Not forgetting the Kiwis don't have a recognised 7 since both Marshall & Foran are 6's.
You're right that neither are traditional halfbacks - Benji plays on the left of split halves at the Tigers and Foran mostly played on the left of split halves at Manly right up until about mid-season, when DCE was shifted to the middle.
But the Kiwis are themselves at least ostensibly playing with split halves, which means you don't really need an old-style organising halfback. You just need a couple of playmakers that can also kick.
New Zealand's problem this tournament was the same problem the Tigers have when they're under pressure - Benji gets more involved than he needs to be and ruins the shape of the attack.
Benji is best when he finds himself in one-on-one situations, but there just isn't as much opportunity at first receiver. That's why split halves works so well for teams using a lot of long shifts - look at the Broncos and the Dragons. Neither team has a dominant, organising halfback (arguably Lockyer), but both teams get plenty of ball to their halves (both 6 and 7) at second receiver.
This is how Benji plays best at the Tigers. But sometimes he gets it in his head that he has to win the game himself. Instead of being selective about his touches, he just chases the ball around the field overcalling people (like Hayne last year) and losing touch with Foran (and with Lui at club level). Plus he's never content to just catch-pass to the other half, which is exactly what needs to be done in a split-halves system. The ball needs to move away from him for a couple of tackles before it can come back to him in some space.
You just can't do everything from first receiver, and Benji needs to trust his halves partner to get him early ball
at the right times.
