The Kangaroos will likely have to wait another year for their much‑wanted tour of Great Britain, after the Rugby League International Federation revealed their planned rolling schedule for the next eight years.
Under the plan that will be put to players associations on both sides of the globe for consultation, Great Britain will tour the southern hemisphere next year and face the Pacific nations and New Zealand, but not Australia.
The Kangaroos will then take a tour of Great Britain at the end of 2020 in a bid to ramp up interest ahead of the 2021 World Cup there the following year.
It means next year's end‑of‑season schedule will be similar to 2018's for Australia, with Tests against the Kiwis and Tonga as part of a newly‑formed Oceanic Cup that will give more certainty to the Pacific nations.
The trio of nations will compete in the top division, while Samoa, Papua New Guinea and Fiji will face off the in the Oceanic Cup's second tier.
No dates have been announced, but it's likely some of the matches not involving the Kangaroos could be played during the NRL's representative weekend in June.
Meanwhile, the NRL 2019 Season will start on Thursday March 14.
[Source:TVNZ]
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