Anzac Day Bledisloe Cup Test to launch new trans-Tasman tradition

All Blacks

4 hours agoBy: Alan Brown

New Zealand Rugby (NZR) and Rugby Australia have today announced a significant new trans-Tasman sporting tradition, confirming Anzac Day Bledisloe Cup Test matches in 2027, 2029 and 2031.

A new tradition begins

Supported by the Queensland Government, all three fixtures will be played at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.

The inaugural Anzac Day Bledisloe Cup Test will kick-off at a family-friendly early afternoon time slot on Sunday 25 April 2027, creating a global sporting fixture on one of the most significant days in both nations' calendars.

New Zealand Rugby CEO Steve Lancaster said:

"New Zealand and Australia share a special and unique bond built on sporting rivalries, friendship and those men and women who have served our countries in global conflicts, some making the ultimate sacrifice in doing so.

“Playing the Bledisloe Cup on Anzac Day creates a unique trans-Tasman sporting occasion that honours our countries’ shared history and cultures, while bringing people together through rugby."

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Lancaster added:

“Rugby Australia is an important partner for us, and a strong game in Australia is good for rugby in New Zealand. Brisbane has long been seen as a home away from home with a large New Zealand population living there and we see this as a huge opportunity to work in partnership with Rugby Australia to grow the game in a key market.

“The Anzac Day Bledisloe Test adds another key moment during the Super Rugby Pacific season as the early rounds will have the added element of selection intrigue ahead of this match. We've worked closely with our clubs to ensure it gives fans another compelling reason to engage with the competition across the season.”

Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh said:

“The 123-year history of Australia and New Zealand rugby is renowned and revered across the globe and the first ever staging of an Anzac Day Bledisloe Cup Test will, we believe, create a new trans-Tasman sporting tradition that will bring our nations together and reinforce our shared values. We are grateful to our friends at New Zealand Rugby for this partnership and, along with the Queensland Government, we look forward to creating history together.”

The ANZAC Bledisloe Cup fixtures will be played on:

Sunday 25 April 2027 – Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Wednesday 25 April 2029 – Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Friday 25 April 2031 – Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane

The Anzac Day Bledisloe Cup Test will form part of a three-Test Bledisloe Cup series in 2027, 2029 and 2031. The remaining two Test matches will be played in The Rugby Championship later in the international calendar, with one scheduled in New Zealand and one in Australia.

“We’ve worked with the All Blacks who see value in an early Test match in Rugby World Cup and men’s Lions tour years, said Lancaster.

“We know the team will embrace the challenge of two matches in Australia and look forward to them playing in front of the thousands of New Zealanders who now call it home, and the many we know will head across the Tasman for the match.”