We've rolled through the two new play-makers in the Kiwis and two new big boys which leaves us with the two outside backs (and Manaia Cherrington). It is a testament to the strength of the Kiwis and kiwi rugby league that all these players have earned selection on the back of strong performances this season as opposed to them being the only options available, which has been the case in the past. I couldn't think of anyone who deserve international honours after the 2015 NRL season more than Curtis Rona and Jordan Kahu, which is why they are now in England.

Curtis Rona

Rona is an interesting story which you've probably heard before: Waitara born, moved to Perth where he played union and league before signing with the Sydney Roosters Under 20s side, then snapped up by the Cowboys where he enjoyed a reasonable season in 2014 and then 2015 where he scored 22 tries in 23 games with the Canterbury Bulldogs.

When Rona was with the Cowboys, you wouldn't have really thought that he would be a winger who scored nearly a try every game but that's what has seen him rise up the Kiwis' ranks. Rona's a tall winger which gives him a strong presence in the air but he is incredibly agile, as NRL wingers have to be these days as they perform all sorts of acrobats just to score a meat pie try. Rona has perfected the art of flying; he is a near certainty to score when given the ball five metres out from the try line as his long arms mean he can plant the ball from pretty much any where.

With a big frame, Rona also offers a strong ball-carrier which is always handy and he averaged 105.3m per game this season.

There's a high chance that Rona starts on the wing for the Kiwis and he'll be an interesting attacking weapon to watch out for. Rona's aerial ability will give the Kiwis halves a go-to target to kick to which will ease the pressure on whoever is play in the halves as they will be able to revert to a chip to the corner if there's nothing else on. Rona's finishing ability on the end of a backline move will also be critical for the Kiwis as the powerful Kiwis forwards will demand plenty of attention through the middle, creating space out wider and Rona won't need too much space.

If Rona starts these three Tests against England, I'd pick him to lead all try-scorers from either team. Rona will add the icing on the cake and I expect the Kiwis to score a lot of their points out wide, which suits Rona perfectly.

Jordan Kahu

Hailing from Wellington, Porirua to be precise, Kahu also has a noted history in rugby union having been a promising union player before he was scouted by Keebra Park High School on the Gold Coast. From there Kahu joined the Brisbane Broncos and was always the name mentioned when anyone from the Broncos was talking about talented players coming through their ranks. Kahu's progressed was stalled by numerous knee injuries - more than any player should have to deal with - which makes his Kiwis call up even funkier as he enjoyed an injury free season and showed why so many people around the Broncos were excited about him.

What struck me about Kahu was how easy he makes playing in the NRL look. Kahu never looks flustered even if he's trying to defuse a bomb dropping from the sky and it's safe to say that Kahu looks at home in the NRL. Kahu has showcased his versatility this season with the Broncos as he filled in at centre when either Justin Hodges or Jack Reed were out and he also enjoyed some game time at fullback as well. Regardless of what position Kahu played this season, he did the job for Wayne Bennett and was a certain selection by the end of the season.

Rona and Kahu both impressed on the wing for their respective NRL clubs this season, but I wouldn't be too shocked to see Kahu be in the mix for a possible centre spot in this Kiwis team. There's plenty of options available to Stephen Kearney, but one scenario that we could see is Peta Hiku possibly getting some game time in the halves as he has played there before in the NRL which would open the door for Kahu to get a sniff at centre.

Going with that idea, a possible backline could be: Tuivasa-Sheck, Jason Nightingale, Dean Whare, Kahu, Shaun Kenny-Dowall/Rona, Hiku and Tui Lolohea with Kodi Nikorima coming off the bench.

Just like with Nikorima, Kearney has seen plenty of Kahu since joining the Broncos as an assistant coach and he would have been exposed to Kahu's skills on a daily basis.

There's a chance that neither Kahu or Rona see much game time with Kearney instead opting for the more experienced outside back combination of Nightingale, Whare, Hiku and Kenny-Dowall. I have no problems with this as it's a pretty slick backline and it only increases the competition for starting spots with Kahu and Rona pushing hard for inclusion.

Manaia Cherrington

Born in Whangarei, Cherrington has enjoyed a low key debut season which didn't quite reach the heights of either Rona or Kahu. That's because Cherrington is a hard working dummy half which usually lends itself to flying under the radar and Cherrington did just that with the Wests Tigers this season as he filled in admirably for Robbie Farah during and after State Of Origin.

Cherrington lingered in first-grade after Farah returned, playing 11 games this season and while he might not have caught the headlines (besides that haka his homies gave him after his debut), Cherrington appears to be the solid presence that always goes down well with the Kiwis. You could draw comparisons to Isaac Liu who I wrote about yesterday as they both get on with the job, perhaps without the razzle dazzle/swashbucklin' footy that catches the eye.

I doubt we'll see too much of Cherrington in England though, unless the Kiwis have wrapped up the series after the first two Tests - the same also goes with Kahu and Rona. Cherrington will benefit if Nikorima is selected to play in the halves as they would open the door for Cherrington to play as the second dummy half, but if Kearney opts for Nikorima to come off the bench then Cherrington will be there for the experience.

Keep your eyes open for Cherrington though as he already looks like he will be the man to take over from Issac Luke in the future and I can see Cherrington having a long tenure with the Kiwis.