2019 Spring Internationals: Aotearoa Kiwis Continue To Connect
After a rather concerning loss to Australia in the first of three Spring International games, Aotearoa Kiwis grabbed a 2-0 series win over Great Britain with a 23-8 win in Christchurch wrapping up the year. I don't think I'm suggesting anything crazy here given that GB are currently 0-3 on this tour, which reflects how under-whelming the Brits have been and they kinda sucked on tour, leaving us in a complex wee spot in assessing the Kiwis.
The refreshing vibes under Michael Maguire are still very much present and it's a buzzy experience seeing guys like Benji Marshall, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Adam Blair leading this Kiwis group in typically hearty fashion. Blair looked at his best in the niggly middle forward role and has done whatever Maguire and the team need, while matua Marshall isn't just playing alongside Shaun Johnson and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (!!), he is leading the haka and leading by example in showing players and fans what reppin' Aotearoa means.
Waerea-Hargreaves averaged 62.66mins/game across the three internationals, after winning a championship with Sydney Roosters. However you want to slice these little doses of leadership and experience, they set the tone for what is a fairly young squad and even the enthusiasm of someone like Kevin Proctor who finally got his crack in game three, reflects positively on the vibe in Kiwis camp.
It makes you wonder what went wrong in Kiwis camp a few years back and I'm not just talking about the World Cup shambles under David Kidwell. Stephen Kearney jacked up a bunch of Kiwis wins, although some blokes didn't enjoy much favour with Kearney (Waerea-Hargreaves and Marshall?) and then came the World Cup shambles. Over that time, either people didn't want to be involved or were shafted and that doesn't smell like a delightful culture.
For kiwi rugby league fans, we need to separate the results from the vibe. I'm not sure if I speak for the wider rugby league community in Aotearoa of if this is just a weird idea of mine; we've endured so much bullshit that we would just like to establish a team that represents Aotearoa in a beautiful way. Establish that, then we can really start to compete at a high level consistently.
The size of the crowd in Christchurch reflected the situation. The size of the crowd at Eden Park for the Kiwis reflected the situation and the crowds at Mt Smart for Kiwis footy reflected this situation. The casual kiwi sports fan couldn't give a shit about the Kiwis and fair enough considering the World Cup and then what those fans see on the surface with Aotearoa Warriors. Under Maguire, it looks as though slow and steady progress is being made in rectifying this and building the Kiwis up with the vibe/culture of the group and then most importantly connecting with the people of Aotearoa.
Literally all you need to know about this journey as a Kiwis fan is that it's so warm and fuzzy to here blokes from Aotearoa expressing their pride in being in Kiwis camp and representing Aotearoa. That should kinda be mandatory, but looking in from the outside, there is a level of camaraderie that has been re-introduced by Maguire.
Unfortunately, we can't see this in the haka because Sky Sports still don't know how the film a haka. Wtf are these dudes up to setting up stationary cameras in front of the haka, which is a crappy angle for starters and then everyone walks past the camera…
I love breaking down the haka and any haka excitement was flipped into frustration about how stupid Sky Sports could be. If they just left it with this camera angle, I'd be happy...
One thing that was super notable, front and centre in fact was the presence of Corey Harawira-Naera and Adam Blair at the front of all three haka. Both are from Northland, both are Nga Puhi and the only thing that would be funkier would be if James Fisher-Harris was there with them to have three lads from Hokianga leading a Kiwis haka.
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck carried his consistantly delightful work in the NRL to the international arena and it's safe to say we are dealing with one of the best rugby or league players to have ever played either code. Through three Tests, Tuivasa-Sheck averaged 20 runs and 200.66m per game, averaging 10.03m/run and that is bonkers. Chuck in 5.66 tackle busts per game and 2 offloads per game, as well as a try assist in two of the three games and Tuivasa-Sheck has definitely hit the upper tier of dominating international rugby league.
Maguire rolled out the same back-five in all three Tests and that's a credit to the likes of Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad and Jamayne Isaako who come into this Kiwis squad and commanded consistent selection. Nicoll-Klokstad made 41 tackles in the three Tests, missing just 5 tackles and for someone who enjoyed a breakout season at fullback with Canberra Raiders this year, Nicoll-Klokstad slotted nicely into that left centre role. This was a smooth transition for Nicoll-Klokstad after Maguire put him in that exact role for World Cup 9s and it's a sign of a good environment that Nicoll-Klokstad could step in, do that role without any major weakness or issue.
The first Test against Great Britain felt rugged and upon reflection, that's to be expected when Kieran Foran suffers an early injury, Jahrome Hughes moves into the halves and Kodi Nikorima ends up playing all sorts of minutes as starting dummy half ... against a niggly GB outfit. The Kiwis simply had to grind their way to a win in dealing with some adversity, then with a more settled team for the second Test vs GB, everything flowed better.
We were also working with a Kiwis squad missing a couple top-tier players, opening space for the likes of Zane Tetevano, Corey Harawira-Naera and Braden Hamlin-Uele to come into the group. Even having blokes like Baily Simonsson and Isaiah Papali'i around the camp, was a nifty move from Maguire.
From a wider perspective, it's job done and keep moving forward. Aotearoa Kiws re-connected with their community well, taking the Kiwis culture and mana forward even with players coming and going between series/Tests. The woes of rugby league in Aotearoa run deep and this feels like the stage in which foundations are being laid, to bring the Kiwis into alignment with where fans and the community want Aotearoa rugby league to be heading.
On-field performances were patchy, immensely frustrating at times and equally as enticing. What the Kiwis are doing under Maguire to build a vibe and culture, connect with the people of Aotearoa though, that's where the substance is.
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Peace and love 27.