News | Rugby League
16 Feb 2026 19:38
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > Sports > Rugby League

    NRL boss Andrew Abdo believes the change in State of Origin eligibility rules will help modernise rugby league

    NRL boss Andrew Abdo believes the change in State of Origin eligibility rules will help modernise rugby league

    - article from www.rugbyleague.co.nz

    New rules allow players to represent any nation as well as play State of Origin league, as long as they resided in New South Wales or Queensland prior to their 13th birthday.

    Abdo insists it's better for the sport and spectacle of Origin to remove the restrictions - allowing the likes of Kalyn Ponga to play for both Queensland and New Zealand.

    © 2026 Newstalk ZB, NZCity

     Other Rugby League News
     16 Feb: State of Origin might be coming to New Zealand but a change in timeslot won't be coming with it
     16 Feb: James Fisher-Harris is asking for league's NRL all-star fixture between the Maori and Indigenous Australians to remain
     15 Feb: The Indigenous Women have come from 14-nil down to beat the Maori Women 20-14 in their pre-season All-Stars rugby league match in Hamilton
     15 Feb: The Warriors are adamant their 33-18 pre-season loss to Manly in Napier won't have any bearing on their NRL prospects
     14 Feb: Second rower Kurt Capewell has fired a warning shot to the rest of the NRL about the Warriors crop of young talent
     14 Feb: Warriors second-rower Kurt Capewell is embracing the father figure role having taken new English recruit Morgan Gannon under his wing
     14 Feb: The opening cycle leg is done and dusted for the Longest Day frontrunners in the 2026 Coast to Coast
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    A Super Rugby referee clanger in round one More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    Severe weather has impacted the housing market More...



     Today's News

    Entertainment:
    Jesy Nelson's petition with Parliament, to demand all newborn babies born in the UK are tested for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), will receive a response from the UK government after it was signed more than 66,000 times 19:27

    General:
    How cheating allegations have rocked the curling teams at the Olympics 19:07

    Business:
    Severe weather has impacted the housing market 18:57

    Entertainment:
    The FBI has revealed "new identifying details" about a suspect in Nancy Guthrie's disappearance 18:57

    Environment:
    Almost 5-thousand households across the Wellington region remain without power 18:37

    Entertainment:
    The Backstreet Boys would love to perform the Super Bowl Halftime Show in 2027 18:27

    Entertainment:
    'Signal sniffers' used in search for missing person Nancy Guthrie's pacemaker 18:07

    Rugby:
    A Super Rugby referee clanger in round one 18:07

    Entertainment:
    Reese Witherspoon feels "devastated" by James Van Der Beek's death 17:57

    Business:
    People didn't reach into their pockets as much as retailers hoped, over summer 17:27


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2026 New Zealand City Ltd