THE KIWIS
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The New Zealanders have a message for their Australian opponents - “don’t underestimate us.”
The defending Trans-Tasman touch champions mean business this weekend and they are going to do everything they can to defend that title.
“We don’t want to be a one year wonder. It is good to be champions at the moment and this weekend is about trying to win and backing that up,” Touch Blacks men’s opens captain Mita Graham said.
New Zealand won the Trans-Tasman in Auckland last year – the first time in 20 years.
“For us, we are happy to take the underdog status even if we are the champions at the moment."
- Mita Graham, New Zealand men's captain
Although they went down 3-0 to Australia the last time the series was in Mudgee in 2012, there is plenty of confidence within the three squads.
Graham, Megan Campbell and Tabitha McKenzie will captain the men’s, women’s and mixed open sides respectively.
All of them have the same goal – to win their respective division.
“For us, we are happy to take the underdog status even if we are the champions at the moment,” Graham said.
“We know how hard the Aussies have worked to be in the position they are now. They have a few experienced players in their squad and with us, we have a new and inexperience team but we are looking at our goal, which is to win this.”
Campbell said Australia’s domination in the women’s opens doesn’t faze her young side.
“They do have a long history of winning women’s touch against New Zealand and every other country,” Campbell said.
“It is something we remember and take into account when we do take them on but having said that, this series in particular, we have a really strong game plan.
“Previously we have gone away from our game plan a bit too much. We are focusing on sticking to the game plan and effecting our roles, and doing the little things right.”
Playing in the mixed competition can be a daunting task especially for female players who are marking a male.
“You have to be strong mentally and physically and have that mentality regardless, who is in front of me, I am going to defend you and attack you to try and dominate you,” McKenzie said.
It is that sort of mentality that helped the Kiwis win the mixed open division last year.
Mckenzie said the team has come together well.
“We haven’t had many opportunities to train as a team but when we come together as a team, we have used the time wisely and solidify our game plan and our attack as a team,” she said.
For all three sides they are blooding new talent.
They have 22 debutants across the three divisions with three 17-year-olds in the men’s team.
“They are an exciting bunch,” Graham said of his young guns. “They will be better off with this experience with the Aussies and in the big picture is the World Cup next year and being 17 years old they have a bright future.”
Campbell and McKenzie said their teams have that right mix of youth and experience.
We have a lot of young girls come through, a lot of them have played in the under 19s and under 21s in the youth Trans-Tasman,” Campbell said.