Former One New Zealand Warriors playmaker Kieran Foran is named at hooker in an unchanged side for the New Zealand Kiwis’ Pacific Championships contest against the Kangaroos at AAMI Park in Melbourne on Saturday night (8.10pm kick-off local time).
He’s listed in the #9 jersey this week after being selected in the #14 shirt but starting at dummy half in the Kiwis’ commanding 50-0 victory over Toa Samoa at Eden Park last Saturday.
The 33-year-old 282-game NRL veteran is set for his 30th Test since his debut as a 19-year-old against England in the 2009 Four Nations in Huddersfield.
With frontline hookers unavailable, Kiwi head coach Michael Maguire called on halfback Foran to fill the void at dummy half.
He responded with a courageous display in an unbroken 58-minute shift, finishing the encounter with 52 metres from eight runs and 31 tackles as he fronted up to the Samoans in the middle of the park.
“Kieran put his head in the middle against Samoa and did such a great job for the team,” said Kiwi head coach Michael Maguire.
“He’s a hugely passionate Kiwi who has been in this space for 14 years and he’d die for his teammates. He loves the jersey.”
One New Zealand Warriors fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad again starts in the #1 jersey while another ex-Warrior Isaiah Papali’i is again in the second row.
The Kiwis’ win over Samoa followed Australia’s 38-12 victory over the beaten Rugby League World Cup finalist on October 14 ensuring the Trans-Tasman neighbours will meet in the final at FMG Waikato Stadium in Hamilton on November 4.
First they face off in just the fourth Test between the two countries in the Victorian capital.
The first was in 1991 when the New Zealanders famously stunned the Australians 24-8 at Olympic Park.
They met at Melbourne’s Telstra Dome in the 2006 Tri Nations, the Kiwis leading 15-14 before Australia scored late to win 20-15.
Their last meeting was at AAMI Park in the 2006 Anzac Test when the Kangaroos held on for 12-8 triumph.
NZ KIWIS v KANGAROOS |
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AAMI Park, Melbourne
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| 1 CHARNZE NICOLL-KLOKSTAD #820 2 RONALDO MULITALO #824 3 MATTHEW TIMOKO #832 4 JOSEPH MANU #815 5 JAMAYNE ISAAKO #808 6 DYLAN BROWN #826 7 JAHROME HUGHES #819 8 JAMES FISHER-HARRIS (c) #801 9 KIERAN FORAN #757 10 MOSES LEOTA #827 11 ISAIAH PAPALI’I #817 12 BRITON NIKORA #818 13 JOSEPH TAPINE #800 14 FA’AMANU BROWN #835 15 NELSON ASOFA-SOLOMONA #804 16 GRIFFIN NEAME #834 17 LEO THOMPSON #833 18 NAUFAHU WHYTE Debutant 19 DANNY LEVI #806 20 WIREMU GREIG Debutant 21 KEANO KINI Debutant Head coach | MICHAEL MAGUIRE |
