Kiwis turn focus to defence
At a glance
Kiwis coach Michael Maguire has challenged his team to be the best defensive unit in international rugby league, as it chases its first World Cup win since 2008.
Captain Jesse Bromwich revealed the proposition as he sat alongside Maguire after their 26-6 win over Mate Ma’a Tonga at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland on Saturday.
Not only did New Zealand restrict Tonga to one try, in front of a passionate 26,000-strong crowd that was mostly a sea of red, but they barely let their opponents go close.
Having put a target in front of his charges, Maguire was happy with the benchmark they set in their first test since November 2019 – and their last before the World Cup begins in October.
‘‘I think they set a fair standard out there, but we know that we’re gonna to have to continually work hard to achieve that,’’ he said.
‘‘Every game’s different and different teams will come at you differently. History tells you that you need to be strong in that area to be a successful team so like most teams we’re setting the standard as to what we want to do.
‘‘That’s something that the players spoke about themselves – about how they want to be seen. It’s not so much worrying about other teams.
‘‘We’ve got to keep working hard at that when we come back into camp again . . . but they set a fair standard about how they want to go about things, which is a credit to the players.’’
The Kiwis went ahead 12-0 inside 10 minutes thanks to tries from Jahrome Hughes and Jordan Rapana and never really looked back, though they would have wanted to do more with the wealth of possession and territory they had in the second half, when they only scored once.
Fullback Joseph Manu was a standout for his heavy involvement with the ball in hand, but he was also responsible for marshalling the defensive effort from his deeper position and said he was pleased with what he saw.
‘‘Obviously they had that one try there [to Sione Katoa after 15 minutes], which was pretty disappointing, but as a whole, I thought it was pretty good.
‘‘The boys were moving well, they had a lot of energy.
‘‘We just kept kicking it into the corners and I felt like the possession went our way there, where we didn’t get too much on our goal line to practice.’’
The Kiwis now head back to their clubs for the remainder of the NRL season and will only come together again as their seasons end in September and October.
They will have gained plenty
At Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland: Kiwis 26 (Jahrome Hughes, Jordan Rapana, Ronaldo Mulitalo, Isaiah Papali’i tries; Rapana 5 gls) Mate Ma’a Tonga 6 (Sione Katoa try; Kotoni Staggs gl). HT: 20-6.
from the past week, their first stint together in more than 21⁄2-years, and will have plenty to think about in the months ahead, including their coach’s defensive vision.
‘‘I think it’s exciting,’’ Bromwich said.
‘‘Competitions are won on defence – we all know that at NRL level and to get our international team talking like that, just having the conversations around defence being the main focus, that’s a team I want to be a part of and I think it’s a team that is going to be successful.
‘‘If we put our energy into our defence ... our boys are all naturally gifted in the attacking department, but when we lock down our defence and do a really good job, with a good attitude as well, you know you’re part of a good team and a good system.’’
Saturday’s contest was the first outing for the Kiwis’ new-look spine and while Manu stole the show, Maguire said Brandon Smith had ‘‘a strong game’’ at hooker and that halfbacks Hughes and Dylan Brown ‘‘were excellent off the back of the platform that the forwards were laying’’.