With Australia and New Zealand to face each other in next week’s Pacific Cup final, Saturday night’s clash at AAMI Park is essentially a dead rubber, however it certainly won’t feel like one.
Both the Kiwis and the Kangaroos will want to gain the ascendancy this week ahead of the final in seven days time, with New Zealand also looking for revenge after last year’s 16-14 defeat at the hands of Australia in the World Cup semi-final.
Kangaroos five-eighth Cam Munster battled with an illness this week and was in some doubt to play, but has been cleared to take his place.
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Nicho Hynes and Tom Flegler will make their Test match debuts, with the Sharks playmaker to start on the bench.
The big addition for Australia is Valentine Holmes, who slots back into the centres in his return from suspension for a white powder scandal.
Holmes, Hynes, Flegler and Sea Eagles forward Jake Trbojevic come in for Selwyn Cobbo, Payne Haas, Liam Martin and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui with the latter three rested and expected to return for next week’s final.
For the Kiwis, veteran Kieran Foran will start the game at dummy-half with Nu Brown dropping to the bench.
Their 17 will be the same team that thrashed Samoa last week.
TEAMS
Australia: 1. James Tedesco 2. Dylan Edwards 3. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow 4. Kotoni Staggs 5. Valentine Holmes 6. Cameron Munster 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Jake Trbojevic 9. Ben Hunt 10. Thomas Flegler 11. Cameron Murray 12. Reuben Cotter 13. Isaah Yeo 14. Harry Grant 15. Lindsay Collins 16. Patrick Carrigan 17. Nicho Hynes 18. Liam Martin 19. Selwyn Cobbo 20. Tino Fa’asuamaleaui 21. Payne Haas
New Zealand: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 2. Ronaldo Mulitalo 3. Matthew Timoko 4. Joseph Manu 5. Jamayne Isaako 6. Dylan Brown 7. Jahrome Hughes 8. James Fisher-Harris 9. Kieran Foran 10. Moses Leota 11. Isaiah Papali’i 12. Briton Nikora 13. Joseph Tapine 14. Fa’amanu Brown 15. Nelson Asofa-Solomona 16. Griffin Neame 17. Leo Thompson 18. Naufahu Whyte 19. Danny Levi 20. Wiremu Greig 21. Keano Kini
