Canes ‘copped a reality check’: Coach Laidlaw Football Ferns ease past Samoa to continue journey towards Paris Olympics
Super Rugby preseason trials are very much the phoney war before the real thing starts in two weeks’ time, but the Hurricanes flew back to Wellington yesterday licking some wounds.
On the end of a 52-17 scoreline against the Highlanders, the Hurricanes lacked accuracy as they gave game time to a huge 38-strong match day squad, and coach Clark Laidlaw admitted afterwards the step up in quality had been a bit too much for some of his younger players.
“A bit frustrating,” Laidlaw said. “I guess you’ve got your whole preseason waiting for your first live hitout, but I thought we were a bit sluggish to get started.
“The Highlanders...you couldn’t probably see they had a game last week and we were missing the jump a little bit in the contact.
“The 38 players all got a run and no serious injuries by the looks of it, but we know we've got a lot of work to do after that... it gives us a good reality check around some of the younger players.
“When you're training, you can sort of feel things, but until you go under live fire it becomes a bit easier to convince people around the areas we need to improve.”
The Hurricanes had ample possession but missed early opportunities to build momentum off the back of some good work by Du’Plessis Kirifi at the ruck. The Highlanders took control and two Matt Whaanga tries in the later stages highlighted some defensive issues for the Hurricanes as well.
However, they are likely to look vastly different for the opening round of Super Rugby Pacific, against the Western Force in Perth, and it would be unwise to read too much into yesterday’s performance.
“We have five or six guys who will come back in next week [for the final trial against Moana Pasifika in Upper Hutt], so they should put some pressure on to get a start in round one, but we've got to keep an open mind too,” Laidlaw said.
“I'm new to the team, and it’s important the players feel like they get a genuine opportunity to stick their hand up. It is important that we do give genuine opportunity, and not be closed off to thinking, ‘Well, we've got a set team’, but there’s some guys with real Super Rugby experience that will probably start in round one, and we'll try and build the depth in the squad as we go.”
One player to put his hand up in Dunedin was young loose forward Peter Lakai, who came on as a replacement, and was one of the team’s most effective ball carriers as they try to cover for Ardie Savea’s sabbatical in Japan.
Laidlaw noted that Lakai had also been doing the business in training despite suffering from a broken thumb in the NPC.
“After Christmas he's been outstanding. We've done a live hitout in the last two weeks, and he was probably player of the day in both of those hitouts. So, he's going to put real pressure on all the [loose forward] positions because he can play No 6, No 7 and No 8. And with Devon [Flanders] Brayden [Iose] and Brad Shields to come back in...and Du’Plessis, hopefully we can keep them all injury free and use that depth, because we'll need it.”
New Zealand have qualified for the semifinals of the Oceania Football women’s Olympic qualifying tournament, thanks to a 6-0 win over Samoa in Apia.
Following the not-overly impressive 3-0 victory against Tonga on Wednesday, yesterday ws a more clinical display in this Group B tie against the tournament’s host nation, in front of a crowd of around 500 spectators.
The only time these two nations had met previously was in 1998, with New Zealand winning 21-0, a record scoreline for the team. So there was a high bar set for the Jitka Klimkova-coached team to reach for this game and although they never got anywhere near it, it was a convincing and solid win.
Klimkova kept only three players in her starting lineup from the side that defeated Tonga, including captain Rebekah Stott in her 98th appearance.
Samoa’s starting 11 were born in either New Zealand or the United States, which does bring into question how much development there has been in women’s football in this Pacific Island country.
Samoa were able to get the ball forward over the opening minutes but they left way too much space for New Zealand through the middle and in the eighth minute Jacqui Hand slotted past the Samoan goalkeeper Xeyanda Salanda for the opening goal.
A few minutes later, Samoa’s Xehlia
Salanoa missed an open goal – and that was capitalised on quickly when Kate Taylor bagged New Zealand’s second and an own goal made it 3-0 in just the 23rd minute.
Macey Fraser scored from a free kick in the 34th minute and there was even time for Indiah-Paige Riley’s penalty kick e to hit the post before Ally Green bagged the Football Ferns’ fifth in the 60th minute and just before the final drinks break Michaela Foster’s in-swinging corner found the back of the net.
The Football Ferns will play against Vanuatu in their final pool game on Tuesday and three days later will face the runner-up from Group A for a place in the February 19 final and the chance to advance to the Paris Olympics. On the evidence of the football played so far at this tournament. The Football Ferns players can start brushing up on their French now.