League: Will the Kiwis make history with series win?

Issac Luke in action during the International Rugby League Test Series match between England and New Zealand. Photo / Getty Images

The Kiwis will need to make history on two fronts to achieve a series win today against England.

New Zealand has never won a test match in Wigan - in more than a century of trying - and the Kiwis are also yet to come back from one down to win a series in England.

The north east town, nestled just west of Manchester and east of Liverpool has always been an English league stronghold - and a place of misery for visiting New Zealand teams.

Indeed, searching for New Zealand success in Wigan is about as likely as finding an introvert at a selfie convention. It's a town of pies, the Pier, an unusual dialect and Kiwis test defeats.

Since the first encounter back in 1908 the Kiwis have played England or Great Britain nine times here and have yet to finish on the right side of the scoreboard.

Ominously ahead of tomorrow, four of those nine matches have been in the third test of a series.

The first clash, played before 10,000 people on 11 January 1908, was won 18-16 by England.

The Kiwis lost again in 1926 (28-20) before Bill `Snow' Telford's team were held to a 9-9 in the third test of the 1965 series.

In 1980 the touring side, which featured many young players who would go on to be household names like Mark Graham, James Leuluai and Fred Ah Kuoi, played the first test in Wigan, were pegged back from an early lead for 14-14 draw.

The next three tours all featured tests in Wigan - but all were dates with despair. In 1985 Graham Lowe's team achieved a thrilling 24-22 win in the first test (in Leeds) only to come crashing back to earth with a 25-8 loss in Wigan, with Garry Schofield crossing for four tries.

In 1989 Tony Gordon's squad played the third test of that tour at Central Park and came up short, losing the test 10-6 and the series.

Four years later came the nadir of Kiwis matches in Wigan. Howie Tamati's team crashed to a 29-12 defeat, becoming the first team since 1965 to lose the first two tests of a series.

Tamati was so incensed with the performance he dropped his captain (Gary Freeman) and vice-captain (Duane Mann) for the third test but it made little difference as the Kiwis were defeated heavily again (29-10) in Leeds.

The Kiwis also lost the third test there in Wigan in 2002 (16-10), and the final match on the ill-fated 2007 tour, to seal a 3-0 whitewash.

"It's an intimidating place to play," said former Warriors fullback and long-time Wigan favourite Sam Tomkins.

"The crowd are incredibly passionate and so close to the action; the noise they can make is unbelievable. I've always been on the home side there, so I can't imagine what it is like to face them."

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