New Zealand’s Maori All Blacks will tour the Northern Hemisphere in November this year to play Leicester Tigers, Canada and a RFU Championship select XV.
rugbyweek
Hosted by the Rugby Football Union (RFU), the Maori All Blacks will arrive in England on November 7, before facing nine-time English champions Leicester Tigers at Welford Road on Tuesday November 13.
The squad will then travel further North to Castle Park where they will take on a RFU Championship select XV on Saturday 17, headed up by Bedford Blues Coach Mike Rayer. Finally, the New Zealanders will play Canada at Oxford University Sports Centre on Friday November 23.
The RFU Championship XV will comprise entirely of English Qualified Players (EQP), and will take place during a fallow week for the second tier clubs. Supporting Rayer in his Head Coach role are Liam Middleton (Bristol Rugby) and Diccon Edwards (Leeds Carnegie), both of whom have enjoyed international experience with Zimbabwe Sevens and England U20, respectively.
Speaking about the tour, New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) Chief Executive Officer Steve Tew said:
“The Maori All Blacks have been an important part of New Zealand’s rugby history and this UK tour reflects a NZRU commitment to a meaningful programme for the Maori All Blacks.”
The tour is part of a wider programme of November fixtures for Tier 2 supported by the International Rugby Board (IRB) to ensure that these nations have access to an annual high-level competition schedule within the Rugby World Cup cycle. The full programme will be announced shortly.
Canada’s performance in the 2011 Rugby World Cup – which saw the North America men beat Tonga – attracted an unprecedented number of supporters, peaking at nearly 39,000 against France. The upcoming programme will help capture and build that support as the Tier 2 nations continue to develop on the world stage.
IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset said: “This is an exciting development for the global Game. The IRB is committed to facilitating and facilitating an annual international competition schedule for our Tier 2 Unions and these matches will be key to increased competitiveness on the global stage and at Rugby World Cup. I would like to thank the RFU and the NZRU for their support.
“There will be an unprecedented number of international fixtures across the UK in November, which will give sports fans a taste of what to expect in 2015 when England hosts the world’s top 20 nations for Rugby World Cup.”
Following the announcement, RFU Professional Rugby Director Rob Andrew commented:
“We are honoured to be hosting the Maori All Blacks in November. The three fixtures will provide a broad spectrum of challenges for the touring side, with both tiers of professional rugby in England represented and an international side in Canada.
“As well as facing Premiership giants Leicester Tigers, who will no doubt have a roaring support at Welford Road, a RFU Championship XV will form to take on the Maori All Blacks in a first for the competition. Reflecting the growth of the second tier, the team will comprise the best of English Qualified Players in the RFU Championship thanks to the commitment and support from all twelve clubs.”
Maori All Blacks UK Tour
v Leicester Tigers, Tuesday November 13, Welford Road. KO 1930
v RFU Championship XV, Saturday November 17, Castle Park. KO 1205
v Canada, Friday November 23, Oxford University Sports Centre. KO 1930
Why can’t SARU and GLRU do something similar for the Lions in 2013?
@ LionJan4ever:
Just saw this on WTR, but don’t know where the story originated.
Leeus vroeg teen Kings
Die Leeus kan vroeg aanstaande jaar hul appeltjies met die Kings skil lank voor hulle aan die einde van die seisoen in ‘n moontlike promosie/relegasie-stryd teen die Oos-Kapenaars speel.
Deel van die ooreenkoms me
t die Leeus sluit in dat hulle voor-seisoense opwarmingswedstryde teen elk van die vyf Suid-Afrikaanse franchises speel asook wedstryde teen die Aussie-franchises wanneer die Britse Leeus Doer Onder toer.
Daar word ook nog wedstryde teen Franse klubspanne, onder meer Toulon en Stade Francais, op ‘n tuis- en wegbasis beoog. Nog wedstryde op ‘n tuis- en wegbasis teen die Amerikaanse Eagles, asook wedstryde onder meer teen Samoa en die Fidji Warriors, word vir Ellispark beplan.
Dit alles tel op tot tot minstens vyftien “groot” wedstryde in Johannesburg asook ‘n toets in die Rugbykampioenskappe of dalk Skotland wie aanstaande jaar in Suid-Afrika toer.
Ellispark het ‘n trotse rekord teen veral die All Blacks, wie net twee uit elf toetse sedert 1949 in Johannesburg kon wen, en albei was naelskraap, 27-24 na isolasie in 1992 en 35-32 in 1997.
Die Leeus kan dus teen die Kings, Cheetahs, Stormers, Sharks en Bulls op Ellispark speel, asook teen Toulon en Stade Francais, waarskynlik teen drie van die Aussie franchises en ook teen die Amerikaanse Eagles, Fidji en Samoa.
Dit is nie juis swakker as in Superrugby nie en die losie-eienaars behoort tevrede wees.
2 @ Scrumdown:
That sounds interesting Scrumdown thanks for highlighting it here. Only thing is with so many players already gone or signed to go and more probably still to follow how competetive will the Lions be for these games and I guess more importantly how many fans will turn up to watch the games to ensure the viability of them or will they be looking to get most of the money from some TV deal for broadcasting?
Don’t forget 3rd ODI at the Oval on Friday, due to start at 2pm SA time, looks like its going to be a lovely sunny day for it.
@ JanMurrayBok:
Well that’s the $50 000 question.
There is a growing resentment among Lions fans in JHB and calls to boycott Super Rugby next year (on TV) and also to boycott the NZ test at FNB Stadium in October.
Whether it will happen or not remains to be seen.
I am personally sceptical about the above game “schedule”. I don’t think that SARU give a Tinker’s Cuss about the Lions or how they’re to survive, and so can’t see them doing anything constructive to keep the franchise afloat.
If the Lions management can’t organise something themselves, I think they’ll slip quietly into the abyss.
I hope not, but it’s a distinct possibility.
Ah well, 6 months of free weekends for me. Maybe get my golf game where it should be.
@ JanMurrayBok:
Also, seeing that Test matches are bidded for and awarded on a cash up front basis, to “assume” that there will be a test at Ellis Park is just that, assumption.
The bidding process for tests is done at least 2 years in advance, with the host Union having to pay the fee up front when it is awarded.
This tells me that SARU already know where next years tests are due to be played, and I can tell you now, that it is highly unlikekly that the Lions have the financial wherewithall to afford an All Black or Wallabie test. Maybe a Scotland test, but with Sacotland being a tier one nation, the cost would be relatively high, and the profit (if any) relatively small due to the difficulty in attracting a diminishing live audience to games like that.
Anyway, just my thoughts which many here on this forum seem to take exception to.
4 @ JanMurrayBok:I’m more likely to forget my wife’s birthday, than the cricket!!!!
7 @ Just For Kicks:
No you can’t do that if you know whats good for you
5 @ Scrumdown:
A boycott would be a pity, one assumes that although the test is at FNB that Lions/GLRU are the hosts and as you have said would have paid a lot of money upfront for that, so your union would be the ones that lost any revenue not earned by anyone staying away as a boycott at a time when they need all the support they can get, and so the fans get sucked in to being part of the problem
6 @ Scrumdown:
Didn’t know the ins and out of the bidding process so its interesting to know that these test venues for next year must have already been decided and paid for, sounds to me like a nice interest free loan to SARU, sounds a bit like our local city council who make you pay your years council tax ahead of when they actually provide the services so this kind of stuff goes on all over – what they do is work out what your next year’s tax will be and then instead of dividing it into 12 equal payments they divide it by ten and then try and sell it to you that they are doing you a favour by you being able to have the last two months of that year with no council tax payments to make when all they are doing is actually make you pay more each month for the 10 months so they sit with your money, and unlike other councils in the country they don’t as a rule give you a choice whether you want to do it this way – they were not to happy with me when at a meeting with them I called it exactly what it is – an unfair forced interest free loan from tax payer to council!
9 @ JanMurrayBok:
Test has NOTHING to do with the GLRU / Lions Rugby (PTY) LTD.
They have no tickets for the test and gain no revenue from it. It is a SARU initiative.
GLRU have in fact sent out an e-mail to all clubs and media confirming such. @ JanMurrayBok:
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