Aotearoa Kiwis Defeat Australia: The Black and White Toa From Aotearoa
The strength of Aotearoa rugby league has been laid out for all to see as the Kiwis defeated Australia 30-0, a week after Aotearoa's Kiwi Ferns defeated Australia 12-6. Kiwi Ferns footy demanded two debrief yarns after each of their games against Australia as they featured the same gritty mana in a loss and a victory, bringing us to an epic defeat of Australia on home soil for the Kiwis.
Every Aotearoa rugby league fan knows how hard it is to win against Australia. Even though Aotearoa had a fabulous win 26-24 win over Australia in 2018 to fire up the Michael Maguire era, Aotearoa then suffered a 4-26 loss in Australia a year later in 2019. This was followed by a 14-16 loss at the World Cup last year in a game that highlighted how close these two teams are.
Then came the 18-36 loss last week in Australia which didn't reflect the progress Aotearoa Kiwis had made under coach Maguire. Aussie media folks wanted changes to the team and Tony Kemp was all up in the Aussie media having a moan, which is all he seems to do when chatting Aotearoa rugby league. Perhaps Aotearoa Kiwis were cooking towards the Pacific Championship final, played in Aotearoa where the Kiwis have won their last two games against Australia and have a 80-0 total in games against Samoa and Australia.
What is most evident when watching Aotearoa Kiwis play is how much they love representing Aotearoa. This is a credit to them and the culture created by senior players, who thrive in an environment created by coach Maguire. For most of our lifetimes, Aotearoa Kiwis rugby league has lacked that palpable mana, mana that folks in attendance can feel and mana that flows through the telly. This is Aotearoa Kiwis & Kiwi Ferns rugby league in 2023 and it is glorious.
There was an interesting tweak to the haka that set the tone. Against Samoa, Leo Thompson was front and centre in his now regular role as the Kiwis advanced towards their opposition. Samoa instigated that with their vigour, Aotearoa responded by moving past the imaginary boundary of the half-way line. Thompson's booming voice led the haka again against Australia and while Australia responded by standing their ground, Aotearoa didn't move past the half-way line ... until the did.
On home soil, James Fisher-Harris and Joseph Tapine joined Thompson in the middle of the starting circle. Fisher-Harris made a mark on that home soil and the Kiwis didn't move past that mark. As a half-pakeha/half-palagi, I can't explain intricate details of haka but I can express my feelings; it all felt different.
As was noted during the week, Fisher-Harris has the mana of five men. Not only is Fisher-Harris the best prop in rugby league, having won three NRL championships in a row and leading Aotearoa to victory over Australia, anyone from Aotearoa would follow the lead of Fisher-Harris. Joseph Tapine is a co-captain as well though and among many fantastic performances from the Aotearoa Kiwis, Tapine was one of the best.
This may also lay out how Aotearoa Kiwis were building through their three games as coach Maguire seems to have had a plan...
vs Samoa: 32mins, 11 runs - 106m @ 9.6m/run, 3 tackle breaks, 18 tackles @ 81.8%
vs Australia: 55mins, 16 runs - 149m @ 9.3m/run, 6 tackle breaks, 1 offload, 35 tackles @ 89.7%
vs Australia: 65mins, 19 runs - 197m @ 10.3m/run, 1 tackle break, 2 offloads, 33 tackles @ 97%
In a dominant win, every player has better stats and Tapine's production reflect how Aotearoa genuinely dominated Australia. Coach Maguire pulled Tapine off after 32mins against Samoa and he didn't come back on the field. In the loss to Australia, Tapine was subbed off in the 31st minute before returning for 24mins. Tapine then played 65mins straight in the final and didn't need to finish the game because Aotearoa was cruising.
The crux of this Aotearoa Kiwis team is Fisher-Harris and Moses Leota, who are undisputedly the best prop pair in the game, plus Tapine and Nelson Asofa-Solomona. This quartet is so fun to watch with all four among the best forwards to play for Aotearoa, let alone their combination together. The immense strength of Aotearoa rugby league is evident in every other player though, with lads like Thompson and Griffin Neame adding value to the Kiwis forward pack.
Do I need to work through every player? Ronaldo Mulitalo and Jamayne Isaako as wingers. A centre pairing of Joseph Manu and Matthew Timoko. Halves combo of Jahrome Hughes and Dylan Brown. Edge forwards like Isaiah Papali'i and Briton Nikora. Three funky wrinkles stand out above the rest...
Aotearoa Kiwis defeated Australia with a dummy half combo of Kieran Foran and Fa'amanu Brown. Neither played much dummy half in the NRL this season, yet they were fantastic for Aotearoa Kiwis. This is a credit to the culture of Aotearoa Kiwis and the coaching. Foran's pride for Aotearoa is inspiring and he is among the greatest servants of Aotearoa rugby league.
The team that defeated Australia only had six players from Auckland. There were two usos from Christchurch along with Neame from Greymouth. Fisher-Harris and D-Brown are from Northland. Tapine, Hughes and Asofa-Solomona are from Wellington. Manu is from Tokoroa, Nikora is from Tauranga and Thompson is from Hawke's Bay, representing an emerging heartland of rugby league ... although most regions are producing future Aotearoa Kiwis at the moment.
This team also had one player from NZ Warriors in Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad. Nicoll-Klokstad played the same way he did for NZ Warriors and while folks celebrate Shaun Johnson or worry about Addin Fonua-Blake, Nicoll-Klokstad is the heart and soul of NZ Warriors. Most importantly, NZ Warriors do not represent Aotearoa rugby league. Aotearoa rugby league is thriving outside of NZ Warriors and there is an abundance of talent from Aotearoa to celebrate.
Most of the players in this Aotearoa Kiwis team are Kiwi-NRL juniors, who grew up in Aotearoa and have hearty connections to their communities and grassroots clubs. This is the state of rugby league in Aotearoa as we end 2023 and this is amplified by a Kiwi Ferns group who share this mana.
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Peace and love.