Maori eyes are smiling after victory

21st June 2010

It's taken 122 years for a fair dinkum match-up but the New Zealand Maori now have an official victory over Ireland.

Jamie Joseph's Maori side sent the touring Irish packing to Australia with a 31-28 loss at Rotorua International Stadium last night. Officially the two foes have never met before but unofficially, the New Zealand Native team started their 1888-9 tour with a 13-4 beating of Ireland in Dublin.

History sort of repeated last night as the Maori came from behind with replacement flanker Karl Lowe scoring a 64th minute try which started deep inside the Maori quarter. Murupara-born Willie Ripia kicked the conversion and a late penalty to sew it up.

It was a magnificent result to continue Rau Tau - 100 years of New Zealand Maori Rugby - and it followed on from their great international win of 2005 when they toppled the British and Irish Lions in Hamilton.

Maori captain Liam Messam said it was awesome for Maori rugby which now has recorded 299 victories and taken the scalps of the British Lions, England, Argentina, Scotland, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Japan, USA and Canada.

"You can't wipe the smile off the faces of the guys in the changing shed. It's huge what these boys have done beating the Irish.

The Rau Tau celebration series kicked off in Whangarei a week ago against the New Zealand Barbarians and continues next week against England in Napier.

As Joseph promised, the Maori had improved from their opening outing and they were simply too much for the Irish to handle in the early stages. Their discipline will have to ramp up against the English but their set play was hugely improved.

Starved of international play since 2008, the Maori ran in two early tries and had the Irish at sixes and sevens in the first quarter.

Irish captain Geordan Murphy said they didn't start well enough.

"We gave ourselves too big a mountain to climb early on," he said.

The stage was set by a magnificent haka by the New Zealand Maori with Hosea Gear leading before the fireworks went off.

 Gear got the crowding roaring as he bumped off Irish winger Shane Horgan and then ran in for the first try moments later. A piece of Stephen Brett magic started the next try as the five-eighth stole the ball, the Maori charged downfield following his kick and Corey Sweeney bullied his way through for the second try, bringing the official crowd of 13,500 to its feet.

But as the game drew on, the experience of the Irish pulled them back into the match while the Maori gave away so many penalties for infringements, referee Mark Lawrence had them on a general warning before halftime. Jonathan Sexton was more brutal on the Maori as he banged over six first half penalty goals, including one from beyond 50 metres.

The Irish momentum continued in the second spell, their captain Murphy slicing through after Messam lost the ball from a kick allowing second five-eighth Paddy Wallace to score off an inside pass. Murphy's conversion had the visitors in front for the first time. Luke McAlister missed a couple of long range penalties while Sexton only missed one from nine, but it could have given them the draw. Lowe's try was a beaut, a quick lineout was whipped out to winger Sean Maitland and 80 metres later the Irish were broken.

* Points: NZ Maori 31 (Hosea Gear, Corey Sweeney, Karl Lowe try: Luke McAlister 3 pen, con, Willie Ripia con).

Ireland 28 (Paddy Wallace try: Jonathan Sexton 7 pen, con) HT 18-18.