Kangaroos agree to pay cut, keep Tonga test afloat

The test match between Australia and Tonga has gained momentum after Kangaroos players look set to accept a one-off $20,000 reduction of their match fee to allow the game to go ahead.

The proposed clash, set to be played at Mt Smart Stadium, has been planned for several weeks. NRL CEO Todd Greenberg met with NZRU in Sydney on Wednesday and appeared optimistic that the test would go ahead.

"I am very keen to see that game played at the end of the year," Greenberg told reporters.

"… There has been a number of discussions over the last two months and I hope to give you some good news on that in the next week.”

News Limited and Sports News Australia journalist Brent Read detailed the specifics of how much the Kangaroos players were sacrificing earlier in the week.

"(Australian players) generally get about $20,000 a Test match – the Australian players – but they’ll get less than $5,000 for this Test match because they want equal pay with the Tongan players," Read told Triple M's The Rush Hour With MG.