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Australia’s rugby league team will be looking to avoid a sense of deja vu when they meet New Zealand in their opening Four Nations match.
England’s Steve Ganson, Super League’s leading referee, will be in charge of the clash at London’s Twickenham Stoop on Saturday (Sunday morning AEDT).
The Kiwis upset Australia 34-20 to win last year’s World Cup after Ganson awarded the visitors a penalty try with 10 minutes remaining in the final at Suncorp Stadium.
Ganson, the video referee for that match, ruled Australian winger Joel Monaghan had taken out Lance Hohaia as he chased through a Benji Marshall grubber.
But Australian fullback Billy Slater’s proximity to the incident left some doubt as to whether the Kiwi No.1 would have got to the ball first.
Kangaroos centre Justin Hodges missed the World Cup final through injury but said, while the pain of that defeat remained with the Australian squad, they were looking ahead.
“That’s history now, but hopefully we won’t get ourselves in that same situation,” Hodges said.
“Hopefully we can go out there and play hard.
“We’re expecting big things from them, they’re world champions, and we know they’re going to come out hard.”
Hodges was man of the match in Australia’s 28-point revenge rout of the Kiwis in May.
Speaking after Australia’s first full training session since arriving in London last weekend, Hodges said on Tuesday he and his team-mates were finally overcoming jetlag.
“Everyone’s feeling good,” he said.
“We trained pretty well actually.”
Ganson will have Clint Sharrad (England) and Jose Pereira (France) as his touch-judges on Saturday.
Ian Smith will be the video referee.
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