International Rugby League
Every season under the collective bargaining agreement (CBA), there is a dedicated four-week continuous window set aside for international rugby league matches involving NRL and NRLW players. This window is called The International Representative Schedule in the CBA. This window has four key benefits:
- Provides clubs with certainty over when their players might be selected for representative football
- Protects players from being overworked during the long rugby league season
- Ensures players get a proper rest
- Gives participating nations certainty about when NRL and NRLW contract players will be available for national selection.
The international window also brings consistency for fans, nations, and other stakeholders by locking in a clear international schedule each year.
Is there a limit on how many games can be played?
Yes. Any international matches or tournaments organised under the banner of the ARL Commission (e.g. the Pacific Championships) and/or Trans Tasman Test Matches must fit within a four-week window.
This window is currently positioned at the end of the season, and can involve no more than four (4) matches per nation.
This limit is there to provide more equity of games for nations and protect players’ health, keep competitions fair while also attempting to avoid overloading players during an already long and demanding season.
Any changes to these parameters can only be made with the agreement of the RLPA.
Can the window be changed?
Yes, it’s possible.
If the NRL wants to make any changes — like extending the window, adding more games, or including more players — they must agree to a variation to the CBA with the RLPA (e.g. this occurred in 2024 to assist with running the Pacific Championships).
Changes can only happen if both sides agree. In considering any proposals in good faith, the RLPA will continue to protect the welfare of the players and the balance of the entire season of rugby league.
Do players get paid to play International Rugby League?
When players represent their country within the official four-week window during ARLC tournaments, they are paid a match payment for each game they play.
These payments are player-funded from the players’ share of the game’s revenue — agreed under the CBA — and, for the Pacific Championships, are equally provided to players from all participating nations, not just Australia.
This is unlike any other code globally and ensures fairness by properly rewarding players for their efforts on the international stage for nations across our region, and aims to promote the development of international rugby league in the region.
What does that mean for nations that want to run their own games?
Nations — especially from the Asia-Pacific region — were consulted before the international window was agreed.
As a result, they now have better and more reliable access to NRL and NRLW players during the official four weeks, along with funded match payments (offsetting payments participating nations have historically made to players) and a more consistent and reliable calendar.
However, if a nation chooses to schedule a match outside the four-week window, NRL and NRLW clubs are not obligated to release their players to those nations, nor are any player payments covered under the terms of the CBA.
Players are also not automatically covered by key insurances or protections under the collective bargaining agreement. When that happens, countries often call up players from their domestic pathways (local competitions) instead, giving more opportunities to players who are not yet in the NRL or NRLW system.
Read more RLPA Policy Positions and FAQs.
