Issac Luke: Kiwis have no regrets

Issac Luke of New Zealand and his team-mates look on during the International Rugby League Test Series match between England and New Zealand. Photo / Getty Images.

Issac Luke is not one for if, buts and maybes.

In the immediate aftermath of the Kiwis 20-14 loss to England today, it felt like the New Zealand side had missed a great opportunity. Not just to take a rare series win in this country, but also to maintain a psychological stranglehold over their rivals.

If this young Kiwis team - missing a clutch of top drawer players - had bested England on their home soil it would do serious damage to England's physche. Their players would have been thinking, `if we can't beat this team now, then when will we?' It may also have raised questions over coach Steve McNamara's role.

And with more discipline, a touch more execution, a dash more composure and a bit more passion, the Kiwis probably would have won. But Luke isn't looking back.

"We walked into the game having no regrets...and we walked out of the game with no regrets," said the Kiwis co-captain. "We left it till late but that is the kind of footy we showed we are capable of. It's something that we are disappointed about, but we credit England's performance."

England deserve a lot of praise. They were far from their best with ball in hand today - and their backline continued their try scoring drought in this series - but they demonstrated the famed Bulldog spirit. `Thou shall not pass' was the attitude as the Kiwis mounted regular attacks on either side of half time break, with England always finding a way to stop them.

Maybe it was just down to raw desire, after narrow defeats in the 2013 World Cup and the 2014 Four Nations and no major trophies since 2007.

"It is hard to put my finger on one thing," said Luke. "But building pressure is the key to winning test matches these days and it was outstanding defence by England, it was really hard to across their line."

However, despite the defeat and its implications, the Kiwis co-captain was upbeat about the future, with the Four Nations tournament in the Northern Hemisphere next year followed by the 2017 World Cup.

"We [are] building a great team and a great legacy with the Kiwis," said Luke. "We can continue to do that. We are not going to drop our heads; we are going to carry on how we are and we have great depth in our team."

Luke will take a short break in the United States ("I'm taking my babies to see Disneyland") before returning to New Zealand for his next big assignment. Breathing new life in the Warriors.

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