KEY POINTS:
The Kiwis were a split-second off in their timing as they demolished a solid Tongan side 56-8 at Mt Smart on Saturday and they'll be hoping the same will apply to the Kangaroos in their World Cup clash next Sunday.
While the Kiwis have had the benefit of
runs against NZ Maori and now the strong NRL-based Pacific Island side, the Kangaroos assembled last Friday with the Manly players having spent a week on the booze.
Hooker Cameron Smith has not played for a month due to suspension.
Brisbane players Darius Boyd and Karmichael Hunt, who have a police investigation into sexual assault claims hanging over them, have been called into the squad to replace Justin Hodges and Brett Stewart, who were ruled out late with injury.
They join Matt Cooper and Michael Crocker on the injured list. Other notable absentees are Mark Gasnier, who has gone to rugby union, and Greg Bird, who faces police charges.
The Kiwis likewise are down in strength. Regular captain Roy Asotasi, blockbusting second rower Frank Pritchard and star fullback Brent Webb are injured and Sonny Bill Williams has gone to rugby union.
But on Saturday's showing they have a new game, better than the old reliance on strength and power, with a new dimension in the field kicking department. There was an emphasis on mobility in the forwards and forwards making extra hands in the backline to get the wingers away.
The Kiwis threatened right across the park rather than in their traditional gain area up the middle.
For once, they have options with field kicking, with both Thomas Leuluai and Benji Marshall producing chips to force goal-line drop-outs and Nathan Fien's grubber effective too.
Leuluai and Marshall found length and grass with their kicks thanks to room made by the forward pack. Asotasi's replacement as squad skipper, Nathan Cayless, sat out the match with his knee inflamed after the All Golds game but the injury is not expected to keep him out.
Coach Stephen Kearney started Sam Rapira, who was tough against the Tongans as they came out gang-tackling. Just 21 and with six tests already to his name, he shapes as a great long-term prospect.
Adam Blair also displayed an off-loading game similar to Rapira's.
Lock Jeremy Smith was stand-in captain and showed new dimensions in his attacking game. He was one of those on hand as the Tongans scored their two tries, one early in the second half and one late and both from moves close to the line. But others were there too and Smith's workrate in attack would have taken some gas.
Leuluai and Marshall both directed play well but coach Kearney said later he was looking for more from them.
"We can sharpen, me and the team. I don't think it [the performance] is the finished article."
Leuluai, who has one year still on his contract at Wigan, agreed, saying: "I'm still getting used to the plays [and] ... the time difference."
He agreed he felt more confident in running the Kiwis game now than as an 18-year-old when called up by Daniel Anderson in 2003. "It comes with more games at halfback, it comes with age. I got chucked in young. I've learned a lot since then."
He was disappointed in some aspects of his game. "I bounced off a few tackles and some last-play options were a bit poor. I want to get some more ball in my hands next weekend."
Marshall scored two tries, wing Jason Nightingale two and centre Jerome Ropati three in a 10-try haul, with Krisnan Inu kicking goals from the sidelines.
Warriors wing Manu Vatuvei and utility Lance Hohaia both sat out with hamstring twinges but they are sure starters so Kearney must push three players back. The likely ones, who did nothing wrong on Saturday, would be young hooker Isaac Luke because of his lack of experience especially against Australia, Sika Manu who is yet to debut and one of the wingers, Nightingale or Inu. Nightingale had the edge in his all-round performance on Saturday. So if Inu goes, another goal kicker must be found but there are options in Steve Matai and Hohaia.
Former captain Ruben Wiki, who ran water during the game, said he had noticed an improvement since the New Plymouth match and expected another big step up as the intensity of the Sydney game approached. "The match fitness is showing."
There were multiple breakdowns on Saturday as the timing was sometimes awry. But the two runs will undoubtedly help that click.
"We'd go good for three or four sets and then slip up," said second rower Simon Mannering. "So there's improvement there and we should find that this week."
The Tongans had provided a good workout, attacking hard to start the second half and forcing the Kiwis to scramble, he said. "We never felt like we were in an easy game."
But at times it looked easy, the 22-0 half-time lead jumping with tries at 53m, 58m, 61m, 65m and 68m.
"The whole side was really good, everyone played their roles," said Kearney. But he had demanded a strong start to the second half and the Tongans got the better of that period. "So that was disappointing."
The Kiwis had no major injury concerns. Matai rubbed and flexed the right shoulder which has bone chips floating but the hit he put on Esi Tonga in the islanders' first set of six suggested he'll scare opponents.
Sam Perrett was solid at fullback.
All-round, the Kiwis look more balanced than for many years. If Marshall hits peak form they can beat anyone and Australia next Sunday shape as an early chance, two hit-outs in preparation against none perhaps the edge.
The Papua New Guinea squad were split in two at Port Moresby airport when eight players were denied boarding because visas were not up to date.
Coach Adrian Lam wept as he told a farewell crowd he had spent three hours arguing with World Cup officials to take PNG out of the "pool of death" with Australia, New Zealand and England but faced deaf ears.
Lam, who captained PNG to their best World Cup performance when they made the quarter-finals in 2000, said they would give their all against the English at Townsville on Saturday.
He expected a public holiday would be declared if they got one win.
