Kieran Foran spectacularly put to bed any doubt his International career is over, helping New Zealand to a commanding 50-0 win over Samoa to ice a trifecta of victories for the home side in Auckland on Saturday afternoon.
In what was his 29th Test for the Kiwis, the 33-year-old faced his Eden Park demons four years on from being sidelined by a devastating shoulder injury against Great Britain in 2019; but a dominant 58 minutes on field starting the game at hooker helped erase any negative thoughts the Titans playmaker had.
His major influence in the dummy-half role has setup a Pacific Championships finals showdown in a fortnight against Australia, after New Zealand square off against the Kangaroos next weekend in Melbourne as a matinee to the decider.
That match will be preceded by the Kiwi Ferns taking on the Jillaroos, after they downed Tonga 28-10 in the earlier women's match on Saturday, led by Gold Coast skipper Georgia Hale who again was a defensive machine with a game-high 40 tackles as captain.
The contest saw her face off against fellow Titans forward Dannii Perese who made her debut for the Mate Ma'a, making 77 metres and 17 tackles in her first International appearance.
New Zealand started the day on top with their Kiwi A side recording a 36-26 win over Tonga A with Keano Kini making his International debut in style, scoring a four-pointer after a breakout rookie season.
Tony Francis also played his maiden match for the Mate Ma'a reserve side, scoring two tries in the clash, but it wasn't enough to deny the home side from victory.
