THE Kiwis are poised to axe Sydney Roosters front rower Jared Waerea-Hargreaves from the New Zealand side to play the Kangaroos on Friday night in Sydney.

In a left-field Test selection surprise, the leader of the Sydney Roosters engine room will be snubbed from the Kiwi Test team to be announced at 5pm on Sunday.

Sydney Roosters teammates Sam Moa and Roger Tuivasa-Scheck have both been advised they will be lining up against the Kangaroos, with JWH left out.

It’s a bizarre move from the Kiwis, who were smashed 34-2 by Australia in last year’s World Cup final in England.

Waerea-Hargreaves, 25, was regarded as the NRL’s best frontrower last season and was a key element of the Sydney Roosters powering all the way to the NRL premiership title.

The Kiwis are expected to announce his Roosters teammate Moa and Melbourne’s Jesse Bromwich as their starting frontrowers.

In another selection shock, the Kiwis are also expected to ignore Shaun Kenny-Dowall in favour of St George Illawarra’s Gerard Beale in the centres.

Kenny-Dowall, the Sydney Roosters star who played last year’s grand final with a broken jaw, missed last year’s World Cup tour due to the injury.