The NRL have confirmed a post-season international schedule for Southern Hemisphere teams in both the men's and women's games.
On the men's side, a pair of Tri-Nations series will be played, while the women's side will see three Tests, with Australia and New Zealand playing each other twice, and Tonga also having a match against New Zealand.
In the first men's Tri-Nations series, which will be known as the Pacific Cup, Australia, New Zealand and Samoa will feature.
Australia will first play Samoa in Townsville just two weeks after the NRL grand final, before New Zealand play Samoa in Auckland the following week, and Australia play New Zealand in Melbourne the week after that.
In the fourth week, a final will be held in Hamilton.
The second Tri-nations tournament will be known as the Pacific bowl and features Papua New Guinea, the Cook Islands and Fiji. A pair of women's matches (Samoa vs Fiji and PNG vs Cook Islands) will also be played in Port Moresby.
All matches in the men's second Tri-nations' tournament will be played in Port Moresby, with the Australian government bank-rolling the tournament to ensure the games could be played in one of only two countries in the world where rugby league is the national sport.
The strong financial backing for the tournament from the Australian government, and games being hosted in Port Moresby, follows a previous commitment from the federal government worth $5.5 million to ensure the nation could have a proper go at becoming the NRL's 18th team when the competition elects to expand again.
The two Tri-nations' tournaments come with Tonga set to play three Tests in England during the same period, taking them out of the picture. All reports have suggested Tonga and Samoa could swap roles next year, before 2025 will see Australia host England for the Ashes. Australia then tour England in 2027, with New Zealand to tour England in 2028.
2026 is a World Cup year, meaning that the next time more than six teams will be available to play in this end-of-season tournament won't be before 2029, although at this stage it has only been confirmed that this tournament structure will continue for this year and next year.
Full fixtures
Week 1 โ 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 2 โ October 21-22
New Zealand v Samoa (men) and New Zealand v Tonga (women) at Eden Park, Auckland
Fiji v Cook Islands (men) and PNG v Cook Islands (women) at Santos Stadium, Port Moresby
Week 3 โ October 28-29
Australia v New Zealand (men and women) at AAMI Park, Melbourne
PNG v Fiji (men) at Santos Stadium, Port Moresby
Week 4 โ 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 Santos Stadium, Port Moresby
The confirmation of the new tournaments follows recent confirmation from the IRL that a new international framework and calendar has been ticked off by member nations and the board.
โThe Commission's focus on growing the international game will combine with an equally strong desire to grow rugby league in the Pacific,โ ARLC Commissioner the Hon Kate Jones said in a statement.
โI'd like to thank Prime Minister the Hon Anthony Albanese for his personal support of Rugby League in the Pacific, alongside the Hon Pat Conroy, the Federal Minister for International Development and the Pacific, as well as the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
โThe 2023 Pacific Championships will showcase the best of international Rugby League in matches across three countries. Importantly, the international matches will be highlighted by both men's and women's matches.
โThe southern hemisphere tournaments will deliver on the broader NRL Pacific Strategy objectives - to create pathways for aspiring athletes, coaches, referees and administrators from the Pacific along with further growing international Rugby League.โ
