David Skipwith: New Kiwis style carries risks

The Kiwis embraced a new and expansive brand of footy but overly adventurous play and poor discipline could have proved costly in tonight's 38-8 Rugby League World Cup victory over Samoa.

The Mt Smart Stadium clash unveiled New Zealand coach David Kidwell's revamped 'Kiwis style' of play that saw the home side throw caution to the wind and look to spread the ball at almost every opportunity.

Both sides looked to offload and work play to the edges of the ruck but the Kiwis were guilty of overplaying their hand in the first half of the patchy win.

New Zealand's positive attacking mindset had its merits and they looked the better side on both sides of the ball, but over-exuberance and poor accuracy saw them blow several scoring chances as they racked up eight errors and six penalties in the first half alone.

Time and again they had Samoa back-pedalling and under pressure but loose passes, knock-ons, and players being forced into touch helped keep the second-tier side in the contest longer than they perhaps deserved.

To their credit the Kiwis showed plenty of heart and determination in defence to hold the visitors out on several occasions before Samoa wing Ken Maumalo crossed in the right corner three minutes before halftime.

But the Kiwis' sloppy play continued in the second-half with two errors either side of debutant centre Brad Takairangi's 46th minute try, before two quick four-pointers to Kodi Nikorima and Isaac Liu helped push them out to a comfortable 26-4 lead with more than a quarter of the match remaining.

Late tries to fullback Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and impressive debutant front-rower Nelson Asofa-Solomona gave them more breathing space before Samoa were rewarded with a try at the death to Joseph Paulo.

Regardless of how they got there, Kidwell will be a relieved man having secured just his second win in seven starts since his tumultuous tenure began just over 12 months ago.

Many have doubted his ability to get the best out his players after reports Tongan defector Jason Taumalolo did not respect his coaching style, but despite various setbacks throughout a troubled build-up the Kiwis looked hungry and united in their first test on home soil in almost three years.

New halves pairing Shaun Johnson and Nikorima combined well with veteran hooker Thomas Leuluai, behind a pack that made good yards in behind the play the ball and wider out on the fringes.

Former captain Simon Mannering was a rock on the left-edge and looked rejuvenated after a below-par - by his stellar standards - NRL season for the Warriors while underlining his importance to the national side.

The 31-year-old 42 test workhorse was outshone in the defensive department (25) however, with his 23-year-old second-row partner Joseph Tapine getting through a team-high 30 tackles in just his third test outing.

The Kiwis sharpened their focus as the game wound down and will count on making further improvements in next Saturday's second pool outing against Scotland in Christchurch.

No one will be getting carried away just yet but the win was a step in the right direction and provided a much needed boost for their tournament prospects.