World Cup Final: Australia vs New Zealand

[DIEHARD]

Australia vs New Zealand

[DIEHARD]

Hopefully it will be an epic encounter. England vs New Zealand was very amazing.

[TITAN PETE]

Defence is Hayne's big RLWC focus
By Liam FitzGibbon
AAP
2:03pm Mon 25th November, 2013

A haul of nine tries in three games is not exactly the mark of a player with a focus on defence.

But Jarryd Hayne says he's put an emphasis on his duties without ball since switching to the centres for Australia with great success at the Rugby League World Cup.

The Parramatta NRL star is renowned as one of the game's most exciting attackers and he's flourished since being switched to an unfamiliar role at right centre by coach Tim Sheens a fortnight ago.

After scoring two tries on the wing against Ireland, Hayne bagged a record-equalling four-try haul against the United States and backed it up with a hat-trick against Fiji in the semi-finals.

But while Hayne, a specialist fullback who has played mainly on the wing at representative level, has caused havoc with the ball he's also been instrumental in helping Australia not concede a try in four straight matches.

"It's definitely a focus. Not playing in the centres regularly, that's probably been the biggest change for me - defence," Hayne said.

"Reading-wise it's definitely (one of the toughest positions in defence) because you're like the last line and everyone makes their decisions based on the person on their inside."

Hayne said defending next to halfback Cooper Cronk had made the adjustment much easier, rating the Melbourne Storm playmaker as the game's best defensive half.

"He's short and nuggety and can take a man one-on-one so I know I don't need to worry about him," Hayne said.

Hayne, the competition's top try-scorer, will compete in his first World Cup final on Saturday after being overlooked by Ricky Stuart at the last tournament in 2008, when he instead represented Fiji.

The 25-year-old is most excited about the chance to play at Old Trafford, home to English Premier League club Manchester United.

"It's going to be huge," Hayne said.

"For me personally, it's probably going to be the biggest ground I'll play on.

"No disrespect to Wembley, but watching the likes of (Cristiano) Ronaldo, (Wayne) Rooney and (Robin) Van Persie for a number of years now, everyone knows Old Trafford because of Manchester United and to be able to grace that ground is something that's going to be a career highlight."

[DIEHARD]

World Cups have been good to Hayne

[DIEHARD]

World Cup Final: Australia v New Zealand

Old Trafford, Manchester
Saturday, November 30 2.30pm (UK)
Sunday, November 31 1.30am (AEDT), 12.30am (AEST)

This is a World Cup final that will, for the next four years at least, provide some certainty about which nation can claim to be world champions, but it may also resolve some of rugby league's most enduring conundrums.

Is it better to go in to a decider battle-hardened or are the bumps and bruises too much to overcome in the space of seven days?

Is it the forward pack that determines victory or are the halves the architects of their team's success?

Is it better to have a halfback with fast feet or a No.7 who is quick between the ears? Is Sonny Bill Williams or Greg Inglis the greatest rugby league player on the planet?

Will Billy Slater recover in time to shift Inglis back to the centres, and will Roger Tuivasa-Sheck overcome the leg injury that threatens to derail a spectacular World Cup performance that has established his place as a permanent member of the Kiwi Test team?

Does Issac Luke have genuine claims to Cameron Smith's mantle as the premier hooker in the world?

All tantalising questions in their own right and all to be answered over the space of 80 minutes on one of the world's grandest sporting stages, Old Trafford in Manchester.

A quick examination of the respective semi-final victories shows some fascinating trends.

Against England, New Zealand finished on the wrong side of the statistics in try assists, line breaks, line-break assists, missed tackles, errors and possession, yet somehow came away with one of the most memorable victories ever seen in international rugby league.

On the other side of the draw and against far inferior opposition, the Kangaroos had 58 per cent of the ball, ran for 1,690 metres, made 12 line breaks and missed just seven tackles (compared to Fiji's 53).

Drawing a line through that form to determine a winner is just as difficult as deciding what's nicer between ice cream or pizza but whichever way it plays out we're sure to have a satisfying conclusion to a six-week rugby league feast.

Watch out Australia: Some purists may argue that a pass that hits the ground should be considered a dropped ball rather than an offload but the extraordinary ability of Sonny Bill Williams to extend the play has the potential to create problems for the seemingly impregnable Kangaroos defence. Such is his proficiency that there is even a Facebook page dedicated to his out-and-out refusal to be tackled with the ball titled, 'I hate it when I tackle Sonny Bill Williams and he just offloads'. Sonny Bill's 17 offloads in the World Cup thus far are five more than anyone else, and he missed the game against France and went off injured before half-time against Scotland. Only two players have made more line breaks than him and his three try assists are more than Johnathan Thurston has been given credit for.

The Kiwis can't beat the Kangaroos in a game of chess but second-phase play that brings Issac Luke, Shaun Johnson and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck into play could upset the structure of the Australia defence. Just like he did in the NRL Grand Final, Sonny Bill lifted his side to new heights when all hope seemed lost in the semi-final against England and his importance to New Zealand's chances won't be under-valued by the Kangaroos.

Watch Out New Zealand: Much attention in the build-up will focus on Greg Inglis's possible return to the centres for Australia but Kiwis coach Stephen Kearney would be wise not to ignore the threat posed by the man on the opposite side of the field. When the Kangaroos squad was announced six weeks ago Jarryd Hayne's inclusion was seen as a way to cover wing or fullback should the squad be struck down by a crisis of injuries. Yet a gamble by coach Tim Sheens to go with the Eels superstar at right centre ahead of the experienced Brent Tate for the quarter-final clash with the United States saw Hayne score four tries, becoming just the eighth player to score that many for Australia in a Test. When he was rewarded with a spot in the team to play Fiji in the semi-final, Hayne's output was three tries, two try assists, 176 metres, nine tackle-breaks and four line-breaks. Bryson Goodwin has been outstanding defensively for South Sydney and the Kiwis in 2013 but even he would concede that a match-up against Hayne was one that he wasn't expecting.

Key Match-up: Cameron Smith v Issac Luke

Not since Steve and Kerrod Walters vied for representative selections against each other have two such outstanding hookers plied their trade in such dramatically different fashions. Like Kerrod, Issac Luke provides his side impetus through his running game while Smith is more from the 'Boxhead' mould of strength in and around the ruck and a complete control of his side's attacking structure. In an unrelenting forward battle, Luke ran for 109m against England last weekend while Smith, in the Kangaroo canter against Fiji, ran for just 35m. While Luke's energy and power propel his side downfield, it is Smith's smarts that keep the Kangaroos structured and constantly applying pressure to the opposition. Throughout the World Cup Smith has, somewhat surprisingly, had more carries (113-93) and dummy-half runs (93-73) than Luke but the Kiwi No.9 leads the way in metres gained (635-464) and tackle-breaks (19-5). They're polar opposites yet equally vital to their side's chances and their individual battle will go a long way to determining the rugby league world champions.

Where It Will Be Won: The big blokes who start up front will invariably be the ones who put their respective side on the front foot but in a World Cup Final it will be the best overall forward rotation that determines who controls the ebb and flow of proceedings over the course of 80 minutes. The expected return of Frank Pritchard to the Kiwi line-up bolsters their depth while Andrew Fifita, Corey Parker and Josh Papalii have made significant contributions off the bench for the Kangaroos. With a prop forward rotation of Waerea-Hargreaves, Bromwich, Matulino and Kasiano the Kiwis have the edge in pure size whereas the Kangaroos are more reliant on the tenaciousness and work ethic of the likes of Bird, Gallen, Thaiday and Parker.

And then there's a bloke called Sonny Bill. When the Kiwis were desperate against England it was 'SBW' who they turned to and on a number of occasions he went close to delivering the seemingly impossible, including taking a George Burgess smack across the mouth to earn his side the crucial penalty in the final minute. His late inclusion in the Kiwi squad at the expense of Tohu Harris caused widespread controversy but if he can find a way to lead his side to a successful defence of their title he will take his place among the most extraordinary sportsmen that the southern hemisphere has ever produced.

Televised: 7mate – Live from 1am Saturday (NSW); midnight (Qld)

The Way We See It: All Australia can do is beat those who are put in front of them and the fact remains that they have not conceded a try in their past 324 minutes of football. Is their defence that good or has the opposition attack been less than potent? New Zealand got a fright against Samoa then demolished France, Papua New Guinea and Scotland and somehow found an escape route against a committed England team to earn the right to defend their title. So is their form patchy or exactly what's necessary ahead of a World Cup Final against the Kangaroos? For the Kiwis the ride has been emotional while the Kangaroos have been clinical but the next time the defending champions head to the well they may find it has run dry. Kangaroos by 4.

[DIEHARD]

[Hail Sezer]

Amping so hard for this game!!

[TITAN PETE]

Redemption awaits the Aussies but what about the terrible in goal area , short with a Steep drop off #injuriesaplenty

[shamus]

Myles it seems is not flavour of the month with Smith and Sheens...perhaps the rumours of Smith and Myles is true?

[Titanic]

He also has turned into a one-dimensional player under our extraordinary coach.

[TITAN PETE]

Wow what a site the crowd is

[TITAN PETE]

Great 1st half of footy with the Aussies looking way too strong leading 16-2 at halftime

Hayne,Bird,Thaiday,Gallen & Smith are having great defensive games with JT looking to destroy the Kiwis in attack.

Losing Tuivasa-Sheck in the 1st few minutes has hurt NZ big time.

40 minutes of the Footy season to go for 13'

[TITAN PETE]

Redemption, brilliant win 34-2

SBW & Luke did their best for the Kiwis but they were up against 17 Superstars tonight who looked completely focused on the job ahead of them

What a difference in Class between the 2 teams tonight the Aussies are in a league of their own

JT another Man of the Match but Hayne must have been a millimeter behind him

Kangaroos are WORLD CHAMPIONS

[Chaserz]

Argh, I missed the first half, but the second half was pretty impressive. NZL was nowhere actually.

Very classy and entertaining interception of Hayne and Morris scoring the final try!

And what the hell was wrong with the pitch and its very small in-goal areas?! Besides, you could clearly see the soccer field lines, not really you would want to see during a RLWC Final....

[kioli]

Man that was a good match. So glad we smashed the Kiwis after last time.