Shaun Johnson masterminded an outstanding win for the Kiwis as they downed Australia 22-18 in the Four Nations rugby league final in Wellington on Saturday.

In front of a vocal 25,183 crowd, Johnson steered a slick Kiwis backline to victory, their second in three weeks over the Kangaroos after their first-up 30-12 win in Brisbane.

A fiery finish set up the victory, after the Australians hit the front early when Michael Jennings grounded a canny Cooper Cronk chip ahead after 11 minutes.

Skipper Cameron Smith slotted the easy conversion, and the Australians led for the first and only time in the match.

Jason Nightingale, who scored a brace in the Kiwis’ 16-14 win over England last week, dived over in the corner in the 23rd minute after a barnstorming Shaun Kenny-Dowall break through the middle.

Quick hands from Johnson and Dean Whare gave Nightingale all the room he needed out wide to crash over, and Johnson nailed the extras to level the scores.

The try signalled a golden period of play for the Kiwis, and the Australian error rate started to mount.

Johnson’s accuracy with the boot continued in sinking a 26th minute penalty after Kieran Foran was taken high, and the Kiwis kept piling the pressure on.

The Australian line held strong until the 35th minute, when a jinking Johnson spun clear and fired out a pinpoint pass for winger Manu Vatuvei to bulldoze over in the left corner.

Johnson again converted from out wide, and the Kiwis took a 14-6 lead into the break, an unremitting attack leaving the Aussies with a strength-sapping tackle count of 192 to New Zealand’s 125.

It took barely three minutes after the restart for the Kangaroos to score – quick hands from Daly Cherry-Evans slipping the final pass for Sione Mata’utia to score in the corner.

The Kiwis suffered a blow two minutes later when Martin Taupau, who had been making good ground up the middle in tandem with Greg Eastwood, was forced from the field with a head knock.

But Johnson wrested the momentum back with a superb solo try as the hour mark neared, swerving and dummying his way to the line to open up an 18-14 lead.

Vatuvei extended the lead five minutes later, finishing off a sweeping move down the left which also featured impressive pace and handling from Foran and fullback Peter Hiku.

Ben Hunt’s 77th minute try gave the Kangaroos a sniff of hope, and the Kiwis had to withstand some intense late pressure to wrap up the win.