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NZ 24 Fiji 18
NZ - Mulitalo, Manu, Rapana & Nikora tries; Rapana 3 conversions & penalty
Fiji - Sivo & Naiqama 2 tries; Wakeham 3 conversions
Fulltime
39th minute - TRY to Rapana
Hughes weaves towards the posts, Tapine lunges, Smith offloads and when the ball goes right, Rapana powers over in the corner to clinch victory. Rapana's sideline conversion swings left, but he's done enough, as the siren sounds, NZ 24-18
38th minute - Smith darts to halfway and Kiwis enter Fiji territory. Hughes kicks high and it bounces, Valemei spills it and Kiwis stream forward again.
37th minute - Fiji try something tricky from the scrum, but Wakeham can't take Koroisau's pass and Kiwis come away.
36th minute - Big tackle from Brown, Wakeham kicks to Sivo, and his kick deflects off Hiku to Rapana offside. Big defensive set needed from the Kiwis.
35th minute - Fiji throw a loose pass from the scrum and lose ground, but Sivo charges across the field.
34th minute - Wakeham kicks high to the corner, but Mulitalo soars to claim the ball. Nicoll-Klokstad loses the ball, as he tries to play it and Fiji have a royal chance to seize the lead back.
33rd minute - Fiji shift left and Kikau charges...
32nd minute - Fiji kick off short and the ball bounces around, eventually gathered by the Kiwis. Fisher-Harris loses the ball in an offload on halfway.
31st minute - Rapana lines up a go-ahead penalty from straight in front of the posts and 30 metres out. He's not an experienced kicker, but he slots it, NZ 20-18
30th minute - Manu slices across halfway and loses the ball. Sutton calls knockon, but Manu wants a challenge.
Replays show three tacklers, but a loose carry from Manu. Video ref calls a strip by Kikau, so that's a penalty in front of the posts.
29th minute - Fiji are static in NZ territory and make be considering a field goal. They run on the last and obviously had no idea they were out of tackles - that's costly.
28th minute - Hughes kicks high to Sivo and finally he spills the ball, claiming he was interferred with. Replays show Hiku shoved Valemei into Sivo, so the challenge is successful and Fiji kick their penalty to halfway.
27th minute - Taruva crosses halfway and Wakeham kicks high to Mulitalo. Fisher-Harris offloads and Tapine crosses halfway.
26th minute - Hughes kicks from his own half, but Sivo is safe underneath and fends off Foran.
25th minute - Fiji kick off and Fisher-Harris is rocked by Sims.
23rd minute - TRY to Manu
Tapine bursts over halfway and Mulitalo finds some space down the left, before Manu runs a support line and powers over. Rapana can level the score from a handy angle and does so, 18-18
22nd minute - Hughes is struggling with an elbow injury and is currently stationed on the wing. Wakeham kicks deep again and Manu sets Mulitalo on a return run.
21st minute - Wakeham tries for a 40-20 and Mulitalo saves the ball, as he falls into touch, throwing a prayer to Manu.
Fisher-Harris finds Foran with an offload in Fiji half. Hughes kicks for Rapana's wing, but the winger can't gather the ball and Fiji fall on the ball.
20th minute - Kiwis on attack and Kenny Bromwich kicks on the last, but Taruva is safe behind the rolling ball.
19th minute - Koroisau is under pressure from a bad pass on the last tackle and his kick deflects off a Kiwis defender. Hughes eventually gathers the ball.
18th minute - Rapana's droput reaches halfway, but Fiji get a long runback. Rapana makes a telling tackle to end a threat down the left.
17th minute - Wakeham kicks from his own half, but Mulitalo fails to take the ball over his shoulder and knocks it dead for a dropout.
16th minute - Kiwis get a set restart, as Kenny Bronwich runs an angle, but he spills the ball near the tryline.
15th minute - Manu spins through a couple of tackles and when the ball shifts left, Mulitalo slides over in the corner, but Wakeham drags him touch in goal before he can force it.
Fiji have the tap, but Sims spills the ball in a gang tackle and they then concede a penalty on the 20.
14th minute - Fiji struggling to break out of their 20 and Wakeham has to scramble his kick. Mulitalo fields the ball near halfway and Kiwis charge onto attack.
13th minute - Rapana over halfway and Brown stabs a kick to the goal-line, but Taruva falls on the ball.
12th minute - Good defensive set from the Kiwis and Wakeham kicks from his 40. Mulitalo fields the ball.
11th minute - Fiji kicks off and Papali'i runs it off the back fence. Nikora bursts over halfway and Hughes is taken in a high tackle.
Sivo easily defuses a high kick.
Eighth minute - TRY to Nikora
Kiwis shift left and Manu slices through. NAS runs a punishing angle towards the posts and Nikora wrestles through a tackle to score. Looked like Fiji were trying for a strip, as a defender fell away.
Rapana converts, FIJ 18-12
Seventh minute - Smith barely reaches halfway and then rumbles a few more metres, drawing a penalty. Kiwis can go hot on attack here...
Sixth minute - Kiwi kick off and need to score next. Taruva reaches halfway and Wakeham kicks deep to Mulitalo.
Fourth minute - TRY to Naiqama
Fiji shift right and Naiqama quickly spots a mismatch, dashing to the corner. Sutton checks the grounding and replays show he found chalk, so good enough.
Wakeham slots his conversion, FIJ 18-6
Third minute - Kiwis enter Fijian half, but Hughes' pass goes loose and Rapana spills the ball in a tackle.
Second minute - Fiji can't reach halfway with their set and Wakeham kicks to Mulitalo, who is dangerous every time.
First minute - How will the Kiwis respond to this challenge? They have the talent, but that's nothing, if they can't utilise it.
Wakeham kicks off for Fiji and NAS barges over halfway on the third tackle. Sivo is safe under Hughes' high kick - again.
Halftime
40th minute - Kikau tries an offload on the last tackle, but Rapana cuts it off.
Hughes finds Mulitalo with a long pass to break into Fijian territory, but the halftime siren stops the attack. Phew!
39th minute - Fiji get a set reset and enter NZ half. Naiqama is elusive...
38th minute - Fiji defence holding and Kiwis don't have much clue. Brown kicks to the corner, but Mulitalo can't gather cleanly.
No-one can grab the ball and eventually the play is dead, Fijian ball.
37th minute - Kiwis on attack again and Fiji knock the pass down for a new set.
36th minute - Taruva darts over halfway and is scragged on the last tackle. Fiji run it, but Koroisau's pass to Kikau is too low for the big man and he spills it.
35th minute - Kiwis get away with a forward pass, and Smith kicks from dummy half and his own half.
34th minute - Fiji reach halfway early in the count, but Manu leaps to grab Koroisau's bomb.
33rd minute - Brown tries to step his way to the posts, NAS charges, Manu weaves, but Tapine loses the ball over the line.
32nd minute - Sivo is under another bomb and that hasn't really troubled Fiji. Taruva is driven back to his goal-line, and Kiwis have the ball and a penalty.
31st minute - Koroisau kicks down centrefield and Fiji are up quickly on Manu.
30th minute - Wakeham kicks from deep in his own half and Mulitalo takes it in midfield, breaking over halfway. He finds Brown, but Manu can't handle the pass from dummy half, with the line at his mercy.
The packs come together to exchange pleasantries.
29th minute - Manu swerves over halfway, but Sivo is under Hughes' kick again.
28th minute - Fiji kick off and NAS busts through the defence.
26th minute - TRY to Mulitalo
From the scrum, the Kiwis run a set move, with Hughes and Brown creating space for their winger in the corner. Rapana slots his sideline conversion, FIJ 12-6
25th minute - Brown bombs and Fiji spill the ball under pressure. Kiwis scrum 10 metres out...
24th minute - Wakeham kicks deep from his 40m, but Manu has it covered. Rapan crosses halfway and Kiwis shift left.
23rd minute - Kiwis tap on halfway and Tapine offloads in a tackle. Manu probes and Brown drops off a pass to Liu.
Hughes stabs a kick to the line, but it's too shallow and Fiji have it covered.
22nd minute - Wakeham kicks high and Manu is underneath. Kiwis win a clearing penalty and will seek the Fiji half.
21st minute - Kiwis kick off again and desperately need to build pressure in the Fijian half.
18th minute - TRY to Naiqama
Fiji on attack again and Kiwis under pressure in their own half. They shift right and Naiqama runs an angle infield to score.
Wakeham converts and it's already squeaky-bum time for the Kiwis, FIJ 12-0
17th minute - Fiji try to run it out of their red zone, but a pass goes loose and Brown pounces. Kiwis go on attack, but NAS runs into Smith and they're penalised fo obstruction.
16th minute - Manu is dragged down on halfway and Tapine enters Fiji territory. Hughes kicks high, but Sivo is safe underneath.
15th minute - Kikau is short of halfway and Wakeham grubbers to touch.
14th minute - Kiwis kick off and need to be disciplined here.
12th minute - TRY to Sivo
Fiji shift left and Sivo gets the ball with some space - he is unstoppable that close to the line and the last defenders bounce off him. Great work from Koroisau and Kikau in the build-up, and the Kiwis are on the backfoot early.
Wakeham slots the sideline conversion, FIJ 6-0
11th minute - Set restart for Fiji in their own half and NZ discipline has let them down again. Fiji reach halfway, but Sims runs into Fisher-Harris and Asofa-Solomona.
10th minute - Hughes breaks down the right and Smith carries the move on, but Hughes' kick is tidied by Wakeham in front of his posts.
Ninth minute - Wakeham kicks for a 40-20, but Mulitalo cuts it off before touch and Kiwis bust out of their red zone.
Eighth minute - Hiku runs strongly from the scrum and Sims hits Fisher-Harris hard. Kiwis enter Fiji half, but Hughes' kick deflects off a defender and Hiku can't gather it.
Seventh minute - Fiji drop the ball cold and Hughes toes it ahead to halfway, but can't gather cleanly, so Sutton brings them back for the Kiwis scrum 20 metres out from their line.
Sixth minute - Kiwis are pinged for offside again and Fiji have another chance to go on attack.
Fifth minute - Asofa-Solomona mets Kikau on halfway and Hiku takes it another 10 metres. Hughes kicks high, but Brown can't gather cleanly ingoal, knocking it dead.
Fourth minute - Wakeham kicks to goal, but Manu lets it run dead.
Third minute - Fiji shift left to Sivo, but the passing is laboured and he gets it standing still.
Second minute - Manu touches early and Fisher-Harris crosses halfway. Brown kicks on the last and Taruva is safe, as Fiji earn a penalty and kick into NZ half.
First minute - Gerard Sutton will referee the match and the teams have mistakenly gone to the wrong ends for kickoff, so they have to jog to other side of halfway.
Rapana kicks off for NZ and Fiji run it hard back...
Fiji reach halfway and Wakeham kicks to Mulitalo.
8:28am - Haunting pre-match, with Fiji singing their hymn, before the Kiwis unleash their haka. Something about Fijian singing... just goosebumps.
Kiwis advance over halfway to challenge their opponents, so game on!
8:16am - NZ coach Michael Maguire has mixed things up from the starting line-up announced during the week, with Peta Hiku and Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad in the centres, and Nelson Asofa-Solomona brought into the pack.
Isaiah Papali'i, Briton Nikora and Isaac Liu slip back to the bench, with Dallin Watene-Zelezniak missing out altogether.
*****
Kia ora, good morning and welcome to Newshub's live coverage of the Rugby League World Cup quarter-final between NZ Kiwis and Fiji at Hull's MKM Stadium.
New Zealand enter this contest with some ghosts to lay to rest, after losing to the same opponents at the same stage five years ago at a World Cup on home soil.
Despite their No.1 world ranking, the Kiwis have flattered to deceive so far during this tournament, with unconvincing wins over Lebanon, Jamaica and Ireland.
The Bati began their campaign with a 42-8 loss to Australia, but breezed past Italy and Scotland to secure their spot in the knockout stages.
Their best-known players are probably premiership-winning Penrith Panthers stars Viliame Kikau and Api Koroisau, although they have strike power across the park, including powerful Parramatta winger Maiko Sivo.
If this encounter is still close entering the last 10 minutes, those ghosts may come back to haunt the Kiwis...
Join us at 8:30am Sunday for kickoff.
TAB Odds: NZ $1.001, Fiji $17
New Zealand: 1-Joseph Manu, 2-Ronaldo Mulitalo, 17-Briton Nikora, 20-Isaac Liu, 5-Jordan Rapana, 6-Dylan Brown, 7-Jahrome Hughes, 8-Jesse Bromwich, 9-Brandon Smith, 10-James Fisher-Harris, 11-Isaiah Papali'i, 12-Kenny Bromwich, 13-Joseph Tapine
Interchange: 4-Pete Hiku, 14-Kieran Foran, 16-Nelson Asofa-Solomona, 19-Dallin Watene-Zelezniak
Fiji: 1-Sunia Turuva, 2-Maiko Sivo, 4-Kevin Naiqama, 19-Semi Valemei, 24-Vuate Karawalevu, 20-Henry Raiwalui, 7-Brandon Wakeham, 3-Korbin Sims, 9-Api Koroisau, 17-King Vuniyayawa, 12-Viliame Kikau, 22-Siua Wong, 11-Taniela Sadrugu
Interchange: 5-Mitieli Vulikijapani, 14-Penioni Tagituimua, 15-Tevita Toloi, 16-Lamar Maunel-Liolevave
Kiwis bear no scars from 2017 shock before World Cup rematch with Fiji
By Alex Powell
New Zealand's Rugby League World Cup quarter-final match-up against Fiji isn't about revenge, with coach Michael Maguire insisting their 2017 upset has played no part in preparations.
Five years ago, at a tournament hosted by New Zealand and Australia, the Kiwis were stunned 4-2 at the same stage in Wellington, dumping them out of contention in humiliating fashion.
A much different Kiwis side will square off against Fiji again, hoping to advance to the final four at Hull. They bear few scars from that defeat, with just five players - Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, Jordan Rapana, Joseph Tapine, Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Isaac Liu - returning for Sunday morning's rematch.
Maguire joined the Kiwis after that loss and has built the side to compete at this World Cup, held in the UK.
Despite it's standing as one of New Zealand rugby league's darkest days, Maguire says the loss to Fiji is no weight on this outfit's shoulders.
"It's a completely different team," Maguire said. "I don't know what happened back then, I didn't really look into it.
"All I'm concerned about is what we need to do this weekend. The boys have been very focussed this weekend on what we've been growing since we came together.
"Especially now that we're in camp here, the bond that the boys have built over the last 4-5 weeks, we've got to make sure we use that now.
"It's a pretty tight group - as I've said many times - but it's about the style in which we want to play. That's the big focus."
The quarter-final will also see the Kiwis challenged to find their attacking mojo, after appearing to lack fluency at this World Cup.
Victories against Lebanon (34-12), Jamaica (68-6) and Ireland (48-10) have seen the Kiwis sort of their best, but now with his spine fit and firing, Maguire expects an improved display from arguably the best attacking quartet in the tournament.
"From an attack point of view, there's a lot of upside in improving what we're doing," he continued. "Off the back of attack, you put the opposition in certain field positions, so you can go and defend.
"I'm comfortable with the defence, the way they're going about things. We've had a few areas that we've sort of focussed on to help each other defensively - that's what defence is about.
"If we tidy up a few things with our attack - obviously having Jahrome [Hughes], Dylan [Brown], Joey [Joseph Manu] at the back, and the Cheese [Brandon Smith] at dummy half - the cohesion those guys have when they play together is very important.
"We were able to achieve that last week."
