Victories for the Kiwis over old foe Australia have traditionally been hard to come by but none have been sweeter than the 30-0 triumph in last year’s Pacific Championships final in Hamilton.
The win came three matches after the Kiwis’ 26-24 success in Auckland in 2018 and signalled what many believe to be a changing of the guard at the top of the international game.
Under new head coach Stacey Jones, the New Zealanders have a chance to show their Pacific Championships conquest was no flash in the pan when they host a Kangaroos outfit coming off a clunky 18-0 win over Tonga in the opening game of this year’s tournament.
With the mercurial Shaun Johnson coming out of retirement to answer an SOS from coach Stacey Jones, the jam-packed crowd at Apollo Projects Stadium will be at fever pitch and the Kangaroos will be hit with a tidal wave of parochial Kiwi support.
Up front the Kiwis have the hugely respected James Fisher-Harris leading the way and his influence during the week and on game day will be enormous. He has proven performers around him in the pack including Joey Tapine, Isaiah Papali’i and Penrith’s four-time premiership winner Scott Sorensen plus the seasoned Marata Niukore on the bench.
In the backline Johnson, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Super League-based Peta Hiku and winger Jamayne Isaako will have big roles to play alongside second-year Kiwi centre Matt Timoko and debutants Keano Kini and Will Warbrick.
Team News
Kiwis: The Kiwis are fielding five Test debutants in fullback Kini, winger Warbrick, hooker Phoenix Crossland and bench players Naufahu Whyte and Jordan Riki. With Jahrome Hughes, Kieran Foran and Te Maire Martin injured, favourite son Johnson comes out of retirement to play halfback alongside Nicoll-Klokstad, who shifts to No 6 in the absence of Dylan Brown (knee) and Joey Manu (rugby union). Centre Peta Hiku plays his first Test since the 2022 World Cup semi-final while Kodi Nikorima makes his first appearance since 2019. Knights prop Leo Thompson is serving a one-match ban for a careless high tackle in week one of the NRL finals and will be available for selection against Tonga. Erin Clark is 18th man.
Kangaroos: Coach Mal Meninga sticks with the same 17 that got the job done against Tonga. Matt Burton retains the No.14 jersey and will hope to get more game time than the nine minutes he played in Brisbane while Hudson Young (12 minutes) is also looking to play more of a role. Halves Mitch Moses and Tom Dearden will be better for the run after combining for the first time last week. Ben Hunt is again the 18th man.
Stat Attack
Stats supplied by David Middleton, League Information Services, author of the official annual of the NRL.