By Rich Cowley, Updated: 24/10/17
Teams: New Zealand v Samoa
Venue: Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand
Date: 28th October 2017
Kick-off time: 8.10pm (Local Time)
2017 RLWC TV viewing information: Channel 7 will broadcast all 2017 RLWC games in Australia on Free to Air TV. BBC Will broadcast RLWC games across the UK. Sky Sports will Broadcast all RLWC matches in New Zealand. Fiji TV will Broadcast all matches RLWC matches across the Pacific Islands. EM TV will broadcast all RLWC matches across PNG. Astro will broadcast all RLWC matches across Malaysia. PCCW will broadcast all RLWC matches across Hong Kong. DAZN will broadcast all RLWC matches across Japan. OSN Sports will broadcast all matches across the Middle East. Fox Sports will broadcast all matches across the United States.
Overview: New Zealand enter the 2017 RLWC with turmoil in the camp. New Zealand have had some high profile well publicised defections to competing Pacific Nations. Coach David Kidwell still has a team full of talent at his deposal. Against all odds New Zealand won the World Cup in 2008 and who’s to say they can’t prove the critics wrong again in 2017.
With the amount of Polynesian players running around in the NRL and to an extent the Super League, Pacific nations like Samoa are getting stronger. They have a team full of NRL and Super League players that can easily match it with the likes of the big three. Samoa will be looking to take advantage of the turmoil in the Kiwi camp and spring an upset in Auckland.
2017 RLWC New Zealand v Samoa teams
New Zealand 2017 RLWC Team:
1 Roger TUIVASA-SHECK
2 Dallin WATENE ZELEZNIAK
3 Gerard BEALE
4 Bradley TAKAIRANGI
5 Jordan RAPANA
6 Kodi NIKORIMA
7 Shaun JOHNSON
8 Martin TAUPAU
9 Thomas LEULUAI
10 Adam BLAIR (c)
11 Kenny BROMWICH
12 Joseph TAPINE
13 Simon MANNERING
14 Nelson ASOFA-SOLOMONA
15 Russell PACKER
16 Isaac LIU
17 Danny LEVI
18 Jared WAEREA-HARGREAVES
19 Peta HIKU
20 Te Maire MARTIN
21 Addin FONUA-BLAKE
Samoa 2017 RLWC Team:
1 Young TONUMAIPEA
2 Peter MATA’UTIA
3 Timoteo LAFAI
4 Joseph LEILUA
5 Ken MAUMALO
6 Joseph PAULO
7 Ben ROBERTS
8 Junior PAULO
9 Jazz TEVAGA
10 Sam LISONE
11 Joshua PAPALII
12 Frank PRITCHARD (c)
13 Leeson AH MAU
14 Pita GODINET
15 Herman ESE’ESE
16 Suaia MATAGI
17 Bunty Afoa
18 Zane MUSGROVE
19 Ricky LEUTELE
20 Frank WINTERSTEIN
21 Fa’amanu BROWN
