Kiwis player Moses Leota Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Auckland will host an international rugby league triple-header between New Zealand, Samoa and Tonga in October as part of the newly launched Pacific Championships.
The Pacific Championships will be staged in 2023 and 2024, after the NRL and NRLW Premiership seasons, and will include men's and women's teams from Australia, New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Cook Islands.
On October 21 Eden Park will host the Kiwis against Samoa, the Kiwi Ferns against Tonga and a Kiwi A team will playTonga A.
The NZ Kiwi A team will assemble for the first time in 17 years and will be made up of current and future Kiwi-committed NRL stars.
"How special to bring the best players in the world back home to play in front of their communities," NZRL CEO Greg Peters says.
"We're excited to work with Samoa to bring their rugby league heroes back home and unite fans across New Zealand and the Pacific.
The 2023 Pacific Championships is a two-tiered competition with six men's teams and seven women's teams taking part in the tournament across two pools.
Waikato's FMG Stadium will host the Pacific Cup grand final on 4 November.
Pacific Championships schedule:
Week One - October 14-15
Australia v Samoa (men) and Australia v New Zealand (women), Townsville
PNG v Cook Islands (men) and Samoa v Fiji (women), Port Moresby
Week Two - October 21-22
New Zealand v Samoa (men), New Zealand v Tonga (women), and NZ Kiwis A v Tonga A (men) at Eden Park, Auckland
Fiji v Cook Islands (men) and PNG v Cook Islands (women), Port Moresby
Week Three - October 28-29
Australia v New Zealand (men and women), Melbourne
PNG v Fiji (men), Port Moresby
Week Four - November 4-5
The Final of the men's Pacific Cup tournament on November 4 in Hamilton, New Zealand
The Final of the men's Pacific Bowl tournament on November 5 at Port Moresby