Aotearoa thrillers

World Cup matches Stadium.

“We need to work with our Tongan counterparts as well about commercialising the opportunity that’s in front of us,” said Peters.

“There are a number of possibilities in New Zealand that might want to . . . assist us with that.”

Confirmation of both matches involving Tonga on these shores follows a dramatic U-turn from the NZRL, who under their previous administration committed to the Denver experiment despite clear demand and interest in staging another Kiwis-Tonga test locally.

The lure of a large cash injection from the Denver test and plans to promote the 13-man game in the US ahead of the 2025 World Cup — which at Waikato was also set to be bankrolled by Moore — were given as reasons for the Kiwis involvement.

That was before Moore left the NZRL and RFL in the lurch financially and grave doubts now also hang over his ability to fund the next World Cup.

Meanwhile, Australian players have reportedly agreed to less than their normal $20,000 match fee for the match to be financially viable.

The Kangaroos are expected to receive $5000 or less while a portion of the money they have sacrificed will go towards match payments for the Tongan players.

Kiwis players received $5000 each for the Denver test, a cost the NZRL had to cover after Moore Sports failed to pay the agreed fee by the July 31 deadline.