England face Maori test

When 19th century English settlers first arrived in Taranaki they found the region almost entirely deserted after the Maori had been forced south by tribal invasion threats from neighbouring Waikato.

But 152 years on, Clive Woodward’s England rugby team landed in New Plymouth, leading town in a province that now boasts thriving energy and dairy industries, and lying in wait are a Maori side that has no intention of being shifted.

As a result, England’s midweek XV expect a tough, brutal encounter at the Yarrow Stadium in the first battle of what Woodward hopes will be a successful rugby conquest of New Zealand.

“This is the first game of a very short tour and we are playing a Test match against the All Blacks at the weekend,” said Woodward.

“So all the players are conscious of the significance of Monday night’s game. It’s a big, one-off game that will put us on the front foot for the weekend.”

Leading the troops will be Gloucester prop Phil Vickery, who was on the “tour to hell” in 1998 but just a bystander for the mauling England were given by the Maori in Rotorua.

Vickery is making only his third start since regaining full fitness after a back operation, his last two coming at Twickenham where he was given a torrid test first by the Barbarians and then by Wasps in the Premiership Grand Final.

But England’s forwards coach Andy Robinson believes that experience will have left him in good stead to cope with the pressures of what is expected to be a ferocious scrummaging encounter.

Matt Te Pou has already said his side must at least match England at the breakdown and set-pieces if they are to have any platform to launch their dangerous backline runners.

“Phil has had his injuries but he has had two really full-on games,” said Robinson.

“He has certainly had a major challenge over the last few weeks and has come through pretty well. Those games will help him in terms of playing tomorrow night, and as leader of the side he is raring to go.

“The front row are under no illusions as to how important the scrummage is on Monday night.

“We have great respect for the New Zealand forward play. It has been renowned for years. We have got to be spot-on in the set-piece on Monday night otherwise we will turn over a lot of ball and do a lot of defending.”

The likely Test XV have remained in camp in Wellington, but Woodward said any of the midweek side could come into the running for selection against the All Blacks, even though the match comes round next Saturday.

He also insisted that no tactical inferences ahead of the Test match should be drawn from the side named to play the Maori, that includes Paul Grayson ahead of Alex King at fly-half.

“The team to play the Maori was selected on merit as the next best XV here,” said Woodward. “In terms of who might get in that starting side at the weekend, that is something that will have to wait until we see what happens on Monday night.”

King will start from the bench, but is the only man in the 22 who experienced the nine-try thumping five years ago – a result that is proof positive of how difficult a challenge England face.

After all, two narrow defeats to Australia are the only blemishes in an incredible Maori record that stretches back to 1994, when they began an unbeaten run of 24 matches that included 12 victories over international sides.

That was ended by the Wallabies in 2001, but Woodward is under no illusions about what his “inexperienced” side are up against.

“They are a quality opposition. A lot of these players don’t often get a chance to play for England at this level. It is a great opportunity,” he said.

“We are treating it as a Test match. They are two evenly matched teams and it is a great fixture for England given the year we are in.”