NRL overhauls test league calendar
The Rugby League International Federation has expressed surprise at the NRL’s proposal to overhaul the test calendar.
The NRL on Thursday released its plan for the international game which would see a return of regular Kangaroos tours of Great Britain and the introduction of more Pacific tests involving the Kiwis.
Crucially for New Zealand Rugby League, it did not include the controversial Denver test despite the NZRL and their English counterparts signing a three-year deal with promoter Moore Sports to take matches to the US.
‘‘A one-off test that goes nowhere, you think in the sense of that,’’ Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter Beattie said.
‘‘That was the problem with Denver. You’ve got to think of something that fits into a competition. You’ve got to win something.’’
While the NRL expects to present its plan at a RLIF meeting in Singapore later this month, the international governing body was caught off guard by the announcement.
RLIF chief executive Nigel Wood said the proposal was a big change from what was agreed to last year.
‘‘It is certainly commendable that Australia is now positively engaged in discussing the future of international rugby league,’’ Wood said in a statement.
‘‘Nevertheless there are likely to be many surprised about how far the ARLC’s new thinking deviates from the position it had previously committed to as part of the RLIF Board in May 2017.
‘‘At that time, the RLIF Board announced a GB Lions Tour in 2019 to be followed by a Kangaroo Tour in 2020 as a precursor to the next RLIF World Cup in the UK in 2021.’’
Under the NRL’s plan, Australia would tour Great Britain at the end of next year for the first time since 2003.
It’s then hopeful the plan could then be replicated in each four-year cycle that follows, as well as an endof-year Lions tour to Australia in that time frame.
Next year’s Pacific tests would form part of a three-round Oceania Cup between the Kiwis, Fiji, Samoa and Tonga, with the first weekend played in June’s representative round and the rest in the NRL postseason.
Two separate Four Nations tournaments would also be played in 2020, with Australia, New Zealand, Tonga and Samoa to play an Oceania Polynesian competition and England, France, Fiji and Papua New Guinea to feature in a European-based version.
The Kiwis host Australia in October and they would continue to play annually under the NRL’s plan, while work has began to kick off a new international Nines tournament at the end of next year.
The NRL said consultation would continue to take place with the Rugby League Players association, NZRL, England’s RFL and other and other key stakeholders before the calendar is finalised.
But the RLIF was unclear what discussions have been held between the ARL Commission, NZRL and RFL. Stuff has approached the NZRL for comment.
‘‘It would be unfortunate if all parties have not discussed and agreed these changes before this announcement’’ Wood added.
‘‘Having said that we welcome the ARLC’s contribution to the wider discussions on the future international calendar, particularly as regards the RLIF’s ambition to create a potential Pacific Championship to replicate that already organised for nations in Europe.’’
Last month’s clash between the Kiwis and England in Denver went ahead despite strong opposition from NRL clubs, upset at having their players fly halfway around the world in the middle of the season.
Stuff/AAP