England wary of Maori - Westwood

Ben Westwood
12 April 2012

Warrington second rower Ben Westwood says England will not take the New Zealand Maori lightly in Saturday's warm-up match for the Four Nations Series.

The game at Auckland's Mount Smart Stadium is a curtain-raiser to New Zealand's first-ever Test match against Samoa and will provide England head coach Steve McNamara with an opportunity to fine-tune his side's preparations for their Four Nations opener against the Kiwis in Wellington next week.

"Everybody's ready for this game," said Westwood, who arrived in Auckland with the England squad last Sunday. "It's going to be a massive test for us physically and mentally."

He added: "I don't know much about the New Zealand Maori myself but Steve has done his homework and we've watched some clips so, hopefully, we will get to grips with them.

"They're a physical side but the mood in the camp is good. We had time to recover from the journey and get our body clocks right and now everyone is raring to go."

The 29-year-old Westwood has been rewarded for a hugely impressive domestic season with the Wolves with a two-year contract extension and he is hoping to top off a memorable year by helping England to a first series win on Australian soil for 40 years.

England take on the Kangaroos in Melbourne and meet tournament newcomers Papua New Guinea in Auckland in the run-up to the November 13 final in Brisbane.

"I set myself a goal at the start of the season to play well and extend my contract and I've managed to do both," said Westwood.

"I'm delighted to be staying at Warrington for the next few years. I think they are going in the right direction and we'll go one step better than we have in the last few years. I'm really excited to be a part of that.

"But to win in the Four Nations would be fantastic and just top off what's been a great year for me."

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