Maoris lose captain to All Blacks
New Zealand Maori coach Colin Cooper faces plenty of challenges to get his side ready to face Fiji after his captain Charlie Ngatai was drafted to the All Blacks as they prepare to face Samoa.
Other challenges facing Cooper is the fact that a large number of his squad were involved in the Super Rugby final, a lack of preparation time and challenging conditions in Suva.
Cooper got the players not involved in the Super Rugby final together with the striking theme of the squad being their youth.
Ten new caps have been integrated into the 27-man squad and Cooper thought it was important they initially knew the tradition behind the jersey they would wear.
"I've got some players in there who have no idea of the history. Saying that, it's probably the quickest team you can engage because we take them through the history and their kiwi and the legacy before them.
"The All Blacks have a great legacy but so do the Maori All Blacks and I think we've won 18 Tests in a row," he said.
That winning streak – which stretches back more than a decade – could be seriously tested by Fiji, who will have a full complement of players from Europe to choose from.
Despite the challenges, Cooper – who coached Taranaki to the ITM Cup Premiership title last season – said the team had come together rapidly last season before they thumped Japan.
Cooper will squeeze a training run in with the full squad on Monday, July 6 before they depart for Fiji the next day.
"Fiji have five Tests before the World Cup to prepare, so they will see this as an important test. It's in their backyard and we have the challenge of flying into Nadi and then having to bus to Suva.
"That will be a whole day taken up by travel, so that's another challenge. But it's all about preparation and I think it's more important we get the players engaged who were involved in the final into the Maori jersey," he added.
He was reasonably clear on the first team he wanted to select but that would be dependent on who pulled up well from the match between the Hurricanes and Highlanders.
"We certainly won't be chucking any of these young guys under the bus, if you like. There is the [New Zealand] Barbarians game a week later, so there will be an opportunity there for those guys. It's really about winning that first test against Fiji," he stated.
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