One change to Kiwis for World Cup quarter-final

Winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak returns in the only change to the New Zealand Kiwis’ 19-man squad for their Rugby League World Cup quarter-final against Fiji in Hull on Sunday morning.

Dallin Watene-Zelezniak scores against Jamaica
Photo: PHOTOSPORT

The 27-year-old Watene-Zelezniak fills the vacancy created by prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves’ one-match suspension for a high tackle on Dan Norman in last weekend’s win over Ireland in Leeds.

The squad has been named in alphabetical order with the final line-up to be confirmed 75 minutes before kick-off.

Apart from Waerea-Hargreaves, the other players omitted are prop Moses Leota, centre-second rower Marata Niukore, centre Sebastian Kris and hooker Jeremy Marshall-King.

For the second time in successive World Cups, the Kiwis and Fiji meet at the quarter-final stage of the tournament.

When the two nations met for the first time in 2017, the Bati caused a major shock by winning 4-2 in a tryless contest in Wellington.

Of the squad named today, Watene-Zelezniak, Jordan Rapana, Joseph Tapine, Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Isaac Liu all played in the 2017 encounter. Waerea-Hargreaves was also in the line-up that day while Kenny Bromwich and Peta Hiku weren’t selected.

The Kiwis go into their quarter-final after topping Pool C with victories over the Lebanon Cedars (34-12), Jamaica’s Reggae Warriors (68-6) and the Ireland Wolfhounds (48-10).

After losing 8-42 to the Kangaroos in their opening match, Fiji beat Italy’s Azzurri 60-4 and the Scotland Bravehearts 30-14 to finish runner-up in Pool B.

In the other quarter-finals this weekend Australia play Lebanon, England play Canada and Papua New Guinea play Brazil.

NZ KIWIS v FIJI BATI

MKM Stadium, Hull

8.30am, Sunday, November 6

SQUAD NO. PLAYERS NAME

16 NELSON ASOFA-SOLOMONA

8 JESSE BROMWICH (c)

12 KENNY BROMWICH

6 DYLAN BROWN

10 JAMES FISHER-HARRIS

14 KIERAN FORAN

4 PETA HIKU

7 JAHROME HUGHES

20 ISAAC LIU

1 JOSEPH MANU

2 RONALDO MULITALO

21 CHARNZE NICOLL-KLOKSTAD

17 BRITON NIKORA

11 ISAIAH PAPALI’I

5 JORDAN RAPANA

9 BRANDON SMITH

13 JOSEPH TAPINE

23 SCOTT SORENSEN

19 DALLIN WATENE-ZELEZNIAK