Halatau gets Test call up

Dene Halatau has become the third Wests Tigers player to be named in a Test side.

Halatau will make his Test debut for New Zealand against France this Thursday night.

He has been named as hooker for the one-off Test in Carcassonne, in the south of France. Halatau?s only other match on the Tri-Nations tour was for the combined Anzacs team.

Paul Whatuira, who has signed with the Wests Tigers for 2005, remains in the centres.

Halatau follows in the footsteps of Jason Lowrie and Tyran Smith who played for New Zealand in the Anzac Test against Australia in 2000 when contracted to the Wests Tigers.

New Zealand need Australia to beat Great Britain this Saturday night if they are to keep their hopes alive of making the final.