Brisbane Broncos NRL premiership winner Xavier Willison will make his Kiwis test debut after being named on the interchange bench for Sunday’s Pacific Championship clash against Tonga at Eden Park.
Willison gets the chance to stamp his mark after a breakout season where he made 21 appearances as the Broncos won their first title since 2006.
The 23-year-old takes the place of Nelson Asofa-Solomona in one of four changes to Stacey Jones’ side, who opened their campaign with a 24-18 win over Samoa two weeks ago.
Sebastian Kris has been named to start on the wing in place of Ronaldo Mulitalo, who has been ruled out for an extended period with an ACL injury, while Phoenix Crossland takes the place of the injured hooker Jeremy Marshall-King, who has a broken thumb.
Te Maire Martin will assume the utility role off the bench in what will be his first test since the Kiwis v England test in Denver in 2018.
The Kiwis are seeking to avenge last year’s 25-24 defeat to Tonga, and a win will earn them qualification for the Pacific Cup final against Samoa in Sydney on November 9.
Tonga are coming off a 34-6 defeat to Samoa on Sunday, in a match where players were forced from the field for 90 minutes due to lightning strikes within the vicinity of Suncorp Stadium.
Meanwhile, the Kiwi Ferns have made three changes to their starting side to face the Jillaroos.
Leianne Tufuga replaces Tysha Ikensio on the wing, Tiana Davison starts at prop with Brianna Clarke suspended and Otesa Pule comes in for Shakira Baker in the second row, while Shaniece Monschau will make her debut off the bench.
The Ferns had the week off, after their stunning come from behind 22-20 win over Fetu Samoa, but Australia will pose a tougher challenge.
The Jillaroos are coming off a 60-0 win over Fetu Samoa and coach Ricky Henry is wary of the threat they pose.
“It will be an occasion on Sunday, and we look forward to having Shaniece join our honour roll of Kiwi Ferns,” Henry said.
“This match is always a big one for us, and the Jillaroos are the ultimate challenge, but we have a lot of belief in this group, so we haven’t reinvented the wheel this week. We have a lot of belief and we have the opportunity to show this when we play.”
The Kiwi Ferns kick off against the Jillaroos at 3.35pm, followed by the Kiwis against Tonga at 6.05pm.
Kiwis: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 2. Jamayne Isaako, 3. Matt Timoko, 4. Casey McLean, 5. Sebastian Kris, 6. Dylan Brown, 7. Kieran Foran, 8. James Fisher-Harris (c), 9. Phoenix Crossland, 10. Moses Leota, 11. Briton Nikora, 12. Isaiah Papali’i, 13. Joseph Tapine.
Interchange: 14. Te Maire Martin, 15. Naufahu Whyte, 16. Erin Clark, 17. Xavier Willison.
Kiwi Ferns: 1. Apii Nicholls, 2. Shanice Parker, 3. Abigail Roache, 4. Mele Hufuga, 5. Leianne Tufuga, 6. Patricia Maliepo, 7. Raecene McGregor (cc), 8. Angelina Teakaraanga-Katoa, 9. Brooke Anderson, 10. Tiana Davison, 11. Annessa Biddle, 12. Otesa Pule, 13. Georgia Hale (cc).
Interchange (from): 14. Ashleigh Quinlan, 15. Shaniece Monschau, 16. Alexis Tauaneai, 17. Ivana Lauiti’iti, 18. Tyla King.
Ben Francis is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers breaking sports news.