New Zealand Rugby League

NEW ZEALAND KIWIS v GREAT BRITAIN LIONS

Kick-Off 5.00pm local time, Saturday, November 2, 2019
Eden Park, Auckland

Adam Blair will achieve the rare honour of playing 50 Tests while Kieran Foran will make his first international appearance in more than two years when the New Zealand Kiwis meet the Great Britain Lions in the first Test at Eden Park on Saturday (5.00pm kick-off).

Veteran Northland-born and raised Blair (33) will become only the eighth player in history – and just the second New Zealander after Ruben Wiki – to reach the 50-Test milestone.

Blair seemed set to be stranded on 48 Tests after missing selection for the mid-year clash against Mate Ma’a Tonga and initially being overlooked for the end-of-season internationals against the Kangaroos and the Lions.

However, the 311-game NRL forward came into the squad as an injury replacement for the World Cup 9s in Sydney and earned a Test recall for the Oceania Cup match against the Kangaroos in Wollongong last Friday night.

Canterbury-Bankstown play maker Foran (29) returns to the Test stage for the first time since May, 2017, partnering captain Benji Marshall in the halves. Replacing Shaun Johnson, he will be making his 22nd appearance for the Kiwis since his debut 10 years ago.

In other changes to the side which lost 4-26 to Australia, Kiwi head coach Michael Maguire has moved Sydney Roosters middle forward Zane Tetevano into the starting front row after he made his debut from the bench last Friday night. Vodafone Warriors prop Leeson Ah Mau is switched to the bench.

Canberra back rower Joseph Tapine, who served a one-game suspension last week, is recalled to start at loose forward in his 11th Test with Blair now on the bench and Braden Hamlin-Uele, one of four debutants against Australia, moving out of the squad. Melbourne utility Jahrome Hughes and Canterbury-Bankstown back rower Corey Harawira-Naera complete the interchange.

This Saturday’s match will be the Kiwis’ first against the Great Britain Lions since a three-Test series in England in 2007.

It will be the second leg of an international triple header at Eden Park. It kicks off with a second-tier Oceania Cup match between Toa Samoa and Fiji Bati (2.20pm kick-off) with the Kiwis v Great Britain encounter followed by the Kangaroos taking on Tonga International (7.40pm kick-off). The Tongans come into the match after stunning the Lions 14-6 in Hamilton last Saturday.

50 TEST APPEARANCES
(in chronological order)

Jim Sullivan (Wales, England, Great Britain) 1921-1934 | 54 internationals
Mick Sullivan (England, Great Britain) 1954-1962 | 50 internationals
Ruben Wiki (New Zealand) 1994-2006 | 55 internationals
Adrian Morley (England, Great Britain) 1996-2012 | 53 internationals
Darren Lockyer (Australia) 1997-2011 | 59 internationals
Petero Civoniceva (Australia, Fiji) 2001-2014 | 51 internationals
Cameron Smith (Australia) 2006-2017 | 56 internationals

 New Zealand Kiwis Team

1

ROGER TUIVASA-SHECK
(Vodafone Warriors)

2

KEN MAUMALO
(Vodafone Warriors)

3

CHARNZE NICOLL-KLOKSTAD
(Canberra Raiders)

4

JOSEPH MANU
(Sydney Roosters)

5

JAMAYNE ISAAKO
(Brisbane Broncos)

6

KIERAN FORAN
(Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs)

7

BENJI MARSHALL (c)
(Wests Tigers)

8

ZANE TETEVANO
(Sydney Roosters)

9

BRANDON SMITH
(Melbourne Storm)

10

JARED WAEREA-HARGREAVES
(Sydney Roosters)

11

BRITON NIKORA
(Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks)

12

KENNY BROMWICH
(Melbourne Storm)

13

JOSEPH TAPINE
(Canberra Raiders)

 

Interchange:

14

JAHROME HUGHES
(Melbourne Storm)

15

COREY HARAWIRA-NAERA
(Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs)

16

LEESON AH MAU
(Vodafone Warriors)

17

ADAM BLAIR
(Vodafone Warriors)

18

KEVIN PROCTOR
(Gold Coast Titans)

19

BAILEY SIMONSSON
(Canberra Raiders)

 
HEAD COACH | MICHAEL MAGUIRE
 
 
NEW ZEALAND KIWIS | GREAT BRITAIN LIONS SERIES
 

Player

Club

Kiwi No

Tests for NZ

LEESON AH MAU

Vodafone Warriors

812

7

ADAM BLAIR

Vodafone Warriors

732

49

KENNEATH BROMWICH

Melbourne Storm

796

9

KIERAN FORAN

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

757

21

BRADEN HAMLIN UELE

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

822

1

COREY HARAWIRA-NAERA

Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks

823

1

JAHROME HUGHES

Melbourne Storm

819

2

JAMAYNE ISAAKO

Brisbane Broncos

808

3

SHAUN JOHNSON

Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks

774

31

JOSEPH MANU

Sydney Roosters

815

6

BENJI MARSHALL

Wests Tigers

717

29

KEN MAUMALO

Vodafone Warriors

810

7

CHARNZE NICOLL-KLOKSTAD

Canberra Raiders

820

1

BRITON NIKORA

Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks

818

2

ISAIAH PAPALI’I

Vodafone Warriors

817

1

KEVIN PROCTOR

Gold Coast Titans

771

21

BAILEY SIMONSSON

Canberra Raiders

BRANDON SMITH

Melbourne Storm

816

6

JOSEPH TAPINE

Canberra Raiders

800

10

ZANE TETEVANO

Sydney Roosters

821

1

ROGER TUIVASA-SHECK

Vodafone Warriors

779

18

JARED WAEREA-HARGREAVES

Sydney Roosters

755

30