daphne and his family and friends.”

Sir Buck Shelford adds: “I have been passionate about men’s health since 2007 while going through my chemo treatment. During that time I noticed there was very little advertising on the walls in the ward in regards to men’s health and wellbeing so I joined up with the NZ Prostate Cancer Society as an ambassador for men’s health. Since that time I have become involved with many organisations.”

Warner Bros. Discovery Executive Producer, Angela Mann adds: “After seeing the impact that Match Fit season one had on the  cast, crew and audience, we knew we had to do another series and continue to highlight the important conversation around men’s  health in Aotearoa.”

Pango Series Producer Bailey Mackey comments: “We want to tell stories that matter to Aotearoa New Zealand and Match Fit epitomises this. Not only is it entertaining, but it also tells a much bigger, impacting story about the importance of men’s health. Pango wants to be a driver of these really transformative conversations on behalf of our country.”

After taking home Best Format Reality Series at the NZTV Awards in 2021, Match Fit season two challenges each player to get back in shape physically and mentally for a final grudge match of epic proportions. With twelve weeks to prepare for a final match, the team are forced to dig deep, with the support of trainer Alex Flint to address their health concerns and get back on the field to face their former rivals.

In an unexpected turn of events a Covid-19 outbreak forces New Zealand into lockdown halfway through the journey, introducing new challenges for the team. Match Fit season two sees the team of All Black legends face some of their toughest physical and mental obstacles yet.

Match Fit season two will premiere on Three and ThreeNow on Wednesday 8 June. In a series first, episodes will be translated to Te Reo Māori for encore screening on Saturdays at 10:30am and on ThreeNow. The premium sponsor is Weet-Bix. Match Fit is produced by Pango and made with the support of NZ on Air & Te Māngai Pāho.