League: Kiwis don't give an inch

By PETER JESSUP


The tight in-goal areas painted on the North Harbour Stadium pitch for today's test against Australia give a good indication of the Kiwis' game-plan.

International rules require the dead-ball line to be between 6m and 10m from the goal-line.

At North Harbour it is the minimum, not a blade of grass more, to defeat the array of tactical kickers the Kangaroos might use when they get to the scoring zone.

Darren Lockyer, Craig Gower, Craig Wing and Shaun Berrigan are all adept at pushing through chips, grubbers and high balls that drop on wingers and it's a tactic the Kangaroos are sure to press.

They will also bomb short wing Matt Utai because that worked for the Cowboys, and Matt Sing will again try to climb over Utai to score tries like the three he got against the Bulldogs in the upset win to North Queensland in the NRL playoffs.

The Australians will fancy they have an advantage in the halves given Lockyer's class and Gower's experience and range of abilities, against lock/centre Vinnie Anderson, who does not have a kicking game, and Thomas Leuluai, who is again fresh out of Bartercard Cup.

The Kangaroos will use their speed advantage across the field to press any opportunities granted them in the middle of the park, and the Kiwis cannot afford to make errors and allow gift turnovers, especially in their own half.

They might kick early in the tackle count to find the gap between fullback Brent Webb, whose attacking positional play is better than his defensive, and the Kiwis' big forwards, turning them around and getting shock ground-gain from quick play-the-balls.

But it is those same big Kiwi forwards that the Australians will fear.

Every one of the New Zealanders in the pack is a ball-player, with Ruben Wiki and both Cayless brothers, Jason and Nathan at prop, able to deliver safe off-loads, to Sonny Bill Williams at lock who has silky off-load skills, offering an average four a game in the finals series.

And from prop to lock they have players who dent the line to create momentum by pushing the opposition on to the back foot for the 10m retreat.

Referee Russell Smith will be used to the fast game in Super League, and laying around in the tackle can be expected to attract penalties; the Australians seem to have had more trouble coping with this than the Kiwis in recent times. A big 10 metres might give the visitors more advantage, via speed.

The Kiwis do not have players to match the pace of Kangaroo fullback Anthony Minichiello and winger Sing, nor the acceleration from the mark of utility Wing.

They cannot allow breaks, they must provide a good kick-chase to attack Minichiello and the wings and limit the kick-return.

If they can drain the Kangaroos up front they will put themselves in a position to win.

Restrict their ground-gain in sets from tackle one, offer poor field position from which to kick at a short in-goal and they put themselves in with a chance.

The Kiwis will play to their attacking strengths in the middle of the park, with smashing advance, off-loads and back-up from Brent Webb and Nigel Vagana at speed.

The incisions will have to be made around the ruck and scrum.

But the opening is sure to be torrid, and for that reason the players most able to provide that incision, teenagers Leuluai and Williams, who are listed to start, may be held out of the conflict early for the more experienced Motu Tony and Nathan Cayless, who are listed to come from the interchange.

If they can make the busts, the tries may again come from the centres, with Nigel Vagana the classiest finisher on the field and Paul Whatuira having gained a psychological advantage in shutting down Willie Tonga in the Panthers-Bulldogs playoff.

There are intriguing match-ups. Sing might have the speed/takeoff advantage but Utai has it in power; 1.87m and 100kg Francis Meli against 1.92m 98kg Luke Rooney on the other side of the field; the whole Kiwi pack against Willie Mason.

Mason is the biggest guy on the field, but he will not make the 232m gain he got in the grand final as he gets hit by the Kiwi pack's intensity. Leuluai is the smallest, and he's the player the Kangaroos will be looking to run at repeatedly.

The Aussies sport five grand final players and 15 who had at least one game in the NRL playoffs.

The home team has four from the grand final and nine from the playoffs.

The Kiwis have valuable leadership from skipper Ruben Wiki at prop to Vagana in the midfield and former captain Nathan Cayless off the bench. This is not a team likely to fold.

With their all-up test record over New Zealand of 75-26 and one draw, the Aussies have to be favourites. But not heavy ones.

The TAB odds of $3.70 to $1.25 are too wide.

At Centrebet it is A$4 to $1.23.

The home team have enjoyed a smooth, solid build-up for the week.

The Kangaroos were in Townsville last Saturday to play Papua New Guinea, then in Sydney in 30-degree-plus heat this week, and flew in close to midnight on Thursday and had a practice yesterday.