Almost a year after knocking host side England out of the World Cup with a last-second Shaun Johnson try, the Kiwis can cement a spot in the Four Nations final with a win or a draw.
In the tightest series to date, all four teams can still qualify for the final in Wellington next weekend with a game to play.
For the Kiwis to miss out on the final, they would need to lose by 10 or more on Saturday, and Samoa would need to edge Australia.
Despite all the equations, at the conclusion of his side's first training sessionat Tahuna Park in Dunedin yesterday morning, Kiwis coach Stephen Kearney said he was solely focused on a good performance after a sluggish win over Samoa last weekend.
''I'm not worried about the points table,'' Kearney said.
''For us, it's about putting our best performance out there on Saturday evening and that's all the focus has been this week.
''We sat down earlier this week and we made sure everyone was aware that that kind of performance isn't going to be good enough this week. So we have looked at the areas we need to improve on and that's been the focus of our preparation this week.''
After a bruising encounter with Samoa last weekend, Kearney was expecting much the same against England on Saturday night.
He singled out captain James Graham, brothers George and Tom Burgess, and Chris Hill, a ''big lump of a lad'', as the men to watch. As the first league test in Dunedin in 86 years approached, Kearney, who has coached the Kiwis since 2008, was looking forward to playing under the roof.
''It will be great. Sometimes when you come to Dunedin or the South Island it does get a bit wet, but we get an opportunity playing under cover for a great game of football.''
While Kearney has spent time in Dunedin with the Brisbane Broncos in the past, Kieran Foran, who will partner Shaun Johnson in the halves, was experiencing the city for a first time.
''It's pretty cold, isn't it?'' Foran said yesterday.
''Bit different temperature to what we are used to. We are hoping to get to train [at Forsyth Barr Stadium] on Friday. I've heard it's a great stadium. I think the boys are really looking forward to it.
''There won't be too much wind, will there? So I guess that kind of helps.''
Foran, who plays for Manly, has been linked with the Warriors recently - including in a tweet by Warriors owner Eric Watson - but declined to discuss his playing future beyond the Four Nations.
He said he was focused only on beating England this weekend.
''They are a quality side - they always have been. It will be no different this Saturday night. It's always a big match-up whenever we play them.
It's going to be a massive test and hopefully we can just improve on last week's game.''
-by Robert Van Royen
