Kiwis Recall Gagai and Leota for Must-Win World Cup Decider Against Fiji

New Zealand have turned to experience for the biggest game of their Rugby League World Cup campaign, recalling five senior players including Dane Gagai and Moses Leota for Saturday's must-win clash with Fiji on the Gold Coast. The equation for the Kiwis could hardly be simpler: beat Fiji and they reach the World Cup semi-finals for the first time since 2022, but lose and a tournament that began with talk of this being New Zealand's best title chance in decades will be over at the pool stage. Head coach Stacey Jones has backed his veterans to handle the pressure of a sudden-death occasion against a Fiji side chasing another famous upset. Gagai and Leota bring a wealth of big-game know-how to a squad that has progressed steadily through the tournament but now faces its defining test. Fiji, meanwhile, will arrive believing they can spoil the party, as they have done so memorably against bigger nations before. The Gold Coast decider promises to be one of the games of the tournament, with a semi-final place on the line and no margin for error for a New Zealand side that knows anything less than victory will send them home.