League: Four Nations in Fien fettle

Nathan Fien, Kiwis halfback. Photo / Getty Images

Nathan Fien is back in his happy place - in camp with the Kiwis knowing he's about to don a black and white jumper with the number seven on it.

Fien and Thomas Leuluai's halfback/hooker job swap has been a regular feature of Stephen Kearney's Kiwis selections. The pair played in tonight's respective positions in the World Cup final and again in the Four Nations last year, so it's hardly a surprising alignment.

Even so, with Fien a standout at hooker in the Dragons' grand final victory and Leuluai the man of the match at halfback in Wigan's Super League grand final success, Kearney's decision to stick with his favoured rotation at international level raised eyebrows this week.

It shouldn't have. Despite limited opportunities after his return from a broken leg, Fien still spent time at halfback for the Dragons. Leuluai usually started at seven for Wigan but would typically make way for Paul Deacon by shifting to hooker.

With Issac Luke also in the mix, the Kiwis will almost certainly replicate that fluidity in their halves/hooker combinations against England tonight.

"Those key positions, we've all been there and done it together," Fien said. "Even though we haven't played together at our clubs, we still have some familiarity so we still understand what people are thinking and what's required from each other.

"If you get the opportunity to wear the black jersey, you're going to do whatever job is required. Mooks [Kearney] has given us these specific jobs and I know when I look across that line the guy next to me is going to be doing his best."

Having bounced back from his unhappy Warriors exit with a premiership just 18-months later, and also overcoming a broken leg, Fien is a supremely confident, happy customer.

"I'm on top of the world," he said - a nice place to be for someone whose international career began with the Grannygate scandal.

"But that [confidence] is not just in the Dragons boys but also the Warriors boys, everyone who played in the finals," he said.

"Hopefully we're going to start building our timing as the tournament goes along but we're looking quite good at the moment."

Another positional convert, second rower turned prop Greg Eastwood, looms as a key contributor for the Kiwis.

Eastwood, who walked out on Leeds after one season due to homesickness, was a standout in last week's warm-up against Samoa, carving off metres and offloading at will.

"I just want to do my family proud and do my job for the team," he said.

Prop, or ruck forward as Kearney likes to call it, was not entirely unfamiliar to Eastwood.

"We had a lot of injuries at Leeds, four of our front rowers were injured so I had to fit in at prop. It's similar to lock, you're working in around the ruck. I find it all right. If I can get a starting position at prop, I'm more than happy to do the job."

But he doesn't see it as his long-term future.

"I hope not. I want to lose some weight so I can move back into the back row. But if the team needs me, I'm happy."

England finally revealed their side yesterday. Wigan winger Darrell Goulding will make his debut as a replacement for the hamstrung Ryan Hall, new captain James Graham replaces Adrian Morley and Stuart Fielden starts at prop in place of Darrell Griffin, who is named on the interchange bench in place of Eorl Crabtree.

The Kiwis have made no changes to the 17 named on Wednesday.