Rugby: Bay pair ready to tackle Japan

Hawke's Bay Magpie Ash Dixon will play for the Maori All Blacks against Japan tomorrow. Photo / Paul Taylor

Hawke's Bay Magpies Ash Dixon and Ihaia West will start for the Maori All Blacks against Japan in Kobe tomorrow.

New Highlanders hooker Dixon and Blues first five-eighth West are on their second tour with the Maori after visiting North America last year. Their Magpies teammate and new Highlanders prop Brendon Edmonds will make his debut for the Maori should he get game time off the bench.

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 coming together only 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."

The second and final game on tour will be another clash with Japan in Tokyo next weekend.

Team: Robbie Robinson, Matt Proctor, Jason Emery, Charlie Ngatai (captain), James Lowe, Ihaia West, Chris Smylie, Elliot Dixon, Sean Polwart, Blade Thomson, Hayden Triggs, Tom Franklin, Mike Kainga, Ash Dixon, Chris Eves. Substitutes, forwards: Codie Taylor, Brendon Edmonds, Nick Barrett, Nick Crosswell, Dan Pryor; backs: Jamison Gibson-Park, Marty McKenzie, Nehe Milner-Skudder.