Benji Marshall to captain New Zealand for record 20th time

Drew Darbyshire

Benji Marshall will captain New Zealand for a record 20th time when the Kiwis take on Australia this autumn.

Four months after making his international comeback following a seven-year absence, Marshall will skipper the Kiwis for the first time since 2012 this weekend.

The Kiwis face the Kangaroos at the WIN Stadium in Wollongong on Friday night in an Oceania Cup clash, where Marshall will overtake Gary Freeman for the most Tests as Kiwi captain.

Marshall said: “It is a crazy story to be honest and it is something that I definitely didn’t see coming.

“But at the same time, I can look back and be really proud to have the ability to get back into the fold and just be able to play so being captain is a real honour.

“I remember when I captained our country the last time, I was a lot younger and I didn’t understand about leadership as much as I do now and I know this time that I can definitely make the most out of it and hopefully lead us to a victory.

“I’m grateful to wear this jumper and inspire kids growing up who want to be like me or our players to wear this jumper and represent our great country and for me, that means more than anything.”


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