26 Oct 2009

Kiwis will be better for tough first-up duel with Kangaroos

7:05 am on 26 October 2009

The youngsters in New Zealand's rugby league team will take a lot out of Sunday's draw with Australia in their opening Four Nations match in London.

Kiwis coach Stephen Kearney says the likes of Jared Hargreaves, Junior Sau and Bryson Goodwin getting such a tough match under their belt will do the team a "world of good".

Kearney's sure the confidence they'll gain from the game, despite letting the Kangaroos in at the death when leading 20-14 to draw 20-20, will see the inexperienced Kiwis grow as international players.

And he's sure the players know they've got a lot more to improve on, and will need to in their next clash in France, where the home side will be a tough match.