Maguire: Kiwis are closing the gap on Kangaroos

The New Zealand coach took pride in his side's valiant semi-final display

11 Nov 2022

Maguire: Kiwis are closing the gap on Kangaroos

The New Zealand coach took pride in his side's valiant semi-final display

By Paul Martin at Elland Road


Michael Maguire insists the gap is closing between New Zealand and Australia and believes more chances at international level will help the Kiwis shift the balance of power.

Maguire’s side were beaten 16-14 by the Kangaroos in a classic semi-final at Elland Road, a ninth defeat in their last 10 World Cup matches against their neighbours.

The New Zealand head coach was left to rue the fine margins which went against his side, Peta Hiku seeing two second-half tries disallowed, but backed his side to learn from the experience.

“It was one hell of a game and I’m definitely proud of the players,” he said.

“It could have gone either way, the offside [for Hiku’s first disallowed try], but I don’t want to look back at decisions.

READ MORE: Match report - Murray try settles breathless semi-final

“There’s a real brotherhood among the group and I really believe they’re closing the gap in a big way at this level. The more we play at this level, the more we’ll find the moments to win it.

“We only get one or two games like this a year. The Australian team play [State of] Origin, they play at a higher intensity more consistently.

“We have a good core of players who are quite young so this group could be together over a period of time. That will change these results.”

READ MORE: Bromwich - Semi-final defeat will be too painful to watch back

Maguire had called on his side to improve following a slow start in the quarter-final against Fiji, which saw them come from behind to book their last-four berth, and they flew out the traps like a team with a point to prove in Leeds.

The first half was bookended by Kiwi tries, Jahrome Hughes and Dylan Brown crossing to ensure New Zealand went in at the break with a 14-10 lead.

But Cameron Murray’s 55th-minute try, sandwiched between Hiku’s two chalked off efforts, proved to be a blow the Kiwis were unable to recover from as Australia maintained their record of never losing a World Cup semi-final.

READ MORE: Five things we learned from Australia 16-14 New Zealand

Brown was one of several New Zealand players picked out for praise by Maguire in the aftermath of the defeat and, at 22, is one of the youngsters who could play a central role in future World Cup campaigns.

“Dylan was excellent, he really stood up,” he said. “He’s learning to play Tests and he and Jahrome [Hughes] were really good.

“Joey [Manu] was doing his thing at full-back and then someone like Moses Leota, he stuck his hand up and was willing to go to a pretty dark place for the players.

READ MORE: Meninga thrilled with mastering dark arts

“All of them did that, which makes you pretty proud as a coach. We had one or two opportunities we could have taken and that’s what you learn from these big games.

“The players are disappointed as they put so much into it. They wanted to win for their country and you could feel that every day they were here. They deserve the opportunity to go again next week.”

The Rugby League World Cup promises to be the biggest, best and most inclusive event in the sport’s 127-year history with men’s, women’s and wheelchair teams competing in 61 games across 21 venues throughout England. Tickets are available via rlwc2021.com/tickets

Principal Sponsor

Partner

Official Sponsors

Partner Partner Partner Partner Partner Partner Partner Partner Partner Partner Partner Partner Partner Partner

Partners

Partner Partner Partner Partner Partner Partner Partner Partner Partner Partner Partner
recite me menu recite me menu