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Rivals ... Brent Kite and Roy Asotasi line up against each other on Saturday. Source:Supplied
The presence of several recent Australian and New Zealand internationals in the Samoan and Tongan teams is set to add even more firepower and spice to Saturday's rugby league Test between the two great island rivals.
The two teams meet at Penrith's Centrebet Stadium in a rare mid-year match that provides invaluable preparation for the World Cup in the United Kingdom and France in October and November.
Both the Samoan and Tongan teams for Saturday are made up almost entirely of NRL players, with a number having opted to play for the island nations after representing other countries.
After years of losing top players to Australia and New Zealand, they have finally turned the talent flow in their favour.
Tongan captain Brent Kite and Anthony Tupou have both represented Australia, while fellow forwards Sika Manu and Fuifui Moimoi previously wore New Zealand's colours.
"The game on the weekend is a good showpiece for the talents of the Tongan and Samoan players in the NRL and guys of Pacific heritage," Kite said.
Watch the massive Test match between Tonga and Samoa LIVE on Fox Sports 1HD from 7.30pm (EST) Saturday!
The Samoan team contains a cluster of ex-New Zealand representatives including forwards Roy Asotasi and Jeff Lima and backs Junior Sa'u, Kalifa Faifai Loa and Ben Roberts.
"This is very, very significant and it's very powerful the message the boys are sending out, just by making themselves eligible and putting their hand up to play for the team," said Nigel Vagana, himself a former Kiwi international and Samoan captain.
Samoa won their past two matches against Tonga, but Vagana rated the current Tongan outfit as one of the strongest assembled in a long time.
"I think somebody said to me they Googled it up the other day and it goes back a thousand years," Tongan coach Charles Tonga said of the rivalry.
"It's like State of Origin, Queensland-NSW, that sort of scale."
Vagana described the rivalry as fierce and respectful.
Kite, who last represented Tonga in 2000 and went on to play 14 Tests for Australia, was a popular choice among the players to lead the side against Samoa.
"I haven't had the chance to captain a lot, but I do see myself as a leader," Kite said.
"We've got a good squad there so I don't think they'll need too much directing."
The match will be broadcast live to Tonga, Samoa, Fiji and the Solomon Islands.
The main curtain-raiser will be the Under-20 State of Origin game between NSW and Queensland.
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