New Zealand's Keven Mealamu in action. Greg Bowker
The Crusaders plan to take their Super 15 match against the Hurricanes next year to Fiji.
Details are still being sorted but the Herald understands a group has agreed to underwrite the match, which is likely to be played at the National Stadium in Suva.
In 2011, the Crusaders played the Sharks at Twickenham because AMI Stadium was damaged in the February 22 earthquake.
With AMI being used for the under-20 Fifa World Cup in late May and June next year, the Crusaders were forced to look for an alternative.
They considered Nelson and Timaru but when a sponsor offered to back the game if it was shifted to Fiji, the Crusaders began discussing the concept with tournament officials.
Chief executive Hamish Riach would not comment yesterday about the idea of playing in front of about 20,000 spectators in Fiji.
"We can't comment on the specifics of our Hurricanes game but it is true that venue has not been confirmed. I just can't comment. All we can say is we are continuing to work through the venue for the game."
Wellington and Dunedin are unavailable because of the Fifa tournament and Sanzar has completed a draw where New Zealand teams host the majority of their games in the front of the competition to try to minimise the disruption.
One Fifa semifinal will be played in Christchurch on June 17 and the ground will then be released for the Super Rugby playoffs starting two days later.
"With some luck and leeway around the time of captain's runs, if the Crusaders earned the right to host a Super Rugby quarter-final we think we should be able to cope but it would be very tight," Riach said.
If the game in Fiji is approved, the Crusaders will play their last four pool games away in Sydney, Fiji, Auckland and Canberra - a schedule which will have a bigger impact on the Crusaders if they qualify for offshore playoff matches.
Any concerns from the players' association or coaching group about the squad's welfare are likely to be over-ridden as the Crusaders management seeks a financial benefit. When AMI is unavailable, they believe they should be able to make a commercial decision as the All Blacks did with tests played in Japan last year and Chicago this season.
The Crusaders return to training today.
Keven Mealamu is deep into his plans to play a fourth Rugby World Cup with other All Black veterans Richie McCaw and Daniel Carter.
His willpower is as intense as the day he made his first-class debut 15 years ago and his mana is an influential All Black weapon.
His leg muscles have bothered him in recent seasons but not enough to shut down his impact during 123 tests and national record 362 first class matches.
Like his All Black colleagues, Mealamu will return late to Super Rugby and his reappearance may be delayed until after his 36th birthday, which coincides with the Blues' bye week in March.
Then his focus will be on a strong Super Rugby campaign leading into the condensed test programme and World Cup starting in September.
One who has given away that target is Springbok lock Bakkies Botha. He turned 35 in September and has decided to restrict himself to playing for his Toulon club next year, unless coach Heyneke Meyer makes an SOS phone call.
If Mealamu and co make it through to the Cup final, the hooker will not be as old as Brad Thorn, who was 36 years and 262 days when he played for the 2011 winning side. But Thorn was well short of Uruguay captain Diego Ormaechea's record. He was past 40 when he played in the 1999 Cup.
While Dane Coles has overtaken him in the All Black selection order, Mealamu is determined to challenge him all the way. He will also nurture players on the rise like Nathan Harris, Motu Motu'u and James Parsons.