Saturday 14 November 2015 09:35, UK
New Zealand head coach Stephen Kearney expects his side to up their game in the final Test against England on Saturday.
The Kiwis cancelled out England's 26-12 opening victory in Hull with a 9-2 success at the Olympic Stadium last weekend to set up a decider at the DW Stadium.
And Kearney, who has been in charge of the Kiwis since 2008, believes there is still more to come from his team ahead of the Wigan showdown.
"I felt we built on the back of our first Test match and I think we've got more improvement in store for us," he said after New Zealand's final training session.
And co-captain Adam Blair echoed his coach's sentiments, insisting he and his team-mates have yet to display their best form on the tour.
"I think from the first to second Test we're building on what we want. We're still not there yet but hopefully we put a performance in for the 80 minutes," he said.
New Zealand's team is unchanged from their win in east London, with surprise selection Kodi Nikorima continuing at scrum-half.
Nikorima, handed the chance to make his full Test debut in place of fellow-rookie Tui Lolohea, suffered badly with cramp towards the end of his first 80-minute performance of the year but Kearney expects him to cope better on Saturday.
"His role at the Broncos has been primarily off the bench so he hasn't had a great deal of time out in the middle but he'll certainly be better for the run last week," he said. "We've looked after him this week and I'm pretty confident he'll get through the 80."
English referee Ben Thaler, who was in charge of the first Test, has been given the nod over Australian Gerard Sutton to officiate in the decider.
England coach Steve McNamara insists he would have been happy with either official, however, and Kearney also played down the significance of the appointment.
"It's not an issue," he said. "It wasn't an issue in the first half-an-hour of the first Test. We'll just deal with the situation as it presents itself."
