http://www.hbtoday.co.nz/storydispl...ocalsport&thesubsection=&thesecondsubsection=
RUGBY LEAGUE: NZ Maori aiming to wrap up the Cooks
15.10.2005
HAMISH BIDWELL
When you think of New Zealand Maori rugby league, one name stands above all the rest - Tawera Nikau.
Having spent much of the 1990s on a self-imposed exile from the Kiwis side due to a well-documented dispute with former Castleford teammate Richie Blackmore,
Nikau's put his heart and soul into turning the Maori into a credible international force. It was a quest he succeeded in, leading them to victory over the touring Great Britain team and on to the 2000 World Cup.
It's appropriate then that Nikau is now at the helm of the team in a coaching capacity, and with a series-clinching win over the Cook Islands at Nelson Park tomorrow,
it's a job he hopes to retain through to the next World Cup.
"Yeah, it's great to still be involved in the game through the coaching side of things," Nikau, who had his leg amputated following a motorbike accident, said.
"Sometimes I do get a little bit frustrated but I'm just glad to be here on the coaching pathway.
I'd love to stay involved with the team and to get them through to the World Cup but we'll just have to wait and see what happens."
Standing in his way on this occasion is a Kevin Iro-coached Cook Islands side that has proved a real handful in this series. After a 26-all draw in the first test in Tokoroa, Nikau's boys ground out a hard fought 30-24 win at Gisborne's Rugby Park on Wednesday night.
He says the first-up result was fairly predictable but having had more time together, he's expecting a more polished performance tomorrow.
"The Cooks are a very, very good side and they thrashed us in the final of the Pacific Rim tournament last year, so we were under no illusions about how tough they'd be," he said. "It's very tough to come together in three days and that's all we had together before the first game. But full credit to our guys, they got stuck and we've improved a bit since then.
"We were much better in the second game and we expect better again come Sunday."
Having put so much in the value of the Maori jersey as a player, does Nikau thinks it means as much to its current wearers?
"Oh definitely," he said. "The guys have a lot of mana and pride within themselves and for me, it's really just about passing that on to the boys. But at the same time,
I don't really need to, because they know it's a huge honour to represent the New Zealand Maori side."
