KEY POINTS:
David Fa'alogo is relishing the battle for the second row spots during the Kiwis World Cup campaign.
Coach Stephen Kearney yesterday released his 17-man squad for the semifinal against England in Brisbane tomorrow night, with Fa'alogo retaining his place in the starting 13.
His partner in the middle
of the scrum will be Sika Manu, who returns from a two-week injury break.
Manu suffered a minor fracture of an eye socket in the Kiwis' defeat to Australia on the opening weekend and missed the subsequent pool wins over Papua New Guinea and England.
His inclusion allows Simon Mannering to move to the centres to replace Steve Matai, who was stretchered off in the first half against England last Saturday.
Mannering will be in combination on the right with winger Sam Perrett, who replaces Jason Nightingale.
In the front row, skipper Nathan Cayless returns for Evarn Tuimavave after having been rested against England.
For the bench, Kearney has opted to add prop Sam Rapira, with veteran forward David Kidwell dropping out.
Meanwhile, Bronson Harrison, a late pre-tournament addition because of injury to Iosia Soliola, retains his spot among the substitutes, as does fellow-backrower Greg Eastwood.
Harrison, 23, got his second test appearance last weekend - three years after his debut - and he made the most of the opportunity.
The Wests Tiger produced an energetic performance that included setting up tries for Nightingale and Nathan Fien as the Kiwis overcame an 24-8 deficit to beat England 36-24.
Fien will again start at halfback, continuing his partnership with five-eighth Benji Marshall.
Thomas Leuluai, the No 1 halfback at the start of the tournament, will again be starting hooker, with livewire Issac Luke the dummy half option off the bench.
One of the selection issues of interest was how Kearney would juggle his crop of second rowers, and Fa'alogo said the scramble for places could only help the team.
"It's always healthy," he said.
"That's a position where there's no shortage of competition and it's good for the players. It brings out the best in them."
Fa'alogo was confident that the Kiwis pack would do the job of laying the platform up front against big and physical English opposition, but said one area targeted for improvement was greater intensity in the opening exchanges.
The sluggish start against England in Newcastle, and also against the Kangaroos, had been a focus of attention in the build-up this week.
"That's one thing we've spoken about," he said. "Our aggression from the start has to be spot on, especially this week. We don't get a second chance."
On the other hand, the Kiwis' ability to turn around a 16-point deficit and keep England scoreless from the half-hour mark onwards was a source of confidence, So, too, was the fact that individual players were starting to get into some form.
"It's been like a three-week process," Fa'alogo said. "We had a game against Australia and then Papua New Guinea, and we've slowly been getting better as a team. Having individuals stand up as well is good."
- NZPA