Overview
- Stacey Jones named a 21-man New Zealand squad with Xavier Willison as the lone debutant and James Fisher-Harris to captain, recalling Kieran Foran for a final international appearance.
- Tonga confirmed a 21-man list featuring first caps for Robert Toia, Stefano Utoikamanu, Leka Halasima and Demetric Vaimauga, with Kristian Woolf coaching and Jason Taumalolo and Addin Fonua-Blake as co-captains.
- Samoa unveiled a 21-man squad headlined by Payne Haas, and coach Ben Gardiner said ticket sales more than doubled in the days after Haas pledged his allegiance in August.
- The schedule locks in New Zealand vs Samoa on Oct 19 at Go Media Stadium, Tonga vs Samoa on Oct 26 at Suncorp Stadium, New Zealand vs Tonga on Nov 2 at Eden Park, and the final on Nov 8 at CommBank Stadium.
- A high-profile front-row duel is back on with Utoikamanu set to face Haas, as Woolf publicly backed the Storm prop’s character and said he likely learned from his grand-final sledge.