Four Nations Final
Australia vs New Zealand
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Four Nations Final
Australia vs New Zealand
Last Kiwi win means nothing: Kangaroos
Australia are very keen to point out one thing ahead of Saturday's Four Nations final - their last loss to New Zealand means nothing.
The Kiwis' opening round 30-12 thumping of the Kangaroos has been a constant source of chat in the lead up to the tournament decider at Wellington's Westpac Stadium.
The sides will not be much different than those that took Suncorp Stadium three weeks ago as the Kiwis seek to win back the Four Nations crown.
But Australia have been at pains to point out they are a vastly improved and developed side since that heavy, morale-sapping loss.
In that time, Australia have enjoyed a nailbiting win over England in Melbourne and a thumping of Samoa last week in Wollongong.
The Kangaroos won't listen to any talk of psychological scars from that loss, in which the Kiwis totally dominated the middle third of the field.
Australian veteran Corey Parker, for one, insists the Kangaroos side fans have come to know and love, and expect to win, will emerge again on Saturday.
"The last game against New Zealand all means nothing now as we go into this game," Parker said.
"The big difference is we have had three weeks together.
"When we first came into camp there were 11 guys who had no idea of the structure and the system.
"Now I think it is fair to say that from day one to where we are now, we have come a long way as a group and we will be a lot better on Saturday night."
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Kiwi forwards ready to hit Aussies hard
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Melbourne Storm teammates Jesse Bromwich and Kevin Proctor are primed to provide the power up front as the Kiwis hunt back-to-back wins over Australia in Saturday's Four Nations final Wellington.
A dynamic effort through the middle of the park set up New Zealand for their opening 30-12 Four Nations defeat of Australia three weeks ago in Brisbane.
The win was particularly satisfying for Bromwich and Proctor, part of an uncompromising forward pack who hit the Kangaroos hard at Lang Park.
But the duo are well aware of the danger posed by a fired-up Australian team determined to avenge the upset loss.
"I don't think we can dwell on that win against them," Proctor said.
"They're obviously a great side and they can bounce back - they've got the players to do it.
"We've got one up on them this tournament, but that doesn't count for anything if they get us here."
Proctor says it's notable how much the Australians have improved over the past three weeks, with the introduction of players like Ryan Hoffman, Corey Parker, Josh Jackson and David Klemmer providing a real boost.
"I think their completion rate in the Samoa game was outstanding," he said.
"They've got a few new faces in there, so they've got a fresh side and they'll be dangerous all over the park."
Bromwich says the Kiwis are confident they can also lift, with last week's 16-14 win over England in Dunedin showing the ability is there to close out the tight wins - a habit that served the Storm well early this season.
"Grinding a game out like that can only be good for us," he said.
"Our Storm team won a few in a row like that at the start of the year, winning games by one or two points.
"It does become a habit, and it's been good for us."
All three tries against England last week came from the wingers for the Kiwis, but Bromwich says there's no guarantee that success out wide will be repeated against the Kangaroos.
"I'm just a front rower who bashes it up. But we've got some great finishers there, and if we do our jobs correctly in the middle, we might see a bit of that at the weekend."
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Voss: Why the Kiwis can win Four Nations Final
1) The historical stats are against the Kiwis winning the Four Nations Final, right Vossy?
Absolutely … except one.
As you are all aware Australia has dominated the head-to-head battles between the two nations.
After the Kiwis' win in Brisbane three weeks ago the record stands at 95 wins to Australia, 30 to New Zealand and three draws from 128 clashes.
In Wellington, the Kangaroos have won five of seven including a record 58-0 thumping in their most recent meeting in the New Zealand capital in 2007.
On that occasion, Steve Matai was sent from the field in the opening minutes after a high tackle on Mark Gasnier.
New Zealand winning two tests against Australia in the same year is a rare event. It's happened just four times since 1908!
We can narrow that down even further to only three occasions they’ve managed consecutive test victories over the Kangaroos…
However…
The last time New Zealand completed back-to-back Test wins against their arch-rival in the same year was 1953 and the venue was…
Wellington!
2) So, who wins?
I’m tipping New Zealand.
Obviously there could be some mental ‘baggage’ from last year’s World Cup Final at Old Trafford, but the line-ups will be vastly different in Wellington from those that took to the field in the Kangaroos' emphatic 34-2 win.
The Kangaroos have just eight players backing up from the Cup decider. Surprisingly, the Kiwis have even less at seven.
I know I’m throwing plenty of statistics at you this week, but it's interesting to note from the two Tests between the nations this year, the winning side has taken out the second half 18-nil.
I think Saturday night, again we’ll have a tight first half, but I’m not anticipating the home side to fold when the Four Nations trophy is really on the line. And I expect the Kangaroos to find more fight than they did three weeks ago in Brisbane… just not enough.
This has been such a great tournament of Test match rugby league. A close final will be a fitting finish, and that’s exactly what I’m tipping.
The Kiwis by 2.
WATCH the Four Nations Final live with the NRL Digital Pass
3) Who has been the player of the tournament?
With one game to go… Greg Inglis.
And that’s despite the fact GI sat out the second half against New Zealand in Brisbane.
This genuine superstar of our game has come up with plenty of big plays, and his Test try tally has grown.
But I’ll give you a few other nominations.
From the two teams not involved in the decider I thought Samoa’s Josh McGuire was great. Who knew he could be such a good stopgap hooker as well?
For England, Sam Tomkins played the best football I’ve seen from him at this level.
And for the other side in the final, New Zealand, they have had a host of very good contributors. Dean Whare, Kieran Foran, Shaun Johnson, Jesse Bromwich and Adam Blair all deserve a mention.
I considered Blair the man of the match in Dunedin last Saturday night. The Tigers forward has copped plenty of criticism over the last few years, but his game against England was top class.
4) Where did England go wrong?
That’s a frustrating one for their passionate fans.
Look, we could easily have been previewing a final with Steve McNamara’s side in it. They could have won three from three.
Let the post-mortem show that when it really mattered in games against Australia and New Zealand, they just didn’t come up with the points at the finish.
The Kangaroos came from behind to beat them in Melbourne, while the Kiwis showed their late finish skills with their victory over a gallant Samoa.
Individually they had some real success stories. The likes of hooker Daryl Clark are going to be on the Test scene a long time.
The bottom line: England are left to ponder the thought of “maybe next time”. It’s just that “next time” is proving to be a long time coming.
5) What’s the future for Samoa at Test level?
It’s big, but they need equally big support.
And that’s my fear. Every Test they play, and it should be three times more than they have scheduled now, they need all of their eligible players from the NRL on deck.
I wrote in this column last week how I believed an annual Kiwis v Samoa series could run parallel to State of Origin. I was overwhelmed by the positive reaction to the idea. The support of such a concept from fans seems massive.
I think the Whangarei Four Nations Test could be a real watershed moment in the nation’s Test history. However, to build on that success, the announcements of a full schedule of games and big matches needs to be immediate and not a few years down the track.
6) Will be Ben Barba be a success at the Sharks?
I certainly hope so.
If he is, I think all league fans win, and not just those who follow Cronulla.
Lets not forget too quickly what he achieved in his stellar Dally M Medal winning year of 2012. Barba in that form makes you want to watch rugby league.
He was a headline act then … I only hope the headlines he features in next season are all for plenty more on-field magic.
I’ll be in Wellington on Saturday night to call the Four Nations final for Sky Sport NZ and a big international audience.
In Australia, Channel Nine will have the match live.
It’s going to be a cracker.
Giddy Up!
Twitter: @AndrewVossy
Australia v New Zealand
Westpac Stadium
Saturday 6:45pm
With Samoa and England now in the rear view mirror, Australia and New Zealand face off this Saturday in the 2014 Four Nations final at Wellington's Westpac Stadium.
The home side, who enter the final undefeated in this tournament, are certainly better placed having destroyed the Kangaroos three weeks ago before winning tough encounters against Samoa and England.
The Australians have improved since that first-up defeat, regaining their composure with a tight win against England before slaying Samoa last Sunday. With a bit of form behind them and their rookie squad growing in leaps and bounds, the world champions can catch the Kiwis out if taken lightly this weekend.
Coach Tim Sheens has blooded nine debutants throughout Australia's three Tests, but no amount of inexperience measured up to the loss of Daly Cherry-Evans (hip) and Greg Inglis (illness) during their game against New Zealand in the first round.
The Kiwis, despite their winning ways, will need to find another gear if they are to overpower the control and poise of the Australian spine. They will have to make do without hooker Thomas Leuluai, who was close to the best player on the paddock against England last week but has been ruled out with a shoulder complaint. Issac Luke has been promoted to the starting team with Lewis Brown coming on to the interchange. Bodene Thompson and Gerard Beale have been named as cover on the extended bench.
Australia have named the same starting team that smashed Samoa last weekend but have added hooker Robbie Farah and back-rowers Ryan Hoffman and Aiden Guerra to the bench, accompanying Ben Hunt, David Klemmer, Josh Jackson and Boyd Cordner.
Official Four Nations Final team lists
Watch out Australia: New Zealand's wingers Jason Nightingale and Manu Vatuvei have been on fire. Dragons wide man Nightingale is in especially hot form, racking up four tries to add to his 412 run metres, the fourth-most of any player in the tournament. Vatuvei (who missed the Kiwis' first Test) has averaged the second-most metres (154 per game) tournament-wide, with only Samoan winger Tautau Moga punching out more in his single appearance. The Beast has been typically hard to stop with ball in hand, with 12 tackle busts from two matches.
Watch out New Zealand: There is no doubt Tim Sheens failed to get the balance of his Kangaroos squad right, with a surplus of outside backs and a lack of specialist props, but in saying that big men Aaron Woods, David Klemmer and Josh Papalii have represented the Australian engine room admirably. Papalii has arguably put forward his best performances of the year, having averaged 104 metres per Test. The importance of Woods (28.7 tackles and 90.3 metres per game) and Klemmer (19.5 tackles and 115 metres per game) will also be made clear up against Kiwi trio Jesse Bromwich, Martin Taupau and Adam Blair.
Plays to Watch: Shaun Johnson and his Warriors teammate Sam Tomkins had a running battle last weekend when the Kiwis halfback constantly peppered the English fullback with his kicking game. With bombs as big as the roof of Dunedin's Forsyth Barr Stadium, Tomkins' impact with the ball was lessened immensely with the defence catching up with him as he would catch the football. Undoubtedly Inglis has been earmarked as Johnson's next victim.
Before their clash against Toa Samoa, Australia had only scored five tries in the tournament – a tally they had almost tripled by the end of their Samoan fixture. Their second-phase play was a big factor in the Kangaroos' success, with Inglis and Corey Parker's offloading capabilities again looming as a threat this week.
Where It Will Be Won: Australia well and truly found their feet last weekend but it might have been a completely different tale if Samoa's ill-discipline didn't rear its head. The Kiwis can learn plenty of lessons from Samoa's performance after they gifted the Australians piggybacks out of trouble time and time again. Despite the influx of rookies in their side, the Kangaroos still have superstars Inglis, Cooper Cronk and Cameron Smith calling the shots and they certainly made the Samoans pay. They will have no troubles doing the same to New Zealand if the hosts get on the wrong side of the referee's whistle.
Of course this won't count for much if the Kangaroos fail to prevent the Kiwis ambushing them again for the second time in a matter of weeks. While their dominant performance didn't pay dividends until the second half, New Zealand enjoyed a 55-45 per cent disparity in possession and eventually ran away with the game – with eight individual Kiwis making more than 100 metres compared to just three Kangaroos.
The History: Played 128; Australia 95, New Zealand 30, drawn 3. New Zealand come into the final with all the momentum after destroying the Kangaroos three weeks ago 30-12. It was their first win over Australia in four years, a stretch going all the way back to New Zealand's 16-12 win in the 2010 Four Nations Final. In saying that, the last time Australia lost in New Zealand was in 2003, while the last time the Kangaroos were defeated in Wellington was way back in 1953.
Match Officials: Referee – Phil Bentham; Touch Judges – Jason Walsh & Robert Hicks; Video Referees – Bernard Sutton & Henry Perenara.
Televised: Channel Nine – Live, 6.45pm AEDT.
The Way We See It: Before the Kiwis ran riot in their early tournament clash with Australia, the game had been all balanced up at 12-all. That all changed when Cherry-Evans and Inglis failed to return after half-time, with the Kiwis taking advantage of their under-strength opponents. Barring injuries, this game won't be a blowout. With Australia finding their feet over the past fortnight, a brilliant Trans-Tasman clash beckons. But regardless of the Kangaroos' improvement against England and Samoa the Kiwis' experience will give them an advantage, especially on home turf with their undefeated and – quite frankly – classier squad. New Zealand by four points.
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Head is with Kiwis actually and Kangaroos with the heart.
Well the Aussies definitely didnt deserve to win that game.
How good was Johnson and Manu.
What an amazing spectacle for our game. It was overall a tremendous Four Nations.
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Highlights