Kiwis look to keep series alive at Anfield
Football nets have been removed and goal posts installed as Anfield hosts game two of the threetest series between England and New Zealand on Monday morning.
The clash (3.30am, NZT) marks the first time England have played at the famous venue after missing the 2016 World Cup final with Wayne Bennett’s men out to seal a series victory on home turf.
Both sides had their chances in a frantic finish in the first test at KCOM Stadium but England held their nerve in defence to claim victory in the opening fixture.
England have lost skipper Sean O’Loughlin to a calf injury with James Graham taking on the role, while the Kiwis are hopeful Adam Blair will play after withdrawing last week with a knee complaint.
New Zealand will need to bounce back after their two-point loss in Hull to force the series into a deciding game and prove their victory over the Kangaroos was not a one-off.
Michael Maguire’s era as Kiwis coach reads a 1-2 record in 2018 and the recently appointed Wests Tigers coach will be determined to have his side firing.
Key match-up
Oliver Gildart v Joseph Manu
Gildart got the better of Manu in the opening game with the Roosters centre having a quiet outing as he was well contained by the England defence with just 75 running metres. The right edge of Manu and Jordan Rapana is the Kiwis’ strongest if they can be given early ball in similar fashion to their victory over the Kangaroos a fortnight earlier.
For England to win
The pack proved they’re capable of matching the Kiwis up front so halves George Williams and Sam Tomkins will need to create more in attack particularly with New Zealand’s expected bounce-back factor.
Josh Hodgson did a lot of work at first receiver and finished off some final plays in a usual roaming role but they overall could get better.
The trio will need to step up another gear with slicker finishing for England to clinch the series.
For the Kiwis to win
They’ll need to fix their discipline after a lopsided second-half penalty count in crucial stages of last week’s loss with the game on the line. Kiwis skipper Dallin Watene-Zelezniak conceded the side became frustrated at the officiating and let it become a distraction during the game. England’s defensive line proved vulnerable on the two occasions the Kiwis crossed the line and Michael Maguire’s men should be confident of exposing England.
England stat attack
England calculated a play-the-ball speed average of almost half a second slower (3.89 seconds) compared to the Kiwis last weekend, indicating a slower ruck speed across the board. James Graham (4.59s) and George Burgess (5.09s) were well above the side’s average, while Luke Thompson (3.42s average) recorded the quickest of the big men.
Kiwis stat attack
New Zealand motored forward with an average of 53.6m per set last week compared to England’s 34.6m figure. They tallied an extra 13 tackle breaks and 350 running metres but struggled with their fifth-tackle options and basic error count to enable England’s advantage late in the game.
And another thing
The Kiwis have not lost three consecutive tests against a British side since 2007.