NZ Maori ready for Baa-baas

New Zealand Maori coach Colin Cooper believes his side will build in confidence after their hard fought 27-26 win over Fiji on Saturday.

They’ll take on the New Zealand Barbarians in Auckland on Saturday and will take heart from their performance in Suva.

The team had to fight back from a 26-10 defecit at half time and Cooper admitted that he had imparted a harsh but effective message in the break.

Reminding them of their unbeaten record since 2003, he implored them to put the ball in front of the forwards more, and regain the initiative from a rampant Fijian side.

‘‘With a core of good players I knew we would dig deep as we did in Japan last year so I was confident.

"It was a tough ask to play an international in a foreign country so a lot of pressure on those young men.’’

He admitted that the short gap between games will be a challenge for the team, but they have grown in confidence.

Cooper paid tribute to the twin sets of brothers who feature in his side and believes the only way is up for the Ioane and McKenzie siblings.

With the Maori unbeaten in nineteen matches, Cooper will hope that the momentum from Saturday’s fixture will propel his team forward.

The Barbarians have planned a visit to their clubrooms base at Eden Park to gain a feel for the club and the scarlet jersey before they don it on Saturday.

Cooper is expecting a ‘‘great game’’ from the Barbarians, and his young squad will have to overcome some experienced opponents on the pitch.

All Black Cory Jane will make his return to the field after a hamstring injury and will play in red alongside the likes of George Moala and Tom Taylor.