Reuben Te Rangi looks certain to one day captain the Tall Blacks, after successfully leading the side at the Asia Cup in Lebanon.
Coach Pau Henare has rewarded Te Rangi by naming him Mika Vukona's right-hand man for tonight's World Cup qualifier against Korea
He's familiar with stepping outside his comfort zone, and it showed after leading the Tall Blacks at the Asia Cup.
“It was a new experience for me. I got to learn a lot. The boys played really well, and I hope that was my captaincy. We had a good bunch of dudes,” says Te Rangi.
With Vukona in the twilight years of his career, it is likely that the Brisbane based baller will assume the role as captain.
Coach Paul Henare says, “Reuben was exceptional in the Asia Cup campaign with his play, and his leadership, and we wanted to recognise him and the role he played this year.”
The Korean team is relatively unknown to New Zealand with the Asia Cup their only encounter with their opposition.
“We met them at Asia Cup twice and they beat us twice,” says the young lad representing the Iwi of Ngāpuhi.
As well as Korea, the new World Cup qualifying path now sees the Tall Blacks playing in a home and away series with Hong Kong and China. The new qualification system will now see more top quality teams travelling to New Zealand.
Says Te Rangi, “It's gonna also be awesome just playing in front of New Zealand fans, and being able to showcase our talent over here in New Zealand on home soil.”
With many of their senior players returning to the squad, the teams are fairly even heading into tonight's match.
