Premiership-winning prop Moses Leota has been brought into the New Zealand Kiwis' 19-man squad for their Rugby League World Cup semi-final against the Kangaroos at Elland Road in Leeds on Saturday morning.
Moses Leota Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The 27-year-old Penrith front rower is set make just his second appearance of the tournament.
He was named to line up in the Kiwis' opening Pool C match against Lebanon on October 16 but was ruled out after picking up a slight groin injury in the team's final training session.
Leota recovered to start a week later against Jamaica in Hull only to be forced off the field early with a pectoral strain.
He comes into the extended squad for clubmate Scott Sorensen while Dallin Watene-Zelezniak returns after being scratched late with a hamstring issue last week.
Apart from Sorensen the other squad members not selected are Marata Niukore, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Jeremy Marshall and Sebastian Kris.
The Kiwis are coming off a nailbiting 24-18 quarter-final win over Fiji following their pool match victories over the Lebanon Cedars (34-12), Jamaica's Reggae Warriors (68-6) and the Ireland Wolfhounds (48-10).
The Kangaroos advanced to the semi-finals after eliminating Lebanon 48-4 last week.
Kiwis team to play Australia
SQUAD NO. PLAYERS NAME
16 NELSON ASOFA-SOLOMONA
8 JESSE BROMWICH (c)
12 KENNY BROMWICH
6 DYLAN BROWN
10 JAMES FISHER-HARRIS
14 KIERAN FORAN
4 PETA HIKU
7 JAHROME HUGHES
15 MOSES LEOTA
20 ISAAC LIU
1 JOSEPH MANU
2 RONALDO MULITALO
21 CHARNZE NICOLL-KLOKSTAD
17 BRITON NIKORA
11 ISAIAH PAPALI'I
5 JORDAN RAPANA
9 BRANDON SMITH
13 JOSEPH TAPINE
19 DALLIN WATENE-ZELEZNIAK
There are a number of changes to the Kiwi Ferns lineup for their final pool game against Australia in York Friday morning.
Abigail Roache playing for Counties Manukau Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Lock Georgia Hale and second-rower Roxette Murdoch-Masila return to the side along with fullback Apii Nicholls and winger Katelyn Vahaakolo after missing last weekend's match against Cook Islands.
Halfback Karli Hansen and newcomer Abigail Roache have also been selected.
Roache, who received the 2022 Cathy Friend Women's Player of the Year Award (awarded to Auckland's top female player), will start in the halves alongside this year's NRLW Dally M winner Raecene McGregor.
Both the Kiwi Ferns and Jillaroos have qualified for the semi-finals.
Kiwi Ferns team v Australia: By touring number and position
1 | Apii Nicholls (Fullback)
3 | Autumn-Rain Stephens Daly (Wing)
24 | Mele Hufanga (Centre)
4 | Page McGregor (Centre)
2 | Katelyn Vahaakolo (Wing)
6 | Abigail Roache (Five eighth)
7 | Raecene McGregor (Halfback)
23 | Brianna Clark (Prop)
9 | Krystal Rota (Hooker)
10 | Annetta-Claudia Nu'uausala (Prop)
11 | Roxette Murdoch-Masila (Second Row)
12 | Amber-Paris Hall (Second Row)
13 | Georgia Hale (Loose Forward)
14 | Nita Maynard (Interchange)
8 | Mya Hill-Moana (Interchange)
18 | Otesa Pule (Interchange)
17 | Christyl Stowers (Interchange)
22 | Karli Hansen (18th Woman)
5 | Madison Bartlett (19th Woman)
