Cultural Challenges Offer Great Spectacle
As is tradition, and a great one at that, prior to kick off, both the Indigenous All-Stars and Māori All-Stars perform their cultural challenges at field level.
Filled with energy, history, and passion, the cultural challenges themselves are a spectacle for the fans.
The Māori side went first and delivered a tantalizing and fierce rendition of the Haka, ultimately culminating in an intense, face to face stare off with the Indigenous side.
The Indigenous All-Stars responded with a stirring performance of their war cry. Armed with spears, boomerangs, and shields, the Indigenous men wearing war paint showed their passion as they march toward the Māori men for another face off.
The teams then exchanged handshakes and began for the match.
Indigenous Vs. Māori All-Stars Match Recap
It was the Māori team who struck first as just five minutes in, they were able to take a 6-0 lead. It was the captain, Joseph Tapine who got his side on the board. After a beautiful chase by Dane Gagai on a ball put up by Nikorima caused Latrell Mitchell to make a mistake, the ball eventually found Tapine.
He ran straight down the gut of the Indigenous back line and spun off a few tackles to register the try. Nikorima would then put through the conversion for the 6-0 lead.
It didn’t take long for the Indigenous All-Stars to respond however as just two minutes later they too found the scoreboard. It was Josh Addo-Carr who took a pass from Latrell Mitchell down the left sideline and into the corner.
Given the difficult angle, the conversion was missed, keeping the Māori in the lead.
Ten minutes later however, Addo-Carr would strike again. This time it was some consistent pressure from the indigenous team that ended with Trindall rolling a kick through which Arthars mishandled on the goal line.
As soon as he bobbled the ball, Addo-Carr was running through him, picking up the ball as he did so and falling down for the try. The kick was converted for a 10-6 lead.
The Māori would get a penalty kick on the 20th minute mark and take the two points, making the score 10-8.
The Māori thought they had taken the lead two minutes later but after a review, the video referee determined Jack Howarth was down short of the try line.
Then, in the 31st minute, another lovely kick ahead from Trindall saw Tabuai-Fidow athletically pace through a crowd to down the ball at the very back of the Māori in-goal.
Hynes would complete the conversion for a 16-8 lead.
The Indigenous All-Stars would put the match away in the 71st minute as Alofiana Khan-Periera made a man miss and found the try line. With the conversion the lead moves to 22-8.
The Māori side found a try in the dying minutes of the match, but it was much too little too late at that point as the result was already a foregone conclusion.
Indigenous Side Deserving of Victory
It was a brilliant display of guts and determination by the Indigenous All-Stars who despite being out possessed 57% to 43%, won by a significant margin.
Their backline held up nicely against wave after wave of Māori attacks as they seemed to always come up with that one tackle or play necessary to reject a Māori advance.
Offensively, their pace on the wings proved the difference as Addo-Carr and Tabuai-Fidow wreaked havoc.
