THE Test match between Australia and New Zealand next May will clash with the annual City versus Country game but Country Rugby League vice president Paul Rossiter doesn’t think the scheduling will detract from the regional spectacle.

Both games will be held on Friday, May 8 after the NRL announced their draw for the 2009 season on Wednesday.

And while Rossiter would have preferred both matches to stand alone on different days, he is hopeful the trans-Tasman test will not take away from the annual bush-against-the-big-smoke representative match.

“We probably would have preferred one to be on Friday and one on Saturday or Sunday, but that’s up to the powers that be,” Rossiter said.

“The City-Country game will be played in a regional area and the Test is in Brisbane so it shouldn’t affect the crowd.”

Some sections of the rugby league community have questioned the relevance of the City versus Country fixture in recent years citing injuries and burnout to star players as justification for it to be banished from the representative calendar.

But the NRL and CRL have persisted with the game, which is widely regarded as a trial match for those vying for a position in the NSW State of Origin team.

Although it remains to be seen if the clash with the Test match will see the international overshadow the annual regional showpiece.

The venue of next year’s City versus Country match is yet to be decided although Orange has mounted a strong case to host the game at Wade Park.

Orange is vying with Parkes, Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie for the match and to date, the Colour City is the only potential host to have lodged a formal submission with the CRL.

Council submitted a DVD as Orange’s bid and Rossiter, the former long-serving president of Group 10, said it is impressive.

“I know Orange have put their submission in and it was very well received,” he said.

Rossiter revealed Parkes, Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie have lodged expressions of interest with the CRL to host the representative match but are yet to provide formal submissions.

The CRL management committee will decide the venue for the 2009 fixture and they next meet on October 17 where Rossiter believes the City versus Country game may appear on the agenda.

Dubbo played host the City versus Country fixture in 2006 when local product Andrew Ryan captained the Country side the victory.