Former New Zealand rugby league hardman Kevin Tamati has broken a 23-year silence about his infamous brawl with Australian Greg Dowling and revealed it was sparked by racial abuse.

Video of the punch-up, just after both props were sin-binned during a 1985 Test, remains one of the most frequently replayed trans-Tasman sporting incidents.

As the players made their way towards the tunnel firing verbal shots at each other, Tamati suddenly reacted and fists started flying.

Tamati eventually broke more than two decades of silence on what caused the outburst when he told TV3 just before the start of the Rugby League World Cup that Dowling had made derogatory remarks about his Maori ancestry.

The words used included "f***ing nigger" and "f***ing black bastard," Tamati said.

The Kiwi said he did not consider the Australian a racist and believed the words were more a case of frustration.

But Tamati added that while he didn't regret his retaliation he was upset that the punch-up remained the incident people remembered most from an enthralling three-Test series.

He was speaking out now because he wanted a ban on all sledging, which he described as worse than fighting.

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