Ten new caps for Maori All Blacks
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The Maori All Blacks team to take on Japan in Kobe in the first match of its 2014 tour has been named and features 10 new caps.
Coach Colin Cooper said he was pleased with how quickly the team had gelled given the short assembly time with most of the 27 strong squad only coming together last weekend.
“Many players have come off a pretty intense few weekends of rugby so we've been mindful to not over-burden them," he said.
“There has been a lot to take in, particularly given how we want to work together blending our Maori culture with our high performance team culture.
“The boys have coped well with the long flight and have quickly settled into their routines here in Kobe.
"We are gradually lifting the intensity of training, but our main driver has been to keep things simple.
“We know we are up for a tough challenge with Japan as the 11th ranked team in the world so it’s important we get the basics right and ensure we gel together as a team very quickly.
“I congratulate the 10 players who will wear the Maori All Blacks jersey for the first time. This is a proud moment for them and I know they and the rest of the team will be working hard to honour our legacy.”
Maori All Blacks: 15 Robbie Robinson, 14 Matt Proctor, 13 Jason Emery, 12 Charlie Ngatai, 11 James Lowe, 10 Ihaia West, 9 Chris Smylie, 8 Elliot Dixon, 7 Blade Thomson, 6 Sean Polwart, 5 Hayden Triggs, 4 Tom Franklin, 3 Chris Eves, 2 Ash Dixon, 1 Mike Kainga.
Replacments: 16 Codie Taylor, 17 Brendon Edmonds, 18 Nick Barrett, 19 Nick Crosswell, 20 Dan Pryor, 21 Jamison Gibson-Park, 22 Marty McKenzie, 23 Nehe Milner-Skudder.
Date: Saturday, November 1
Venue: Noevir Stadium, Japan
Kick-off: 14.10 (18.10 NZDT; 05.10 GMT)
Referee: Luke Pearce
Assistant referees: Angus Gardner, James Leckie
TMO: George Ayoub
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