Graham Lowe: Kiwis set Four Nations alight

Fullback Lance Hohaia was outstanding for the Kiwis this morning. Photo / Getty Images

After the tepid performance the day before between England and France the Four Nations Tournament came alight at the Stoop this morning (NZ time).

The contest between the Kiwis and Australia was a test in every respect.

It was physical, skilful and relentless.

There is little between these sides that both seem to be at another level when comparing them to England and France yesterday.

Kiwis coach Stephen Kearney will be delighted with the all important inside out defence of his Kiwi side because for most of the game they managed to block the Kangaroos pet inside plays.

The Kiwis set the platform in the first quarter with a brutal defensive screen. Their first try came from a skilful Adam Blair short pass to Frank-Paul Nuuausala.

The Kiwi forwards were great but so were the Kangaroos. They absorbed a physical battering but kept the fight going.

A draw was a good result for this game but it could also be a killer blow three weeks down the track.

Kearney and his assistant Tony Iro will feel the game was theirs to win if it wasn't for a couple of errors. But they should also feel confident.

Although I seldom agree with English commentator Eddie Hemmings, he pointed out during the match that the Kiwis no longer fear the Kangaroos and he's exactly right.

This was a great performance by New Zealand and even though they only came away with the one point for the draw it will have put a tremor through both the French and English coaches.

The Kiwi forwards showed a willingness to share the workload but it was the control and depth skipper Benji Marshall delivered to the attack that caused most of the problems for Australia.

By keeping himself very deep he frustrated the defensive line speed of the Australians.

This is the key to the remaining games for the Kiwis. They have the power and ball playing skill in their forwards, but when that is combined with depth in attack the Kiwis look lethal.

Lance Hohaia was outstanding for New Zealand and deserved his 'man of the match' award. His footwork shows that size is not everything.

And just maybe that is where the Kiwis can sneak through and win this tournament.

I mentioned on Friday in my Herald column the Kiwis needed a little imagination and a lot of desperation. That is exactly what they came up with this morning.

Hohaia and Marshall are not the sort of players who sit back and wait for something to happen. They try and make it happen.

As a result mistakes sometimes follow them. That doesn't matter. Rugby league is a game to a large degree based on confidence. Hohaia always backs himself and confidence oozes from the Kiwi captain.

Never die wondering. It is a saying Stephen Kearney should consider plastering on the Kiwis dressing room walls.

They showed against Australia they have the power and relentlessness to do the business in this Four Nations competition, but I think the key could be the footwork the Kiwi coach has at his disposal.

Australia has improvement in itself but I think the Kiwis do as well.

The Kiwis were guilty of giving away a number of silly penalties and that will have concerned the coach.

But he will also be quietly pleased that his forwards were certainly not dominated by Australia and that was always going to be a concern for him.

The big surprise however was that the much praised Kangaroo backline did not tear the Kiwis apart. Their giant centre and super star Gregg Inglis always looked threatening but the NRL player of the year Jared Hayne was rarely in the game.

Kangaroos coach Tim Sheens would be disappointed he didn't formulate a gameplan to get Hayne more involved, something he must do next week against England.

But credit must be given to the New Zealand defence and this was a Kiwi performance as good as most of you will ever see.