KEY POINTS:
World champions Serbia will contest water polo's Southern Cross Cup in Auckland, adding real lustre to the March event.
The Athens Olympics silver medallists opted out of a similar pre-world championship event in Sydney to avoid a clash to fierce rivals Croatia, and New Zealand is the beneficiary.
"Securing Serbia is like having the All Blacks visit Serbia for rugby," tournament organiser Chris Hayward said.
In addition to Serbia, the men's event now features Olympic bronze medallists Russia, Italy, the United States, Canada, Britain and New Zealand.
The women's competition includes former world champions the Netherlands, Germany, Britain, Singapore and New Zealand - and fingers are crossed that the Russians, who won last year's European championships, will also be coming.
The event, to be staged at Waitakere's West Wave Pool, will allow fans a rare chance to see some of the world's best players in action. The cup runs from March 10-14 before teams head to Melbourne and the world championships.
