The highly fancied Australian Indigenous All Stars side have hung on for a four point win against the Aotearoa Māori All Stars in Rotorua this afternoon.
In a highly physical and engaging clash, the experience of the Māori forward pack gave their lesser-known spine room to move, while the star power of the Australian Indigenous All Stars' backline served up plenty of moments for the highlights reel.
The Māori All Stars jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter, with Zach Dockar-Clay opening the scoring. Nudging a kick through out of dummy-half on the last, the ball bounced back off the upright right back into his hands. The conversion was slotted from in front by Rapana to give Māori a 6-0 lead.
The Australian Indigenous All Stars got their first points on the board not much later, when some silky hands from their star-studded spine gave Tyrell Sloan space on the right-hand side to stroll over. Mitchell's kick was off-target, and the scoreline remained 6-4 at quarter-time.
The second quarter went by in similar fashion, with the Māori All Stars making use of their strong forward pack and offload game. They extended their lead in the 25th minute through a Dockar-Clay pass to Arthars through a gaping defensive hole. Rapana's conversion made the scoreboard 12-4 with some help from the left hand upright.
But it wouldn't be long until the Indigenous All Stars hit back. Some repeat attacking sets tired the Māori defence, and Nicho Hynes took full advantage in the 36th minute, strolling through the middle forwards to close the deficit. A shoulder charge from Josh Kerr in the final seconds of the half led to a sin bin, and the Māori All Stars headed into the sheds with a two point lead and a one player advantage.
Despite being down to 12, the Indigenous All Stars came out of the sheds for the third quarter looking to assert some dominance. A questionable but no doubt skillful try from their left edge gave them the lead for the first time in the game, with Hynes and Laurie linking up beautifully to give Naden the meat pie. Hynes converted to take the lead to four, and with Josh Kerr returning to the field shortly after, things were looking good for the Australian Indigenous All Stars.
But the Māori All Stars weren't planning on falling away, and it wasn't much later that Jordan Riki crashed over in the 55th minute to level the scores. The conversion from Rapana gave the home team the lead back, and they managed to hold on to the two point gap into the three-quarter time break.
An action packed fourth and final quarter followed, with physicality and intensity at a high. As the Māori All Stars fatigued, the Australian Indigenous side took their opportunities, with Selwyn Cobbo running the length of the field in the 63rd minute to take the lead back for his side. Six minutes later, Cobbo would cross for his second, and then, in the 74th, his third, in a hat-trick streak of tries which seemingly put the game to bed.
Preston Riki would keep Māori hopes alive with a skillful try in the 78th minute. The successful Rapana conversion brought the scoreline to 28-24, and with two minutes on the clock the Māori All Stars threw everything they had at their opposition. But it wasn't enough, with a James Fisher-Harris error signalling the end of an enthralling pre-season battle.