Originally Posted by
jenny
Focus on Mason to shift south, says Kiwis coach
November 22, 2006
BRIAN McClennan, New Zealand's newly crowned international coach of the year, claimed Willie Mason's legs and not his head will be the focus in Saturday night's Tri-Nations final at Aussie Stadium.
McClennan said his side wouldn't go out looking for a repeat of the knockout blow David Kidwell put on Mason in the series opener.
"You want to bring down tall timber, you've got to get the legs," McClennan said. "It's a little bit of a goal of ours to have it so that Willie says at the end of the game that he's never been tackled so hard around his legs."
Mason has taken his headline-grabbing to another level during this Tri-Nations. The haka scandal preceded a one-game suspension for punching Great Britain prop Stuart Fielden. Fresh from his one-week ban, Mason has vowed not to back down.
While his first clash with Kidwell, the Melbourne Storm forward, will be eagerly anticipated, his 80-minute duel with Roy Asotasi is one that could well determine the course of the match.
McClennan said that victory on Saturday night would elevate his squad to the top of the pile after last year's stunning romp to the title. "For us to win two Tri-Nations in a row ? we would be deemed the greatest Kiwi team in history," McClennan said.
AAP