While we will never know, the eye test would suggest the Kiwis would be a clear winner if the two sides were to meet tomorrow.<\/p>\n
Instead of participating in the Pacific Championships, Australia opted to play an Ashes series, for the first time since 2003, against England, and while they claimed a 3-0 series win, don\u2019t let the sweep fool you.<\/p>\n
The Kangaroos were underwhelming.<\/p>\n
There were positives, like their defence which conceded just two tries across 240 minutes of football, but their attack failed to deliver to the high standards you\u2019d expect considering the star power they posses.<\/p>\n
They outscored their opponents 70-18 across the three tests, but they didn\u2019t complete 30 sets in any of their games, with their completion rate falling between 60-69% thanks to 15 errors in every match. Reality is if you were to make that many mistakes in a World Cup final, you won\u2019t win.<\/p>\n
Reece Walsh in action for the Kangaroos. Photo \/ Photosport<\/p>\n
New Zealand fared much better with their errors and discipline, making just 29 mistakes, but the other notable stat is metres gained, with the Kiwis averaging nearly 400 more per game, 1519m compared to 1892m.<\/p>\n
Australia were disappointing by their high standards, and realistically the players probably never felt pressured to get out of second gear because England were atrocious, with fans calling for their coach Shaun Wane to be sacked.<\/p>\n
Reality is questions will be asked of the Kangaroos over the direction of the team heading into next year\u2019s 10-team World Cup as the Australian Rugby League Commission ponders if Kevin Walters has done enough to retain his job.<\/p>\n
Kiwis captain James Fisher-Harris with coach Stacey Jones. Photo \/ Photosport.<\/p>\n
Australia were admittedly missing key players for the series in Liam Martin, Cam Murray and Xavier Coates, but they do face the prospect of losing Tino Fa\u2019asuamaleaui, who is considering defecting to Samoa, while Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow has confirmed he will make the switch.<\/p>\n
But the Kiwis, had no Jahrome Hughes \u2013 considered one of the best halfbacks in the NRL \u2013 for the Pacific Championships, while hooker Jeremy Marshall-King was only fit for the first test, otherwise they were at full strength, and no players are set to defect.<\/p>\n
During last year\u2019s Pacific Championships, the Kiwis were missing 10 first-choice players which proved a tough initiation for Jones when they last met Australia, which ended with a 22-10 win for the Kangaroos.<\/p>\n
Erin Clark brought a different dynamic to the Kiwis’ attack off the bench. Photo \/ Photosport.<\/p>\n
But with full arsenal of forwards to choose from in 2025, their gameplan was simple, yet deadly James Fisher-Harris, Moses Letoa and Joseph Tapine laid the platform early, going toe-to-toe with the opposing middle forwards with tough carries and offloads before Erin Clark, Nafahu Whyte and Xavier Willison came off the interchange with high work rate-abilities to go to work on the tiring defence and allowing the crafty backs to work their magic and break the line.<\/p>\n
Clark and Whyte ran for over 100m off the bench in all three tests, while Australia only had one player do the same across the series, which Ruben Cotter did in game two. All the signs point to the Australian forward pack struggling to go toe-to-toe with the Kiwis.<\/p>\n
The two teams will clash in the tournament opener at next year\u2019s World Cup on October 15, having been drawn in the same pool, and barring disaster, would be on track to meet in the final, where the Kiwis should be favourites to win their second Rugby League World Cup.<\/p>\n
The full draw will be released in the next week.<\/p>\n