Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Maori All Blacks call in injury replacements

Elliot Dixon makes ground for the Maori All Blacks against the New Zealand Barbarians. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

The Maori All Blacks will take on Fiji in Suva this weekend in the first of a two match series – and already they’re dealing with a number of injuries.

ADVERTISEMENT

Highlanders loose forward Elliot Dixon has withdrawn from the squad whilst Hurricanes prop Ben May will also be unavailable for at least the first match of the series.

Canterbury and Crusaders flankers Billy Harmon, fresh off a title run, has joined the side to cover Dixon’s absence while a pair of inexperienced props will be tasked with filling in for May.

Haereiti Hetet (Ngati Maniapoto, Waikato) and Pouri Rakete-Stone (Ngapuhi, Hawke’s Bay), who are yet to play Super Rugby could both feature in this weekend’s encounter. Rakete-Stone has made almost 20 appearances for Hawke’s Bay while Hetet has run out for Waikato in the Mitre 10 Cup just five times.

Harmon made his debut for the Maori All Blacks in 2018, but his experience at this level pales in comparison to the 22 caps shared by Dixon and May.

Fiji coach John McPhee has already confirmed that his side will be missing some key components for the Saturday clash, but it looks like the Maori won’t necessarily be able to field their top strength team either.

Both sides should be announced later today.

World Rugby have moved quickly to ban a potentially dangerous scrummaging technique:

ADVERTISEMENT
Video Spacer
ADVERTISEMENT

LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

B
Bull Shark 5 hours ago
Rassie Erasmus' Boks selection policy is becoming bizarre

To be fair, the only thing that drives engagement on this site is over the top critiques of Southern Hemisphere teams.


Or articles about people on podcasts criticizing southern hemisphere teams.


Articles regarding the Northern Hemisphere tend to be more positive than critical. I guess to also rile up kiwis and Saffers who seem to be the majority of followers in the comments section. There seems to be a whole department dedicated to Ireland’s world ranking news.


Despite being dialled into the Northern edition - I know sweet fokall about what’s going on in France.


And even less than fokall about what’s cutting in Japan - which has a fast growing, increasingly premium League competition emerging.


And let’s not talk about the pacific. Do they even play rugby Down there.


Oh and the Americas. I’ve read more articles about a young, stargazing Welshman’s foray into NFL than I have anything related to either the north and south continents of the Americas.


I will give credit that the women’s game is getting decent airtime. But for the rest and the above; it’s just pathetic coming from a World Rugby website.


Just consider the innovation emerging in Japan with the pedigree of coaches over there.


There’s so much good we could be reading.


Instead it’s unimaginative “critical for the sake of feigning controversial”. Which is lazy, because in order to pull that off all you need to be really good at is:


1. Being a doos;

2. Having an opinion.


No prior experience needed.


Which is not journalism. That’s like all or most of us in the comments section. People like Finn (who I believe is a RP contributor).


Anyway. Hopefully it will get better. The game is growing and the interest in the game is growing. Maybe it will attract more qualified journalists over time.

19 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ 'There will be no honeymoon period for Borthwick's wedding usher El-Abd' 'There will be no honeymoon period for Borthwick's wedding usher El-Abd'
Search