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The New Zealand Barbarians have named a strong squad to face the Maori All Blacks at Eden Park on Saturday 18 July.
The clash will be the 1st between the 2 teams since the 2010 Maori Centenary Series, when the Maori All Blacks defeated the Barbarians 37 / 31 in an entertaining affair in Whangarei.
The Barbarians side contains George Moala and Tom Taylor, who were both in Samoa with the All Blacks, while All Blacks squad member Cory Jane makes his long-awaited comeback from injury.
Other features of the squad are the selection of 7 players who were involved in last week’s Super Rugby final, along with former All Blacks James Parsons, Luke Whitelock and Dominic Bird and 2 out of the World Rugby Under 20 championship New Zealand team – Auckland loose forward Blake Gibson and Taranaki halfback Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi.
Injury to Hurricanes flank Ardie Savea prevented his selection. The Barbarians will be coached by Highlanders assistant coach Scott McLeod, along with Hawke’s Bay’s Craig Philpott and Auckland’s Paul Feeney.
“There’s a lot of new, emerging and exciting talent, and some who are currently in the All Blacks environment. Both Blake and Te Toiroa had outstanding campaigns for the New Zealand Under 20. It’s Barbarian tradition to have a young guy involved and we felt comfortable with these guys coming in for the 2 available slots,” said McLeod.
The Barbarians assemble as a full squad in Auckland on Tuesday and will also visit to the Barbarians clubrooms at Eden Park to gain a feel for the club and the famous scarlet jersey which they will wear.
“We want the players to understand who they are representing and why, so they will check out the photos and memorabilia on the walls and talk to the club members. We want them to feel they are playing for something special and for them to own that performance,” McLeod said.
McLeod said the team will adhere to the traditional Barbarians open rugby, but still with the ultimate aim of winning the clash. He is under no illusions as to how tough the Maori All Blacks will be, especially as they will be coming off an international against Fiji, to be played tomorrow in Suva.
Barbarians club president, All Blacks great Bryan ‘Beegee’ Williams, said the game is a big opportunity for players to aim for higher honours.
“From the Barbarians’ point of view, it is great to have a fixture at Eden Park. That is where we are based. Both the Maori All Blacks and New Zealand Barbarians are renowned for enterprising rugby. They have always been crowd-pleasing matches, so get along there,” he said.
“One would think it will be a pseudo-All Blacks trial, particularly for some of the hopefuls who want to force their way into the squad. It’s a golden opportunity to show themselves in front of the selectors and the public that they have the wherewithal to make the team.”
New Zealand Barbarians squad:
Forwards:
Mitchell Graham, Reg Goodes, Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Ben Tameifuna, Liam Coltman, James Parsons, Alex Ainley, Joseph Wheeler, Dominic Bird, Brad Shields, Blake Gibson, Luke Whitelock, Jordan Taufua.
Backs:
Mitchell Drummond, Te Toiroa Tahuiorangi, Andrew Horrell, Ihaia West, George Moala, Seta Tamanivalu, Patrick Osborne, Cory Jane, Richard Buckman, Tom Taylor.
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