New Vodafone Warriors signing Peta Hiku selection is among a host of changes head coach David Kidwell has made for the Kiwis' second RLWC2017 pool match against Scotland at AMI Stadium in Christchurch on Saturday (5.00pm kick-off).
Hiku comes onto the wing as one of seven changes to the playing 17 used in Saturday's 38-8 win against Toa Samoa in Auckland.
Both wings who lined up against Samoa - Jordan Rapana and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak - are sitting it out this week although they're both included on the extended eight-man bench.
Also missing are standoff Kodi Nikorima, injured centre Gerard Beale, hooker Thomas Leuluai, back rower Simon Mannering and debutant interchange forward Issac Liu.
Hiku is joined by veteran Jason Nightingale as the starting wings, Dean Whare comes into the centres and Te Maire Martin partners Shaun Johnson in the halves. In the forwards Elijah Taylor replaces Leuluai as the starting hooker and Kenny Bromwich is in the second row after being named to face Samoa before being ruled out with injury. The only change among the four interchange players is Manly prop Addin Fonua-Blake, who comes in for Liu to make his debut.
It means all 24 players in the squad are set to make at least one appearance in the Kiwis' first two matches before they face Mate Ma'a Tonga in Hamilton on November 11.
Fonua-Blake's inclusion means yet another 2014 Junior Kiwi has graduated to play for New Zealand at Test level. He was in the side which beat the Junior Kangaroos 15-14 at Mount Smart Stadium along with Martin, Nikorima, Joseph Tapine, Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Danny Levi.
The players not included in the 21-man extended squad are Liu and Nikorima along with the injured Beale.
The Bravehearts famously held the Kiwis to an 18-18 draw when the two sides met in the Four Nations in Workington last year.
RLWC2017 | NEW ZEALAND KIWIS v SCOTLAND BRAVEHEARTS
5.00pm, Saturday, November 4
AMI Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland
NEW ZEALAND KIWIS
(Kiwi numbers in brackets)
1 ROGER TUIVASA-SHECK (#779) 13 Tests
2 JASON NIGHTINGALE (#747) 32 Tests
3 DEAN WHARE (#776) 16 Tests
4 BRAD TAKAIRANGI (#803) 1 Test
5 PETA HIKU (#781) 9 Tests
6 TE MAIRE MARTIN (#802) 1 Test
7 SHAUN JOHNSON (#774) 22 Tests
8 MARTIN TAUPAU (#785) 17 Tests
9 ELIJAH TAYLOR (#770) 10 Tests
10 JARED WAEREA-HARGREAVES (#755) 20 Tests
11 KENNY BROMWICH (#796) 2 Tests
12 JOSEPH TAPINE (#800) 3 Tests
13 ADAM BLAIR (#732) 42 Tests (c)
Interchange:
14 NELSON ASOFA-SOLOMONA (804) 1 Test
15 RUSSELL PACKER (#768) 4 Tests
16 ADDIN FONUA-BLAKE (Debut)
17 DANNY LEVI (#806) 1 Test
18 THOMAS LEULUAI (#704) 39 Tests
19 DALLIN WATENE-ZELEZNIAK (#794) 4 Tests
20 SIMON MANNERING (#731) 43 Tests
21 JORDAN RAPANA (#798) 6 Tests
HEAD COACH | DAVID KIDWELL
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