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Several Far North athletes were in action with the three major national teams who emerged victorious from their respective high-profile international fixtures in the codes of rugby and league over the weekend.
BLACK FERNS. First of the locals to run out of the tunnel for a New Zealand team were the two Ahipara players named in the Black Ferns squad by coach Glenn Moore, with the tourists eventually overcoming a very physical France side by 14-0 in testing weather conditions in Toulon on Saturday morning (NZT). The Northerners were Aroha Savage at No 8 and Te Kura NgataAerengamate in the No 16 jersey.
Other Northland players in the touring party are Eloise Blackwell at No 4, Charmaine Smith at No 5, Leilani Perese No 17, and Aleisha-Pearl Nelson No 27.
The team also beat USA 67-6 in Chicago the previous Saturday, and are preparing to play the second and final test against France this weekend (kicking off at 2.30am Sunday NZT).
ALL BLACKS. Around 24 hours later, Kawakawa’s Jack Goodhue recovered from a bout of glandular fever to join Sonny Bill Williams in the All Blacks midfield for the Hillary Shield Test against England at Twickenham, London, on Sunday morning (NZT). The ABs came from 15-nil down to win 16-15. The illness had forced Goodhue to miss the Japan leg of New Zealand’s northern tour.
Other results from the Vista 2018 All Blacks Northern Tour series were wins over Australia 37-20 in Tokyo on October 27, and 69-31 over Japan on November 3, both in Tokyo. The All Blacks are still to play Ireland in Ireland (this Sunday at 4am) and Italy in Rome on November 25 (3am).
KIWIS. Early yesterday morning, 32-year-old Adam Blair edged closer to becoming just the eighth player in history to play 50 or more tests for the Kiwis when he made his 48th appearance against England at Elland Road in Leeds on Remembrance Day on Monday (NZT). The Kiwis avoided suffering an embarrassing series whitewash by beating England 34-0 in the third test.
Also from the Far North was James Fisher Harris, initially named in the 20-man extended squad confirmed by the NZRL, but eventually left out of coach Michael Maguire’s final 17.
The build-up to the test centred on a Remembrance Day commemoration marking the centenary of the end of World War I.