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Mal Meninga’s Kangaroos will take on both New Zealand and Tonga in a three-way battle for the Pacific Cup in late October and early November.
Any complacency the Aussies might have had in previous years about winning these contests with one arm tied behind their backs will have been wiped away following their 30-0 flogging by the Kiwis in last year’s decider.
Of course, given the strength of the fifth-ranked Tongan side and the experience they gained in last year’s series against England, getting to the final won’t be easy for either Australia or NZ, currently ranked number one and two respectively.
The Mate Ma’a currently boasts some of the best players in the game, with the likes of Addin Fonua-Blake, Jason Taumalolo, Haumole Olakau’atu, Daniel Tupou, Isayia Katoa and Toluta’u Koula and Moses Suli all set to don the red and white and perform the Sipi Tau.
Clearly, the Tongans will be a threat, but it’s the Kiwis that Meninga’s men will be after.
They’ll be determined to not only erase the memory of last year’s record defeat, but also hang on to their number-one ranking as well as their positions in the team, and in Big Mal’s case, his job.
If the Kangaroos don’t take the title, Meninga’s role as coach will certainly be under scrutiny.
Australian coach Mal Meninga. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
NZ will be up for the challenge though, and barring any further injuries, new coach and Kiwi legend Stacey Jones should be able to assemble one of his country’s strongest-ever teams.
Just look at the players he should have at his disposal.
Fullbacks: The ever-reliable Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad looks to have the inside running here, as much for his competitiveness and experience as the strong runs off his own line and fearless defence.
The electric Keano Kini might also make it into the Kiwis squad to support CNK, however, the safer option could be to use the more robust and experienced Seb Kris who can cover centre, wing and fullback.
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Wings: There’s no shortage of talent here, with Ronaldo Mulitalo and Jamayne Isaako seemingly having the inside running over Dallin Watene-Zlezniak, Will Warbrick and Deine Mariner.
Mulitalo’s in good form and looks to be a safe bet and Isaako’s goal-kicking should see him finish in front of the rest, although Warbrick is one of the form wingers in the competition and nobody brings Kiwi passion like DWZ.
Centres: Now that Joey Manu has surrendered to his Yen for Japanese rugby, and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has committed to Samoa, the Kiwi’s centre stocks aren’t as strong as they once were.
The Canberra Raiders pair of Mat Timoko and Seb Kris will probably wear the number 3 and 4 jerseys, although Jack Howarth is finishing the season strongly and still has a couple of games in which to impress. He could be a bolter.
Halves: Dylan Brown and Jarome Hughes are the obvious choices here, although Brown’s knee injury looks likely to rule him out.
Kieran Foran looks the most likely replacement for Brown and will certainly be in the squad somewhere given the fact that he’s previously worn the number 9 jersey for the Kiwis.
The versatile Kodi Nikorima will also come under consideration, as will Phoenix Crossland who’s been in good form towards the end of the season and can play both in the halves and at dummy half.
James Fisher-Harris. (Photo by Fiona Goodall/Getty Images)
Middle Forwards: Has any team ever had a stronger middle-forward rotation than the Kiwis?
James Fisher-Harris, Moses Leota, Joseph Tapine, Griffin Neame, and Nelson Asofa-Solomona will all be there and don’t rule out Jared Waerea-Hargreaves turning up for a Kiwi swansong before he disappears to the south of France.
Three more giants in Leo Thompson, Braden Hamlin-Uele and Naufahu Whyte will also be in the mix, although selectors may bypass Thompson given that he currently carries a one-match suspension.
Edge Forwards: Briton Nikora and Isaiah Papali’i will be the short favourites to start in the back row once again, and they will most likely be supported by the likes of Marata Niukore, Jordan Riki and Joe Chan, with big Nelson also likely to see some time in the back row.
Dummy Halves: With Brandon Smith sidelined, Jeremy Marshall-King should be donning the number 9 jersey and add to his two test matches for the Kiwis, and back-up could be provided by Keiran Foran, Phoenix Crossland or the Roosters’ Zach Dockar-Clay.
With each team only playing two games and then the final if they’re good enough, squad rotation will be at a minimum as teams look to put their strongest 17 on the field for every match.
New Zealand fans. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)
This is what I think the Kiwis squad will look like:
1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad
2. Ronaldo Mulitalo
3. Mat Timoko
4. Seb Kris
5. Jamayne Isaako
6. Kieran Foran
7. Jarome Hughes
8. James Fisher-Harris
9. Jeremy Marshall-King
10. Moses Leota
11. Isaiah Papali’i
12. Briton Nikora
13. Joseph Tapine
14. Kodi Nikorima
15. Nelson Asofa-Solomona
16. Griffin Neame
17. Marata Niukore
Reserves – Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Phoenix Crossland, Jack Howarth, Naufahu Whyte.
That’s an awesome squad, and with a pack like that, they’re likely to plan to go through the opposition rather than around them.
Meninga will need to counter the threat with an equally physical pack who are prepared to get down and dirty with the Kiwis, players like Pat Carrigan, Ruben Cotter, Liam Martin and Angus Crichton.
Perhaps the Kiwis’ only weakness will be coach Stacey Jones, arguably New Zealand’s greatest-ever player with over 320 first-grade games and nearly 50 tests to his name, but a rookie when it comes to coaching.
His only significant coaching experience to date was as caretaker coach for the Warriors in 2022, where the team managed just two wins from 11 games.
One thing for certain, when Australia plays the Kiwis this year, it will be no place for the faint-hearted.
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