Preview: New Zealand v Samoa
Tue, 02 Sep 2008 13:14
Aggro: Samoa will need to fight tooth and nail to avoid an All Black thrashing
There is a strange air of inevitability ahead of this rare Test between two unique rugby nations, as an almost full-strength All Blacks team prepares to do battle against a massively sub-standard Manu Samoa in New Plymouth on Wednesday.
Samoa are a proud and fierce nation - they live for their rugby, and have produced many legendary players in the past. Unfortunately their best will not be in action on Wednesday against the might of the All Blacks.
The match was hastily scheduled to bridge New Zealand's four-week hiatus in between their fifth and last Tri-Nations matches, and because of that, most of Samoa's top players active outside the country have not been released for the Test by their respective clubs.
This has prompted Samoa coach Niko Palamo to select his match squad almost entirely from Samoan-based players, with only one Air New Zealand Cup player in the starting XV - Counties Manukau prop Simon Lemalu.
The rest of the squad, with exception of Exeter lock Chad Slade, Counties Manukau centre Romi Ropati and North Harbour scrumhalf Junior Poluleuligaga, all play their rugby in Samoa.
The bottom line is that this team is not up to the standard that is required for Test rugby, and that the match itself will be of little use to the All Blacks, who are looking to get some match practice in, and shed the rust ahead of the Tri-Nations title decider against Australia on September 13.
Samoan coach Palamo's selections were perhaps somewhat forced by the fact that he didn't have his top players available to him, but that hasn't stopped the critics, from New Zealand and Samoa, from making their voices heard.
Many experts and former players, such as former Samoa prop Peter Fatialofa and former All Black wing Bryan Williams, have written off the match as a farce, and it is hard to counter that argument considering the huge gulf in class between the two sides.
The facts are overwhelming - full-strength Samoan sides have never beaten the All Blacks. In fact, they have never been close. The closest they have come has been 22 points, when they lost 13-35 in Auckland in 1993.
And there is practically no chance of them turning that statistic around this time round.
New Zealand have stuck to the squad of 26 players that have made up their Tri-Nations core, and with four players injured, including their talismanic skipper Richie McCaw, the match 22 has picked itself.
"They're the 22 fit players to be frank in a squad of 26," coach Graham Henry confirmed when he announced his All Black team on Monday.
"We expect [the injured squad players] to all be fit for the game in Brisbane so there wasn't any point in bringing people outside the squad for this particular fixture."
The injuries to McCaw, wing Sitiveni Sivivatu, lock Brad Thorn and prop John Afoa will of course give opportunities to other All Blacks, such as Adam Thomson, Anthony Boric, and Anthony Tuitavake.
Rodney So'oialo gets another chance to skipper the side, in what will be a landmark 50th Test match in the black jersey for him.
It is rather significant that Graham Henry has picked a full-strength New Zealand team. It shows intent on his part, as he tries to get his charges back into full match sharpness ahead of that monumental match against the Wallabies in Brisbane.
"We need to play together as a team before we go to Australia, so we're pleased to have the opportunity to play Samoa," the coach said.
Players to Watch: There won't be a hell of a lot known about the bulk of the Samoan squad, but skipper Filipo Levi will have to make some sense of it all and get his players motivated and playing to some sort of gameplan. Flyhalf Uale Mai has been a long-standing servant for Samoa in the Sevens code. Of course there are stars galore in the All Blacks team, and apart from the usual big names, it will be interesting to see whether wing Anthony Tuitavake and Anthony Boric can shine bright enough to beat their experienced All Black team-mates, Sivivatu and Thorn, to a starting berth in the crunch match against Australia in Brisbane.
Head to head: At pivot, many will watch with interest to see how Uale Mai counters the threat of the best No.10 in the world, Dan Carter. In fact, every Samoan player faces an opponent with a massively superior reputation. It could be a slaughter. What is certain, is that the Samoan character will be tested to the limit.
Previous results:
2001: New Zealand won 50-6, Albany
1999: New Zealand won 71-13, Albany
1996: New Zealand won 51-10, Napier
1993: New Zealand won 35-13, Auckland
Prediction: With such a lack of experience, the Samoans are fearing the worst. The fact that they are entering the match with solely defensive mentality shows that this will be a mismatch of epic proportions. Samoa will do well to keep the scoreline down, but even strong Samoan sides of the past have managed to restrict the Kiwis to less than 50 points on only one occasion. New Zealand to win by at least 50 points.
Teams:
New Zealand: 15 Mils Muliaina, 14 Richard Kahui, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Anthony Tuitavake, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Jimmy Cowan, 8 Rodney So'oialo (captain), 7 Adam Thomson, 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Ali Willliams, 4 Anthony Boric, 3 Greg Somerville, 2 Andrew Hore, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Replacements: 16 Keven Mealamu, 17 Neemia Tialata, 18 Sione Lauaki, 19 Piri Weepu, 20 Stephen Donald, 21 Isaia Toeava, 22 Rudi Wulf.
Samoa: 15 Alatasi Tupou, 14 Reupena Levasa, 13 Pale Toelupe, 12 Jerry Meafou, 11 Esera Lauina, 10 Uale Mai, 9 Notise
Tauafao, 8 George Stowers, 7 Alafoti Faosiliva, 6 Semo Sititi, 5 Chad Slade, 4 Filipo Levi (captain), 3 Heroshi Tea, 2 Loleni Tafunai, 1 Simon Lemalu.
Replacements: 16 Lafoga Aoelua, 17 Roysiu Tolufale, 18 Maselino Paulino, 19 Simaika Mikaele, 20 Junior Poluleuligaga, 21 Roger Warren, 22 Romi Ropati.
Date: Wednesday, September 3
Venue: Yarrow Stadium, New Plymouth
Kick-off: 19.35 (07.35 GMT)
Conditions: Overcast. Min temp 8°C, max temp 14°C. Wind NNE, 14 km/h.
Referee: Stuart Dickinson (Australia)
Touch judges: James Leckie (Australia), Paul Marks (Australia)
TMO: Geoff Acton (Australia)
By Phil Coetzer
