Australia’s Kangaroos will be looking to open their World Cup campaign on a winning note when they face New Zealand’s Kiwis in a blockbuster tournament opener.

MATCH CENTRE: Kangaroos vs Kiwis live score, stats and more

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Kevin Walters is under plenty of pressure after opting to play Reece Walsh and Mitchell Moses ahead of premiership-winning duo James Tedesco and Sam Walker.

Walters said he wanted to give both players a rest after a gruelling premiership campaign, although Kangaroos legend Brad Fittler warned the plan could backfire — at least on Thursday.

“Match fitness is going to be a problem for the Australian team,” he told Nine’s Today program.

“Only four players actually played in the semi finals in the starting line up, but if you look at New Zealand, nearly the whole team played in the finals.

“They’re gonna be very match fit and if they can get on the back of Kalyn Ponga, he’s still gonna have his energy around him.”

While Walters has strongly suggested they will play an important role in the rest of the tournament, the focus for now is on Thursday’s clash with a monster Kiwis forward pack.

New Zealand, led by former Panthers teammates James Fisher-Harris and Moses Leota, will be confident in pulling off the upset against their highly-fancied rivals.

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