A Bledisloe Cup-style battle is all set for this weekend's fourth round of the State New Zealand Ocean Swim series.
Rotorua's Kane Radford and Rhys Mainstone, New Zealand's and Australia's best open water swimmers, will go head to head for the first time in the series when they clash at the State La Grande swim in Akaroa tomorrow.
Radford, 23, is a New Zealand champion and world championship representative and has won many times in the Ocean Swim series including last year's La Grande Swim.
He started this season in superb fashion winning the Harbour Crossing in November last year.
Mainstone, also 23, has represented Australia at three world championships with his best effort a silver medal in the 5km teams race in 2011 at Shanghai.