New Zealand coach Michael Maguire has confirmed 20-year-old back-rower Isaiah Papali’i will make his debut in the third Test against England in Leeds.
After initially indicating he would announce his line-up 90 minutes before kick-off on Sunday, Maguire showed his hand as the Kiwis went through their captain’s run at Elland Road.
Maguire revealed that Papali’i, who was the New Zealand Warriors’ rookie of the year in 2018 and captained the Junior Kiwis against the Junior Kangaroos in Auckland last month, will be on the bench in place of Marty Tapau, who is dropped after playing in the first two Tests.
“He’s been perfect on tour,” Maguire said. “He’s done all the training, he’s a very diligent young man.
“The future is strong when you’ve got young players like that. I’m looking forward to seeing him have one of many games moving forward.
“He understands it’s a big day and he’s after a big performance.”
Second-rower Joseph Tapine is recalled to the bench in place of James Fisher-Harris while winger Jamayne Isaako, who plays under England coach Wayne Bennett for Brisbane, replaces Jordan Rapana, who has returned to Australia after being ruled out of the tour with a shoulder injury.
Isaako, the Dally M NRL Rookie of the Year, will make his second Test appearance after his debut against England in Denver.
“Young Jamayne got his first opportunity when we went to Denver and he was with us in Auckland,” Maguire added.
“He went home to have a baby and couldn’t wait to get back in camp, it’s really good to see him get an opportunity.”
The Kiwis will seek to avoid a series whitewash following narrow defeats in Hull and Liverpool.
Maguire added: “We’ve got a few little differences in our plays and I’m sure they will too but, at the end of the day, it’s really about the 80-minute performance.
“It’s just getting a stronger understanding of what we need to do on the field, we’re well aware of what England are throwing at us now and it’s about doing that on every single play,
“Concentration around that has been a big part of training this week.”