Northland's Semenoff Stadium ready to host rugby Pacific Four Series

Welsh women's head coach Ioan Cunningham, left, strength and conditioning coach Eifion Roberts and team manager Hannah John at Semenoff Stadium. Photo / Supplied

Women's rugby teams playing in the Pacific Four Series at Semenoff Stadium have started visiting the match venue to check on facilities ahead of the game.

Representatives from the Welsh side, including head coach Ioan Cunningham, strength and conditioning coach Eifion Roberts and team manager Hannah John, visited the stadium on Monday this week.

They viewed the pitch, players' changing rooms and facilities, coaches' box, training grounds, gymnasium, and accommodation.

Officials from the USA, Canada and Australia will be visiting in the coming weeks.

The Pacific Four Series acts as a qualification pathway for the top tier of WXV, World Rugby's new global competition featuring the top 16 nations in women's rugby.

The series will also serve as crucial preparation for Rugby World Cup 2021 which kicks off on October 8 in Auckland, with games also in Northland.

Semenoff Stadium will host the Australia v Canada and New Zealand v USA matches on June 18 as part of the Pacific Four Series.

The other matches featuring New Zealand, Canada, USA and Australia will be played at The Trusts Arena in Waitakere, West Auckland, a week earlier.

The match venue for the Canada v USA and New Zealand v Australia games is yet to be finalised.

State-of-the-art floodlights were installed at Semenoff Stadium last year under a $3.3 million upgrade ahead of the 2021 NPC competition and the upcoming Women's Rugby World Cup.

The new lights and towers are bright enough for high definition television recording and broadcasting of domestic and international games.

The towers are also 10m to 15m taller so the lights can be tilted to shine down onto the field rather than across it, which is better for broadcasting and residents nearby as it reduces light spill.

The Women's Rugby World Cup 2021— postponed last year because of Covid— will be hosted in Whangārei and Auckland between October 8 and November 12.

The tournament will feature four double and triple-header match days at Northland Events Centre throughout October, culminating with the quarter-finals on October 29.

Whangārei will host a number of games in the World Cup, including:

Sunday, October 9 – First Pool Matches

USA v Italy (12.45pm, Semenoff Stadium, Pool B)

Japan v Canada (3.15pm, Semenoff Stadium, Pool B)

Wales v Scotland (5.45pm, Semenoff Stadium, Pool A)

Saturday, October 15 – Second Pool Matches

Scotland v Australia (3pm, Semenoff Stadium, Pool A)

USA v Japan (5.30pm, Semenoff Stadium, Pool B)

France v England (8pm, Semenoff Stadium, Pool C)

Saturday, October 22 – Third Pool Matches

Australia v Wales (2.15pm, Semenoff Stadium, Pool A)

New Zealand v Scotland (4.45pm, Semenoff Stadium, Pool A)

France v Fiji (7.15pm, Semenoff Stadium, Pool C)

Saturday, October 29 – Quarter-finals

Quarter-final 1 (4.15pm, Semenoff Stadium)

Quarter-final 2 (7.30pm, Semenoff Stadium)