Lebanon is poised to return to the international field with a Test against Fiji Bati, part of the Pacific Test series in the mid-year international window. The game, on 22 June, will be at Leichardt Oval and the second match in an exciting triple header that will start with the first women’s international between Papua New Guinea and Fiji and end with the Oceania Cup Pool B match between PNG and Samoa.
The middle game, though, is the one Cedars fans will be eagerly anticipating, as the country begins its march towards Rugby League World Cup 2021. The game, which will also contest the Hayne-Mannah Cup, will be the second time the two countries have met, with Fiji winning 40-28 in October 2014.
Both countries will be led by new coaches. Fiji, semi-finalists in the last three world cups and ranked fifth in the world, recently appointed Brandon Costin, the country’s first full-time head coach, while Lebanon is set to announce Brad Fittler’s replacement in the coming weeks
Newly appointed Lebanese Rugby League Federation International Committee chairman Karl Bistany said: “As we look to the World Cup in 2021, we are delighted to partner with the NRL in the Pacific Test series to give the Cedars exposure to strong opposition and allow our Australian fan base to engage with their national team.”
