 | |
| Sport | Rugby league |
|---|---|
| First meeting | 1997 Anzac Test |
| Latest meeting | 2017 Anzac Test |
| Broadcasters |
|
| Trophy | Bill Kelly Memorial Trophy |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 17 (men's), 3 (women's) |
| All-time series | Australia leads, 15–2–0 (men) Australia leads, 2–1–0 (women) |
TheAnzac Test was an annualrugby league footballtest match played betweenAustralia andNew Zealand for theBill Kelly Memorial Trophy.
The test series ran from 1997 and 2017. It was played annually with the exception of 2001 to 2003 and was played as mid-season international. In 2019, theOceania Cup was founded, replacing the Anzac Test series, featuring a number of Pacific Island teams.
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Australia and New Zealand had competed in Rugby League Tests since 1908. The Anzac Test, played on or around Anzac Day, was introduced bySuper League (Australia) in1997. When New Zealand was defeated 56–0 in 2000, theAustralian Rugby League (ARL) was criticised for playing the match before theState of Origin series. The Test was then dropped from the annual schedule in favour of match in mid-July. In 2002 and 2003, Australia defeated Great Britain (64–10) and New Zealand (48–6) in July Test matches, so the test was revived the following year.
The Anzac Test was controversial for its use of the termAnzac (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) and its perceived comparison of professional sportsmen with soldiers. HoweverSuper League donated a large sum of money to theRSL, and national RSL PresidentBruce Ruxton featured in commercials for the inaugural Anzac Test, proclaiming
The word Anzac is protected in Australia by The Protection of Word "ANZAC" Regulations (under the War Precautions Act Repeal Act 1920) and requires permission of the Minister for Veterans' Affairs for use in commercial events.[2] This permission was given for the event from 1997–1999.[3]
From 2004 until 2008 the match was officially called theBundaberg Rum League Test, after the principal sponsor,Bundaberg Rum. For the 2009 fixture, the principal sponsor wasVictoria Bitter and, as such, the match was officially called theVB Test.[4] Despite the official name change, it is still common for the match to be called the Anzac Test.[5] In 2016 it was sponsored by theDowner Group.[6]
Two different trophies have been awarded for the winner of this Test. For the 1997–1999 Anzac Tests, the winner was awarded the Anzac Trophy, which depicted an Australian slouch hat and New Zealand lemon squeezer hat.
Since 2004, the winner of the Bundaberg Rum League Test has been awarded the Bill Kelly Memorial Trophy.[7] This trophy was donated in 1996 by Gerald RyanONZM, a past president of theNew Zealand Rugby League. It is named afterBill Kelly, a New Zealand rugby league player in the early 20th century.
The Bill Kelly Memorial Trophy was briefly stolen by three 25-year-old New Zealand men after Australia's victory in the 2006 Test. It was found several hours later on the awning of a nearby building.[8]
In 2007, the New Zealand Rugby League announced that the Anzac Test would not be contested after 2008, citing difficulties with selecting their best possible team for a match held at that time of year as a number of NZ players were based in theSuper League which had switched to a summer season in 1996 and clubs were reluctant to release their players for a game on the other side of the world. According to the NZRL Director of Football,Graham Lowe, "We have an obligation to play Australia in Sydney on 9 May next year, because it is their centenary test, and we will fulfil it, but that will be the last one." Although the NZRL did not think that the Anzac Tests were still a viable option, they were "optimistic an international calendar will be adopted.".[9]
After New Zealand's win in the2008 Rugby League World Cup, the release of newRLIF World Rankings, and the introduction of a new international schedule,[10] the annual mid-season test between Australia and New Zealand was revived. The 2009 fixture was played on 8 May atBrisbane'sSuncorp Stadium.[5]
The2010 Anzac Test, played on 7 May, was the first game of football at Melbourne's newly constructedAAMI Park. The2011 Anzac Test was scheduled to be held atAMI Stadium inChristchurch on 6 May. However, the match had to be rescheduled atRobina Stadium on Australia'sGold Coast due to the2011 Christchurch earthquake. The2012 Anzac Test was held atEden Park,Auckland, on 20 April and was adjudicated byEnglishReferee,Richard Silverwood. This was the first Anzac Test to be played inNew Zealand since1998.
The2013 Test was held at theCanberra Stadium on 19 April. This marked the first time that the Australian team had played a test in Australia's capital city. The game was played inCanberra to celebrate the centenary of that city. The2014 Anzac Test played at theSydney Football Stadium on 2 May, saw test football return to Sydney for the first time since the2010 Four Nations. The2015 Anzac Test, played atSuncorp Stadium, was originally scheduled to take place on 1 May but bad weather caused the game to be postponed to 3 May. This marked the first time a rugby league Test in Australia was ever done so. The2016 Anzac Test was played atHunter Stadium on 6 May, the first time the match was played inNewcastle since 2004. The Kangaroos won the match 16–0.
In August 2015, theNational Rugby League (NRL) announced a new $925 million TV deal. A key component of the deal was increased provisions promoting player welfare and satisfaction, shortening the NRL regular season from 26 weeks to 25. The traditional early-May representative weekend was removed from the calendar, with the Anzac Test disbanded. Australia-New Zealand tests and other international series will be given "new priority" in a dedicated window after the NRL season. ThePacific tests were shifted to a Sunday afternoon slot, on the same day as game 2 of theState of Origin series.[11]
Thefinal test was played on 5 May 2017 at theCanberra Stadium with the Kangaroos winning 30–12 in front of 18,535 fans, the lowest attendance in Anzac Test history.[12]
Australia have won all but three Anzac Tests, while New Zealand have hosted only three tests.
| Team | Wins |
|---|---|
 Australia1 | 16 |
 New Zealand | 2 |
The Women's Anzac Test Match is theWomen's rugby league version of the game and has been running since 2015.
| Year | Winners | Score | Runner up | Venue | City/Town |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 |  Australia | 22–14 |  New Zealand | Suncorp Stadium | Brisbane |
| 2016 | New Zealand | 26–16 | Australia | Newcastle Sports Centre | Newcastle |
| 2017 | Australia | 16–4 | New Zealand | Canberra Stadium | Canberra |
| Team | Wins |
|---|---|
| Australia | 2 |
| New Zealand | 1 |
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