Winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak returns in the only change to the New Zealand Kiwis’ 19-man squad for their Rugby League World Cup quarter-final against Fiji in Hull on Sunday morning.
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak scores against Jamaica
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The 27-year-old Watene-Zelezniak fills the vacancy created by prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves’ one-match suspension for a high tackle on Dan Norman in last weekend’s win over Ireland in Leeds.
The squad has been named in alphabetical order with the final line-up to be confirmed 75 minutes before kick-off.
Apart from Waerea-Hargreaves, the other players omitted are prop Moses Leota, centre-second rower Marata Niukore, centre Sebastian Kris and hooker Jeremy Marshall-King.
For the second time in successive World Cups, the Kiwis and Fiji meet at the quarter-final stage of the tournament.
When the two nations met for the first time in 2017, the Bati caused a major shock by winning 4-2 in a tryless contest in Wellington.
Of the squad named today, Watene-Zelezniak, Jordan Rapana, Joseph Tapine, Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Isaac Liu all played in the 2017 encounter. Waerea-Hargreaves was also in the line-up that day while Kenny Bromwich and Peta Hiku weren’t selected.
The Kiwis go into their quarter-final after topping Pool C with victories over the Lebanon Cedars (34-12), Jamaica’s Reggae Warriors (68-6) and the Ireland Wolfhounds (48-10).
After losing 8-42 to the Kangaroos in their opening match, Fiji beat Italy’s Azzurri 60-4 and the Scotland Bravehearts 30-14 to finish runner-up in Pool B.
In the other quarter-finals this weekend Australia play Lebanon, England play Canada and Papua New Guinea play Brazil.
NZ KIWIS v FIJI BATI
MKM Stadium, Hull
8.30am, Sunday, November 6
SQUAD NO. PLAYERS NAME
16 NELSON ASOFA-SOLOMONA
8 JESSE BROMWICH (c)
12 KENNY BROMWICH
6 DYLAN BROWN
10 JAMES FISHER-HARRIS
14 KIERAN FORAN
4 PETA HIKU
7 JAHROME HUGHES
20 ISAAC LIU
1 JOSEPH MANU
2 RONALDO MULITALO
21 CHARNZE NICOLL-KLOKSTAD
17 BRITON NIKORA
11 ISAIAH PAPALI’I
5 JORDAN RAPANA
9 BRANDON SMITH
13 JOSEPH TAPINE
23 SCOTT SORENSEN
19 DALLIN WATENE-ZELEZNIAK
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