Didn’t see much ball down his edge, but still finished with 106m from eight carries. Nailed some tough conversions finishing seven of eight for the match.
3. Matt Timoko – 6
Dropped a simple pass when the Kiwis were hot on attack, searching for their fourth try, however, he made amends when he scored just before the break.
1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad – 7
Shifted to the centres and proved to be reliable as always. Scored a try in the second half. Stacey Jones might be forced to keep him there due to his impact in the position and Kini dominating at fullback.
4. Casey McLean – 8
Made the break down the wing which led to the opening try, and scored one himself off a bomb. That’s now seven tries in three tests. Did make a few errors but has already established himself as one of the most important players for the Kiwis, which is crazy to say early in his career.
6. Dylan Brown – 7
Another strong showing carrying the ball. Scored two tries and set up another two.
7. Kieran Foran – 5
A better showing from the veteran halfback after he was kept very quiet against Samoa a fortnight ago. His kicking was more accurate, which helped his side in the red zone.
8. James Fisher-Harris – 5
A quiet night for the Kiwis skipper but made his impact known when given opportunities.
9. Phoenix Crossland – 6
Was named to start in the absence of Jeremy Marshall-King and did struggle to stamp his mark. Made a team-high 34 tackles but missed four. Scored a try, which bumped his ranking up.
10. Moses Leota – 5
Got through lots of gritty work, mainly in the opening exchanges when the match was a real arm wrestle.
11. Briton Nikora – 6
Another who was much-improved from the Samoa match, with his combination next to Kieran Foran looking more formidable.
12. Isaiah Papali’i – 7
Needed a bounce-back performance and he found it. Was involved in almost everything, finishing with 132m off 19 carries.
13. Joseph Tapine – 7
Gave away a penalty for a dangerous tackle and, if charged by the match review committee, could be in danger of missing the final. Did give the Kiwis lots of second-phase play with five offloads.
Interchange
14. Te Maire Martin – 3
Came on for the final 20 minutes. Played hooker before switching to the halves for the final 12 minutes.
15. Naufahu Whyte – 8
Immense off the bench again. A powerful carrier who bumps defenders off for fun. Finished with 182 run metres – 68 of those post-contact – and 15 tackles.
16. Erin Clark – 5
Was sin-binned right on halftime for a professional foul but bounced back with a strong showing.
17. Xavier Willison – 6
Made his test debut and didn’t take long to make an impact. Finished with 115m. A key player for the Kiwis in the future.
Ben Francis is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers breaking sports news.
