NRL Pacific Championship: Australian Kangaroos win 36-18 over New Zealand Kiwis

Despite the Kiwis’ best efforts to rattle Australia before the game, an understrength Kangaroos side proved too strong for New Zealand, ahead of the Pacific Championship final next week.

The Kiwi's stared down the Kangaroos after an intense haka before the game. Picture: NRL Imagery.

An intense pre-game powerplay showed New Zealand’s intention to get nose-to-nose with the Kangaroos and rattle the World Cup winners in enemy territory in Melbourne.

But while their confronting add-on to the traditional haka stirred emotions a surprise double from Lindsay Collins and stellar efforts from the new brigade of Mal Meninga’s men kept the coach’s home winning streak alive with a 12th victory from 12 games and a 36-18 victory.

Featuring eight different players from the 17 who last took on the Kiwis, in last year’s World Cup semi-final, the runaway win marked an eighth in the past nine clashes between the two teams and the Kangaroos undefeated in two Pacific Championship tests.

The Kiwi's stared down the Kangaroos after an intense haka before the game. Picture: NRL Imagery.

The post-haka march to get in the face of the arm-in-arm Australians, after a stone-cold staring contest with 20m separating the two teams ended with them only centimetres apart, was an attempt for change from the Kiwis looking to address their long-term losing record.

But the air was sucked out of their efforts just minutes later when Jamayne Isaako sent the starting kick-off out on the full, giving the Kangaroos first use well inside their own half.

While it didn’t result in immediate points, it was exactly what the victors didn’t want to happen and when Valentine Holmes, given his reprieve after a suspension, posted the opening try, the Australians had a lead they never relinquished.

If that pre-match is anything to go by, this is going to be EPIC 🔥

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— Fox League (@FOXNRL) October 28, 2023

A first-half double to Collins was off-set by two New Zealand tries as Kiwi captain James Fisher-Harris put his stamp on the game with the sort of physicality demanded of a captain in a test match.

Despite the Kiwi’s best efforts to rattle Australia, the Kangaroos proved too strong, despite arguably not even fielding their best 17. Picture: Getty Images.

But then Dylan Edwards’ first try as a Kangaroo early in the second-half, with the Kangaroos starting to dominate possession, pushed a six-point halftime lead to 12 which, after a nervy final 10 minutes finally became 20 when Cameron Murray equalled a Kangaroos scoring record.

Murray’s final minute try was his sixth in his six games, equalling the record of legendary Ron Coote who achieved the same feat in 1968/69, putting an exclamation mark on the win.

More impressive test minutes from the likes of Pat Carrigan, some game-changing touches from Harry Grant off the bench and 42 tackles from Rueben Cotter showed the quality available to Meninga who could yet bring back key men including Payne Haas for the rematch in next Saturday’s final in Hamilton.

LEGENDARY LINDSAY

Lindsay Collins has a habit of bobbing up and scoring important tries, his State-of-Origin stunner the most memorable, and his 23rd effort minute at AAMI Park to score Australia’s second try was another example.

Lindsay Collins found himself in the right place at the right time not once, but twice, as he came up with a try scoring double. Picture: Getty Images.

The johnny-on-thew-spot prop found himself the beneficiary of a brilliant pass from Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow after an aerial contest from Dylan Edwards spilt the ball to him.

Having found himself inside his two backline teammates, all Collins had to do was catch it and walk over the line to put the Kangaroos 12-6 up.

His second was even-better as the grandson of a World Cup winning winger Lionel Williamson dived forward at full speed to collect a bullet pass from Harry Grant and take all that momentum over the line.

It was the first time Collins, who has scored a grand total of six tries in 90 NRL games for the Sydney Roosters, had scored a double since 2015, when he was in the Under 20s.

ANTHEM ISSUES

Meninga said he had no issues with some of his players not singing the national anthem before the opening win over Samoa in Townsville despite fallout from former Kangaroos greats.

The criticism failed to penetrate the Australian bubble with at least three players, including Selwyn Cobbo and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow again staying silent in the pregame.

But the majority of their teammates belted it out with gusto after the New Zealand anthem moved some of the Kiwi players close to tears.

HOW DCE COULD TRIGGER A SHARKS REVIVAL IN 2024

—David Riccio

Harold Bloom, America’s most famous literary critic and writer, once wrote that, “Greatness recognises greatness, and is shadowed by it.’’

The quote is never more fitting for Test debutant Nicho Hynes, who has hailed Kangaroos halfback Daly Cherry-Evans, for guiding the Sharks star through the “best experience of my life.”

Hynes will achieve a dream when he makes his Australian Test debut from the interchange bench against the Kiwis at AAMI Park on Saturday night.

He is ready to play any position when head coach Mal Meninga gives him the signal.

While fans will focus on the 80-minutes, Hynes has revealed he will never be the same player again, win, lose or draw.

And he says, it’s thanks to Cherry-Evans.

Nicho Hynes was 18th man in the Kangaroos win over Samoa, but is set to make his debut off the bench against the Kiwis. Picture: Getty Images

“I’ve taken a lot of inspiration out of having one-on-one chats with Chez (Cherry-Evans) through this camp,’’ Hynes said.

“Learning off Chez, it’s made me think about the smallest things about myself in regards to leadership and the entire game, which is going to make me a more well-rounded player.’’

In the wake of signing a club record six-year deal at the Sharks, Hynes endured a rollercoaster 2023 season that included his NSW State of Origin selection, which ended abruptly after being called from the interchange bench to play centre.

His form for Cronulla dipped due to the rattling of his confidence, yet he wasn’t alone in a Sharks squad that fell short of their potential in 2023.

Hynes has credited Daly Cherry-Evans for his development in Kangaroos camp. Credit: NRL Images.

“We’ve sort of got a similar story, Chez and I,’’ Hynes said.

“He even mentioned to me yesterday, this is the way I came into my rep arena. I had to play off the bench and do a similar role to you, by working my way into the starting team.

“He even said how he lost his Origin jersey, he lost his Aussie jersey, at one stage too.

“I lost my Origin jersey this year, but you learn all those lessons and you become a better player from it.

“He signed a long-term deal with Manly when he was 27 and so did I.

“Then he went through the ups and downs.

“I feel like I didn’t deserve some of the stuff I copped this year. But it is what it is, and I’ll be better for it next year.

Hynes had a mixed 2023 season, including a NSW Blues debut and snubbing. Picture: Getty Images

Hynes said he couldn’t wait to impart his Test experience on the Sharks squad ahead of the 2024 season.

“This camp has given me a lot of energy. I’ve been a sponge,’’ Hynes said.

“I want to take that back to the Sharks and just be a better player and make sure that the Sharks club is going to be better for it too.

“It makes you want to be in this arena every year.

“It’s made me hungry to get back home (to Cronulla) and fight for a common goal and that’s the premiership. “Its time to stop mucking around and really rip in and I really feel that, just as Briton (Nikora) and Ronnie (Mulitalo), would be experiencing so much around their (New Zealand Test) camp with all the Penrith boys and the Melbourne boys, we’re going to be so much better for this and I just can’t wait to get back there and rip in.

“This camp has given me a whole new look at rugby league. I’ve learned a hell of a lot and it’s made me just so hungry for next year.’’