Rugby: Fiji dusted, bring on Baabaas for Maori

Ash Dixon

Fiji 26 Maori All Blacks 27

Hawke's Bay Magpies rugby team's head coach Craig Philpott is expecting a different Maori All Blacks side to play the New Zealand Barbarians in Auckland on Saturday night.

"It will be different both in personnel and attitude," Philpott, an assistant coach of the Barbarians side, said after watching television coverage of the Maori All Blacks 27-26 win against Fiji in Suva on Saturday.

"But I'm still confident of collecting my pints off Ash and Brendon," he said referring to the two Magpies in the Maori All Black side, hooker Ash Dixon and prop Brendon Edmonds.

Philpott agreed the Maori All Blacks were slow to get going in the first half when the Fijians were direct and had busted the weak Maori defence at will. He said when the Fijians lost Crusaders winger Nemani Nadolo through injury it was the turning point in the match.

The Highlanders scrum functioned better when Edmonds took the field as a 50th minute replacement. "When the Maori All Blacks had their Highlanders front row they were pretty solid," Philpott said referring to Edmonds, Dixon and Josh Hohneck.

Highlanders loosie Elliot Dixon, who was also a second half replacement, scored the match-winning try which was converted by Otere Black.

"Elliot Dixon is an All Black in waiting," Philpott said.

He predicted the Maori All Blacks will be better because they will spend this week together.

"They haven't lost for 12 years and they will be playing back at home."

"I was pretty nervous," Maori team coach Colin Cooper said. "You could tell in that first half that they were rampant. We made mistakes and we made tactical errors but we were confident, with the ability we had, that we could come back."

Scorers: Maori All Blacks 27 (R Ioane, D McKenzie, E Dixon tries; M McKenzie 2 pens, 2 cons, O Black con), Fiji 26 (K Murimurivalu, N Nadolo, A Qera tries; N Nadolo 3 pens, con). HT: 26-10.