Mal Meninga calls for Kangaroos to play expansion Test matches in South Africa, America and Asia

Mal Meninga has proposed his Kangaroos play expansion Test matches in some new overseas markets in a bid to attract more international players and fans. See where he thinks the game should go.

Australian rugby league coach Mal Meninga has called for his Kangaroos to play expansion Test matches in South Africa, America and Asia.

Australian rugby league coach Mal Meninga has called for his Kangaroos to play expansion Test matches in South Africa, America and Asia.

Meninga said the famous Kangaroos brand should be exposed to new overseas markets where local athletes would consider playing rugby league and ultimately competing in the NRL.

“We should take international footy to other nations, like America or Asia; take our game to South Africa, it used to be played there. They understand rugby union but I think rugby league would get a following,” Meninga said.

“Let’s promote and expose our game – and the passion – to other countries. There are so many Pacific Islanders living in America, in Utah and around the California area.

“We don’t have to spend heaps of money trying to develop rugby league around the world but we need to expose people and audiences to our great game by playing there and building the game.

“And what we really would like to do is attract more nationalities to play our game at the highest level.

Australian Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga wants expansion for Test matches. Picture: NRL Images

“If we take our great game and great teams to different areas around the world, then we might find an American might come over here and play NRL. That’s the way we grow our game.

“It’s like what they do in America. They have the baseball World Series, basketball and NFL but (the players) come from all different areas of the world. Vegas was a huge success with club footy and I honestly think it will work over the five-year plan.

“The international space is important. It’s one of our competitive edges in Australian sport.”

Meninga was talking after Friday night’s 18-0 Pacific Championships win over Tonga and ahead of this Sunday’s Test against New Zealand in Christchurch.

The Kangaroos were victorious in their opening match of the Pacific Championships. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

With limited preparation, the Kangaroos secured a gritty win over Mate Ma’a Tonga in Brisbane to set-up a much-hyped rematch against New Zealand, who hammered Australia 30-0 in last year’s final.

Meninga hopes a future 20-team competition, with round 19 rounds, will allow more time for international football and ease player fatigue.

“It is a bit of a toil on players, there’s no doubt about that,” Meninga said. “There’s a lot of wear and tear, a lot of fatigue at the back-end of the year.

“They are trying to make a 20-team competition and I think the players need a condensed program. There are 27 rounds at the moment, albeit three byes, plus pre-season and the elite players play Origin and finals footy, there’s another four weeks. The World Cup in 2026 goes for six weeks.

The NRL showed it’s ambition to reach new audiences by taking the game to Las Vegas at a club level. Picture: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

“And it’s not an easy sport to play – it’s very competitive, combative, it’s a contact sport. The game is doing a terrific job but we have to continue worrying about the welfare of the players. If it gets to 20 teams, 19 rounds, then all of a sudden the season does free up.”

Meninga will meet with his coaching staff to determine how many, if any, changes he will make for the Kiwi Test.

While wanting to give every member of the squad a game in the Pacific Championships, Meninga’s only focus is winning the tournament, which will culminate in a final at Parramatta’s CommBank Stadium on November 10.

“We want to win the Pacific Championships so we will make some decisions in the next couple of days about what we do with a hope of going into the final,” Meninga said.

“It’s a bit of juggling. I like to give everyone an opportunity to play but we have to balance that with winning the Pacific Cup. We had a new footy team against Tonga with eight debutants.”

The Kangaroos will train in Brisbane on Monday before flying to New Zealand on Tuesday.