NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport / League

League: Kiwis win Four Nations opener

By Fred Woodcock
NZPA·
23 Oct, 2010 09:03 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Benji Marshall of the Kiwis is tackled by Gareth Ellis of England. Photo / Getty Images

Benji Marshall of the Kiwis is tackled by Gareth Ellis of England. Photo / Getty Images

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Kiwis 24
England 10

New Zealand have one foot in the Four Nations rugby league final while England have one foot on a plane home to London Heathrow after the Kiwis eased to a 24-10 win in the tournament opener tonight.

A blowout beckoned at 18-0 but England hinted
at an unlikely comeback win with two tries in two minures midway through the second half.

It was not to be, however, as the Kiwis held their nerve and delivered a knockout blow when captain Benji Marshall showed his acrobatic skills to dive over in the corner after he had sent Jason Nightingale away down the right wing.

The victory came at a cost with giant wing Manu Vatuvei suffering a confirmed forearm fracture inside three minutes.

The Kiwis outclassed a youthful English side for most of the match.

They played the game at pace and shifted the ball wide as much as possible, finding plenty of space.

An astute kicking game from halves Marshall and Nathan Fien, and hooker Thomas Leuluai, was a feature, as was their bone-jarring defence and the ability to offload in the tackle, with Frank Pritchard and Frank-Paul Nuuausala particularly effective.

It was almost too easy at times but they got a wake-up call when England narrowed the gap to 10-18, dummy half James Roby gathering his own grubber kick to score and fullback Gareth Widdop finishing off a lovely backline move, which started at their own 20m line and featured a bust by centre Michael Shenton.

England must now beat Australia in Melbourne next Sunday to have any chance of making the final.

If they don't, it will be a New Zealand-Australia affair at Brisbane on November 13, provided Papua New Guinea don't chip in with a miracle win.

It was a mixed start for the Kiwis.

They lost dangerman Vatuvei when the big wing made a tackle on Shenton, which forced a reshuffle for the home team with Junior Sa'u moving one spot wider to the wing, versatile second rower Simon Mannering to the centres, and Pritchard into the second row.

But as Vatuvei trudged toward the bench, the Kiwis opened the scoring through Sa'u.

Fien and Leuluai switched roles to create it, Leuluai providing a beautiful cutout pass after Fien had made the right call to go down the blindside from the ruck.

New Zealand stamped their dominance on the rest of the half without cutting loose.

Some poor final-tackle options from the visitors and a pin-point kicking game and good completion rate from the hosts meant most of the play was in England's half.

Centre Shaun Kenny-Dowall and Sa'u crossed the line but were denied, Kenny-Dowall held up and Mannering's final pass to Sa'u ruled forward by the narrowest of margins.

It took until the 34th minute for the Kiwis to add to the score, and it was the play of the match.

An offload inside his own half by Nuuausala put Marshall clear, the standoff boosting away before flicking an inside ball to Nightingale who in turn found fullback Lance Hohaia backing up on the inside.

Kenny-Dowall showed why he was regarded as the best centre in the National Rugby League this season with a brilliant show of strength to score early in the second half, the Roosters centre beating four players from a standing start and crashing over in the tackle of the fifth and sixth to make it 18-0.

New Zealand 24 (Junior Sa'u, Lance Hohaia, Shaun Kenny-Dowall, Benji Marshall tries; Marshall 4 goals) England 10 (James Roby, Gareth Widdop tries; Gareth Widdop goal). Halftime: 12-0.

- NZPA

Discover more

League

League: Kumuls won't test Australia

23 Oct 04:30 PM
League

League: Lockyer wants Island teams in 'Six Nations'

23 Oct 04:30 PM
League

League: Kiwis run England ragged

23 Oct 04:30 PM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from League

Warriors

'One of the great games': Former Warrior and Queenslander's Origin prediction

07 Jul 02:01 AM
Warriors

Warriors outclassed by Roosters in NRLW return

06 Jul 02:30 AM
Sport|league

Juggling jobs and family: Warriors Women tackle challenges of top sport

01 Jul 03:33 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from League

'One of the great games': Former Warrior and Queenslander's Origin prediction

'One of the great games': Former Warrior and Queenslander's Origin prediction

07 Jul 02:01 AM

Kevin Campion discusses Queensland's chances on The Big League Podcast.

Warriors outclassed by Roosters in NRLW return

Warriors outclassed by Roosters in NRLW return

06 Jul 02:30 AM
Juggling jobs and family: Warriors Women tackle challenges of top sport

Juggling jobs and family: Warriors Women tackle challenges of top sport

01 Jul 03:33 AM
Boyd makes case to fill Warriors halfback void following Metcalf injury

Boyd makes case to fill Warriors halfback void following Metcalf injury

30 Jun 11:00 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP