Maori ‘bound by blood’ as Lions come to town
The NZ Maori are preparing for a special night in Rotorua on Saturday, reports Liam Napier.
MPHOTOSPORT eaning, passion, culture. Three aspects every rugby team strives to embrace. Get that right and you are halfway there.
In the New Zealand Maori team, there is no need for manufactured all-in-compassing mottos. They always have, always will, grasp something real and authentic.
‘‘What makes the Maori team different to any other is we’re bound by blood,’’ Liam Messam explains. ‘‘That’s unique. My experience playing for the Maori is rugby is second. It’s all about culture, identity and who you are as a person. That plays a big part. The rugby side is about expressing yourself.’’
When the Maori assemble for their anticipated match – the unofficial fourth test – against the British and Irish Lions in Rotorua this Saturday, it will be their most significant occasion in 12 years.
But how they come together will not change.
Selection in the Maori team sees players buy into something greater than the game or team itself. Longer term for many, it comes with the added benefit of enriching their sense of family and belonging.
Every player involved in every Maori squad must learn and recite their whakapapa (family history) to the team.
Tethering players into the environment involves embracing tikanga or custom, traditions passed down through generations.
The initial welcome means stopping all other hustle and bustle that comes with collecting gear and absorbing game-plans.
Forming a union to commit to the cause takes priority.
Not all players inherently know their Maori heritage. But to be part of this team, they will. Each must learn their waka, tribe, mountain, river and how their journey came to be.
It forces players to stop and think about who they are, where they come from and be proud of their heritage. The essence of those connections are they bring their people with them.
‘‘In the Maori world it is very important,’’ Maori team kaumatua Luke Crawford says. ‘‘Others will look at it and shake their head and think it’s mumbo jumbo. In our world it works a treat because it’s something our ancestors have been doing for ever and a day, and it works well for the team.
‘‘The legacy of this team expects much of the individuals as a whole. It’s a huge thing to uphold.
‘‘Someone who is strongly connected to their Maori cultural side will bring a much better person onto the field. My job has been connecting those guys back to their roots where it is needed.
‘‘Some of them are very attached but for those who aren’t it has provided the upmost joy after a campaign to get a text from a player with a photo of them and their family outside a marae with a narrative lurking that I’ve finally come home. It makes you want to cry. Those guys come back much more powerful as individuals.’’
Such an empowering journey of self-discovery is far from confined to players alone. Five years ago Colin Cooper, the former Hurricanes and soon-to-be Chiefs coach, came on board as Maori mentor. The role opened a new chapter in his life.
Born in Waihi, Cooper’s family settled in the small town of Opoutere, near Whangamata. His grandparents spoke Maori but drove him towards the European language and, so, a generation of speakers was lost. Cooper’s daughter now teaches Maori and his 11-year-old granddaughter is fluent, even correcting him on his pronunciation.
‘‘My grandfather had his reasons for wanting me go the European way but getting the Maori team has made me look at where he came from and where my grandmother’s tribe and iwi are from and connecting back with that,’’ Cooper says.
‘‘You see where you come from, who you represent, what’s gone before you and you’re part of that legacy so you’ve got a responsibility to perform.
‘‘That’s the difference from coaching other professional teams. When you’re in the Maori team you are all Maori so there is already that connection. It’s been great to watch young men rise around that. They’re representing a lot of things but most importantly they’re influencing New Zealand youth. What you do, what you say, how you dress, how you play and act is really important. We put that responsibility on their shoulders more than another rugby team.’’
The success of the Maori team, which dates back to 1910 and is now closely aligned to the All Blacks, speaks for itself. They are unbeaten in their last 22 internationals, a run that includes wins over Ireland and England in 2010.
More fittingly, the last time the Lions toured in 2005 the Matt Te Pou-coached Maori pulled off an historic victory in Hamilton, their first over the tourists. Te Pou and others are expected to be called on to speak and inspire this year’s team in Rotorua.
After the 2005 victory Messam fondly recalls captain Jono Gibbes hoisted on shoulders as the team savoured a lap of honour. Now he gets the chance to challenge the Lions in his hometown, a place many regard as the heart of Maoridom. ‘‘It’s going to be a special occasion,’’ Cooper says. ‘‘They tell me it’s sold-out already. There’s been a lot of planning and viewing.’’
Whatever the final outcome, Crawford predicts it will be memorable. ‘‘What do we want to leave them with? That once again they’ve come up against a team playing in their homeland who have represented our people well,’’ he says. ‘‘That would be the standard line. But we’re expecting passion. A lot of the stuff I’ve done within the team from a cultural perspective has been on the way to this game for me. It’s a big one. It’s not nice being beaten twice in a row. Without putting too much pressure on ourselves, we want to do something special here.’’