The Māori All Blacks run out in Nagoya tonight with five players set to win their first cap, as new head coach Tamati Ellison opens his tenure against a Japan XV at the rebuilt Paloma Mizuho Stadium. Kick-off is 7.05pm Japan time, which is 10.05pm in New Zealand on Saturday.
It is the only fixture on the Māori All Blacks calendar for now, a one-off test on the road that doubles as the start of a new era under Ellison, of Ngāi Tahu and Ngāti Mutunga. He named his 26-man squad at Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Marae in Auckland on Monday before the team flew out on Wednesday, and he has not been shy about blooding new talent for the trip.
Hurricanes midfielder Bailyn Sullivan leads the side. The Ngāti Kahungunu utility back, who featured in 10 matches during the Hurricanes’ championship-winning season this year, admitted the honour had taken him by surprise. “I think I’m asking myself the same questions. It’s obviously a huge privilege and honour to lead the boys,” he told reporters. He went further on what the week would mean to him, saying it “will probably be the best and most honourable week of my life”.
Sullivan has captained at provincial level only rarely, and he was honest about it. “Nah, not really, bro. But I guess that’s the beauty of the Māori All Blacks, you can chuck anyone in there, and they’ll lead with mana and pride,” he said. He comes from a rugby family. His brother Zarn has also worn the Māori All Blacks jersey, and both have roots at the Napier Pirates club where Bailyn learned the game.
Ellison said the captaincy decision was straightforward. “Bailyn is a player who leads through his actions on the field. He represents the style of rugby we want to play as the Māori All Blacks,” the coach said. His message to the wider group leaned on identity as much as performance, urging them in te reo to hold tight to what is uniquely theirs.
The five debutants are spread right through the starting line-up, which is unusual for a side carrying the weight of a famous jersey. Lock Tahlor Cahill, number eight Torian Barnes, halfback Adam Lennox, winger Reon Paul and fullback turned winger Payton Spencer will all earn a first cap from the kick-off rather than off the bench. For a brief campaign with only one match, that is a sizeable show of faith in untried players.
Spencer captured the feeling shared by several of the newcomers. “It’s not often you get to represent your culture, let alone play for it,” he said. Forward Te Kamaka Howden, who starts at blindside flanker, made a similar point about what sets the team apart. “I love coming into this team because it’s not just a rugby team,” he said.
That sense of the Māori All Blacks as something more than a results machine runs through the whole week. Players and management have spoken repeatedly about wanting their journey to inspire the next generation of young Māori taking up the game, and the squad naming on the marae rather than in a hotel function room was a deliberate nod to where the team draws its strength.
There is plenty of experience around the new faces. Front rowers Ollie Norris, Tyrone Thompson and Marcel Renata anchor the scrum, with Laghlan McWhannell partnering Cahill in the second row. Jahrome Brown completes the loose forward trio alongside Howden and Barnes. First five Rivez Reihana steers the backline, with Xavi Taele at second five, Sullivan at centre and Cole Forbes at the back.
The bench carries useful cover and a few well-known names, including hooker Pouri Rakete-Stones, halfback Sam Nock and playmaker Taha Kemara, who can cover the inside backs if Reihana needs a spell.
Japan, for their part, are no soft touch on home soil. The Brave Blossoms have built a reputation over the past decade for fast, accurate rugby and a willingness to throw the ball around, and a Japan XV in front of a home crowd in Nagoya will fancy their chances against a Māori side with so many players learning the systems on the run. The newly rebuilt Paloma Mizuho Stadium gives the contest a fresh stage.
For Ellison, the trip is as much about building a culture and a depth chart as it is about the scoreboard. Handing out five caps in a single match sends a clear signal that the door is open, and the players given the chance have left no doubt about how much it means to them. Whether the new combinations click quickly enough to handle a sharp Japanese side is the question that will be answered under lights in Nagoya tonight.
You can read more on the squad and the build-up at allblacks.com and through RNZ Sport.
Will the Māori All Blacks see off Japan XV, and which of the five debutants will stake a claim for the future? Have your say in the comments below.
This article was written by AI, briefed to report the facts, hopefully without some of the bias people bring to the job 🙂
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