Kangaroos will enter Kiwis clash with “same footy team” says Meninga

KANGAROOS coach Mal Meninga has told SEN that he is unlikely to change the starting 17 for Australia’s clash against New Zealand in Christchurch on Sunday.

Australia began the Pacific Championships campaign with an 18-0 win over Tonga but it was far from convincing, with Meninga labelling the performance as “clunky.”

Despite naming a 21-man squad, Meninga said that cohesion within the playing group is his utmost priority and experimenting with the lineup is a risk he’d like to avoid.

“We can’t change our spine because that’s the important part,” Meninga told SEN 1170 Breakfast.

“However, we were clunky so we have to give consideration to cohesion and make sure that the rest of the team is ready to go for game two.

“Experimenting or bringing in new players is fraught with danger.

“My thoughts at the moment is to keep cohesion going and keep the team together.

“We haven’t settled on a team yet.

“We have to announce a team on (Tuesday) afternoon but that doesn’t mean it will be the final team.

“We need a good performance on Sunday and fluency is a really important part of that.

“In the back of my mind, I’m thinking we should probably go with the same footy team.”

Although they escaped their match against Tonga with a win, the Kangaroos were well below their best and completed their sets at a staggering 60 per cent.

Meninga conceded his side was scratchy in attack but praised his players’ defensive attitude, which will be critical when they face the Kiwis – who thrashed Australia 30-0 in their last encounter.

“It was a six-day preparation and we only had two real sessions,” Meninga said.

“When you bring in players from different teams, you have to get the right mindset first.

“I was really happy with the attitude and intent and the thing we [the coaches] concentrate on is our defence.

“We will now have a 10-day preparation leading into the New Zealand game and that will once again be our focus.”

Australia travels to Christchurch to take on New Zealand on Sunday.

The Kiwis are the reigning Pacific Championships title holder.