New Zealand have named a star-studded squad for their World Cup warm-up clash with Leeds Rhinos. Michael Maguire's Kiwis will take on the Grand Finalists at Headingley as part of their preparations for the tournament.
Thomas Leuluai will bow out of action as the Kiwis captain in his final ever rugby league appearance and will partner Kieran Foran in the halves. Canberra Raiders fullback Charnze Nicoll-Kolkstad will play at fullback and they boast a daunting front-row of Jesse Bromwich, Brandon Smith and Nelson Asofa-Solomona.
Leuluai is one of three Super League stars in the squad, with Catalans' Dean Whare and Wigan's Willie Isa also included on the bench. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, the New Zealand Warrirors star, is on the bench.
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Canberra centre Sebastian Kris and Canterbury hooker Jeremy Marshall-King will both make their debuts but the Kiwis will be without the suspended Jared Waerea-Hargreaves plus fullback Joseph Manu. Penrith’s NRL premiership-winning trio James Fisher-Harris, Moses Leota and Scott Sorensen as well as Parramatta’s grand finalists Dylan Brown, Isaiah Papali’i and Marata Niukore have not been considered for selection but are due to be in attendance.
NEW ZEALAND KIWIS v LEEDS RHINOS
1 CHARNZE NICOLL-KLOKSTAD
2 JORDAN RAPANA
3 PETA HIKU
4 SEBASTIAN KRIS
5 RONALDO MULITALO
6 KIERAN FORAN
7 THOMAS LEULUAI (c)
8 JESSE BROMWICH
9 BRANDON SMITH
10 NELSON ASOFA-SOLOMONA
11 KENNY BROMWICH
12 BRITON NIKORA
13 ISAAC LIU
Interchange :
14 JAHROME HUGHES
15 JOSEPH TAPINE
16 DALLIN WATENE-ZELEZNIAK
17 JEREMY MARSHALL-KING
18 DEAN WHARE
19 WILLIE ISA
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