One Change For Kiwis' Four Nations Opener   28 Oct 2016

Friday, October 28, 2016

One Change For Kiwis' Four Nations Opener

NZ Kiwis coach David Kidwell has named the same 17 that took the field against Australia in Perth for the opening clash of the Four Nations against England at John Smith’s Stadium in Huddersfield.

Kidwell and his coaching staff have put the full squad through their paces since arriving in England last Thursday.

“I’m really happy with how the boys have trained. We understand the challenge that’s ahead of us and we need to be at our best,” he says.

“In Perth, a lot of our guys hadn’t played for a long period of time. The result wasn’t what we wanted, but all the players were better off for the run and we will look to build from that.”

Greg Eastwood (Kiwi #737) is the only change to the 19-man squad named to face the home nation, replacing young Canberra Raiders back rower Joseph Tapine.

“It’s no secret this game is going to be won up front,” says Kidwell. “Both teams have strong forward packs and we need our middle men to lead the way.”

The test will be played in front of a sold-out stadium at 2.30pm Saturday, October 29 (UK time)/2.30am Sunday, October 30 (NZ time).

The full NZ Kiwis team is:

Number Name Club Kiwi #
1 Jordan Kahu Brisbane Broncos 790
2 Jason Nightingale St George-Illawarra Dragons 747
3 Solomone Kata NZ Warriors 797
4 Shaun Kenny-Dowall Sydney City Roosters 746
5 Jordan Rapana Canberra Raiders 798
6 Thomas Leuluai NZ Warriors 704
7 Shaun Johnson NZ Warriors 774
8 Jesse Bromwich (c) Melbourne Storm 775
9 Issac Luke NZ Warriors 749
10 Jared Waerea-Hargreaves Sydney City Roosters 755
11 Kevin Proctor Melbourne Storm 771
12 Tohu Harris Melbourne Storm 778
13 Jason Taumalolo North Queensland Cowboys 786
14 Lewis Brown Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 762
15 Martin Taupau Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 785
16 Manu Ma’u Parramatta Eels 795
17 Adam Blair Brisbane Broncos 732
18 Gerard Beale Cronulla Sutherland Sharks 767
19 Greg Eastwood Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs 737

ends

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