Leuluai a lucky Kiwi

Leuluai: Happy to do his bit for New Zealand

It took me a while to get going, to get used to things, and I'm just glad I could put in a couple of performances to give back to the boys who have been putting it in all tournament

Thomas Leuluai
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Thomas Leuluai admits he was lucky to be part of New Zealand's World Cup-winning side after struggling for form Down Under.

The Wigan scrum-half was shifted to hooker by coach Stephen Kearney after some below-par performances at the start of the tournament.

He kept his place for the final against Australia on Saturday as the Kiwis pulled off a stunning result, beating the red-hot favourites 34-20 in Brisbane.

Leuluai expected to miss out on selection at the Suncorp Stadium having failed to come to grips with the change in style from the engage Super League.

Difficult

"I thought I should have lost my place," he said. "I was struggling.

"To be honest I found it difficult and I think the English found that out. The standard is a bit different, it's definitely another level.

"It's a different style of game. You've got to complete sets and play a bit more structured. In England you throw the ball around a bit.

"It took me a while to get going, to get used to things, and I'm just glad I could put in a couple of performances to give back to the boys who have been putting it in all tournament."

Leuluai's positional switch was suggested by former Kangaroos coach Wayne Bennett, who was working as an assistant to Kearney.

The move allowed Nathan Fien to form an excellent half-back partnership with stand-off Benji Marshall, with Issac Luke coming off the bench.

"Wayne knew I could provide something to the team," Leuluai added. "I think the move to hooker sort of took a bit of the pressure off.

"It was a supporting role I suppose but I've done my bit. That's what it's about, everyone doing their bit."

Support

New Zealand's upset of the hosts will go down as one of the biggest shocks in sporting history, particularly as they had lost 30-6 to the same opponents at the start of the pool stages.

They were given some added support on their big night by the large following of England fans who had stayed on despite their country being knocked out.

"I knew they would be behind us, especially the Wigan fans," confessed Leuluai, who was a key player for the Warriors last season.

"They're the best. To see them come all this way and still turn up to the game in their Wigan jerseys - and all the other club jerseys - and support the Kiwis was massive.

"All the boys appreciate them for that."