Auckland, New Zealand, October 29, 2019 – Adam Blair will achieve the rare honour of playing 50 Tests while Kieran Foran
will make his first international appearance in more than two years when the New Zealand Kiwis meet the Great Britain
Lions in the first Test at Eden Park on Saturday (5.00pm kick-off).
Veteran Northland-born and raised Blair (33) will become only the eighth player in history – and just the second New
Zealander after Ruben Wiki – to reach the 50-Test milestone.
Blair seemed set to be stranded on 48 Tests after missing selection for the mid-year clash against Mate Ma’a Tonga and
initially being overlooked for the end-of-season internationals against the Kangaroos and the Lions.
However, the 311-game NRL forward came into the squad as an injury replacement for the World Cup 9s in Sydney and earned
a Test recall for the Oceania Cup match against the Kangaroos in Wollongong last Friday night.
Canterbury-Bankstown play maker Foran (29) returns to the Test stage for the first time since May, 2017, partnering
captain Benji Marshall in the halves. Replacing Shaun Johnson, he will be making his 22nd appearance for the Kiwis since
his debut 10 years ago.
In other changes to the side which lost 4-26 to Australia, Kiwi head coach Michael Maguire has moved Sydney Roosters
middle forward Zane Tetevano into the starting front row after he made his debut from the bench last Friday night.
Vodafone Warriors prop Leeson Ah Mau is switched to the bench.
Canberra back rower Joseph Tapine, who served a one-game suspension last week, is recalled to start at loose forward in
his 11th Test with Blair now on the bench and Braden Hamlin-Uele, one of four debutants against Australia, moving out of
the squad. Melbourne utility Jahrome Hughes and Canterbury-Bankstown back rower Corey Harawira-Naera complete the
interchange.
This Saturday’s match will be the Kiwis’ first against the Great Britain Lions since a three-Test series in England in
2007.
It will be the second leg of an international triple header at Eden Park. It kicks off with a second-tier Oceania Cup
match between Toa Samoa and Fiji Bati (2.20pm kick-off) with the Kiwis v Great Britain encounter followed by the
Kangaroos taking on Tonga International (7.40pm kick-off). The Tongans come into the match after stunning the Lions 14-6
in Hamilton last Saturday.
50 TEST APPEARANCES
(in chronological order)
Jim Sullivan (Wales, England, Great Britain) 1921-1934 | 54 internationals
Mick Sullivan (England, Great Britain) 1954-1962 | 50 internationals
Ruben Wiki (New Zealand) 1994-2006 | 55 internationals
Adrian Morley (England, Great Britain) 1996-2012 | 53 internationals
Darren Lockyer (Australia) 1997-2011 | 59 internationals
Petero Civoniceva (Australia, Fiji) 2001-2014 | 51 internationals
Cameron Smith (Australia) 2006-2017 | 56 internationals
NEW ZEALAND KIWIS v GREAT BRITAIN LIONS
5.00pm, Saturday, November 2, 2019
Eden Park, Auckland
NEW ZEALAND KIWIS
1ROGER TUIVASA-SHECK
(Vodafone Warriors)2KEN MAUMALO
(Vodafone Warriors)3CHARNZE NICOLL-KLOKSTAD
(Canberra Raiders)4JOSEPH MANU
(Sydney Roosters)5JAMAYNE ISAAKO
(Brisbane Broncos)6KIERAN FORAN
(Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs)7BENJI MARSHALL (c)
(Wests Tigers)8ZANE TETEVANO
(Sydney Roosters)9BRANDON SMITH
(Melbourne Storm)10JARED WAEREA-HARGREAVES
(Sydney Roosters)11BRITON NIKORA
(Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks)12KENNY BROMWICH
(Melbourne Storm)13JOSEPH TAPINE
(Canberra Raiders) Interchange:14JAHROME HUGHES
(Melbourne Storm)15COREY HARAWIRA-NAERA
(Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs)16LEESON AH MAU
(Vodafone Warriors)17ADAM BLAIR
(Vodafone Warriors)18KEVIN PROCTOR
(Gold Coast Titans)19BAILEY SIMONSSON
(Canberra Raiders)
HEAD COACH | MICHAEL MAGUIRE
NEW ZEALAND KIWIS | GREAT BRITAIN LIONS SERIES
PlayerClubKiwi NoTests for NZLEESON AH MAUVodafone Warriors8127ADAM BLAIRVodafone Warriors73249KENNEATH BROMWICHMelbourne Storm7969KIERAN FORANCanterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs75721BRADEN HAMLIN UELECanterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs8221COREY HARAWIRA-NAERACronulla-Sutherland Sharks8231JAHROME HUGHESMelbourne Storm8192JAMAYNE ISAAKOBrisbane Broncos8083SHAUN JOHNSONCronulla-Sutherland Sharks77431JOSEPH MANUSydney Roosters8156BENJI MARSHALLWests Tigers71729KEN MAUMALOVodafone Warriors8107CHARNZE NICOLL-KLOKSTADCanberra Raiders8201BRITON NIKORACronulla-Sutherland Sharks8182ISAIAH PAPALI’IVodafone Warriors8171KEVIN PROCTORGold Coast Titans77121BAILEY SIMONSSONCanberra Raiders--BRANDON SMITHMelbourne Storm8166JOSEPH TAPINECanberra Raiders80010ZANE TETEVANOSydney Roosters8211ROGER TUIVASA-SHECKVodafone Warriors77918JARED WAEREA-HARGREAVESSydney Roosters75530