New Zealand fans may require further therapy after key playmaker Benji Marshall suffered a hamstring injury during the Kiwis 48-6 thrashing of Papua New Guinea.
New Zealand fans may require further therapy after key playmaker Benji Marshall suffered a hamstring injury during the Kiwis 48-6 thrashing of Papua New Guinea.
Marshall spend the second-half of the game on the bench icing his hammy after setting up a stunning 22-nil lead at half-time for the third most powerful team in international rugby league.
While Marshall is confident of being fit for New Zealand’s next clash against England in Newcastle, scans will be required to determine the extent of the damage.
Without the Wests Tigers five-eighth, the Kiwis are no chance of upsetting Australia unless you count “weak” Aussie fans who get upset that no one can give the Kangaroos some competition.
Dominant right from the beginning, Stephen Kearney’s men matched their aggression in defence with their execution in attack to stymie PNG for eighty minutes.
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NEW ZEALAND 48 (S Mannering 2 S Perrett 2 A Blair G Eastwood D Fa'alogo I Luke J Ropati tries K Inu 6 goals) bt PAPUA NEW GUINEA 6 (D Moore try J Wilshere goal) at Skilled Park. Referee: S Ganson. Crowd: 11,278. Match Stats: Penalties – NZ 7-6 ; Completed Sets – NZ 27/43 (63%), PNG 19/29(66%) ; Missed Tackles – PNG 45-23
