Kiwis v Samoa: Kiwis coach Michael Maguire thrilled with defence in big win over Samoa, focus moves to Kangaroos

James Fisher-Harris leads the Kiwis haka. Photo / Photosport

Kiwis coach Michael Maguire was a satisfied man on Saturday night - but not in the way you might expect.

He had watched his team pile on the points in a nine-try, 50-0 demolition of Samoa at Eden Park but was more focused on the other column. The Kiwis had held their line intact in a test match for the first time in five years, a noteworthy achievement.

“The no points [pleased me most],” admitted Maguire. “As a coach, I am probably more inclined that way than scoring tries. Obviously I was impressed with some of the tries we did score, but really pleased how we defended.”

All successful teams depend on the work without the ball, which has been Maguire’s emphasis since he came into the role in 2018. It has paid off, as the Kiwis have only conceded more than three tries once in their last 13 test matches.

“The players buy into what I put in front of them but it is up to the players to do the practice and want to go towards that,” said Maguire. “Ever since I jumped in with the Kiwis, I’ve had a lot of great players that have got behind everything that we have been doing.”

The New Zealand side showed their desire early. Samoa dominated the first 10 minutes but couldn’t make it count, as the Kiwis scrambled and held their line. Then in the last quarter - with the result already sealed - the Kiwis maintained their focus and concentration as the Pacific team searched desperately for a consolation try in front of their massed support.

New Zealand captain James Fisher-Harris celebrates his try with his team. Photo / www.photosport.nz

While the young Samoan team self-destructed - with poor options, indiscipline and costly errors - there was a lot to like from the Kiwis. Despite coming in cold, while their opponents had played the week before, the New Zealanders didn’t take long to find their rhythm. The forwards gradually got on top against the combative Samoans, while halves Jahrome Hughes and Dylan Brown orchestrated the flow of the game. And the back five were tremendous, linking well and providing constant threats.

“The game was in the balance for [the first] 15-20 minutes but we couldn’t go with them after that,” lamented Samoa coach Ben Gardiner. “It was another lesson for our guys.”

The passionate Samoan support at Eden Park made for a wonderful spectacle, with the majority of the 25,000 crowd behind the Island team. That fervour peaked during the Siva Tau (Samoan war dance) as the Samoan team advanced 40 metres to be face-to-face with the Kiwis line.

“We expected that,” said Kiwis captain James Fisher-Harris. “It’s just two proud cultures. We love it. I love seeing the boys doing the Siva Tau and vice versa.”

Samoa confront the New Zealand players in the pre-game ritual. Photo / www.photosport.nz

Unfortunately, that was as close as Samoa got to matching the Kiwis, as the home side had an 18-0 lead after 25 minutes. Nelson Asofa-Solomona was a juggernaut off the bench (140 running metres) while Kieran Foran proved his value as a starting hooker.

“The start of the game is pretty intense and having someone like him out there is pretty handy,” said Maguire.

In a roving role, centre Joseph Manu was also a constant threat.

“He’s a classic,” said Maguire. “He had a few niggles early in the week and he was sort of parked, and then turns up and plays like that. He’s a bit of a Ferrari.”

Facing the world champions in Melbourne on Saturday (10.10pm NZT) will be a much greater challenge. The Kiwis have only beaten Australia once in the previous eight matches, though their last encounter was as close as you get, with the 16-14 defeat in the World Cup semifinals.

“I’m not looking at them, I’m looking at what we need to do from the point of view of how we get better as a group,” said Maguire. “We showed that we can put pressure on opposition, we need to be more clinical and fluent but time spent together will help that. Also defensively, there are things that we will tidy up moving forward.”

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.