Kiwis, Kiwi Ferns set for Samoa double-header
- Dave Worsley
- 13 hours ago
- 3 min read
Plenty of action as the New Zealand men's and women's rugby league sides line up to take on Samoa at Go Media Stadium on Sunday.
Six players from the New Zealand Kiwis’ 2023 title-winning side return for the opening match of the Pacific Championships against Toa Sāmoa.
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Head coach Stacey Jones has today recalled the experienced Ronaldo Mulitalo, Dylan Brown, Kieran Foran, Moses Leota, Briton Nikora and Nelson Asofa-Solomona to kickstart the eagerly-awaited third edition of the Pacific series.
All six were key contributors in the Kiwis’ record 30-0 win over the Kangaroos in the 2023 final in Hamilton but were unavailable for last year’s campaign.
Cronulla Sutherland’s Mulitalo comes back on the left wing with Newcastle-bound Brown and retiring 35-year-old Gold Coast veteran Foran paired in the halves; Foran in a more familiar role after starting at hooker in the 2023 final.
Penrith prop Leota is reunited in the front row with his long-time former clubmate and Kiwi captain James Fisher-Harris while Nikora (Sharks) returns in the second row with Melbourne’s Asofa-Solomona on the interchange.
Making a Test comeback is hooker Jeremy Marshall-King, three years after making his only international appearances against Lebanon and Jamaica at the 2022 Rugby League World Cup.
The remaining 10 players included in the starting lineup and on the interchange were all used the Kiwis’ last match when they beat Papua New Guinea 54-12 in Sydney last November.
Warriors fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad was in the halves on that occasion but is back in No 1 jersey on Sunday while Penrith’s Casey McLean comes into the centres after bagging four tries on the wing in his Test debut against the Kumuls.
Meanwhile the Kiwi Ferns team has been selected for their clash with Fetu Samoa at 3.35pm at Mt Smart on Sunday.
And they're not complacent about the challenge ahead, though, with Head Coach Ricky Henry reiterating the strength of the Samoan side.
“They are going to be tough. They have some great players through the middle and big outside backs, so it’s not going to be an easy game. We’re treating them with a lot of respect and expect the best from them, to get the best out of us," said Henry.
The presence of four NRLW Captains in the Warriors Apii Nicholls, Titans Georgia Hale, Dragons Raecene McGregor, and Bulldogs Angelina Taekaraanga-Katoa will bolster the Kiwi Ferns’ confidence and provide stability and leadership across the park.
Kiwis to face Toa Samoa 6.05
1 Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 2 Jamayne Isaako, 3 Matthew Timoko, 4 Casey McLean, 5 Ronaldo Mulitalo, 6 Dylan Brown, 7 Kieran Foran, 8 James Fisher-Harris (C), 9 Jeremy Marshall, 10 Moses Leota, 11 Briton Nikora, 12 Isaiah Papali'i, 13 Joseph Tapine, 14 Phoenix Crossland, 15 Naufahu White 16 Erin Clark 17 Nelson Asofa-Solomona, 18 Xavier Willison, 19 Koeano Kini, 20 Scott Sorensen, 21 Sebastian Kris
Kiwi Ferns to face Fetu Samoa 3.35
1. Apii Nicholls 2. Shanice Parker 3. Abigail Roache 4. Mele Hufuga 5. Tysha Ikensio* 6. Patricia Maliepo* 7. Raecene McGregor (Co-Captain) 8. Angelina Teakaraanga-Katoa 9. Brooke Anderson 10. Brianna Clarke 11. Annessa Biddle 12. Shakira Baker* 13. Georgia Hale (Co-Captain). Interchange- 14. Ashleigh Quinlan 15. Otesa Pule 16. Alexis Tauaneai 17. Ivana Lauiti'iti* 18. Tiana Davidson.