In an empty Sky Stadium, the Maori scored five tries to one and led 21-7 at the half-time.
Shaun Stevenson scored twice, while Sean Wainui, his Chiefs teammate, also scored in the first period.
Captain Ash Dixon, number eight Whetukamokamo Doug scored second-half tries. Otere Black was perfect with the boot.
The Maori side featured Super Rugby players. Samoa had 11 debutants and was dominated by a New Zealand-based side.
Even though they had only a short time together, Ash Dixon, Maori captain, wasn’t happy with the side’s efforts.
“I believe that when you end like that and put on an overall score like that, you’re always happy. There was a lot effort and intent in many things, but we missed a lot. Dixon stated that even though it was a short week I expected more. Dixon said, “We are better than that.”
Manu Samoa played for the first time in 2 years. Although it was hard to believe, coach Seilala Mapusua seemed happy with their first appearance in a while.
“We made a few mistakes, and we left some tries out there. But overall I felt it was a positive experience and something to be thankful for. I believe we will be much happier because of it.”
They will meet again in Auckland next weekend, before Samoa takes on Tonga at the World Cup qualifiers.
Mapusua anticipates that there will be a few more players available for next week, with a couple of new players out of quarantine.
