New Kiwis head coach Jones calls for mid-year Tests to grow international rugby league

While rugby league fans were undoubtedly pleased to see confirmation of the Kiwis and Kiwi Ferns Pacific Championship schedule last week, it's also - yet again - highlighted the scarcity of the international rugby league calendar.

The tri-series features New Zealand up against Tonga, and Australia on the men's side, and Papua New Guinea and Australia on the women's.

Should the NZ sides make their respective grand finals, they would finish having played three test matches - the only three test matches they'll play this year.

It makes any semblance of continuity a considerable challenge for the likes of new Kiwis head coach Stacey Jones, who's trying to recapture whatever sense of momentum still remains from their historic 30-0 demolition of the Kangaroos in Hamilton in last year's grand final back in November.

Jones hopes a mid-year Test window will be implemented around the same period as State of Origin, which he believes is imperative to growing the game internationally.

"Every time I've spoken to the senior players of the team, in the last few months, they were really frustrated when the State of Origin was on," Jones told SENZ's Scotty & Izzy.

"They wish that there was an international game for them to come together and showcase what they're all about.

"Hopefully, in the next year or two, we can get mid-year Tests where our boys can really showcase how good they are."

The difficulty for Jones then becomes trying to secure the Kiwis allegiance of the Pasifika players, who remain eligible to play Origin, should they commit to the likes of Samoa or Tonga.

Last week, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck became the latest Kiwis player to switch to Samoa, citing his desire to represent his family's heritage after 20 Tests for New Zealand.

Jones points to the importance of re-establishing international developmental pathways like the Kiwis A squad, which has been canned this year due to "financial reasons", which he says are critical in terms of whetting the appetite of their rising talent for wearing the white vee.

"The hard thing for us is, we don't have the junior Kiwis that we've had in the past, and we want to really try and get that back," said Jones.

"We had a Kiwi A team that played Tonga in the curtain raiser before we played Samoa last year, and that was a fantastic concept. But that won't be happening this year because of financial reasons. But we'd love to try and get that back.

"So, what we've got to do is make sure that there is a pathway before they get to the Kiwis. That they're thinking about putting that black and white jersey on at the highest level before they get there."

Listen to the full interview below: