It shapes up as being a huge fortnight of international rugby league with Australia and New Zealand to face off in two successive weekends, and the Kiwis have fired off quite the warning shot to the Kangaroos.
Samoa seemingly pulled the wrong rein with their halves combination as the Pacific Island nation weren’t able to replicate the form that saw them contest the World Cup Final last year.
Meanwhile, a former Tigers, Titans and Cowboys star now in the Super League has staked his claim for a return to the NRL with a dazzling performance for the Cook Islands.
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Here are the biggest talking points out of week two of the Pacific Championships.
KIWIS FIRE WARNING SHOT AHEAD OF ‘BRUTAL’ FORWARDS BATTLE
New Zealand’s forward pack made a huge statement ahead of Saturday’s blockbuster clash with Australia after completely dominating Samoa in their record 50-nil win at Eden Park.
Nelson Asofa-Solomona started off the bench but finished the game with the most metres of any forward to go with his try, eight tackle busts, two offloads and 17 tackles — no misses.
Meanwhile, Panthers duo Moses Leota and James Fisher-Harris both record over 100 running metres with the latter also scoring the final try of the match. They made 23 and 14 tackles respectively with no misses.
That’s compared to Samoa, who didn’t have a single forward make more than 81 metres.
It sets up a mouth-watering battle with Australia’s star-studded pack which includes the likes of Payne Haas, Tino Fa’asuamaleaui and Pat Carrigan.
“Does it get any better?” Fox League expert Michael Ennis said in commentary.
The form of Payne Haas and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui and Isaah Yeo was outstanding (against Samoa) up against Joe Tapine, who was the best forward on the ground this afternoon before getting interchanged and the form of the two Penrith Props — Fisher-Harris and Leota.
“The battle through the middle will be absolutely brutal.”
Saturday was the first time the Kiwis had played together since last November when they were knocked out of the Rugby League World Cup finals by Australia. But coach Michael Maguire had them humming like a team that’s “been together for over a month,” according to Ennis.
It was New Zealand’s biggest-ever win over Samoa — a nation that played in last year’s World Cup — and a performance that commentator Warren Smith summed up perfectly.
“They’ve sent a warning to the Kangaroos that ‘we are here and we want victory in this Pacific Championship’.”
The Kiwis will take on the Kangaroos on Saturday night at AAMI Park and then will face off again in the final the following week with the Pacific Cup up for grabs.
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TIMOKO’S STARRING ROLE ON INTERNATIONAL DEBUT
It was quite the Test match debut from Raiders centre Matt Timoko, who continued on from his stellar season in clubland to be one of the best for the Kiwis against Samoa.
Timoko was one of four players to make their New Zealand debut on Saturday, in addition to forwards Griffin Neame, Leo Thompson and hooker Nu Brown.
The Raiders outside back gave Samoa’s right edge fits all afternoon, recording two line breaks and setting up two tries.
In fact, he was pretty unlucky not to have crossed the stripe himself.
Timoko’s best attribute is not so much his agility or searing speed, as it is his bruising running style.
He’s hard to bring down with the first attempt, and that was evidenced on Saturday by his nine tackle busts for the game – the most of any player on the field.
Fox League’s Michael Ennis gushed over Timoko after the centre’s classy work on a counter-attack led to a Jamayne Isaako break and in turn a Kiwis try just a few plays later.
“As he’s done all year for the Raiders, found some space and found his man,” he said.
“Beautiful work and vision to find Isaako.”
“He has had a great afternoon on debut. He’s had a tremendous afternoon,” Ennis said after Timoko’s lovely draw and pass put over winger Ronaldo Mulitalo for a second half try.
MAKESHIFT FIVE-EIGHTH FAILS TO FIRE OUT OF POSITION
Samoa coach Ben Gardiner raised eyebrows when he named Stephen Crichton at five-eighth for the Pacific Championships opener against Australia last week.
After a mixed showing that night, Gardiner stuck solid and Crichton again played at number six in the Test versus the Kiwis.
However, in a position essentially foreign to him, the grand final hero had a day he’d rather forget.
Crichton put two kicks out on the full as he and halfback Daejarn Asi didn’t have the answers at the end of Samoa’s attacking sets.
Corey Parker said Samoa’s final tackle options were “poor”.
“Their fifth play options have been pretty poor actually with Crichton and Asi coming up with some crucial plays,” Parker said on Fox League.
Crichton proved this season he is one of the best centres in the competition, no more so than under the bright lights of the grand final and during the State of Origin series for the Blues.
Crichton starred for Samoa during the World Cup in the centres, with his Panthers teammate Jarome Luai steering the ship in the halves.
Luai, who missed the Pacific Championships because of injury, was a glaring absence from the line up according to Ennis.
Ennis also wondered why Crichton wasn’t shifted back to his more natural position when the game got away from Samoa on Saturday.
“I can’t emphasise enough how different Samoa look without Jarome Luai,” Ennis said.
“That is the second time this afternoon he’s kicked one out on the full. It may be time to either move Stephen Crichton back to fullback or to his preferred position of centre.
“Ben Gardiner bemoaned their end of sets in the first half against the Kangaroos last week, it has betrayed them once again against the Kiwis today,” Warren Smith added.
Fox League’s Greg Alexander said it was little wonder Samoa were outmatched against Australia and New Zealand.
“Stephen Crichton isn’t a five-eighth, Daejarn Asi is a backup halfback… They were missing so much experience in Jarome Luai and Anthony Milford.”
COOK ISLANDS BRAVE AS ESAN STAKES CLAIM FOR NRL RETURN
It wasn’t to be for the Cook Islands on Sunday, ultimately going down 22-18 to Fiji thanks to a late try to Penrith star Sunia Turuva, but it was a gutsy performance from a team just a week removed from a 56-10 flogging at the hands of PNG.
The Cook Islands were led around the park by Esan Marsters at halfback, who usually plays in the centres.
However, the 27-year-old performed like he had been a halfback all his life, setting up two tries and scoring another in a man-of-the-match performance.
Unfortunately, the loss means that the Cook Islands have been eliminated from the Pacific Bowl and their tournament has ended.
If it wasn’t for Marsters though, his side wouldn’t have led the game with six minutes to go.
The former Tigers, Titans and Cowboys player now laces up the boots at club level for Huddersfield in the Super League, but expressed this week his desire to return to the NRL.
“I’ve got an end goal of wanting to come back to the NRL,” he told NRL.com
“I’m only 27 so I’ve still got a lot of good footy left in me. I’m enjoying the Super League, I’ve got my family there so it’s good but, for myself, I want to use this platform here to hopefully get back to the NRL.”
Marsters’ performance certainly should have done enough to at least get onto the radar of some NRL clubs.
In addition to the two try assists and try, Marsters had a whopping eight tackle busts (game high), three line break assists, three offloads and 71 running metres.
“The number seven is having a day out, scoring the first and setting up the second,” Corey Parker said on Fox League.
“He’s been so important today.”
