The Netherlands Rugby League Bond has announced two international fixtures, away to Germany and a debut against Sweden - a match that will see Amsterdam stage an international for the first time.

The Netherlands national team will visit their neighbours on the 26 August and face Sweden two weeks later on 9 September. Head coach, Kane Krlic commented: “Over the past three years we have prioritised the domestic competition and the Bond has done some fantastic work developing it. That has enabled us to create the biggest pool of players we've ever had in the Netherlands and it’s especially pleasing to see the amount of young, talented Dutchmen in the system now.

As a coaching team, we've been keeping a close eye on all the players throughout the season. We used the three-match RAF tour as an opportunity to trial all of them which gave us an even more comprehensive analysis and we'll select our national squad from that.

He continued: “I know the Swedish are keen to develop their own domestic players too and I'm really excited to see our guys come up agains new opposition. Similarly, Germany have done great work over the past 18 months and have a similar philosophy to us when it comes to developing their own players. They've also had a handful that have played in NRLB Championship for Amsterdam Cobras which should make the game even more intense.”