IT’S BEEN a big news day in Australasia with Origin off to Auckland and NRL club bosses approving a series of rule changes.
News Corp reports the NRL will get NZ$5 million out of an NZ$70 war chest the Kiwi government has to attract major events to the Shaky Isles.
The 50,000 capacity Eden Park – known as a rugby union citadel – will host game two of next year’s series.
It will be the second-ever Origin staged overseas, after NSW and Queensland met at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach, California, in 1987.
Perhaps because the Blues won 30-18, it is considered an official game that did not count towards the series by NSW-based historians, officials and fans – and an exhibition match by Queenslanders.
Meanwhile, a plan to bring back something from ’97 – scoring teams kick off – in the NRL this season has been defeated in a meeting of NRL clubs.
“The ARLC acknowledged the strong engagement from stakeholders and noted that, while the proposal was initially supported in principle, consultation identified a number of concerns,” the League said in a media release.
- Restrictions of trainers running onto the field following a number of incidents in recent years where they interfered with play;
- Match day squads will rise from 17 to 19 players, but still only four bench players can be used in a match;
- No seven-tackle set after knocking on in-goal;
- Changes to the circumstances in which ‘six-agains’ will be awarded.
The kick-off rule will still get an airing – in games which have no impact on the finals at the end of the 2026 regular season.