Kangaroos skipper backs series format

AUSTRALIAN Kangaroos captain Cameron Smith, pictured, was happy with the way the Pacific teams played during the Rugby League Pacific Tri-Nations on Saturday.
Smith said having this kind of competition in the future would help players prepare themselves for any international tournament.
“It was a great turnout from fans and I would like to see this happen again whenever there is a lead-up to a tournament. It is great to have the Pacific nations to come out and play,” Smith said.
“We’ve enjoyed the tournament and we hope to see some more teams come in and participate.
“We made a couple of mistakes but I think our defence was okay but in the end it was a great game from all teams.”
The world champions defeated the PNG Kumuls 20-4. Smith said the PNG players were aggressive and coordinated in their attack threatening the Kangaroos.
He added this was a great foundation on where they stand and how they could improve on their performance before the World Cup next month.
Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga was a happy man after his side’s wins over the Bati (18-0) and the Kumuls (20-4).
Meninga said he was pleased as the games were good preparation for their Rugby League World Cup campaign.
“Having played 40 minutes each against the two teams allowed us to be very competitive and the outcomes were good,” Meninga said.
“I’m happy with the new players performance and I thought their defence were pretty good,” the 57-year-old said. – FijiTimes