The New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) and its Australian counterpart have unveiled plans to stage an Anzac test in Turkey on April 25, 2015, to commemorate the centenary of the Gallipoli landings.
Although concerns about player burnout overshadow the staging of tomorrow's trans-Tasman international at Skilled Park in Robina, the NZRL and Australian Rugby League (ARL) today confirmed ambitious plans to play a test in Istanbul hours after both teams attend the traditional dawn service at Anzac Cove.
NZRL chief executive Jim Doyle and his Australian Rugby League equivalent Geoff Carr are optimistic the plan is achievable.
"With 100 years since Gallipoli coming up, to have the opportunity to celebrate it with a game that is 100 years old itself, when so many rugby league players fought in all the wars since, it was something we just had to pursue," Carr told the Daily Telegraph newspaper.
"Can you imagine the number of Kiwis and Aussies who will be in that part of the world at that time because of the centenary? It will be absolutely massive," added Doyle.
The most likely venue is Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, the 50,000-seat home of Turkish football club Fenerbahce.
The NZRL and ARL intend to meet Turkish government officials during the Four Nations tournament in Europe in October and November.
The Australian and New Zealand governments will also be approached to provide financial backing for the event, while National Rugby League clubs will have to agree to release players.
"The centenary only comes around every 100 years so I would hope we could try and make it happen," Doyle said.
