Few Kiwis remain after coaching coup

The last time the Kiwis met England's finest their tour was in crisis and while the 28-22 loss last year saved some face the result was an embarrassing 3-0 test series whitewash.

Only three Kiwis from the side that played Great Britain in Wigan on November 10 will line up against England on Saturday, an illustration of the tumultuous nature of New Zealand rugby league.

Simon Mannering, Jeremy Smith and Lance Hohaia are the only survivors, while coach Gary Kemble reluctantly fell on his sword after Roy Asotasi and David Kidwell - on interchange bench on Saturday - led a dramatic player revolt.

In contrast England boast a far more settled line-up, with an established coach in Tony Smith, though they have lost forwards Maurie Fa'asavalu and Jon Wilkin to injury and are scarred from their heavy defeat against Australia.

New Zealand coach Stephen Kearney, who also had to regather his troops from a Kangaroos beating, knows a bit about the English game, having played for Hull in 2005 and winning a Challenge Cup.

The Storm assistant is also renowned for his painstaking approach to preparation and says he has left no stone unturned as the Kiwis prepare for their final World Cup pool match at Newcastle's EnergyAustralia Stadium.

Asked how much homework he had done on the Poms, Kearney replied simply: "a lot."

"That's the way I operate in terms of how I prepare a side," he said.

"I was lucky enough to get some information and some vision from a couple of games overseas, the Challenge Cup semifinal, the Super League semifinal, their game against France and obviously the Australian and Papua New Guinea games."

Kearney was expecting England, whose odds of winning the tournament have drifted to $11 at the New Zealand TAB, to rebound from lacklustre performances against Australia and the Kumuls.

"That's how we're preparing the side and that's how I always prepare the side, it doesn't matter who we're playing, I'll prepare them for the opposition's best performance," he said.

"I'm well aware of the personnel that the English side have and I know that they're very proud individuals and a very proud team so they'll be hurting after last weekend's result and I'm certainly expecting their best performance."

With match-ups between northern and southern hemisphere sides few and far between, Kearney said the less experienced Kiwis would need to adapt to the English style.

England aim for quick play of the balls and rely on dummy half running and the skill of halves Rob Burrow and Leon Pryce.

Coach Smith yesterday named a 19-man squad, resting key prop James Graham and hooker James Roby.

"They're different players playing in a different competition and of course it's going to be different but we come across good, different dummy half-runners in this competition [NRL] too so I think it's just making them aware of certain individuals.

"Our lads won't be surprised, put it that way," Kearney said.

Kiwis: Lance Hohaia, Jason Nightingale, Steve Matai, Jerome Ropati, Manu Vatuvei, Benji Marshall, Thomas Leuluai, Adam Blair, Nathan Fien, Evarn Tuimavave, Simon Mannering, David Fa'alogo, Jeremy Smith (c). Interchange: Issac Luke, Greg Eastwood, Bronson Harrison, David Kidwell.

England (from): Rob Burrow, Mark Calderwood, Gareth Ellis, Martin Gleeson, Mickey Higham, Gareth Hock, Jamie Jones-Buchanan, Jamie Langley, Danny McGuire, Adrian Morley, Jamie Peacock (c), Leon Pryce, Rob Purdham, Keith Senior, Kevin Sinfield, Lee Smith, Paul Sykes, Paul Wellens, Ben Westwood.

- © Fairfax NZ News