Four Nations Week 1 - #Kiwis
The Kiwis, they often pose a threat but rarely do they capitalize on that threat. When Beau Scott crossed to score early in the game after getting a top shelf short ball and waltzing through a bit gap, you could be forgiven for thinking 'here we go again'. Despite a reasonably average first half where errors were a plenty, the Kiwis went in to the sheds 12-12.
That's when I started to rack my little brain. Usually the Kiwis are out of the game by now, usually when they make the most mistakes and keep inviting the Aussies back in to the game, they get their backsides whooped. Not this time around. The Kiwis matched their skill and power with toughness and professionalism to get the bickies over the Kangaroos.
First off, Lewis Brown. What an absolute gun. Thomas Leuluai was all good, he didn't do anything wrong but when Brown came on he looked lively, was eager to scoot out of dummy half and was crisp with his distribution. When Isaac Luke comes back, Brown should be in the mix some where for mine. That dummy half work is a whole lot easier with the forward pack of the Kiwis, as I said in the preview they are big, they use their footwork to get in between defenders resulting in quick play balls or an off load. Jesse Bromwich and Greg Eastwood can make defenders miss as well as gaining metres as well as slipping an off load out or passing out wider. You can add Adam Blair to that mix as well, he was decent, he hasn't exactly set the world a blaze since leaving the Melbourne Storm but he fits this pack very well.
That combined with pure power should excite Kiwi fans. Jason Taumololo causes mayhem around the ruck thanks to being quick enough to get in behind markers, while Martin Taupau just adds dynamic aggression. They enjoy the tough stuff, but can add their own flavour to it.
The backs looked like they needed a few more training sessions. However, Shaun Johnson and Kieran Foran were great. Johnson was always a threat, but they both played like professional halves which has always been lacking from the Kiwis. A good kicking game, the right options at the right time and they didn't display any real weaknesses. Celebrate Johnson, but don't sleep on the work of K dot Foran.
The Kangaroos? Well, sure they weren't at full strength, but neither were the Kiwis (imagine having Roger Tuivasa-Sheck at fullback with Peta Hiku and Manu Vatuvei on the wings!). The Kangaroos looked a bit plain, which when you look at Samoa and England, could be an issue. They still look amazing on paper, but unless their forwards can be a bit more dynamic and offer some razzle dazzle, they will struggle up the guts. They won a World Cup because they were super tough and extremely tough to break down defensively, but I'm not sure if that plan will go down so well this time around.
England vs Samoa was a great match as well. Samoa have the ability to really compete through the middle and out wide but without halves who can keep them in the grind, kick to corners and just execute in the clutch, they'll struggle. Pita Godinet was awesome, he could slide in to any NRL side and was the best player for the Samoans. Having Mose Masoe, Frank Pritchard and Josh McQuire in your pack is a huge help and they look equal parts exciting and tough.
The English confuse me. I don't know whether they're a genuine threat or just pretenders. What they do have is a fair amount of talented blokes who could crack the NRL, easily. Both their dummy halves were dangerous while Kallum Watkins is freakish in the centres. Their NRL talent was good, Gareth Widdop and Sam Tomkins obviously looked like the most potent threat but halfback Matty Smith was awesome. He and Widdop form a halves pairing that could threaten to take the Four Nations by storm, they just need the rest of the lads firing as well.
A great start to the Four Nations. The only thing that could have made it better would have been a Samoan win, but the English showed that they could be a threat. The commentators talked a little bit about taking more rugby league to the Pacific Islands, which I'm all for. How awesome would it be to have Samoa playing in Samoa? Bit far fetched but worth a think.
Bring on the next round.