The National Rugby League "suspended the Auckland Nines" in '18 "in a bid to ease the workload on players following this year's Rugby League World Cup," according to STUFF. NRL CCO Andrew Abdo insisted the Nines "still has a long-term future on the calendar, although the tournament is unlikely to be held in Auckland when it returns." Introduced by Duco Events in '14, the concept was "initially a huge success but its popularity has waned as the novelty factor wore off." Duco previously called for the event to be moved to Australia and the NRL said that there is "every chance that will happen." The NRL is "seeking expressions of interest from cities interested in hosting the tournament," but Abdo added that there was a "strong chance the Nines will return to New Zealand in the future rotation." With the World Cup running until Dec. 2, the NRL agreed that it was "not viable to ask elite players to back up for the Nines" in early '18. The same applies for the All Stars game in the preseason, which will not be held in '18 but will return in '19 (STUFF, 7/13).
