International Rugby League

The tests will be played at Mt Smart stadium on June 25th.

It's 14 years since Kiwi Ferns played Hakula Tonga, where they chalked up a 40 point win at the 2008 World Cup.

Organisers hope the women's test will achieve a world record crowd attendance for a women's rugby league gam, which currently sits at 18,000.

Pre-pandemic, the world number one ranked Kiwis had a series win against Great Britain and a 34-14 win against Tonga rivals in 2019.

Despite their loss to the Kiwis, Tonga achieved a historic 16-12 upset over the Kangaroos in the same year.

The Tonga National Rugby League (TNRL) was expelled from the International Rugby League (IRL) in March, after a long-running battle over governance, money and a threatened player boycott.

The TNRL appealed against its expulsion before the Court of Arbitration for Sport this week.

Secretary William Edwards said he was comfortable with how the two-day hearing played out.

TNRL was expelled from the International Rugby League in March, after a long-running battle over governance, money and a threatened player boycott.

It appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport with the hearing originally scheduled to take place today via video conference.

But the date of the hearing has been vacated.

TNRL Secretary William Edwards says the IRL have advised the Court the time allocated for the hearing was not sufficient, after TNRL filed 12 witness statements on September 7.

The organisation that lodged the second application has not been named.

The organisation is hoping to become Tonga’s recognised national rugby league governing body.

According to the Asia Pacific Rugby League, they have received the second new application and will review it initially before a recommendation is made to the IRL and the wider membership.

Lord Fakafanua is the President of TMTRL Board, and Semisi Sika as Chair with Sika Manu and Will Hopoate as nominated board members.

The application which was sent to the Asia Pacific Rugby League, will be reviewed before it is sent to the IRL for approval.

In a release issued on 30 June, IRL stated that the TMTRL application signals the dissolution of the implementation committee, formed by three members of the Tongan rugby league community who volunteered to assist an APRL representative to facilitate Tonga’s smooth return to the world stage as an IRL member.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that promoter Paul Langi Kinikini wants to cough up the cash to bring the two mega stars to Utah.

The city has a large Tonga population and if it gets approved by international chiefs would be played in Salt Lake City.

League authorities would be wise to examine the fallout from the Kiwis vs England Test in Denver in 2018, which saw both the New Zealand and English federations out of pocket following Jason Moore’s failed event.

But Kinikini told The Sydney Morning Herald he didn’t have an issue with paying the cash up front.