Determined Cole heads to World Cup
Matthew Cole wasn’t going to let a broken neck stop him going to another Defence Force World Cup.
The Ohakea Magpies half is part of a solid Manawatu contingent in the New Zealand Defence Force rugby league team at the World Cup in Sydney, which starts on Friday.
Cole was in the New Zealand team that lost the 2013 final to Australia in England and he is one of six players back from four years ago.
The 32-year-old Cole, who is also the Manawatu Mustangs coach, broke his neck at the end of 2015 jumping into a lake and had to have a year off rugby league, including a spell in a neck brace.
He didn’t consider giving the game away and was back turning out for Ohakea this year.
He also played for the New Zealand Air Force team that played the New Zealand Army as a curtain-raiser to the Warriors’ preseason game in Palmerston North in February.
Cole will also have two Ohakea team-mates in the squad with him in wing Hayden Gouman and centre Ryan Whiteman.
He was predicting Australia to be tough to beat.
There are also four Linton Cobras players in the squad, all first timers, in centre Nikolao Ioane, fullback Logan Afoa, centre Tevita Faukafa and back rower Graham Merriman.
For Ioane, who has been in top form for Linton this season, it will be the biggest competition he’s gone to.
‘‘I’m expecting it’s going to be really hard out,’’ he said. ‘‘I’ve never been to anything like this before.’’
The 22-year-old is originally from Auckland, but has been in the army for three years and is a gunner in artillery.
He played rugby when he was at Onehunga High School, as a wing or fullback when he was in the first XV, but played league since he joined the army.
Afoa and Faukafa have also been standouts for the Cobras this
season.
Merriman has only played a couple of club games this year, but has still been named in the world cup team.
Linton also had Leo Tanginoa and Solomua Falemai unavailable for the world cup due to course, Koki Vaisagote with work and Hosea Taripo, who is recovering from surgery.
Ohakea’s Roy Robati is the assistant coach.
There is also a New Zealand Defence Force women’s team going to the tournament for the first time and the side is packed with Manawatu players, and is coached by Linton’s John Tuala.
There are 10 players from Linton in Makenzie Mckay, Ruci Malanicagi, Briya Brown, Sammy Mcintosh, Ricki-lee Rawleigh, Ruth Tietie, Arihi Reihana, Molly Lincoln, Morgan Findlay and Katie Steele, most of whom were in the Mid Central Vipers national league team.
Also in the team is Gina Reilly, who is in the air force and plays rugby in Auckland, but has just been posted to Linton.
Former Manawatu Cyclones rugby player Wairakau Greig, who is now based at Woodbourne with the air force, is in the team too.
There are four navy players from Auckland and Wellington, four army players from Christchurch and two other air force players from Auckland.
The New Zealand women will play a three-game series against Australia because Fiji and Great Britain pulled out.
Australia will be strong, having more players to choose from, and Tuala said because it is the first tournament they will be feeling each other out because they haven’t seen each other.