League: Warm up sides likely to pop up next week

Captains Benji Marshall (Kiwis) and Tony Puletua (Samoa) and their teams will face off at Mt Smart tonight. Photo / Dean Purcell

What you see in tonight's Four Nations warm-up matches will be pretty close to what you get when the competition kicks off next weekend.

Kiwis coach Stephen Kearney and England opposite Steve McNamara will field sides strongly resembling their top line-ups.

With the victor of next week's encounter between the sides in Wellington taking a potentially decisive step towards qualification for the November 13 final, the one-match lead-in leaves little room for experimenting.

The battle for the Kiwis' right wing berth between Jason Nightingale - who plays tonight - and incumbent Sam Perrett, who has a knee injury, appears to be the only real area of decision remaining for Kearney.

McNamara, meanwhile, was keen to shield some of his more overworked players but balanced that against the need to hit the ground running against a strong NZ Maori.

"There is not much room for error when you only play three games in a competition," McNamara said. "We have got some players who have just come off a grand final and some players who have played 36 games in the regular season, which is a lot."

England are studded with top-class forwards such as captain Adrian Morley, Souths star Sam Burgess and Tigers back rower Gareth Ellis, but their backline consists mainly of names that will be largely unfamiliar to many in this part of the world.

With leading halves Kyle Eastmond and Danny McGuire both absent through injury, Wigan's Sam Tomkins shapes as the side's most dangerous creative force.

"We've obviously got some pretty good players who've been left behind through injury," McNamara said. "In previous years it probably would have been terminal for us, but we are very comfortable and happy with the squad that we have brought across.

"We have certainly got a very young backline ... But youth brings enthusiasm and it brings no fear. It [will] be a great education for them."

Having selected Adam Blair and Greg Eastwood - players customarily used in the back row at club level - as his starting front rowers Kearney confirmed his desire for mobility in the pack, saying traditional props were a thing of the past. "We sort of look at them as ruck forwards, guys who can play through the middle," Kearney said.

"With the combination of [lock] Jeremy [Smith], Adam and Greg running through that middle third it gives us some good mobility there.

"And we have some very handy wide runners in Bronson Harrison, Franky Pritchard and Simon Mannering."

While the Kiwis should be largely untroubled by a Samoa side with a smattering of ageing stars, England could have their work cut out against a Maori side boasting all but one player - wing Kaine Manihera - from the NRL and Super League ranks.

The chance to put Maori league back on the international map was a great motivation, captain Clinton Toopi said.

Kiwis v Samoa
Mt Smart Stadium, 7.30 tonight

Kiwis
Lance Hohaia
J. Nightingale
S. Kenny-Dowall
Junior Sa'u
Manu Vatuvei
Benji Marshall (c)
Thomas Leuluai
Greg Eastwood
Issac Luke
Adam Blair
Frank Pritchard
Bronson Harrison
Jeremy Smith
Interchange: Nathan Fien, Ben Matulino, Frank-Paul Nuuausala, S. Mannering, Sika Manu, J. Waerea-Hargreaves.

Samoa
Daniel Vidot
Francis Meli
Frank Winterstein
George Carmont
Willie Isa
Joseph Paulo
Pita Godinet
Tony Puletua (c)
Masada Iosefa
Mark Taufua
Harrison Hansen
David Solomona
David Faiumu
Interchange: Josh McGuire, Ali Lauitiiti, Terence Seuseu, Constantine Mika, Quentin Togaga'e.

* NZ Maori v England, 5.30pm, Mt Smart Stadium.