League: Kiwis set to axe Shaun Johnson, recall Kieran Foran for test against Great Britain

Kieran Foran looks set to make a return to the Kiwis for Saturday's test against Great Britain at Eden Park, which would cap a remarkable comeback for the 29-year-old.

Foran was a mainstay of the New Zealand side for the first half of this decade, and always one of the key names scrawled down by the Kiwis coach.

But then he fell out of the picture.

Other options emerged, but it was mainly down to a combination of a persistent run of injuries, struggles with form, personal issues and some off-field dramas.

Between May 2010 and May 2015 Foran played 19 tests, including the 2013 World Cup and the Four Nations tournament a year later.

But in the last four and a half years he has featured just once for the Kiwis, in the 2017 Anzac test against the Kangaroos in Canberra.

Saturday could be his big return.

The Kiwis trained for two hours in an intense field session on Monday in Henderson and Foran played a large role in the session.

While the halves rotated throughout the drills, Foran was at the forefront, which suggested he is in line to start this weekend.

If it's assumed that coach Michael Maguire wouldn't drop his captain, especially after the media avalanche that followed Benji Marshall's confirmation as skipper last week, then Shaun Johnson may miss out this week.

It would be a shock, as Johnson has been an automatic selection since 2013, when he established himself in the black and white jersey, and central to some of the Kiwi's biggest moments across his 30 tests matches.

But he had a poor game last Friday in Wollongong.

Admittedly he was behind a well beaten pack, but he looked down on confidence during periods of the match and struggled for precision with his kicking and option taking.

While he might rediscover his mojo in front of a big crowd at Eden Park, coach Michael Maguire may opt for the more direct approach of Foran.

The Ellerslie Eagles junior showed flashes of his best form during the most recent NRL campaign with the Bulldogs, though his season was again interrupted by injury.

It would also allow Maguire to see what Foran can do at test level, and boost the depth in the halves, with Kodi Nikorima not part of the squad for the next two tests.

There aren't expected to be too many other changes, though Raiders forward Joseph Tapine could return after serving a week's suspension.

Maguire may also lean towards the experience of Kevin Proctor (21 tests), after the 30-year-old was left out of the 17 last Friday.

Interchange forward Corey Harawira-Naera admitted the Kiwis were still hurting after the error-riddled 26-4 loss to the Kangaroos.

"We are dirty on ourselves for not sticking to the plan and shooting ourselves in the foot," said Harawira-Naera. "It was hard, but we will just have to man up and cop that one on the chin, work on our own individual games and on our game as a whole as well. Everyone is pumped for this game to make up for last week."

The 24-year-old, who described making his test debut as "a childhood dream" said the criticism of halves Marshall and Johnson after Friday night was unwarranted.

"It was our team as a whole," said Harawira-Naera. "Not everyone was doing their job as best we could, and I guess when the forwards aren't doing their job, it's hard for the halves to roll off the back of it. We all need to take accountability for that."