Holbrook confident Kangaroos are ready for Pacific Championships final

THE Kangaroos have secured a place in the Pacific Championships final after defeating New Zealand 22-10.

Australian assistant coach Justin Holbrook was excited about the team’s win over a fierce New Zealand side.

“It was good to get the win, it was a tough game,” Holbrook told SEN1170.

“I thought it was a big improvement from the week before but we have still got a fair bit of improvement left which is a good sign, I think.”

Dissecting the game, Holbrook lamented a few missed opportunities early on and believes the side still lacks some cohesion, but is confident the Kangaroos are on the right track for the final.

“We missed a few chances early [but] there were touches of class from our back line, which was good to watch,” he said.

“I think we can continually get better… add a little bit of ball earlier and we just got in each other’s way a bit.”

Holbrook reflected on the impressive feat of the New Zealand side, in particular singling out the performance of returning legend Shaun Johnson.

“When they announced his name, the whole stadium was up roaring,” he said.

“We knew he was going to have a big say in the game but we were fortunate enough to do a really good job defensively and keep him fairly quiet.”

The coach said Australia’s convincing victory came down to the defence and is confident that if the team’s spine can gain greater control over the ball, it has the perfect recipe for Pacific Championships success.

“We are confident we can play a lot better in the final in two weeks,” he said.

The final will be at CommBank Stadium on November 10.