Rugby: Jane in spotlight for Barbarians

Cory Jane. Photo / File.

Cory Jane will be under the spotlight as much as anyone when the New Zealand Barbarians face the Maori All Blacks at Eden Park next Saturday.

Named in the All Blacks squad, the Hurricane will have to prove his fitness from a hamstring injury when he appears on the wing in what shapes as a pseudo-All Blacks trial between two strong teams with plenty to prove and keen to move the ball as much as possible, as befitting the best traditions of their rugby.

A mix of old, new and the fringe highlight the Barbarians. Highlanders lock Alex Ainley and Jane qualify for 'the old,' while the new is represented by prime New Zealand Under 20 talent in loose forward Blake Gibson and halfback Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi.

Under the fringe All Blacks status are George Moala, Tom Taylor, Patrick Osborne, Seta Tamanivalu, Brad Shields and Liam Coltman. Shields is likely to be named skipper, and may yet reprise his fierce Super Rugby No 6 rivalry with Elliot Dixon. James Parsons, Dominic Bird and Luke Whitelock are former All Blacks. Jordan Taufua was one of the Crusaders' best in Super Rugby. Ardie Savea would have been selected but for injury.

James Marshall was originally named, but is unavailable, and is replaced by Andrew Horrell.

First five Ihaia West, who came off the bench for Hawke's Bay in Thursday's Ranfurly Shield defence, will be hurting after being overlooked for the Maori.

"There's an opportunity for guys (like Ihaia). It's not such a bad thing to have disgruntled players who want to prove a point," said coach Scott McLeod, now down from his Highlanders' high of just a few days ago.

Selection of this side came in close consultation with the All Blacks and how it all panned out after the Samoa test. But McLeod was rapt to include a player such as Ainley, about to turn 34, who gave sterling service in that underrated Highlanders' pack.

"There may be eyebrows raised about a couple of them, but they totally deserve their selection," McLeod said.

The Barbarians will seek to play their usual expansive rugby, but they also want to win, so there will be little in the way of fluff and flighty stuff.

This will be the first time the Barbarians have returned to Eden Park, where they are based, for a full first-class fixture in 30 years, while it is 25 years since the Maori last graced the ground. Both sides last clashed in 2010, when the Maori won a 37-31 thriller in Whangarei.

Forwards: Mitchell Graham, Reg Goodes, Ofa Tu'ungafasi, Ben Tameifuna, Liam Coltman, James Parsons, Alex Ainley, Joseph Wheeler, Dominic Bird, Brad Shields, Blake Gibson, Luke Whitelock, Jordan Taufua

Backs: Mitchell Drummond, Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, Andrew Horrell, Ihaia West, George Moala, Seta Tamanivalu, Patrick Osborne, Cory Jane, Richard Buckman, Tom Taylor