'Means a lot to us': Why beating Aussies is pinnacle for Kiwis

New Zealand players have vowed to build on last year’s Pacific Championships triumph and prove that their record 30-0 defeat of Australia in the final was not a one-off.

The Kiwis will begin their defence of the Pacific Cup in Christchurch, with a Test against the Kangaroos as part of a double-header with the Kiwi Ferns and Jillaroos on October 27.

The Pacific Cup champions will then host Tonga at Go Media Stadium in Auckland on November 2, with the final to be played the following weekend. 

Kiwis captain James Fisher-Harris said his players, who will play under new coach Stacey Jones for the first time, were expecting a wounded Kangaroos side would pull out all stops to avenge last year's loss.

"I reckon they'll definitely turn it up a notch and they'll be replaying some highlights before the game, that's for sure," Fisher-Harris said.

However, the Warriors bound prop said international rugby league was the pinnacle of the sport, and the Kiwis wanted to go into the 2026 World Cup knowing they could consistently beat the Kangaroos.

“We don't want to be a team that just beats Australia once here and there,” Fisher-Harris said.

“We want to be a consistent side. That's really important to us and we are not going to take it lightly.

“It's all about us, it's not really about the Kangaroos. We’re just trying to build something.

“We don't get to play Origin, so for us Kiwis international rugby league is the pinnacle, and we have to make the most of it.

“We want to keep winning, keep building a good culture and just build a great team.”

Fisher-Harris won the IRL Golden Boot award after leading the Kiwis to their first win in a tournament since 2014 and the three-times premiership winner described the Pacific Championships triumph as a career highlight.

“It would be up there, man. The black and white jersey means a lot to me, so it’s definitely up there,” he told NRL.com.

“That was a pretty special moment for myself, and the whole Kiwis squad. We'd been working towards that goal – not the margin but just getting the win - especially being the first Pacific Championships.

“It meant a lot to us, we made a lot of sacrifices in the camp so to come out on top was pretty special.

“I grew up watching and supporting all of the black teams, whether it's the All Blacks, the Kiwis, the Silver Ferns or whoever was representing New Zealand.

“I just backed them, and to be captain and to play in a team like that … we've got a good team, so it was pretty special.”

New Zealand and Penrith front-row partner Moses Leota said beating an Australian team comprising of the best players from NSW and Queensland showed how strong the Kiwis were.

"We like playing the best of the best," Leota said. "We can’t play Origin or anything else like that, so it's pretty cool to know that the Aussie team is made up of players from the Blues and Queensland, and we beat them.

“We lost the week before [in Melbourne] and we worked on some things, we made some sacrifices, and we won the final in Hamilton. We showed what we can do but it is up to us what we want to do and what we want to sacrifice."

The pair are looking forward to playing under Jones, who was one of New Zealand's greatest players and an NRL Hall of Famer.

The former halfback led the Kiwis to victory in the 2005 Tri-Nations final at Elland Road, which ended Australia's 27-year domination of international rugby league, and was an assistant to Michael Maguire last year. 

“He was just a little fellow that used to look like he was playing backyard footy pretty much every game he was playing, with the chip and chase, and stuff like that. It was really cool to watch him," Leota said.

Fisher-Harris added: “He got some really good wins with the Kiwis, and I know how much pride he has in the black and white jersey. He’s our coach now so whatever he says we will do."