Trans-Tasman hostilities resume tonight as New Zealand hosts Australia in the traditional Anzac Test at Eden Park. Join us for live scores and commentary from 6.15pm AEST.
The Kangaroos have dominated the mid-year Anzac Test fixture, with their last loss coming way back in 1998 when the match was staged in New Zealand.
14 years later and Australia once again have to travel across the Tasman to take on a Kiwi team boasting some fair talent.
The Kangaroos however continue to make do with the finest rugby league footballers on the planet, led by the awesome foursome of Billy Slater, Cooper Cronk, Johnathon Thurston and Cameron Smith.
Although former captain Darren Lockyer has retired, Australia should still be expected to gel in attack with the preceding players at their disposal.
New Zealand meanwhile comes into this match on the back of some poor form.
After winning the 2010 Four Nations title, the Kiwis failed to defend their title last year, losing comprehensively to England and Australia.
With a vocal Eden Park crowd to cheer them on however, there will be no excuses if New Zealand once again produce a below par showing against the Kangaroos tonight.
Prediction
Australia possesses dangers across the park so New Zealand has to roll up its sleeves and win the forward battle at all costs.
Starting Kiwi props Sam McKendry and Ben Matulino will have to defy their recent form in the NRL and produce career best performances if they are to match Kangaroos big men Paul Gallen and David Shillington.
Gallen in particular is currently the best forward in the NRL so it will be interesting to see how Matulino and McKendry match up against the Sharks and NSW Origin captain.
New Zealand also have to keep errors to a minimum tonight, but this could prove to be a challenge given that second rowers such as Frank Pritchard and Adam Blair like to play their hand in attack.
Both Pritchard and Blair need to play the percentages well tonight and really pick the right moments to force the offloads against a clinical and well structured Kangaroos team.
If New Zealand can simply hang on to possession and complete their sets, it will go a long way to perhaps upsetting the reigning Four Nations champions.
A good performance by the Kiwi forwards will also allow creative players Benji Marshall, Shaun Johnson and Josh Hoffman to come to the fore.
The Kangaroos will have to keep an eye on Hoffman in particular. The Broncos fullback has certified himself as one of the most damaging kick returners in the NRL, so Smith and Thurston will do well to find open space whenever they kick the football.
While New Zealand certainly possesses the talent to trouble Australia tonight, the Kangaroos remain a class above due to their consistency.
The Kangaroos are known for their ability to play for the full eighty minutes while the Kiwis are known to play great football only in patches.
If Australia is allowed to start well early on, then it is no secret that backline superstars Justin Hodges, Greg Inglis, Darius Boyd and Slater will wreck havoc against the Kiwis.
Although the Kangaroos still possess the more balanced team, New Zealand at home should be competitive enough to make a game of this. Whether or not they spring the upset largely depends on whether they are willing to play tough rugby league for the full eighty minutes.
Kangaroos by 8.
Can the Kiwis spring an upset on home turf, or will it be another win for the Kangaroos? It’s international rugby league tonight from 6.15pm AEST and we’ll be covering all of the action with live scores and commentary throughout so if you’re watching, listening or following along, give us a shout in the space below.
clipper
Guest
The NZRL boss Jim Doyle expressed dismay at the poor sales "It's certainly lower than I expected. We budgeted conservatively but it's certainly lower than we were expecting and hoping for.'' They also released 2600 discounted tickets on the voucher website GrabOne.
Emric
Guest
They didn't want to. Ticket sales were so poor until yesterday that they were talking about a max of 30,000 people showing up so 35,000 is a good result.
p.Tah
Guest
Nine are trying really hard to lose the broadcast rights aren't they
Dan
Guest
Cheers Alan wish I had some money on it haha -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.
p.Tah
Guest
why, they don't have to release those tickets in the western stand until the other stands are full? why cap it at 35,000?
katzilla
Roar Guru
Well Shaun Johnson did a hell of a lot more then Benji in this one. How is he supposed to have the confidence to direct play when his mentor doesn't? No wonder the forwards were so tired, plays 3-4 everytime given to a ball playing forward instead of the playmakers.
Whites
Guest
And lock out 5000+ people. They closed the top tiers of the western stand so every other stand was full. Although it was a bit silly Ray Warren talking about the stadium being at capacity when it could have fit another 15,000+ people.
Whites
Guest
Yes. Although they didn't plaster it with wall to wall adds. Each add break only had 2-3 adds.
mfree
Guest
holy moley that pom ref had a shocker lol.
King of the Gorgonites
Roar Guru
Probably better then Sydney, but no sell out. That's for sure. Should have stayed at mt smart.
p.Tah
Guest
35,329
p.Tah
Guest
Did channel 9 delay this into NSW?
King of the Gorgonites
Roar Guru
What was the crowd?
Alan
Roar Guru
Great prediction by the way Dan.... New Zealand 12 Australia 20
Alan
Roar Guru
Australia have once again prevailed in the Anzac Test here against a spirited New Zealand outfit. Not much seperated the teams throughout the contest but the Kangaroos were far more clinical in attack than the Kiwis. New Zealand's attack lacked organisation and structure tonight despite the good performance from Johnson. Marshall was disappointing tonight for New Zealand while Hoffman was very solid in defence for the Kiwis. Australia's spine of Slater, Thurston, Cronk and Smith however looked sharp all night and always threatened everytime they touched the football. Gallen also had a strong game upfront for Australia. Overall, New Zealand still have alot to work on if they are to match their trans-tasman rivals on a regular basis. It was a tight contest though and the result was an accurate reflection of the contest. Thanks for joining us for this live blog and we look forward to your company for City-Country on sunday here on The Roar. FULLTIME: New Zealand 12 Australia 20
Doll
Guest
Thanks loads for the live updates!
Cass
Guest
Cheers for that Alan. Reading all the way from the UK.
Alan
Roar Guru
FULLTIME - New Zealand 12 Australia 20
Alan
Roar Guru
79' - Game has lost intensity now as New Zealand lose possession in the midfield. Australia will pack a scrum and wind down the clock. New Zealand 12 Australia 20
Alan
Roar Guru
78' - Gallen loses possession and New Zealand survive in defence. It appears too little too late now for New Zealand to rescue this match. New Zealand 12 Australia 20