Kiwis v Cook Islands: Stacey Jones’ biggest area for improvement after Rugby League World Cup win
While Kiwis coach Stacey Jones is delighted his side are off the mark at the Rugby League World Cup after an 82-16 win over the Cook Islands in Christchurch, he has identified one area that needs improvement if New Zealand are to contend for the title.
The Kiwis made a fast start to their World Cup fixture at One NZ Stadium, scoring two quick tries through wingers Jamayne Isaako and Ronaldo Mulitalo, but were forced to regroup after the Cook Islands responded with three tries of their own to take a shock lead midway through the first half.
Auckland-born Esom Ioka stole the spotlight by scoring all three tries for the Cook Islands, with two coming from intercepts and the other following a well-executed set play off a kick.
Ioka’s two intercept tries will have left Jones concerned, bringing back memories of last week’s 26-24 defeat to the Kangaroos.
The Kiwis had been the stronger side in the first half of that match, but Australia scored both of their tries before the break through intercepts by Jack Bostock and Tom Trbojevic, which ultimately proved decisive in the narrow loss.
“Certainly, we’ve got to be better there,” Jones said when asked about the intercept tries. “We had two intercepts last week too, so it’s an area where we’ve got to improve.
“The players’ combinations are just going to get better and better. So, yes, it’s disappointing, but there were some really good signs too.”
Jones said the early scare served as a wake-up call for his side, admitting their fast start may have created a false sense of how the contest would unfold, although he stopped short of attributing their struggles to complacency.
“We got punched in the face,” Jones said. “We got off to a really good start, so we scored two quick tries and sometimes subconsciously it can put you in a false sense of how the game’s going to go.
“We don’t use the word complacency. We knew that the Cook Islands were going to come with a lot of pride and passion in how they play, and they threw some early shots at us.
“We spoke about expecting the unexpected, and at times we probably didn’t deal with it how we should have.”
Jones said no injury concerns came from the match, adding that taking Jahrome Hughes off midway through the second half was precautionary.
The match was also a special occasion for two of the Kiwis’ Christchurch-born players, with Jamayne Isaako and Tanner Stowers-Smith making a major impact.
Isaako scored three tries and kicked 13 goals for a record 38-point haul, surpassing the previous Kiwis record of 32 points set by Tasesa Lavea against the Cook Islands at the 2000 World Cup.
For Stowers-Smith, it was a memorable test debut as he followed in the footsteps of his great-grandfather, former Kiwis captain Pat Smith, in representing New Zealand.
The forward marked the occasion in style, scoring two tries despite having yet to cross the line in 34 NRL appearances.
Next up for the Kiwis is Fiji on the Gold Coast on Saturday, with a win securing their place in the semi-finals.
Remarkably, it will be just the third meeting between the two sides, with both having claimed one victory apiece.
Fiji famously knocked New Zealand out of the 2017 World Cup with a 4-2 victory in a tryless quarter-final in Wellington, before the Kiwis gained revenge with a hard-fought 24-18 win in the 2022 tournament.
Jones said the immediate priority was to recover from a demanding week before turning his attention to the Fiji Bati.
“It’s been a long week of getting a lot of training done and now it’s a short turnaround, so [we’ll] make sure we get the right balance and get some energy back in the boys,” Jones said.
“We’ll review today’s performance and then look forward to Fiji in a day or so.”
Ben Francis is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers breaking sports news.