Report: All Blacks add Scotland to growing list of pre-World Cup fixtures

Scotland will return to New Zealand for the first time in 27 years to face the All Blacks in 2027 during preparations for the Rugby World Cup.

The rare fixture has been reported by BBC Sport Scotland which will be Scotland’s last warm-up fixture before travelling to Australia for their World Cup opener against Uruguay.

The venue will be Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin, which will host an All Blacks game for the first time since 2025 when they played France as part of the July internationals.

Scotland was scheduled to come to New Zealand in 2020 before Covid restrictions led to those plans being abandoned.

The previous Test between the two nations in New Zealand was in the year 2000 where Scotland were beaten 48-14 at Eden Park in Auckland.

This increases the load for the All Blacks before the World Cup, up to seven pre-World Cup Test matches now.

The Bledisloe series is increasing to three matches in 2027, with the first scheduled to take place on Anzac weekend in Brisbane in April.

A full scale Rugby Championship is also planned with six Tests for each participating nation, playing each rival twice.

In previous Rugby World Cup years, the Rugby Championship was reduced to just three fixtures to prioritise the Rugby World Cup.

Scotland is the first reported warm-up fixture for the All Blacks.

In 2023 the All Blacks played four Tests before travelling to Europe, playing one ‘friendly’ against the Springboks at Twickenham as a warm-up fixture for a total of five.

The All Blacks pre-World Cup fixtures for 2027 now stand at eight games if the report is correct.

Scotland and New Zealand will meet in Murrayfield next month in the first weekend of the Nations Championship fixtures.