England will travel to Denver later this year to face New Zealand in a mid-season Test.
Sports promoters Moore Sports International, the company behind the 2025 World Cup bid in North America, have confirmed Wayne Bennett’s side will travel to the state of Colorado to face the Kiwis at Sports Authority Field on June 23rd.
It will be the first time in 18 years that England have playing in the USA, with the last fixture coming in October 2000 when they faced USA in Orlando.
England Head Coach, Wayne Bennett, said: “For us to grow stronger as a group and build on the progress of last year, these are the games we need to be involved in. We saw the benefits of taking on Samoa mid-season ahead of the World Cup.
“We hear people talking about growing the game and this is the perfect opportunity to take two of the world’s elite nations over to a country that loves sport and entertainment.
“Denver will be a good fit for the game – they have popular American football, basketball, baseball, hockey and football sides, so it seems there’s a real appetite for sporting events and to experience something new in this city.
“This game has come at the right time for New Zealand who’ll be looking to improve on last year’s quarter-final exit from the World Cup. One point was the difference between us the last time we played so we’re expecting another physical battle.”
Rugby Football League Interim Chief Executive Officer, Ralph Rimmer, added: “Successful World Cup tournaments and the entry of Toronto Wolfpack into the UK competition have increased the popularity of the international game and we are all keen to take advantage of this and grow our sport across the world.
“Moore Sports International is well aware of how innovative the sport is and offered an exciting opportunity to take our players and showcase their talents and our game to an important sporting market.”
