NRL: NZ Warriors v South Sydney Rabbitohs - everything you need to know

Warriors v Rabbitohs

Kickoff 4pm, Sunday, 1 June

Accor Stadium, Sydney

Live blog updates on RNZ Sport

History

In 41 previous meetings, South Sydney have won 21 and the Warriors 20, so a win for the visitors would even up the head-to-head ledger. The record is 11-11 in Souths home fixtures and 4-3 to the Warriors at Accor Stadium.

Halfback Shaun Johnson scored 18 points, including a try double, in a 34-4 Warriors landslide in Sydney last season, but the Rabbitohs won the previous eight meetings by an average of almost 20 points, scoring 37 a game.

In 2006, the Warriors achieved their biggest-ever NRL win over Souths - a 66-0 romp that saw Lance Hohaia score a hattrick of tries, with Jerome Ropati and Brent Webb grabbing try doubles, and Tony Martin achieving a personal haul of 22 points.

Here's a fun fact - the Warriors are 16-31 against teams guided by supercoach Wayne Bennett, who was at the helm of Brisbane Broncos for their 1995 NRL debut.

Form

After five straight wins carried them to 8-2 and second on the NRL table, the Warriors finally dropped a close one last week, letting an early 8-0 lead slip against Canberra Raiders.

Over those five victories, they were outscored 60-33 in the second half and again conceded the final 40 minutes 8-2 against the 'Green Machine', so that's an area they need to address.

The Warriors still lead the competition in set completion with 82 percent, but the Rabbitohs are just behind them on 81 percent. Second-rower Kurt Capewell leads the league by some margin in missed tackles (63), while hooker Wayde Egan has the most dummy-half runs (68).

Souths have a 6-5 record, sitting sixth on the table, and won their last two outings against Brisbane Broncos and Wests Tigers, before last week's bye. Previously, they dropped four in a row.

That result over the Broncos is their only success against teams currently in playoff positions - they are 1-4 against the top eight.

They lead the league in missed tackles (422) and kicking metres (7767).

The Rabbitohs have been ravaged by injury, losing captain Cameron Murray to an achilles tear in the pre-season, while veterans Cody Walker and Jack Wighton are still a week away from returning from calf niggles.

Teams

Warriors: 1 Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 2 Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 3 Adam Pompey, 4 Rocco Berry, 5 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, 6 Chanel Harris-Tavita, 7 Luke Metcalf, 8 James Fisher-Harris, 9 Wayde Egan, 10 Mitch Barnett, 11 Kurt Capewell, 12 Marata Niukore, 13 Erin Clark

Interchange: 14 Te Maire Martin, 15 Leka Halasima, 16 Demitric Vaimauga, 17 Jackson Ford

Reserves: 18 Jacob Laban, 21 Tanah Boyd

For the first time this season - or last - coach Andrew Webster has a full contingent of players to choose from. That will ultimately depend on whether co-captain Mitch Barnett is passed fit, backing up from State of Origin on Wednesday, but the return of James Fisher-Harris from suspension and Rocco Berry from injury has caused some big selection calls, with Berry replacing Ali Leiataua at centre and Fisher-Harris supplanting Bunty Afoa in the front row.

Capewell's shift from the midfield sees young gun Leka Halasima slip back to the interchange for now.

Rabbitohs: 1 Lattrell Mitchell, 2 Alex Johnston, 3 Isaiah Tass, 4 Campbell Graham, 5 Bayleigh Bentley-Hape, 6 Jayden Sullivan, 7 Jamie Humphreys, 8 Jai Arrow, 9 Siliva Havili, 10 Keaon Koloamatangi, 11 Euan Aitken, 12 Tallis Duncan, 13 Lachlan Hubner

Interchange: 14 Jye Gray, 15 Sean Keppie, 16 Davvy Moale, 17 Tevita Tatola

Reserves: 18 Liam Le Blanc, 19 Fletcher Myers

Just one change from Bennett after the bye week, with Sean Keppie included on the interchange for Liam Le Blanc. They'll keep a close eye on Latrell Mitchell and his recovery from the Origin opener.

Souths have former Warriors Siliva Havili and Euan Aitken in a starting line-up.

Player to watch

Love him or hate him, Latrell Mitchell is integral to the Rabbitohs' hopes of returning to the NRL Grand Final. He's played at centre, five-eighth and fullback this season, and has not only made the No.1 jersey his own, but also the captaincy.

Notwithstanding his off-field and judicial problems, he's exactly the type of player Bennett gets the best out of.

Kiwi to watch

Kawakawa kid Bayleigh Bentley-Hape was not among Souths' contracted players in March, when he made his NRL debut on the wing against St George Illawarra Dragons. The former national touch rep had to wait another five weeks for his second game, when he scored his first try against Melbourne Storm, and has been in the line-up since.

This will be his sixth appearance for the Rabbitohs.

They said it

Warriors coach Andrew Webster: "They've been so consistent at not beating themselves. Wayne Bennett's teams don't beat themselves - high on completions, work hard and play the full 80."

What will happen

The Warriors haven't really overwhelmed anyone this season, but they're poised to find another level to their game, after stumbling last week. Could be a long night for the Rabbitohs.

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