International rugby league has been dealt a savage blow after the traditional Australian Schoolboys fixture, a showcase of the game's best young talent, has been axed because the New Zealand Rugby League can't afford to send a team over.

The first Australian Schoolboys game was played in 1972 and been a regular annual event since 1979, when the green and golds sent a squad to England which included Ben Elias and Andrew Farrar.

Australian Schoolboys proteges Liam Foran, Kieran Foran and Mitchell Pearce.

Since then it has been the best pointer towards whether talented teens make it into first grade, with a plethora of NRL stars over the past four decades coming through the system.

Jackson Hastings, Jayden Nikorima and Sione Mata'utia are among the 2013 participants, while David Klemmer, Jake Trbojevic, Junior Paulo and Kane Elgey are just some of the graduates from the class of 2011. The clashes have also been a platform to launch the careers of great Kiwi players, with Issac Luke, Manu Vatuvei and Greg Eastwood starring in a 2005 encounter in Melbourne.