Last week as I watched Scotland take on England, I found myself eagerly rallying behind the Bravehearts. The fact that they were up against England along with their general underdog status had me rooting for them and for 10-15 minutes there, they delivered the goods with a hot start that caught England on the back foot.

England soon came around, rolled through their sets and the game finished as most expected it to. What struck me was that England weren't playing that well, they just stuck to a very basic formula which is now a staple of Wayne Bennett's coaching and as England stuck to that formula, Scotland crumbled under the pressure. Against Aotearoa, Scotland will likely do the same and show some signs of competitiveness but when it comes to stopping what is still a very powerful Kiwis forward pack, set after set, it's going to be difficult for the Bravehearts to hang in there.

This is why David Kidwell has opted to bring in the youngsters - as expected - and give them a taste of international footy. Those of us who pay close attention to the NRL each week and especially the kiwi lads in the NRL will be well aware that the youngins' graced with their first Test cap won't hinder this Kiwis team, instead their natural games will provide a funky twist on the size/footwork/power up the guts style of footy that has made this Kiwis team what it is.

David Fusitua will start on the wing and we know that this kid is odds-on to score when given the footy 10m out from the try-line. There's also Fusitua's size that will be incredibly handy when the Kiwis are carting the footy forward as he's got the ability to poke his head through the defensive line, landing on his belly most of the time which will give the Kiwis immediate momentum.

The low key sideshow to Fusitua's debut is that Dallin Watene-Zelezniak starts at fullback and because Watene-Zelezniak isn't making his debut, he doesn't get the headlines. I love the way DWZ carries the footy as he does so with such speed and enthusiasm - ponder Penrith Panthers' back three of DWZ, Josh Mansour and Matt Moylan #Yoza - or general disregard for his own safety and this always puts him into a good position when returning kicks. This is our first look at DWZ in the Four Nations and I've come to think that maybe Kidwell had told DWZ that he was the back up fullback - that he'd only train at fullback and play when Jordan Kahu's out.

Loving it here in Scotland with the boys.. 👌🏾 #castles #edinburgh #teiwikiwi Photocred.. @shaun_johnson90

See this Instagram photo by @dallinzelezniak * 948 likes

Nothing wrong there for me as we've got a fair gang of wingers and DWZ is going to be a feature in the Kiwis team for a long, long time. DWZ is a better ball-runner than Kahu and will buzz around the footy, sniffing for an offload or an opportunity to hit the gas but he lacks the skill and ball-playing ability of Kahu. That's all good when you've got a certain Te Maire Martin to come off the bench and add his razzle dazzle into the mix.

What makes sense here is that Martin comes on to give either Thomas Leuluai or Shaun Johnson a break, also keep an eye on Issac Luke coming off with Leuluai going to dummy half. We've got to hope that Kidwell puts Martin alongside Johnson as this is a very intriguing Kiwis halves combination, like super duper intriguing and while Kieran Foran is still in the picture, the fact that Martin is getting a teaser of international footy at this stage of his career is tremendous.

Join me in kickin' back and watching how Martin goes as there will definitely be a special debrief on the halves next week.

The inclusions of James Fisher-Harris and Joseph Tapine are also tremendous, but it's the re-shuffle in the forward pack that will cause major problems for Scotland. With Manu Ma'u and Tohu Harris on the edges, the Kiwis will have an emphatic advantage on the edges and make sure you watch Ma'u closely in this game; Ma'u regularly gets through 80 minutes on the edge for Parramatta and does so with his standard infinite aggression, which when blended with footwork and skill is a joy to watch.

Harris will likely move from the edge to the middle, replacing Greg Eastwood which will open a spot up for Fisher-Harris to come on as an edge forward. Eastwood's footwork will cause problems, then Harris will add some size with that footwork - possibly at the same time as Martin Taupau and Tapine enter the game.

Fisher-Harris is a beast and if the Kiwis halves can get him the footy early, running good lines then expect Fisher-Harris to stand out. Also note that Fisher-Harris joins Adam Blair as naughty Northlanders representing Aotearoa, this is just another sign of how comprehensive Aotearoa's presence in the NRL is.

Let's take that further as here's all the players in this Kiwis team who aren't from Auckland; Dallin Watene-Zeleznia (Ngaruawahia), Jason Nightingale (Tauranga), Issac Luke (Hawera), Adam Blair (Whangarei), Tohu Harris (Hastings), Te Maire Martin (Turangawaewae), James Fisher-Harris (Kohukohu), Joseph Tapine (Wellington), Lewis Brown (Christchurch), Jordan Rapana (Porirua).

Joseph Tapine will play through the middle and do exactly what he did for Canberra this season in offering a Jason Taumalolo/Martin Taupau style through the middle. What makes Tapine so difficult to handle is that he's so big but is excessively mobile, allowing him to move across the turf quickly and then put some footwork on at the line. The key thing for Tapine and Fisher-Harris is that they are going to do the same job for the Kiwis as they do week in, week out in the NRL.

The thought of Tapine and Taupau on the field at the same time has me frothing.

The thought of Ma'u and Harris on either edge has me frothing.

The thought of Ma'u and Fisher-Harris on either edge with Harris in the middle has me frothing.

The thought of our first bloody look at Te Maire Martin in a Kiwis jersey has me frothing.

The thought of Watene-Zelezniak zippin' around the middle of the field has me frothing.

The thought of Fusitua's leaping, one-handed try in a Kiwis jersey has me frothing.

The thought of Tapine, Fisher-Harris, Taumalolo, Taupau and Bromwich being joined by Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Kenny Bromwich and Sio Siua Taukeiaho in a future Kiwis forward pack, has me frothing.

Enjoy the glimpse into our Kiwis future folks.