Rugby League World Cup winners Stephen Kearney and Nathan Cayless are behind a strategy to connect more Australian-based talent to the black jersey.

Kearney and Cayless are based in Queensland and New South Wales respectively, where they have built connections with hundreds of players and football staff with New Zealand heritage. As part of Stacey Jones’ Kiwis coaching staff, the pair are aiming to further enhance these connections through New Zealand Rugby League’s Taurahere programme.

First introduced in 2014 at Gold Coast’s Runaway Bay, Taurahere famously unearthed a young James Fisher-Harris who is now the current Kiwis captain. It is now set to re-launch at the same location with a three-day camp for under-17s players, starting on September 13.

It is a key part of the NZRL pathway that identifies and develops players from grassroots through to NRL, NRLW and international representation with the Kiwis and Kiwi Ferns.

“We are excited to be bringing back our Taurahere programme to reconnect with our rangatahi across the ditch,” said NZRL General Manager of Football and High Performance Motu Tony. “Our aim is to not only grow their footy skills but also their understanding of ‘the Kiwi Way’ and the culture that binds our teams.”

A group of 42 rising stars from New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria will take part in a one-off match, with former Kiwis Issac Luke, Brent Webb, Bronson Harrison, Matt Duffie and others involved as mentors.

The group of former Kiwis can relate to those living away from Aotearoa to pursue rugby league as a career. Part of their role will be to help players and staff deepen their connection to Kiwi culture, whether they were born in New Zealand or not. The opening day of the camp will be dedicated to the cultural aspect.

This aligns with work being done in both the Kiwis and Kiwi Ferns environments, which are being built to unite people of all ethnicities and backgrounds under ‘the Kiwi Way.’

“After watching a lot of schoolboy footy here in Queensland over the last 24 months, it was a priority that we re-introduced our Taurahere programme to connect Kiwi Talent with the Kiwi Jersey, this is a step in that process,” said Kearney.

Cayless added: “NZRL have presented a wonderful opportunity for these highly talented young players with Kiwi heritage to represent their families, learn more about their culture and understand the Kiwi Way.

“The players selected have had outstanding seasons with their clubs in the respective junior representative programs.”

Additional NZRL youth events are taking place in Aotearoa over the next couple of months including the New Zealand Secondary Schools Tournament in Auckland on September 6, which will feature more than 55 teams from around the country.