KEY POINTS:
Kiwi coach Steve Kearney is playing his cards close to his chest and keeping the make-up of his team for the World Cup semifinal against England in Brisbane on Saturday under wraps.
Australia and Fiji, who square off in the other semifinal in Sydney on Sunday, have named
their line-ups, including their starting 13s.
Last week, in the build-up to the Kiwis' pool fixture with the English, England coach Tony Smith didn't finalise his side until late in the piece.
Kearney yesterday said that wasn't the reason he was delaying his announcement this time around.
"It's got nothing to do with England," he said.
"It's more how we are thinking, and what we think is going to work on Saturday night."
Kearney said England would be a different proposition from the team beaten 36-24 in Newcastle, where the likes of frontliners Abe Gardner, Leon Pryce, Danny McGuire, James Roby and James Graham were rested.
St Helens prop Graham, he noted, was the English Super League's Man of Steel, or player of the season, this year.
"James Roby is a wonderful player and Pryce will make a difference," he said.
"What the lads achieved last week is going to be doubly hard this week. They're aware of that, there's no doubt about that."
Kearney said the pool win over England, when the Kiwis turned around a 24-8 deficit and kept the opposition scoreless from the 28th minute on, had given his players a lift.
"The second half was a confidence booster in the sense that we stuck to a structure that we thought would be effective for us and it was."
However, the slow start they made both that night and against Australia in the tournament opener was an issue that had to be addressed.
The players had been made aware of that and the need to take the right tactical options in the opening 15 minutes.
Injured Kiwi centre Steve Matai will miss the semifinal but hasn't been ruled out of the final if New Zealand get that far.
Matai flew to Sydney yesterday to see a specialist for a second opinion over the injury he suffered in the pool match against the English in Newcastle last weekend.
Kearney said Matai was out of the equation for the semifinal in Brisbane.
But no decision had been made about his availability next week if the Kiwis reach the tournament decider.
"I know you can count him out for this weekend," Kearney said.
"But until we get the report back from the specialist, we won't be making any decisions about next week."
Kearney said Matai was flown to Sydney at Manly's request.
The 24-year-old Aucklander had come into the World Cup having played through the Sea Eagles' run to the National Rugby League title with neck and shoulder problems.
Manly's football manager Steve Gigg said New Zealand had been co-operative over the visit to the specialist.
- NZPA
