Rugby league test between Kiwis and Tonga postponed Featured
21 March, 2020. The rugby league Test between the Kiwis and a Tonga Invitational XIII scheduled for June has been postponed, the New Zealand Rugby League have announced.
The COVID-19 pandemic prompted the NZRL to push the Test back until later in the year, along with a women's international between the Kiwi Ferns and Fetu Samoa.
NZRL chief executive Greg Peters said the early call to postpone was made because there hadn't yet been a date or venue finalised for the Oceania Cup Test.
"Even if restrictions were to be lifted before the event date, it still is not feasible to undertake the work required now to deliver matches in June amid the current uncertainty," Peters said.
"The best-case scenario is our calendar is postponed, depending on what the NRL season looks like at the back end of the year, but of course, we cannot guarantee anything at this stage."
Further Oceania Tests involving New Zealand, Fiji and the Tongan team had already been pencilled in for October.
Australia won last year's Oceania Cup but made themselves unavailable to defend the silverware in 2020 because of their scheduled late-season tour to England.
