Maori overpower young Canadians
VANCOUVER — The Maori All Blacks scored seven tries Friday to defeat Canada 51-9 in an international rugby match.
Ambrose Curtis, Akira Ioane, Tom Franklin, Charlie Ngatai, Shaun Stevenson, Jackson Garden-Bachop and Sean Wainui went over for the Maori, while Ihaia West kicked two penalties and four conversions. Jackson Garden-Bachop also booted a convert.
Brock Staller kicked three penalties for Canada.
The match marked the debut of new Canadian head coach Kingsley Jones, who was hired to head the Langford-based squad in September after predecessor Mark Anscombe was dismissed following the country’s disastrous loss over two legs to the United States this summer in qualifying for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
Minus key veterans Ciaran Hearn, Aaron Carpenter, DTH van der Merwe, Taylor Paris, Jake Ilnicki and Brett Beukeboom because of club commitments overseas, Jones spoke in the leadup to Friday about the need to create a positive environment to help players succeed.
The young squad did well to stay with the Maori early, but their classy opponents were too much in the end.
The Maori All Blacks are separate from the powerhouse New Zealand All Blacks. Players must have their Maori ancestry confirmed in order to represent the side, but Ngatai and Brad Weber, who both started Friday, each have a cap with the full national team.
With a buzzing record Rugby Canada crowd of 29,480 on hand at B.C. Place Stadium, the Maori performed their famed “haka” moments before kickoff, a traditional tribal war cry meant to both inspire and intimidate as the stoic Canadians looked on from their side of centre.
After West and Staller traded early penalties, the Canadian winger added another in the 17th minute for a 6-3 lead moments after the Maori’s Dan Pryor was sent to the sin bin for a high tackle.
But being down a played didn’t faze the visitors, who went up 10-6 on a Curtis try that West converted a minute later.
Staller added a penalty in the 21st before Ioane scored another Maori try in the 28th and West booted his third penalty four minutes before halftime.
The Maori then caught Canada napping on a set play, off a lineout, with Franklin and All Blacks captain Ash Dixon combining for a pretty try down the right in the 39th minute for a 27-10 lead at the break.
The Canadians had a decent start to the second half with the Maori’s Tim Bateman in the sin bin, but the All Blacks blocked a Staller kick in the 53rd minute, with Ngatai racing 60 metres to stretch the advantage to 24 points.
Canada will now travel to Europe for test matches with No. 12 Georgia on Nov. 11 in Tbilisi, No. 19 Spain on Nov. 18 in Madrid and No. 9 Fiji on Nov. 25 in Montpellier, France.
Apart from pitting themselves against a difficult opponent, Friday was also about drumming up interest among fans for the first leg of Canada’s next shot at qualifying for the 2019 Rugby World Cup at B.C. Place against No. 18 Uruguay on Jan. 27.
The return fixture goes Feb. 3 in Montevideo.