Australia Kangaroos 12
New Zealand Kiwis 26
Australia and New Zealand will collide for the 130th time at Suncorp Stadium in the annual Anzac Test on Friday night. Join The Roar from 7.50pm (AEST) for live scores and coverage.
The Australia Kangaroos will look to improve on a poor finish to 2014 in their only Test in 2015. Kangaroos coach Tim Sheens has selected a side full of some of Australia’s oldest veterans and next generation, bringing in four debutants.
Sheens will look to retain Australia’s number one ranking with a win and will hope to restore his country to their winning days, which they seemed to forget during last year’s Four Nations.
The New Zealand Kiwis are the defending Four Nations champions and have won their last two encounters with the Kangaroos. Coach Stephen Kearney has selected an experienced side featuring only one debutant.
New Zealand are not far off stealing Australia’s number one ranking and with a win they could open the race in a battle to be the world’s best. Unlike the Aussies, New Zealand will use this Anzac Test not only to prove themselves as the better country but also in preparation for the upcoming Baskerville Shield series to take place in England at the end of 2015.
Both countries have chosen to bulk up their forward packs in preparation for Friday night’s match in what shapes up to be a battle in the middle of the field. Australia’s forward pack weighs in at 958 kilograms (average of 106kg) with New Zealand weighing in at 961 kilograms (average of 107kg), making both forward packs fairly even. Outside of the forwards, however, the Kiwi’s experienced backline are set to shut down Australia’s young, inexperienced outside backs.
Five players are set to debut in the Anzac Test, four of those playing for Australia – Alex Johnston (South Sydney Rabbitohs), William Chambers (Melbourne Storm), Josh Dugan and Trent Merrin (both St George Illawarra Dragons). Kodi Nikorima (Brisbane Broncos) is the only Kiwis debutant replacing Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (Penrith Panthers).
Michael Jennings (Sydney Roosters) comes into the side for Billy Slater (Melbourne Storm) due to injury. Both Tim Sheens and Stephen Kearney have brought change into their national teams with Australia making ten swaps and New Zealand making four.
Australia and New Zealand have played on 129 occasions with Australia winning 95 and New Zealand 31 for three draws. Last time the two teams met the New Zealand Kiwis defeated a young Kangaroos side 22-18 at Westpac Stadium in the Four Nations final. However, both Sheens and Kearney have elected to chop and change their teams since last November.
Prediction: Australia by four
Join The Roar from 7.50pm (AEST) for live score updates and debate in our live blog.
CW
Guest
Thoroughly agree with your last para Hayley. Yes the game needs to expand globally. To have only two Northern Hemisphere teams and two Southern hemisphere team slug it out every year is frankly, laughable. Rugby and soccer are global games. League should be also. Did anyone know that Sweden and Russia play league? In fact they have quite large competitions there. Sweden play other Scandinavian countries for the Nordic Cup. I would like to see administrators further develop the infrastructure in some of these minnow European league nations. To start the ball rolling. The three Pacific Island nations Fiji, Tonga and Samoa should be given full test status. By playing the strongest nations they will only improve.
CW
Guest
Pickett I fully agree with your first statement. We are in the minority when we say that the SOO no longer holds the importance it once held. I will go so far as to say. It is past its used by date. Not only that but it is bloody disruptive to the premiership proper. Play them as stand alone games or dump two and play just the one.
CW
Guest
Pickett I fully agree with your first statement. We are in the minority when we say that the SOO no longer holds the importance it once held. I will go so far as to say. It is past its used by date.
CW
Guest
The Kiwis can have him. We have plenty of home grown talent ready to do a Kangaroo jumper proud.
CW
Guest
Johnno is merely saying that Australian league is in good hands. Remember also that NZ league has improved immeasureably since they have been part of the NRL. Could say Australia has given them a massive leg up.
clipper
Guest
Apart from Mike Pyke and a few others, but I think it's safe to say it's a fair way off having something a NZ born vs Australia born NRL contest.
Peter Preston
Guest
I reported my opinion previously about Thurston - speedhump. He is the most pathetic defencive half to play at this level but gets away with it because of his seemingly endless cheer squad - Thurston is a hero when everyone else does the hard work during NRL games - when he is exposed at this level when his protection is nullified we see the real Thurston - a good player but in my opinion would not rate in the best 10 halfbacks I have seen. Apart from Smith not one player in that squad would make the state of orgin side from 1980 until 2002. The forwards today are unfit bludgers - the vast majority only play 20 mins a game - stand at the play the ball trot to the defencive line and go down. Try playing against Sironen Blocker Roach or Greg Dowling and the other killer forwards of the 80's and 90's for a full 80min. As for faster - another load - in 1936 Jessie Owens ran 10.3 to win the 100 yards (10.45 in metres time) in 2014 olympic 100 metres was 9.6 - in 78 years only .7 of a second improvement are we to beleive that somehow league players were snalils and now they are magically faster - sick of the hype - get back to facts and reality - current kangaroos are overated overpaid and have no do or die Aussie spirit
steveng
Roar Rookie
I wouldn't wrap NZ that much, the Roos didn't take advantage of the mistakes that NZ made in the second half. Yes NZ were great in defence (don't forget NZ didn't score 1 point in the second half) but they made some very fundamental mistakes that a good side would have made them pay for it and would have won. There were a few mistakes and a few injuries in the selection of the Roos side and with all that sorted out I can't see the Roos being beaten again by NZ, also if we start to take this contest fair dinkum like the SOO.
Benedict Arnold
Guest
I noticed that 40-20s produced in the international matches revert back to the scrum formation as that is still how it is in the international rules book. No tap from the 20. Can anybody confirm it is the same for the 20 metre restart after kicking the ball dead and receiving 6 tackles? I thought it was 5 like it used to be before the NRL changed the rules for telstra premiership. Because there were a couple of instances last night where sutton gave teams a set of six instead of the traditional 5. Would love to know the answer.
Renegade
Roar Guru
Muzz, None of those generation next players excite me .... Long way behind the youngsters in the NZ and England teams.
WA observer
Guest
Watched the game, not sure what the hype is about, we'll done NZ, but it seemed to me that they get their training and finance from playing all year in Australia, then show their true colours against us. Time to fill NRL teams with local talent, send the 547 visas home and see how it all goes when players have their hearts on their sleeves. o well, think I will watch the AFL again , no imports so far.
Muzz
Guest
Australia are still currently ranked number 1 in the world. So if where using your logic - Origin hasn't lost any of it's gloss today.The best players in the world come from a combination of the NSW and QLD Origin teams. One question still remains. If NSW are the current SOO champions and QLD are all class, who are the real "hacks" in this equation? lol
Adsa
Guest
Mal?
Jackson Henry
Roar Guru
Not even close.
Adsa
Guest
On ya Digger, great game by Kiwis!
xavialonso
Roar Rookie
I may have been disrespectful calling all Origin players "hacks". For that thoughtless comment I apologize sincerely. I should've said all NSW Origin players from the past ten years are all hacks. Queensland players are always class for mine. But my point remains. If NZ have the best players currently, then the Origin series isn't entirely the best vs the best as Gus Gould and CH9 would have you believe. Apart from legends like Inglis, Slater, Thurston, and Smith, you can't call the other players from both states the best at their positions in the world. And that's why Origin today loses the gloss it had from past eras when all the best players were from either of the two states. Today, in terms of talent NZ have more quality in the ranks considering they have a smaller pool of players. And many of their players are the best or are close to being the best in the world like Bromwich, Johnson, RTS, Luke,etc. This is a huge achievement for a country dominated by Rugby.
Wii
Guest
That's because Australia is throwing money at them and wil, draft them like they did Tamou, Hunt and a few other kiwi eligible players into SOO. I find it ludicrous that Tamou especially is playing for the Kangaroos then again after tonight's performance it may have been a stroke of darn good luck for the Kiwis. Uate and co will be able to play Origin then switch back to their countries. Sadly International League is still a way down the pecking order. The sooner New Zealand and the Islands get their own version of Origin going the better. As it stands everything is stacked to benefit Australia. Just think ho good NZ and the Islandcould be if they too were playing city vs country matches this weekend and then running a Island of Origin series in NZ at the same time Origin is played. NZO kick off at 6pm OZ EST and then SOO kicking off at 8pm now that would be epic.
Jackson Henry
Roar Guru
Agree. Like a million percent.
Wii
Guest
They won by 2 points playing at home....... Not to mention having the luxury of being able to draw from a much larger player base. Just remember the Junior Kiwis can improve as well
Johnno
Guest
Either way Elijah Taylor would be part of the wider 25-man squad, injuries happen all the time etc. And in form he's as good as Procter and Tohu Harris. Hargaves has been the form NRL prop this year as good as Bromwich/Matulino/Moa etc