Five players have been selected to make their test debuts for the Kiwis in their upcoming Pacific Championships clash against the Kangaroos.
Apollo Projects Stadium in Christchurch will on Sunday see Gold Coast fullback Keano Kini, Melbourne winger William Warbrick, Newcastle hooker Phoenix Crossland, Brisbane second rower Jordan Riki, and Sydney Roosters forward Naufahu Whyte donning the New Zealand jersey for the first time at test level.
While Crossland is in a New Zealand camp for the first time, Kini and Whyte were non-playing members of the Kiwis’ title-winning Pacific Championships squad last year, Riki was in New Zealand’s mid-year test squad in 2022 and Warbrick played for the Kiwis A team against Tonga A last season.
Warbrick becomes a triple international after impressing with 32 tries in 49 matches in his first two seasons in the NRL. The 26-year-old was first a New Zealand representative in Australian Rules football, before becoming a rugby union international with the All Blacks Sevens, claiming a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Christchurch-raised Riki, named on the bench for his debut, is one of five players with South Island connections.
