Kotoni Staggs will make his Australian debut as one of six Westpac NSW Blues named by coach Mal Meninga in the Kangaroos team to play Samoa in Townsville on Saturday night.
Staggs, who previously played three Tests for Tonga, will start in the centres for the Kangaroos.
Nicho Hynes in also in line for a potential Test debut after playing in the Prime Minister’s XIII two weeks ago, being named as 18th man.
The other five NSW players in the Kangaroos’ 17 are captain James Tedesco, prop Payne Haas and an entire Blues back row of Cameron Murray, Liam Martin and Isaah Yeo.
Another NSW-eligible player in three-time Premiership winning fullback Dylan Edwards, will debut on the wing for Australia.
For the Kangaroos, Tedesco is the most-capped Westpac NSW Blues player with 11 Tests. Leading the team out onto Queensland Country Bank Stadium on Saturday night will be his 12th match in the green-and-gold.
There are 11 Harvey Norman NSW Sky Blues selected in the Jillaroos’ 17 to face New Zealand by coach Brad Donald, including the four-woman bench of Emma Tonegato, Newcastle’s premiership winner Caitlan Johnston, Kennedy Cherrington and Shaylee Bent.
The other returning NSW players from last year’s World Cup side are winger Jaime Chapman, centres Jess Sergis and Isabelle Kelly, hooker Keeley Davis and forwards Kezie Apps, Olivia Kernick and Simaima Taufa.
From the Sky Blues contingent, Apps is the most-capped with 13 Tests to her name followed by Taufa (12) and Kelly (11).
