Kidwell drops axe with halves switch for crunch quarter-final clash with the Fiji Bati in capital

Key playmakers Thomas Leuluai and Kodi Nikorima have paid the price for New Zealand’s humiliating Rugby League World Cup loss to Tonga, with the pair dropped for Saturday’s quarter-final against Fiji.

Brisbane five-eighth Nikorima drops to the bench, replaced by North Queensland’s Te Maire Martin while hooker Leuluai has been has been left out of the squad with Newcastle rake Danny Levi replacing him.

It will be Levi’s first start for the Kiwis, after coming off the bench in all three tests since making his debut against Samoa in round one.

Coach David Kidwell said the changes were a result of the shock loss to Tonga.

“Those changes are made because we think this is the best team to take us forward for the game against Fiji,” Kidwell said.

“The young fella in Danny Levi — over the last three games and what we have seen, we as coaches, think he deserves his starting spot. Bringing Te Maire Martin into the starting team — his form showed in the Scotland game and we put Kodi Nikorima on the bench to cover the nine, seven and also fullback.

“I thought we had the toughness against Tonga but we just needed the smarts,” Kidwell said of Martin’s inclusion. “We are looking to utilise his speed and obviously his direction of the team.”

Kidwell is aware of the Fijian threat

and admits they’ll present a different challenge to the Tongans.

“Fiji are one of the in-form teams. They have scored a lot of points. Their outside backs are the danger men along with some of their big forwards.

“Obviously Jarryd Hayne is a threat — he likes the big games so we have definitely talked about that as a group.”

Meanwhile, Fiji wing Marcelo Montoya admits Tonga have done his team no favours with their 28-22 upset of New Zealand in Hamilton.

After becoming the first tier-one nation in rugby league history to lose to a tier-two opponent, the stung Kiwis will come out firing in Saturday’s quarter-final, Montoya said.

“Now the New Zealand team know where they’ve got to patch up, they’re going to come out at 100 miles an hour, and we’ll have to come out the same,” he said.

“We’ve got to be very well pre- pared, and we’ve got to weather that storm.”

The Bulldogs youngster says confidence is running high in a Fijian team which recorded three runaway wins in pool play to finish top of Group D.

The Bati have amassed 32 tries after beating Italy 38-10, Wales 72-6 and the United States 58-12.

“For us, it’s just about defending well as a group collectively, and minimising their attack.”