Game III Preview: New Zealand v Great Britain

The Poms have landed and immediately set about making their presence felt. Dispatching a Newcastle Select XIII to the boundary must have made them feel pretty chuffed about themselves. And they got to let off a bit of steam as well, with Peacock and Wood both sin-binned for fighting. Fielden has also suggested that he?ll be smashing people left, right and centre.

But as we head to Christchurch for Game III of the 2006 Tri-Nations, if I were a pale northern hemisphere lad, I would be a little cautious of my chances against the Kiwis.

New Zealand played a good game last week and only let themselves down by giving away a head high tackle and a stupid penalty late in the game. Let?s face it ? no one could have stopped Inglis last week without the use of ballistic weapons and even then I?d give the Storm teenager half a chance.

Kidwell did a good impression of a Bobble Head Doll in the aftermath of Gasnier?s try as he was standing behind the posts, venting his frustration for his country as the realisation of an opportunity gone begging sank in. I think this will provide some extra motivation for the Kiwi?s, who despite losing their first two games, are staging a valiant campaign to retain their title as World Champions.

Paul Simpkins is the ref in this one after Ashley Klein ?controlled? the first two games.

Let?s take a look at the teams, starting with the Brits?

Great Britain: Paul Wellens, Brian Carney, Martin Gleeson, Keith Senior, Leon Pryce, Danny McGuire, Sean Long, Stuart Fielden, Terry Newton, Adrian Morley, Jamie Peacock (c), Gareth Ellis, Sean O'Loughlin,
Interchange: James Roby, Garreth Carvell, Gareth Hock, Lee Gilmour
18th man: Jon Wilkin

This is a strong line-up but there are a few oddities amongst it, not the least of which is the selection of 3 Gareths! You?ve got Wellens at the back with Carney and Price on the wings. Gleeson is solid in the centres alongside Senior, who would have to consider himself a little lucky ahead of Yeaman.

Long and McGuire in the halves offer some variety but the pack is where Great Britain will look to win the game.

Fielden and Morley are two men that have plenty of weight to throw about. Morley is a seasoned NRL player who should be able to offer some experience to the rest of the squad about how the game is played down here. Fielden?s stature tends to suggest he?s a throwback from the Viking era when giants roamed the earth. He?s talked up a bit of a storm so hopefully he?ll deliver and we should see an absorbing clash in the forwards. For Australian fans, this is the man who destroyed the Wests Tigers in the World Club Challenge earlier in the year.

The rest of the backrow is strong with Peacock and Ellis, but there is a bit of a mystery around O?Loughlin, with Wilkin the obvious choice for that position. The bench is strong though ? Roby?s a class act and Gilmour offers creativity. Carvell and Hock are pretty solid and should be able to combat the larger Kiwi forwards, even if they do look a bit short on props. Peacock?s versatility could be used here though, with a shift to prop on the cards at some point during the game.

Moving onto the Kiwi?s, here?s the squad they?ve come up with?

New Zealand: Brent Webb, Tame Tupou, Iosia Soliola, Nigel Vagana, Manu Vatuvei, Jerome Ropati, Stacey Jones, Ruben Wiki (c), Nathan Fien, Roy Asotasi, David Kidwell, Frank Pritchard, Simon Mannering
Interchange: Motu Tony, Nathan Cayless, Jason Cayless, David Fa'alogo
18th man: Adam Blair

There have been a few forced changes to the line-up that played in Melbourne last week. Hape, probably the standout in a well performed team, has succumbed to injury but a capable replacement in Tupou has been drafted in. Matai, also a strong performer, has picked up an injury as well opening the way for Vagana to switch to his preferred position of centre.

As such Ropati gets to start at five-eighth which I?m happy about. I think he deserves a crack and it also settles down the hooker role with Fien starting and Tony on the bench who offers a bit of versatility.

Next, Pritchard comes back into the squad after a strong performance in the curtain-raiser in Melbourne. He replaces Puletua who has pulled out of the series due to personal issues. I think this helps the Kiwis as Big T was struggling a bit. One thing that won?t help is Mannering though. I hope this guy can prove me wrong but right now he?s just not up to it. McClennan is showing incredible faith in him but he?s partly at fault also, moving him from lock to wing in the last game which didn?t help. But it really doesn?t matter what position you play, you need to be able to catch the ball.

The rest of the forward pack is unchanged, but the bench has had a bit of a shake-up. I?m disappointed for Blair ? I think he?s been one of their best over the past two games. You can?t argue too much with his replacement (J Cayless) but I would have gone with Fa?alogo, Pritchard or Kidwell to start at lock, drop Mannering and have a bench of Tony, Blair and the two Cayless?s.

The Decision

Straight up I favour a Kiwi victory here.

I thought they were as polished as I?ve ever seen them last week. They played mistake-free footy for about 73 minutes before handing the game over in heart breaking circumstances. The Kiwis have had two games under their belt now and should be better drilled than their rivals.

There are two psychological elements at work here though ? firstly the pressure on New Zealand to win considering they?re the reigning champs and at home; plus the ?unknown quantity? of Great Britain.

New Zealand know how important it is for them to win this one. A loss would go a long way to snuffing out their chances of defending their crown and it would probably take a bit of interest out of the series. As much as Aussie?s like giving it to Kiwis and Poms, we enjoy it more when they are competitive and last year?s final re-invigorated the International game.

As for Great Britain, well I think they just need to get out onto the paddock and try to find some rhythm. It?s one thing to smash a Newcastle XIII but it?s a whole different story to try and defeat an entire nation.

I really hope the Poms can get it together and play some constructive footy. Long?s passing and kicking game will need to be spot on and their forwards will have to work hard against a pack that have so far given the Aussie?s a bit of a touch-up.

But I just can?t see them getting past New Zealand here. I think the Kiwis will be desperate for this one and will get the chocolates, but the return game in Wellington will be an entirely different story. There?s never been a better time for Kiwi?s to get out to the game and support their country, and with reports that the ticket sales in Christchurch have been a little bit slow, I don?t think it will be much trouble finding a seat.