Sa’u confident Kiwis can cause upset
Former Kiwi centre Junior Sa’u believes New Zealand have a great chance of retaining their Four Nations crown this weekend when they play Australia.
The Aussies have come out victorious in the last three consecutive matches against New Zealand, but Sa’u thinksthat won’t have a major effect on the players involved this time.
“They have won the last three but this is a whole new game,” he told Love Rugby League.
“It’s a final so they will have a different mentality.
“I’m pretty sure the boys will prepare well this week and put in a good performance on Sunday.”
Auckland-born Sa’u played nine Tests for the Kiwis between 2009 and 2010. He represented Samoa at the 2013 World Cup.
Even though New Zealand failed to beat Scotland, the Salford centre believes they are more than capable of stepping up against the current World Cup champions.
“The game against Scotland was a bit tough for them but it is completely different with the final,” Sa’u said.
“They have some quality players like Jesse Bromwich, [Jason] Taumalolo and [Shaun] Johnson, who can do anything when he is on and I think there is a pretty good chance they can get the job done.”
Sa’u went back into pre-season with the Red Devils this week and he admitted everyone is raring to go and ready to build on the progress made in the past season.
“It is our second year together as a group and we have spoken about how well we did this year minus the six points that got deducted,” the 29-year old said.
“We just want to build on what we have already done. We need to work hard in pre-season so we are ready to take on a new challenge in 2017.”
Salford have brought in several new faces, including Lee Mossop and Lama Tasi, which Sa’u believes will equip them to do well next season.
“Hopefully we can finish in the top eight with the boys that we have got,” he said.
“We have brought in four boys who will fit our team well and we are starting to bring a great culture around the club.”
“There are going to be a lot of boys competing for spots, especially up in the forward pack and that’s what we want. It brings the best out of players.”
