Mariu to join

FIVE Rugby League World Cups, three world titles and only now is Kiwi Ferns captain Laura Mariu ready to hang up her boots.

Well not quite yet, the 36-yearold is on the hunt for her fourth World Cup title and is only two wins away from doing so.

The Kiwi Ferns will face England in today’s Women’s Rugby League World Cup semifinal and although the English were beaten on Thursday by the Cook Islands, Mariu says she is not taking them lightly.

‘‘They had a bit of a bad run against the Cookies, but you can never take anything lightly, that’s evidenced in what happened in the men’s competition.

‘‘We are just taking it as it comes and we know they are going to come out firing.’’

So, too, will the Kiwi Ferns. Without playing at their best they could fall well short, as they have for the past two World Cup campaigns. The last time the Kiwi Ferns won a World Cup was in 2008 - the same year the Kiwis took the crown from the Kangaroos.

Unlike the Kiwis however, the Kiwi Ferns have made it through to the semifinals unscathed and in good spirits.

‘‘Whenever you go into a World Cup that is everyone’s goal to win it. We don’t care how many we have won in the past or who we are up against - it is what it is and all that matters is that we are on the same page.

‘‘The girls are gelling off the field and we have a great team culture where we respect one another, which is one of our