National team seeks redemption in league series

Following losses to Town in both the women’s and men’s competitions last weekend, Country will be looking to bounce back in round two of the Cook Islands Rugby Union Interstate Origin Series this afternoon.

Last week’s competition was extremely fierce, with the battle between the men’s and women’s teams lasting until the very last minute.

In the women’s Conan Cup, Town White defeated Country Black 26-14, while in the men’s Interstate Origin Series, Town Blue triumphed over Country Maroon 20-16 in overtime.

As it stands, this afternoon’s match at Aretre Park in Awatiu is still a two-way contest. The women’s match will start at 2:15 pm and the men’s match will start at 3:30 pm.

In the women’s competition, the Town Whites and Country Blacks will face off again in what promises to be another tight contest. Both teams have strong squads and strong benches which will likely keep the contest going.

Despite losing in the first game, Stephanie Noroa of the Country Blacks said she was proud of her team.

“This year was the youngest team we sent to the series and our young girls really stepped up and made us proud. We didn’t win the first game but we got the better of the first game, which was our youth development and boosted the confidence of our young and new girls,” Noroa said.

“I think after the first game our young girls have had a taste of what this series is like and now they are more confident and we are looking forward to building a stronger bond with them and taking their confidence to the next level.

“Now we can use this first game as our learning lesson and focus on our team cohesion and working together more confidently.”

The men’s game is expected to be another thrilling contest. Last week, both teams showed fighting spirit and skills to drag the game into overtime.

Country Maroons coach Nepia Dion plans to explore the depth of the bench, saying, “For our guys, it’s about building up the lineup and confidence since our guys haven’t played in over a month. I was proud of the defense the guys played throughout the game because we didn’t do much at all defensively, especially against a big Town team.”

This week, he intends to utilise his bench which includes skilled Fijian players and agile local talent.

Town Blues co-coaches Clive Nicholas and Darren Piri are likely to stick with last week’s squad but add depth at the back.

Nicholas commented: “Well, Darren and I just told the guys that errors and execution are killing us. We failed three easy tries and didn’t execute any plays. Those are just minor issues that will be easily fixed in the second game.”

Both the women’s and men’s teams are ready to go all out, with each team looking to outdo the other. Whether it’s the town whites versus the country blacks, or the town maroons versus the country maroons, fans can expect thrilling clashes that will keep them on the edge of their seats.