Leo Thompson in possession against the Kangaroos in their Pacific Championships clash at AAMI Park in Melbourne. Photo / www.photosport.nz
Leo Thompson in possession against the Kangaroos in their Pacific Championships clash at AAMI Park in Melbourne. Photo / www.photosport.nz
When Leo Thompson led the Kiwis haka against Samoa at Eden Park two weeks ago, even his family was surprised.
The test rookie didn’t inform anyone - not even his closest relatives - about the honour before the game, before performing it with some aplomb. It was anunusual situation for a debutant but a measure of his confidence, as well as his standing in the group.
“I’ve done it all my life,” explained the Gisborne-born Thompson. “I did it before every rugby game growing up - so I’m kind of used to that. I’m pretty confident doing those things.”
Still, it was a pleasant surprise for his whānau.
“I didn’t actually tell my family that I was doing it,” said Thompson. “So they watched it on TV and I know my sisters back home would have had tears in their eyes.”
But more importantly for the 23-year-old, who repeated the feat before Saturday’s 36-18 loss to the Kangaroos - as both squads ended up nose to nose - Thompson has performed on the field.
After impressing in the big win over Samoa (20 runs for 104 metres) he didn’t look out of place in a much more intense contest in Melbourne. The Kiwis struggled for possession and territory but Thompson reeled off 28 tackles in his 35-minute stint, as well as a couple of forceful runs.
Leo Thompson in possession against the Kangaroos. Photo / Photosport
It capped an impressive year for Thompson and another chapter in his burgeoning league journey.
He had barely played the 13-a-side game until 2019, when he had a couple of club matches in Wellington. After being given an introduction by former Warrior Charlie Gubb, he was picked up by the Canberra Raiders before the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020 halted all lower-grade football.
Thompson stayed on in Australia, before picking up a deal with Newcastle ahead of the 2022 season. After playing 16 NRL games last year - mostly off the bench - Thompson became a mainstay this season, with 25 appearances (24 starts) as the Knights swept into the top eight.
That form marked him out as a test prospect and he has repaid Michael Maguire’s faith, one of three young rookies (along with Matt Timoko and Griffin Neame) blooded so far in the Pacific Championships.
Melbourne was an intense experience but Hamilton promises to be even bigger, as the Kiwis brace for plenty of local support. Recent home tests against Samoa and Tonga have seen the Pacific support dwarf those in black and white, but Saturday will be a more orthodox situation.
And it’s not just another game, as there is a trophy on the line.
“It’s a grand final for us,” said Thompson. “This is the last game of the series and it’s do or die. There’s no second chance after this game.”
Thompson felt the Kiwis had to tidy up their discipline - after several costly penalties last Saturday - while wing Jamayne Isaako said that their defensive structure had to improve.
“We know we were way off the mark in terms of a few things that we were doing defensively, a few defensive reads,” said Isaako.”But we’ll fix that and get that right over the week.”
Isaako also agreed they failed to capitalise on Australian mistakes and spent much of the match pinned at their own end.
Maguire could opt for a positional switch, putting Joseph Manu back to fullback - where he impressed at the World Cup - and having the Warriors custodian revert to centre, where he had played six of his seven Kiwis tests before this series. It would be a gamble but may be worth taking, to bring Manu’s obvious running threat into the game more.
The Kiwis trained at Eden Park on Tuesday. They will relocate to Hamilton on Wednesday morning, ahead of only their second test in Waikato, after the 2017 World Cup clash against Tonga.
“Hopefully it will be a packed stadium,” said Timoko. “I know the boys are really excited to go down there.”
Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns. He has also reported on the Warriors and NRL for more than a decade.
