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'Seriously strong enough to be pushing Australia': Kiwis a threat after demolishing Tonga

By Sam Smith
(Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

The Kiwis returned to international rugby league with a dominant 26-6 win over Tonga off the back of a record-breaking performance by fullback Joey Manu.

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Playing their first game in two and a half years, the home side raced out to a 12-0 lead after seven minutes in front of packed Mt Smart Stadium despite a large contingent of support for Mate Ma’a Tonga.

Without any Warriors players, the new look Kiwis were impressive with Melbourne Storm playmaker Jahrome Hughes at halfback and Parramatta’s Dylan Brown at five-eighth .

Former Origin great and Australian international Sam Thaiday had high praise for the Kiwis, claiming it was the ‘best Kiwis team’ he had seen in a long time and said the halves pairing is one he wants to see continue.

“This is the best Kiwis team I’ve seen for a while,” former NRL great Sam Thaiday told Channel 9’s Sunday Footy Show.

“There is a huge Melbourne contingent in this team as well. That halves pairing is absolutely amazing and you throw Joey Manu in at the back, he ran for over 300 metres.

“He’s an absolute freak. He will probably play fullback for the Roosters but they’ve got the best fullback in the world there at the moment in James Tedesco.

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“The Kiwis were absolutely brilliant in this one.

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“It actually makes me excited for the end of the year, to see a great, strong Kiwis team going into this World Cup. If the Kiwis are strong, it actually makes the World Cup a lot better.

NRL journalist Andrew Webster claimed that the Kiwis team was “seriously strong enough to be pushing Australia” to which Thaiday agreed.

“Yeah 100 per cent,” the former Broncos clubman said.

“That’s why I said I was excited by this New Zealand team, if New Zealand are good, it makes Australia better. It makes England better. All these other top tier nations want to play better.

“I love this halves combination, I’d like to see it going forward. Again off the back of the big boys up the middle. They will really shake things up at the World Cup this year.”

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Bull Shark 3 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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