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Five teams handed an extra home game as Super Rugby Trans-Tasman draw finalised
Townsville will host its first Super Rugby match in 15 years next month when the Reds host the Chiefs at Queensland Country Bank Stadium on May 29.
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The North Queensland venue has been confirmed as the stage for the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman fixture as details for all matches in round three of the competition were confirmed by New Zealand Rugby [NZR] and Rugby Australia [RA] on Friday.
All matches from that weekend were initially scheduled to be held at one unannounced venue between May 28 and May 29 what was billed as ‘Super Round’.
But, as it was confirmed the Trans-Tasman competition would go ahead as scheduled earlier this month, it was also announced round three matches would be staged at separate venues across New Zealand and Australia.
The details of where those matches will be played have now been locked in, with the Reds set to take the Chiefs to the newly-built Queensland Country Bank Stadium, which only opened last year and is home of the NRL’s North Queensland Cowboys.
It will be the first time the Chiefs have ever played in Townsville, and just the second time the Reds have played a match there since they defeated the Highlanders 22-16 at Willows Sports Complex in the final round of the 2006 Super 14 campaign.
The match is one of three to be held on May 29, as the Waratahs will take on the Crusaders at WIN Stadium in Wollongong while the Blues will host the Brumbies at Eden Park in Auckland in the day’s earlier fixtures.
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The round will kick-off of May 28 when the Hurricanes play the Western Force at McLean Park in Napier, the first Super Rugby match to be played in Hawke’s Bay since the Wellington franchise beat the Sharks in a last-gasp, one-point thriller in 2018.
The Highlanders, meanwhile, will host the Melbourne Rebels in an afternoon match on May 30 at a yet-to-be-determined venue within the franchise’s region.
Possible venue options include Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin and Rugby Park in Invercargill, although the 2:35pm kick-off time could allow the Queenstown Events Centre, which doesn’t have floodlights, to host its first Super Rugby match since 2010.
“We are grateful to be in a position to lock in the final matches for Super Rugby Trans-Tasman and, with the travel bubble open, we’re all looking forward to welcoming our Australian counterparts to New Zealand next month,” NZR general manager of professional rugby and high performance Chris Lendrum said.
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There's a fine line between winning and losing in this Aotearoa competition… #SuperRugbyAotearoa #CHIvHUR pic.twitter.com/yspZj4mPKI
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“It’s disappointing we were unable to get the ‘Super Round’ off the ground in 2021, but I’m sure it’s a concept we will re-visit in the future.
“Fans and players are understandably focused on the exciting final rounds of Super Rugby Aotearoa and Super Rugby AU, but I’m sure when the dust settles there will be an air of anticipation as to how the respective teams measure up against their trans-Tasman rivals.”
RA chief executive Andy Marinos added: “It’s great to be in a position where we can play our New Zealand counterparts again.
“It has been a terrific Super Rugby AU that has already far exceeded everyone’s expectations, and we still have the last round left to play before finals action.
“Our players are intensely focused on finishing this Super Rugby AU season on a high, and then throwing everything at their Kiwi counterparts during six action packed weeks of trans-Tasman footy.
“Unfortunately, we weren’t able to host a ‘Super Round’ in round three, however I’m really excited to take games to Townsville and Wollongong and engaging with those communities.”
Updated fixtures for Sky Super Rugby Trans-Tasman Round 3
Friday 28 May
Hurricanes v Western Force at McLean Park, Napier – 7:05pm NZT/5:05pm AEST
Saturday 29 May
Waratahs v Crusaders at WIN Stadium, Wollongong – 5:05pm NZT/3:05pm AEST
Blues v Brumbies at Eden Park, Auckland – 7:15pm NZT/5:15pm AEST
Reds v Chiefs at Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville – 9:45pm NZT/7:45pm AEST
Sunday 30 May
Highlanders v Melbourne Rebels, venue TBC in Highlanders region – 2:35pm NZT/12:35pm AEST
Comments on RugbyPass
The rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
69 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
9 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
9 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
9 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
9 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
9 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
2 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to comments