Thomas Leuluai (pictured) will be paired in the halves with fellow Vodafone Warriors playmaker Shaun Johnson for the Kiwis' Rugby League World Cup warm-up match against the Cook Islands on Monday morning (NZT). Photo: Photosport
All seven Vodafone Warriors will line up for the Kiwis in their Rugby League World Cup warm-up match against the Cook Islands at Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster on Sunday (3.00am kick-off, Monday, NZT).
Manu Vatuvei is on the wing, Thomas Leuluai and Shaun Johnson pair up in the halves as they do for their club, captain Simon Mannering and Elijah Taylor are in the back row and Ben Matulino and Kevin Locke are on a five-man bench.
Mannering will finally have his chance to lead the Kiwis for the first time. He was named as captain for this year's Anzac Test but was subsequently ruled out with injury.
NRL grand final-winning Sydney Roosters players Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Sam Moa, Sonny Bill Williams and Frank-Paul Nuuausala have been left out of the match as has Manly playmaker Kieran Foran.
The match is not an official Test with both sides using 18-man squads and unlimited interchanges.
SKY Sport 2 will have live coverage of the match from 2.45 on Monday morning.
The Kiwi team is:
KIWIS
1 JOSH HOFFMAN
2 JASON NIGHTINGALE
3 KRISNAN INU
4 DEAN WHARE
5 MANU VATUVEI
6 THOMAS LEULUAI
7 SHAUN JOHNSON
8 JESSE BROMWICH
9 ISSAC LUKE
10 SAM KASIANO
11 FRANK PRITCHARD
12 SIMON MANNERING (c)
13 ELIJAH TAYLOR
Interchange:
14 GREG EASTWOOD
15 BEN MATULINO
16 ALEX GLENN
17 KEVIN LOCKE
18 BRYSON GOODWIN
COACH: STEPHEN KEARNEY
All seven Vodafone Warriors will line up for the Kiwis in their Rugby League World Cup warm-up match against the Cook Islands at Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster on Sunday (3.00am kick-off, Monday, NZT).
Manu Vatuvei is on the wing, Thomas Leuluai and Shaun Johnson pair up in the halves as they do for their club, captain Simon Mannering and Elijah Taylor are in the back row and Ben Matulino and Kevin Locke are on a five-man bench.
Mannering will finally have his chance to lead the Kiwis for the first time. He was named as captain for this year's Anzac Test but was subsequently ruled out with injury.
NRL grand final-winning Sydney Roosters players Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Sam Moa, Sonny Bill Williams and Frank-Paul Nuuausala have been left out of the match as has Manly playmaker Kieran Foran.
The match is not an official Test with both sides using 18-man squads and unlimited interchanges.
SKY Sport 2 will have live coverage of the match from 2.45 on Monday morning.
The Kiwi team is:
KIWIS
1 JOSH HOFFMAN
2 JASON NIGHTINGALE
3 KRISNAN INU
4 DEAN WHARE
5 MANU VATUVEI
6 THOMAS LEULUAI
7 SHAUN JOHNSON
8 JESSE BROMWICH
9 ISSAC LUKE
10 SAM KASIANO
11 FRANK PRITCHARD
12 SIMON MANNERING (c)
13 ELIJAH TAYLOR
Interchange:
14 GREG EASTWOOD
15 BEN MATULINO
16 ALEX GLENN
17 KEVIN LOCKE
18 BRYSON GOODWIN
COACH: STEPHEN KEARNEY
