KEY POINTS:
The Kiwis have made four changes ahead of their last game in World Cup pool-play against England on Saturday, a match almost certain to be repeated as a semifinal next weekend.
Team captain Nathan Cayless is rested because he has a repeat of the swollen knee he suffered after playing in the All Golds-Maori celebration game in New Plymouth.
The injury kept him out of just the one match, the cup warm-up against Tonga, and is expected to curtail him for just one game again.
The other changes are made to give everyone an opportunity at some point during the tournament, rather than as reaction to the 30-6 loss to Australia and/or the 48-6 win over the Kumuls, said coach Stephen Kearney.
"With Nathan, we're well aware of what he will give us when he comes back ... He can do with the week off," he said.
So the Warriors' bench prop Evarn Tuimavave starts and is Kiwi player number 751 behind his uncles, Paddy who played two tests against PNG in 1990 and former Warrior Tony who played one test against Australia in 1995.
Jeremy Smith takes over the captaincy as he did against Tonga, when he played a blinder.
Souths' eight-test second rower David Fa'alogo shifts up from the interchange to replace Setaimata Sa who is rested and, with Cayless out, Kearney thought it wise to have the 24-test veteran David Kidwell available off the bench.
The late injury call-up Bronson Harrison from the Tigers plays his first test since debut in 2005, taking Sam Rapira's interchange spot.
"Bronson was great for the Maori side and he's been one of the best trainers in the group," the coach said.
Jason Nightingale gets the left wing that Sam Perrett had against PNG.
"I wanted to make sure I gave Jason a chance, he's not far off being a regular team member," Kearney said. Steve Matai returns at centre and pushes Krisnan Inu out in the only other change in the backline.
Kearney expects England to be a lot smarter defensively at Newcastle on Saturday than they were last weekend in Melbourne.
"I'm not into making predictions but I'm expecting just a couple of points in it," he said.
St Helens prop Maurie Fa'asavalu and bench man Jon Wilkin have been ruled out of the game after suffering injury against Australia. Fa'asavalu is believed to have broken a bone in his hand which may rule him out of the remainder of the tournament.
Second-rower Wilkin sustained facial bruising and will miss this game but is expected to be available for the semifinal against the Kiwis.
England's tiny half James Roby who has made a meal of dummy-half running, said his side is not in a position to relax even though they, too, will cruise to the semifinals like the Kiwis provided the Kangaroos beat PNG.
That expected result will set up a repeat England-New Zealand meeting in Sydney next weekend.
"Most of the lads understand we'll be playing them two weeks in a row," he said. "A win would help us out - lift our confidence. It would ease the nerves a bit and get us into the right frame of mind. For one thing, we have to be more physical in the middle of the park."
THE TEAMS
KIWIS
Lance Hohaia, Jason Nightingale, Steve Matai, Jerome Ropati, Manu Vatuvei, Benji Marshall, Thomas Leuluai, Adam Blair, Nathan Fien, Evarn Tuimavave, Simon Mannering, David Fa'alogo, Jeremy Smith (c). Interchange: Issac Luke, Greg Eastwood, Bronson Harrison, David Kidwell.
ENGLAND SQUAD
Rob Burrow, Mark Calderwood, Gareth Ellis, Martin Gleeson, Mickey Higham, Gareth Hock, Jamie Jones-Buchanan, Jamie Langley, Danny McGuire, Adrian Morley, Jamie Peacock (capt), Leon Pryce, Rob Purdham, Keith Senior, Kevin Sinfield, Lee Smith, Paul Sykes, Paul Wellens, Ben Westwood
