Kiwis players Jeremy Marshall-King, Jordan Rapana and Kieran Foran reveal where they will improve on and how they're approaching the clash with Jamaica at the Rugby League World Cup in Hull, England. Video / NZRL
The Kiwis have made a scrappy start to their World Cup campaign, with an untidy 34-12 victory over Lebanon today.
While the final scoreline looked emphatic, New Zealand took a long time to get going, frustrated by errors and a misfiring attack, that coach Michael Maguire labelled "clunky".
The Cedars were prohibitive underdogs - $34.00 outsiders at the Australian TAB – but put up a spirited effort, holding the Kiwis to 18-12 with less than 30 minutes to play.
They even came close to drawing level, before two moments of Joseph Manu magic broke the game open, as the Kiwis crossed for two quick tries.
Lebanon also played the final quarter short handed, with Adam Doueihi sent off for dissent, but New Zealand couldn't really profit.
The performance underlined the importance of Hughes – arguably the Kiwis most valuable player – and the gamble in not having someone like Shaun Johnson in England as a back up halfback.
Some level of rust is understandable, given the Kiwis have barely played over the last three years, but they will need to improve considerably over the next few weeks.
On the bonus side, there were no serious injuries and they have two more pool matches (Jamaica and Ireland) to finetune their work before the knockout stages.
The Kiwis made two changes to their named lineup, after Hughes (thigh) and Moses Leota (groin) were late withdrawals. Foran came into halfback, with Jeremy Marshall-King and Marata Niukore promoted to the bench.
Lebanon surprised from the start, opening the scoring from the first set. They had caught the Kiwis napping, regathering their own short kick-off, before Josh Mansour crossed in the corner, following a Mitchell Moses grubber. It needed confirmation from the video referee, who ruled the Kiwis had stripped the ball in the tackle, as it came free before Mansour pounced.
New Zealand's Joseph Tapine is tackled by during the side's opening World Cup clash against Lebanon. Photosport
Kenny Bromwich replied a few minutes later – forcing his way over after Manu had attracted multiple defenders – but it was a sluggish start from the Kiwis, with Maguire saying after the match they lacked early intensity.
They made four errors in the first 10 minutes, gave up a couple of penalties and also burned an early captain's challenge.
Lebanon were smart, with some unorthodox tactics, including two rugby union style short kickoffs. They also benefitted from the long kicking game of Moses and scrambled superbly on defence, covering well on both flanks.
It took 25 minutes for the New Zealand to take the lead, with Nelson Asofa-Solomona diving over near the posts after a superb Brandon Smith offload, when the hooker looked completely locked up by three defenders.
The Kiwis started to lift from there – with more momentum and pace through the ruck – and Peta Hiku crossed from close range, after Manu had again created problems.
That should have been the platform to launch, but it didn't really happen, as the Kiwis tried to push passes that weren't really on, instead of being patient and building pressure and a ball thrown over the sideline just before the interval summed up their frustration.
That continued early in the second half, when Lebanon scored their second try through winger Abbas Miski, a well executed move on the left flank, after a superb Adam Doueihi 40-20 kick.
New Zealand's Dylan Brown heads in for a try against Lebanon. Photosport
For a moment it looked precarious for the Kiwis, as Lebanon came very close to scoring again, only just cleaning up near their line, after a long range attack from the Cedars.
That could have made it 18-18 – with the Kiwis wobbling a bit – before Manu took control of the game. First, he beat four defenders, from a standing start, to set up Brown to finish under the posts.
Manu upped the ante on the next attacking set, with the try of the tournament so far. He shrugged over two defenders, regathered his own chip then beat three more players, with dazzling balance and strength.
That gave New Zealand breathing space, and then they had more with Rapana getting across in the corner, after Doueihi was dismissed for dissent.
But the Kiwis failed to make the most of the numerical advantage, unable to manufacture anything of note in the final 15 minutes as their attacking jitters continued.
Kiwis 34 (Kenny Bromwich, Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Peta Hiku, Dylan Brown, Joseph Manu, Jordan Rapana tries; Jordan Rapana 5 cons) Lebanon 12 (Josh Mansour, Abbas Miski try; Mitchell Moses 2 cons) Halftime 18-6
