The Kiwis and Tonga will finally go head-to-head in an anticipated world cup rematch, but only after the Kangaroos get a crack in Auckland next month.
The New Zealand Rugby League and NRL confirmed on Wednesday that the world champions will play the Pacific Island side at Mount Smart Stadium on October 20, a week after the Kiwis meet Australia at the same venue.
New Zealand will face Tonga next June, although no venue has been named.
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The NZRL confirmed that the June date will replace the annual Denver test against England that had two years to run.
CEO Greg Peters told Newshub that the United States experiment has been canned.
The NZRL is still awaiting payment from the event promoter for the test.
Reports out of Australia suggest that the NRL will fund both fixtures as the NZRL continue to wait for the promoter to settle the bill from the Denver test.
Tongan world cup squad member, Manu Vatuvei told Newshub that the match is what the players have been pleading for.
"The respective organisations have been working hard to make this happen," Vatuvei said.
"This is just awesome news for the Tongan community, and knowing how passionate they are, I can see them all coming out to support the boys again.
"It's always difficult when you have a tier one team wanting to play a tier two team, but after the world cup, we showed we deserve a crack at the top teams.
"This sends a great message to the other Pacific nation teams like Samoa and Fiji that they can work towards getting a match with Australia or New Zealand."
NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg thanked the NZRL and the Rugby League Players Association for agreeing to terms.
Greenberg didn't comment on reports the Australian players have taken a cut in their match fees to help fund the Test.
"This is a fantastic result for all fans of rugby league and the continued growth of the international game," he said.
"Many people have worked tirelessly right around the globe to ensure this match takes place."
Newshub.
