KEY POINTS:
In just his second test as Kiwis captain in Wellington on Sunday Roy Asotasi will lead out the youngest team to face Australia.
With six new caps and an average age of 24 years, six months, and after the test retirements of veterans Ruben Wiki, Stacey Jones and Nigel Vagana, new coach Gary Kemble is banking on enthusiasm and looking to unleash the young excitement machines.
Asotasi is confident they'll put up a good show. The coaching staff and senior players had spoken about helping the new boys through their first test experience, Asotasi said.
"It is a team picked on form and that's a rarity for the Kiwis," he said. "Usually there's some players carrying injury, some of the regulars missing out. Nearly all this team has been playing finals football. As the captain, that gives you a lot of confidence."
The 17 individuals had all been playing well consistently. Eels fullback Krisnan Inu and Bulldogs half Ben Roberts had gone on from their Anzac test starts in May to cement first-grade places. Debutantes Fuifui Moimoi and Taniela Tuiaki had been in outstanding form for their clubs.
"It's the start of a new era. You're going to see some of these faces around for a long time," said Asotasi.
"The Aussies have lost a few players, so have we. It's a good opportunity for us to build and extending the number of Kiwis will just increase the pressure on players to hold their place. That's going to improve the team performance."
The Aussies also field a young team, their second-youngest, eight new caps and five of those in the backline. The team's average age is 25 years 2 months - the backline average is just 22 years. Their captain Cameron Smith said if you'd told him at the start of the year he'd be in Wellington leading the Kangaroos he'd have given that "a snowball's chance in hell".
His players were also all in form and most had come from finals play. They knew they had a job to stop the big Kiwis forwards and the way to victory was to take their go-forward away from them. "No way through the forwards" was their mantra.
The Kangaroos were to have a day off on Wednesday and to train yesterday but they reversed that, running at Evans Bay Park late on Wednesday. The build-up has been unusually sedate, Kemble clearly keen not to give the Aussies anything they might use as ammunition and Kangaroos coach Ricky Stuart unusually quiet and measured in his comments.
Ticket sales have started to gather momentum with around 10,000 sold. The last tests in Wellington in 2001 and 2002 attracted around 25,000. The Kiwis have not won here since a 12-11 victory in 1953 and Stuart has won all five tests between the sides since he was appointed.
