Eden Park triple-header

One of the biggest days of rugby league New Zealand has seen will take place at Eden Park later this year.

An announcement was made at Eden Park yesterday of a mouth-watering lineup of tests which sees the Kiwis play Great Britain, the Kangaroos take on Tonga and Samoa play Fiji on Saturday, November 2.

The Kiwis will also host Tonga at Mt Smart in Auckland on Saturday, June 22, with the New Zealand women’s team also playing as part of a doubleheader that day.

Wayne Bennett will coach Great Britain in two tests against the Kiwis, with the second encounter in Christchurch on November 9.

It will be the first time the Lions will have played since the home series against New Zealand in 2007 and their first appearance in the southern hemisphere since 2006.

Great Britain will also play Papua New Guinea on the tour plus a test against Tonga for the first time – this test will be in Hamilton on Saturday, October 26.

The Kiwis will play a test in Wollongong against Australia in October, before returning to New Zealand to take on the Lions.

The Rugby Football League in the UK confirmed Bennett, who coaches England and the Rabbitohs, would also coach the Lions.

‘‘It’s an honour to be involved in the revival of the Great Britain team as head coach,’’ Bennett said. ‘‘It’s an exciting prospect for international rugby league, and good to have that Great Britain tradition back.’’