Kiwis confirm new Pacific Championship for 2023

By Michael Burgess

The Kiwis’ 2023 plans have finally been confirmed and will involve a revival of the popular Tri Nations concept.

Instead of England, Samoa will join the Kangaroos and the Kiwis in the round-robin competition, part of the top tier of the newly announced Pacific Championship.

Samoa are on a high, after reaching the World Cup final last year, while the Kiwis will have a deep squad, given the talent across the NRL.

The Kiwis will face Samoa in Auckland, then Australia in Melbourne, before a final in Hamilton.

It’s the first phase of the new international window after the NRL ditched the mid-season representative weekend.

As a starting point, it’s a good initiative, with a two-tier competition also involving Papua New Guinea, Fiji and the Cook Islands, which will take place in 2023 and 2024.

There are also seven women’s teams taking part across the two pools, including the Kiwi Ferns.

Giving the Kiwis some meaningful competition was vital this year. It’s a golden generation of players – spread across all the top NRL clubs – but they have barely been seen.

Since the 2017 World Cup, the Kiwis have only played four times in New Zealand and just once against Australia.

The disruption caused by the Covid pandemic was a big contributing factor but the NRL’s apparent indifference towards the international game was another reason.

The NZRL pushed for a maximum of four games this year but three was always the most realistic target, which will happen if the Kiwis make the Pacific Championship final.

Ideally, they would have wanted a home-and-away clash against Kangaroos but the series is a good compromise and will allow Michael Maguire to bring his squad together for a month.

The first weekend (October 15 and 16) sees Australia face Samoa in Townsville, with the Kiwi Ferns facing the Jillaroos. Both matches are repeats of the World Cup finals last year.

On October 21, Eden Park will host a triple-header. The Kiwis will face Samoa, the Kiwi Ferns will line up against Tonga, and an NZ Kiwi A team will assemble for the first time in 17 years.

Thanks to the depth of the New Zealand game, the NZ Kiwis A team will consist of current and future Kiwi-committed NRL players who will take on a Tonga A team.

It’s a move that suits both countries. It adds a Tongan flavour – and their famous crowd support – to the day while allowing both countries to build depth. Ideally, the full Tongan team would have been involved in the Pacific Championship, but Mate Ma’a Tonga have already accepted an invitation to tour England. They are expected to be part of the format next year.

The third round sees the Kiwis and Kangaroos face off in Melbourne, along with a rematch of the women’s teams. The final will be staged in Hamilton on November 4.

2023 Pacific Championship

Week one: October 14-15
Australia v Samoa (men) and Australia v New Zealand (women) at Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville.
PNG v Cook Islands (men) and Samoa v Fiji (women) at Santos Stadium, 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) at Santos Stadium, Port Moresby.

Week three: October 28-29
Australia v New Zealand (men and women) at AAMI Park, Melbourne.
PNG v Fiji (men) at Santos Stadium, Port Moresby.

Week four: November 4-5
Men’s Pacific Cup final on November 4 in Hamilton, New Zealand.
Men’s Pacific Bowl final on November 5 at Santos Stadium, Port Moresby.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission