New Zealand v Great Britain match betting preview, free tip & where to watch

Where to watch

BBC2, 4am Saturday

Best bet

New Zealand-New Zealand double result
2pts 4-5 Ladbrokes

Match preview

Great Britain's return to international rugby league ended in disappointment as the Lions were beaten 14-6 by Tonga last Saturday.

The defeat in Hamilton came at a cost for Wayne Bennett's tourists as centre Oliver Gildart was ruled out for the rest of the tour and prop Luke Thompson limped off after just 14 minutes. Jake Connor will replace Gildart on the left edge while Tom Burgess starts in the front row in place of Thompson.

There were some positives for Bennett to build on from last week. The Lions' defence was outstanding in the face of sustained Tongan pressure in the first half and it took two pieces of brilliance for them to cross the tryline.

But the tourists lacked fluency and continuity in attack with the half-back partnership of Gareth Widdop and Man of Steel Jackson Hastings failing to sparkle. That is certainly a worry against the Kiwis, who have strike power across the park.

Kiwis coach Michael Maguire has surprisingly dropped enigmatic half-back Shaun Johnson from the side who were beaten by Australia last week with Keiran Foran returning from international exile.

He should offer some control alongside the unpredictability of skipper Benji Marshall in the halves and while the packs appear well-matched, the hosts look to have more strikepower in the three-quarters.

The 4-9 Kiwis are asked to give up six points on the handicap, which should be within their capabilities, but at a bigger price it may pay to back them to take a lead into half-time that they will keep until the final hooter.

Today's top sports betting stories

Follow us on Twitter @racingpostsport

Like us on Facebook RacingPostSport