The squad that New Zealand have selcted for the World Cup should give the other nations a run for their money.... even without Sonny Bill Williams, and Frank Pritchard and possibly Steve Matai.... the only area where they might be found out is in their halves combination..... Benji Marshall's recurring injuries may prevent him from playing at his best in the world cup.... Nathan Fien although good at club level has yet to prove himself on the international arena, so he would have a big challenge on his hands against Darren Lockyer and Johnathon Thurston.... Ben Roberts another possibility in the Kiwis halves has not played consistently this season and has hardly contributed in the games that he has played for New Zealand so far.... Brent Webb in the halves is an extremely risky proposition as he has far as i remember no actual experience playing in such a positon and would quite likely be found out... Any suggestions to play Jerome Ropati in the halves is also risky....
Here is my selection for a possible final New Zealand World Cup team:
1. Brent Webb - i'm not a fan of Brent Webb and i would prefer him to be left out of the team altogether however he is a safe player and will most likely be selected at fullback by the New Zealand selectors.
2. Manu Vatuvei - has been in good form at the Warriors and deserves his selection on the wing.
3. Krisnan Inu - has been out injured for most of the NRL season and has yet to play his best football this season, however he is needed at his best if New Zealand want to actually challenge Australia for 1st place.
4. Iosia Soliola - has been in good form for the Roosters and his size will be useful when playing against players like Greg Inglis and Justin Hodges who are noted for their strength. He is also useful for his versatility as he can also play second-row if needed.
5. Jason Nightingale - his form this season has warrented his selection this season, however he will be hard-pressed to retain his position in the World Cup with players like Shaun Kenny-Dowall also pressing for a World Cup berth.
6. Benji Marshall - will have to step up to the mark, overcome his injuries and play at his best if they expect to put any pressure on Australia and England.
7. Thomas Leuluai - another player who will be hard-pressed to retain his spot in the Kiwi jumper, and I would not complain if they chose to select Nathan Fien at halfback in his place. Nathan Fien has been in good form for the Warriors and could also shift to five-eigth if selectors wanted Benji Marshall to play at half-back instead.
8. Roy Asotasi - his selection is pretty self-explannatory, his leadership is needed to lead the Kiwis around the park and to spare them the embarressment that they were subjected to in their recent international encounters against Australia and Great Britain.
9. Issac Luke - his speed and creativity out of dummy-half will create countless opportunities for the Kiwis, however his fellow players will need to support him if they are to make the most of those opportunities that he creates.
10. Nathan Cayless - his selection in the team is questionable not because of his past record for the Kiwis which is very good but because of the poor performance of Parramatta and the poor performance of its forward pack in particular. However Cayless is needed to add some direction to the Kiwi pack and to provide some go-forward.
11. David Fa'alogo - another almost certain selection for the Kiwis. Will have to avoid suspension which has kept him from playing football so often throughout his career.
12. Jeremy Smith - is one of the reasons for Melbourne Storm's success over the last two seasons, and although under-rated will create plenty of oportunites for the Kiwis through his ball-playing skills. Is also a highly versatile player also being able to play centre if necessary.
13. Simon Mannering - has shown his ability to play consistently even when his team has performed poorly as a whole such as in the last two tests played against Australia, and will surely be a certain slection come the announcement of the final squads.
14. Lance Hohaia - has been in brilliant try-scoring form for the Warriors this season stepping up to the mark to fill the void of Wade McKinnonm whoma has been injured for the majority of the season. Is extremely useful as a utility, as shown by the Warriors use of him at Fullback, Centre, Five-Eigth and Hooker over the past two seasons and will be a handy player to come off the bench if he isn't selected somewhere in the starting side.
15. Adam Blair - another form-player from the Melbourne Storm who will provide the Kiwis with great go forward.
16. Jeff Lima - will provide the Kiwis with the muscle up front to combat players like Steve Price and Petereo Civoniceva when the kiwis play the Australians.
17. Setaimata Sa - a handy player to come off the bench because of his ability to play in the halves as well as at second-row.
Other players who would have to be strongly considered for spots in the starting side or for the remaining places in the final squad would have to include David Kidwell, Fui Fui Moi Moi, Jerome Ropati, Sam Perret, Sam Rapira, Nathan Fien, Shaun Kenny-Dowall, Sam Perret, Greg Eastwood or even Ben Roberts.
If Steve Matai and Frank Pritchard were available however unlikely they would both go straight into the starting side.