Going into Saturday’s Pacific Cup Final in Hamilton, the Kiwis have home field advantage and the Kangaroos have momentum.
The Kangaroos defeated the Kiwis 36-18 in Melbourne last Saturday, with Val Holmes scoring 16 points and Lindsay Collins scoring his maiden career try double.
Since Mal Meninga took over, the Kangaroos have won all 12 of their Test matches played in Australia. However, they will encounter hostility from both a fired-up Kiwi forward pack seeking redemption and the crowd at FMG Stadium in Waikato.
For the decisive match, both teams will be at full strength, and the game’s biggest stars won’t have anything left to give in the last game of yet another demanding and demanding season.
Over the past 20 years, the Kiwis have demonstrated time and again that preparation pays off in big moments. Players like Joe Tapine and James Fisher-Harris will definitely heat up the early exchanges.
kangaroos: homage Jake Trbojevic and Tom Flegler make way as Payne Haas and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, who were rested the previous weekend, come back to the side. Reuben Cotter returns to the bench and Nicho Hynes, who made his debut last week, moves to 18th man while Liam Martin also returns to the starting lineup. Due to a cork, Broncos standout Pat Carrigan missed practice on Wednesday; nonetheless, coach Mal Meninga stated that Carrigan will start on Saturday.
Kiwis: Head coach Michael Maguire remains with the same 17-man team that lost to the Kangaroos in Melbourne, keeping Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad at fullback and Joey Manu in the centers. Naufahu Whyte, a rookie for the Roosters, is once again 18th Man.
