Rugby: Maori aim to sharpen up for rare home clash

It is, surprisingly, five years since the Maori All Blacks last played at home.

So, as you can imagine, they are pumped about Saturday night's game against the New Zealand Barbarians at Eden Park after last being sighted on these shores in the stirring centenary series of 2010, where they beat the Barbarians, Ireland and England.

A strong second spell saw them scrape home 27-26 over Fiji in Suva last Saturday, but they are working on tidying up areas of weakness ahead of what looms as another competitive clash.

"Playing in front of our home crowd is something our kaumatua and the management team have talked about. This is a great opportunity to be in front of our public live. I didn't realise it was half a decade," said assistant coach Tabai Matson.

There were niggles out of the Fiji game, but it looks like prop Josh Hohneck, who was in hospital with a knee infection, was the only major casualty. Halfback Brad Weber has joined the squad, after his test debut in Apia last Wednesday. Tawera Kerr-Barlow is again likely to get 50-60 minutes of action before he is promoted. Auckland loose forward Joe Edwards, who travelled to Fiji as cover, may get a run off the bench. The team will be named tomorrow.

The Barbarians are unlikely to be a disjointed outfit playing frothy rugby which we occasionally see from their higher profile UK counterparts. Several of them are on the fringes of the All Blacks, or full members of the squad (Cory Jane) while no less than three carry Maori blood. First five Ihaia West may have a point to prove after slipping down the pecking order behind the brothers McKenzie and Otere Black.

"As always, there's things to prove when you get this calibre of player facing each other," said Matson. "Often entertaining rugby is not winning rugby and both teams are there to get an outcome. But there will be that balance to have that free licence. The All Blacks selectors will be very interested observers."

Matson acknowledged the challenge of playing a side that you cannot study off tape.

"You build a week's training towards a specific opposition, but we don't know much about them as a team. We do know they are a bloody good group of players."

To that end, set-piece and exit strategy, not always smooth against Fiji, are focuses for the Maori.

Matson himself will fly out next Monday to San Francisco to join the Fijians on their Pacific Nations Cup campaign.

The Barbarians assembled as a full squad yesterday and last night visited the clubrooms at Eden Park.