Live updates: Kiwis vs England - first test

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KIWIS 16-18 ENGLAND

4:30am - Thanks for tuning in. Stay on Newshub.co.nz as we bring up wraps and post-match content from today's test.

4:26am - "We knew it would be a tough game and we have trained hard and prepared well," said Whitehead after the match. 

"There were not many points, both teams defended well and I hope the crowd enjoyed it.

"We had to be mentally tough and they put the ball round us and tested us."

4:22am - Elliott Whitehead win the man of the match award which is deserved. 

FULLTIME: England holds on to win the first test 18-16 in Hull. England lifted their game when they needed to do to earn the win. Silly penalties let New Zealand down in the end and they trail 1-0 in the best-of-three series. 

79mins - The Kiwis are going nowhere so Johnson decides to try to make something out of nothing, but it comes to nothing and England survive. 

79min - New Zealand have the ball in the final minute here we go! 

78mins - Shaun Johnson runs the ball and puts in a little kick. England dive on the loose ball and Elliott Whitehead knocks it forward but the refs miss it.

77mins - Not long left now, the Kiwis will get one, maybe two more chances here. 

75mins - Jonny Lomax is taken out in the air catching a high-ball. The Kiwis will need a miracle to win this game here. Perhaps another Shaun Johnson special.

73mins - Another penalty to England will let them start their set inside their half. These sloppy penalties have really hurt New Zealand.

71mins - Tommy Makinson makes a strong break after he caught the ball. England get the ball into their redzone and then a comedy of errors hands New Zealand the ball.

70mins - Only 10 minutes remain in Hull. 

69mins - Tom Burgess then makes a massive break down the middle of the park and once again, Shaun Johnson makes a big tackle. Burgess drops the ball, but the referee says the tackle was made before the drop. 

68mins - Jake Connor misses the conversion. England hold a two-point lead, 18-16 with 12 minutes remaining. 

67mins - TRY ENGLAND - Oliver Gildart on debut scores a magical try to put England in the lead. Wow, wow, wow and wow that came from nowhere. Gildart finds some space down the wing and he makes a big break. He then steps past Dallin Watene-Zelezniak  to score. 

66mins - The Kiwis are hot on the attack and a smallest of forward passes to Jesse Bromwich lets England off the hook. In the NRL, that would have been fine considering some of the shockers we saw last season. 

65mins - Shaun Johnson puts in a short kick close to the line, and Jonny Lomax carries the ball dead. New Zealand will get the ball back.

64mins - A great run back from Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and the Kiwis will start their set inside England's half

62mins - PENALTY GOAL KIWIS - Shaun Johnson puts the Kiwis in the lead again. That is his second penalty goal and the Kiwis hold a narrow 16-14 advantage. 

61mins - The Kiwis are going for a penalty goal.

60mins - Once again, New Zealand runs the ball on the last and Ken Maumalo fins himself with the ball and he kicks it and it hits Tom Burgess and it touches one of the English players in front of him, so it's a penalty to the Kiwis. 

59mins - England kicks the ball into touch and the Kiwis have a scrum as we approach the final quarter of the match. 

57mins - The Kiwis attack the line, and Kodi Nikorima opts to run the ball on the last tackle and he goes close to scoring but he goes into touch. 

55mins - PENALTY GOAL ENGLAND - Jake Connor kicks the penalty goal and we're all square one more in Hull. 

54mins - Another penalty to England. The referee speaks to Watene-Zelezniak once more. That penalty was 50/50 and probably went England's way due to the whole home field advantage thing. 

53mins - The Kiwis kick on the fourth tackle and Tommy Makinson takes the easy catch. Two plays later, England wins another penalty. Michael Maguire will be fuming right now as his players are giving away silly penalties. 

51mins - PENALTY GOAL KIWIS - An easy kick for Shaun Johnson which goes straight over the black dot, and New Zealand now lead 14-12. 

50mins - Another penalty to New Zealand righty in front of the posts. I'm usually against going for goal, but England are on top so you can't turn down the points here and that is exactly what Dallin Watene-Zelezniak wants.

48mins - No, they can't as New Zealand gets the ball back and then they win their own penalty two tackles later. 

47mins - England are very close to the line and have a full set to work with. Can they score here? 

45mins - Elliott Whitehead makes a break down the left edge and makes a few more metres once he's tackled. He gets up quick to play-the-ball and wins his side a penalty. 

42mins - Shaun Johnson subs a grubber kick through, but it goes nowhere as Jonny Lomax, who must have passed his HIA test,  picks the ball up. 

40mins - New Zealand have first use of the ball in the second half, as England get us underway.

Live updates: Kiwis vs England - first test
Photo credit: Newshub

HALFTIME - With that late try, both teams are all square at 12-12 at the break here in Hull. Watene-Zelezniak wasn't happy with that late call, but by the latter of the law, the referee made the correct call.

39mins - PENALTY TRY ENGLAND - Massive moment in this game here. There was no clear vision that Connor grounded the ball, but because Watene-Zelezniak hit Connor's head with his knees, the TMO believes that the contact prevented the England centre from scoring.

39mins - Possible try to Jake Connor here. England attacks down the left edge and Connor gets into space and slides over the line. This could be a penalty try here because Connor was hit in the head by Watene-Zelezniak's knee. That is what it appears they're looking at anyways. 

38mins - If anyone is interested, Ireland leads Scotland 20-0 in their league test right now. Back to the main gamem England have the ball inside New Zealan's half, with about 90 seconds before the break.

36mins - Poor finish to the set by the hosts as the Kiwis survive the latest England onslaught. 

35mins - Watene-Zelezniak has a few words to say to the referee saying that this is a tough game, but it's still a penalty regardless. Play resumes 20 out from England's line. 

34mins - Time is off here as England's fullback Jonny Lomax is down on the ground after he was taken high by Esan Marsters. Lomax doesn't look good and he will go off for a head assessment. 

32mins - Shaun Johnson lands the conversion and New Zealand leads 12-6. 

31mins - TRY KIWIS - Dallin Watene-Zelezniak scores for New Zealand. Kodi Nikorima attacks the line, and he passes the ball to his captain who runs through a massive hole to score the Kiwis' second.

29mins - New Zealand blows another chance close to the line, as the ball is knocked one five out from the line. England survives again. But England can't make them pay as a poor play-the-ball gives NZ the ball, 20 out from the line. 

28mins - Wow what a moment that was. England are 10 out from the line and they get set up for the play-the-ball, Jonny Lomax off-loads the ball and Josh Hodgson isn't watching and the Kiwis jump on the ball to regain possession. 

27mins - New Zealand hot on attack, and the ball is dropped and George Williams picks up the ball. He is held downt too long by Kevin Proctor and England win a penalty. 

25mins - England just hold on there. The Kiwis were very close to scoring there. They run the ball around trying to find space and Isaac Liu goes for an offload to Watene-Zelezniak but the ball goes to ground, five out from the line. 

24mins - Elliott Whitehead I think it was, makes a mistake for England to gift New Zealand excellent field position. 

23mins - New Zealand runs the ball on the last again and they go close to scoring, but England's scrambling defence saves the day. 

21mins - England attack down the left wing again but Rapana comes up with a big tackle on the fourth... On the last tackle, they go down the right wing and Sam Tomkins kicks to Jermaine McGillvary who kicks the ball forward as if he was playing for Hull City before the ball goes into touch. 

19mins - Shaun Johnson runs the ball on the last before off-loading to Jordan Rapana who puts in a nice kick on the last tackle. 

18mins - England have blown it again on the last tackle with another shakey kick on the last. 

17mins - England kick early in the set on the second tackle and Watene-Zelezniak is tackled in goal to force a drop-out. Some of the Kiwi players are not happy because DWZ was hit late twice. The referee has a word to both captains and the match resumes.

16mins - To add insult in injury, England wins a penalty. 

15mins - NO TRY KIWIS - Because the ball touched Rapana's hand when he off-loaded the ball. England scrum now and boy that could have been a game-changing moment. 

14mins - Possible try to New Zealand here to Jordan Rapana. The Kiwis kick high on the last and Tommy Makinson bobbles the ball as the Kiwi forwards chase, and put pressure on the wingers. He loses control of the ball in the tackle as he looks to off-load and Rapana dives on the loose ball over the line. 

13mins - Johnson adds the conversion and we're all square once more at 6-6. 

12mins - TRY KIWIS - Esan Masters scores for New Zealand. That was an excellent try. Kodi Nikorima attacks the line and passes the ball to Shaun Johnson who passes back on the inside to Masters who dives over. 

10mins - New Zealand win their first penalty of the game on the halfway line. They start the new set 30 out from the line. 

9mins - England are well on top right now. They get the ball into the red zone, and on the fourth tackle they have space on the right wing, and instead of passing, Tomkins puts in a rather questionable kick which bounces into touch. 

8mins - Twenty meters from the line and the Kiwis are on the last. They decide to run the ball, and it comes to nothing as England get the ball back. Then the hosts win a penalty. 

7mins - Great defence by the Kiwis and after three tackles, England has gone nowhere, they do find some space down the right wing before kicking the ball away to Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, and the captain runs the ball back to the halfway line, so New Zealand starts the set with the ball in a decent position. 

4mins - England kick to the wing of Rapana again, but the Kiwi catches the ball clean this time. 

3mins - Jake Connor lands the conversion and England lead 6-0. It's the worst start possible for New Zealand. 

2mins - TRY ENGLAND - Sam Tomkins scores the first try of the game. England kick high on the last and Tommy Makinson re-gathers. He gets the ball out right and, England spread the ball wide and they find Tomkins who flies over the line. What a perfect start for the hosts. 

1min - Respectable first set for England and New Zealand responded with one of their own. Ball-handling will be essential for this test. 

Kick-off - The Kiwis get the match started in Hull. Here we go! 

2:29am - With no Issac Luke or Adam Blair, Kodi Nikorima led the Haka. The Kiwi boys look fired up for this clash. 

2:27am - Haka time!

2:24am - Both teams are out on the field. It is time for the anthems. 

2:13am - We're just over 15 minutes away from kick-off. There is a decenet crowd at the stadium right now. More people might filter in just before the match gets underway.

2:03am - Imagine if it started snowing during the game! That would be somthing new for the New Zealand players. It is curently six degress in Hull right now, compare that to Auckland where it is 16 degress.

1:52am - There has been a late change to the Kiwis team with Joseph Tapane coming onto the bench for Adam Blair. I understand he injured his knee is training and the decision was made to rest him rather than risk further injury. 

Kia ora and welcome to live updates of the first of three tests between the New Zealand Kiwis and England at KCOM Stadium in Hull, England. 

Both teams are competing for the Baskerville Shield.

England are the current holders, having won the 2015 series 2-1 under former coach Steve McNamara.

The further two tests are at Liverpool's Anfield and Elland Road in Leeds.

Live updates: Kiwis vs England - first test

Lineups

Kiwis: 1-Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (c), 2-Ken Maumalo, 3-Esan Marsters, 4-Joseph Manu, 5-Jordan Rapana, 6-Shaun Johnson, 7-Kodi Nikorima, 8-Jesse Bromwich, 9-Brandon Smith, 10-Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, 11-Kevin Proctor, 12-Isaac Liu, 13-James Fisher-Harris.

Interchange: 14-Kenny Bromwich, 15-Leeson Ah Mau, 16-Martin Taupau,19-Joseph Tapine

England: 1-Jonny Lomax, 2-Tommy Makinson, 3-Jake Connor, 4-Oliver Gildart, 5- Jermaine McGillvary, 6-George Williams, 7-Sam Tomkins, 8-Tom Burgess, 9-Josh Hodgson, 10-James Graham,11-John Bateman,11-Elliott Whitehead, 12-Luke Bateman, 13-Sean O'Loughlin (c)

Bench: 14- Luke Thompson, 15-Chris Hill, 16-George Burgess, 17-Darryl Clark

Head-to-head odds:

Kiwis $1.75 England $2.00

Pre-match banter: Michael Maguire focused on Kiwis' UK mission

Kiwis coach Michael Maguire insists his only focus is on leading New Zealand to a series victory over England and not on the coaching merry-go-round transpiring in the NRL.

Reports in Australia say Maguire has accepted a three-year, $2.7 million deal with the Wests Tigers that will come into effect once the NRL club finalises the release of Ivan Cleary, so he can re-join the Panthers.

The Tigers are expected to announce the departure of Cleary by Monday at the latest, which would allow them to confirm the Maguire news.

It would compete for the coaching merry-go-round which has seen Des Hasler return to the Manly Sea Eagles and England coach Wayne Bennett sign with the Rabbitohs from 2020, with current South Sydney mentor Anthony Seibold the frontrunner to replace Bennett at the Broncos.

When Maguire signed with the New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) in May, he negotiated a clause in his contract that will enable him to coach in the NRL along with the national side.

The 44-year-old is currently with the Kiwis in Wigan, helping them prepare for the first of three tests against England, starting on Sunday (NZ time).

When pressed about the rumours at Saturday's captain's run, Maguire was quick to shift the focus back to the Kiwis test.

"At the moment, I'm pretty keen to focus just on this Kiwi game," he said. "All those sorts of things sort themselves out in time.

"But this is a really important game for us and an important game for New Zealand, every test match is.

"They've been working really hard in the background and I think it's a real credit to NZRL to get themselves into a strong position now and moving forward. So for myself, the focus is on what we need to do tomorrow."

Maguire named the same 17 players that beat Australia 26-24 two weeks ago in Auckland to face the English in the first test. He is hoping to see if his players can back-up that performance to truly see where his side is at.

"We're building a culture in the team of performance and I think rewarding performance is something we want to do moving forward.

"That's really coming from the senior leaders and they're driving a lot of that so it makes my job easy.

"I'm really looking forward to the boys getting out and performing and backing up what we did last week - that's what counts at this present moment.

"I've really seen a shift in the mindset of the group and I'm looking forward to seeing that play it's part when we get out here tomorrow".

Maguire will also warn his players about the atmosphere they can expect from a crowd of around 20,000 at KCOM Stadium.

"I can't wait. I've had some great clashes here when I was back coaching at Wigan.

"I'm really looking forward to the noise. It's one thing we can take away from the English fans, the singing and the noise.

Newshub.