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Brad Thorn shows his defensive style

NZL 91 TGA 7: What They Said

24/10/2003

 

John MITCHELL (NZL) - Coach

“There was some outstanding play there.  We played with a bit of patience.  I think the teamwork tonight was a bit better and the result of that is the guys come off the field satisfied.”

On Tonga's performance:

“They played with a lot of effort,” he said. “We had to make some tough tackles back there without the ball.”

On the depth and play of the New Zealand backline:

"We're close to drawing some conclusions on combinations going forward, it's a good problem to have."

On the absence of Chris JACK from tonight's 22 man team:

"He rolled his ankle in training, just some tissue damage.  He should be out for about a week."

Brad THORN (NZL) - Lock

On returning to Brisbane, where he last played for the Brisbane Broncos Rugby League Club:

“It's good (Suncorp Stadium), different to what I remember, great atmosphere out there,” he said. “I just really enjoyed it. I especially enjoyed the haka at the start, that was a lot of fun."

Jim LOVE (TGA) - Coach

On whether the 91-7 scoreline could be described as a massacre:

“That's pretty close,” he said. “I guess it was just one of those games. The boys just didn't turn up to play rugby.”

On the pre-match war dances:

“There was protocol there and we adhered to it,” he said. “We were told to go second and we did that, but like true warfare we started before the All Blacks had finished.”

Pierre HOLA (TGA) - Flyhalf

On whether the pre-match war dance was intense:

“Yeah it was,” he said. “It's a challenge. We just don't back down.”

On the first Test try against New Zealand by a Tongan:

“We tried to pressure them and it payed off this one time. Just lucky I guess.”

Sililo MARTENS (TGA) - Scrum-half/Vice-Captain:

“We went out with a positive attitude,” he said.  “We didn't have the muscle.  We tried our best and nothing came out of it I suppose.”

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