A plan has been quietly put together to revive Test rugby league by pitting the Kangaroos against New Zealand, Tonga, and Samoa in a four-week tournament set to take place in 2023. The proposed competition would be hosted in both Australia and New Zealand and would herald the return of the “Four Nations” concept, which was last played in 2016. This development comes in response to a rising demand for rugby league authorities to establish additional opportunities to expand the international game.

The forthcoming Four Nations tournament will showcase a highly-anticipated World Cup final rematch between Australia and Samoa. New Zealand and Tonga will likewise vie for victory against each other. This will be followed by a triple header at Eden Park in Auckland, in which Samoa and Tonga will once again cross paths after their World Cup quarter-final, before New Zealand and Australia face off in a high-stakes contest. On top of these exciting matches, a women’s international match featuring the world champion Jillaroos and New Zealand’s Kiwi Ferns will also be included on the day’s schedule.

Revitalizing the International Game

The Chief Executive of the NRL, Andrew Abdo, has expressed a keen interest in developing more occasions for Test matches, especially after the NRL’s expansion to 17 teams necessitated the discontinuation of the mid-season representative window. Currently, the NRL’s regular season comprises 27 rounds, with all three State of Origin games being held on Wednesday evenings. This arrangement has replaced the previous representative weekend, where Pacific nations would participate in Tests.

The emergence of Samoa and Tonga as rugby powerhouses in the southern hemisphere makes a competition between the two a potential money-spinner, particularly if the Pacific nations meet at Eden Park, which has a large expat population. Additionally, the proposed tournament would serve as a crucial platform for the upcoming World Cup, which will be held in 2025.

While this proposal is exciting, it may not be without challenges. Tonga has previously discussed a European tour at the end of 2023, which could pose a stumbling block. Furthermore, the tournament would run into November and would force NRL clubs to wait until 2024 to have representative stars on deck for pre-season training.