New Zealand Warriors forward Ryan Hoffman has come to the defence of the NRL All Stars clash saying it’s a match that deserves to stay on the rugby league calendar.

Hoffman will appear in his first All Stars clash despite representing Australia and New Souith Wales.

“We’re quite a multicultural game in the NRL so to recognise those other countries that help make us a great competition is really important,” Hoffman said.

“Pre-season is pretty busy but in terms of the World All Stars versus the Indigenous I’d like to see it continue.

“I was just talking to Jeremy Smith about it before and he said that I’d be surprised [by the intensity].

“Obviously it’s a really important game for the Indigenous boys but it’s also an important game for us as World All Stars team.

“We’ve got Englishmen, Pacific Islanders, Kiwis and Australians all playing in the same team and it’s an exciting team to be a part of.”

Hoffman has replaced Warriors team-mate and Kiwi skipper Simon Mannering in the World All Stars squad.