Kiwis keep same side

New Zealand coach David Kidwell has named the same 17 that took the field against Australia in Perth for the opening clash of the Four Nations against England at John Smith’s Stadium.

Greg Eastwood is the only change to the 19-man squad named to face the home nation, replacing young Canberra Raiders back rower Joseph Tapine.

“I’m really happy with how the boys have trained,” Kidwell said.

“We understand the challenge that’s ahead of us and we need to be at our best.

“In Perth, a lot of our guys hadn’t played for a long period of time. The result wasn’t what we wanted, but all the players were better off for the run and we will look to build from that.”

Kidwell said the Kiwis will need their forwards to fire on Saturday.

“It’s no secret this game is going to be won up front,” he said.

“Both teams have strong forward packs and we need our middle men to lead the way.”

The full NZ Kiwis team is:

Number    Name    Club      Kiwi #
1    Jordan Kahu    Brisbane Broncos    790
2    Jason Nightingale    St George-Illawarra Dragons      747
3    Solomone Kata    NZ Warriors    797
4    Shaun Kenny-Dowall      Sydney City Roosters    746
5    Jordan Rapana    Canberra Raiders    798
6    Thomas Leuluai    NZ Warriors    704
7    Shaun Johnson    NZ Warriors    774
8    Jesse Bromwich (c)    Melbourne Storm    775
9    Issac Luke    NZ Warriors    749
10    Jared Waerea-Hargreaves      Sydney City Roosters    755
11    Kevin Proctor    Melbourne Storm    771
12    Tohu Harris    Melbourne Storm    778
13    Jason Taumalolo    North Queensland Cowboys    786
14    Lewis Brown    Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles    762
15    Martin Taupau    Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles    785
16    Manu Ma’u    Parramatta Eels     795
17    Adam Blair    Brisbane Broncos    732
18    Gerard Beale    Cronulla Sutherland Sharks    767
19    Greg Eastwood    Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs      737