THE Kangaroos may be favourites for a 14th consecutive victory under Mal Meninga, but the Kiwis have an advantage in experience that could sway the Test in their favour. The clash at Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday marks a changing of the guard for Australia, with Cameron Smith, Billy Slater, Cooper Cronk and Johnathan Thurston retiring from rep footy since last year’s World Cup. A look at the Test matches played for both teams reveals the Kiwis have nearly one hundred more games of Test match experience.
New Zealand has a total of 202 Tests among their 19 man squad, while Australia has only 111 Tests of experience. Adam Blair will be the most experienced man on the field if he runs on for his 46th Test match, while the next most is Shaun Johnson with 25. The six most experienced Test players in the two squads are all Kiwis, with Jesse Bromwich and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves both (24), Marty Taupau (21) and Kevin Proctor 17 rounding out the top six.
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