Eden Park is set to miss out on hosting an All Blacks test in 2023. Photo / Photosport
Eden Park is set to miss out on hosting an All Blacks test in 2023. Photo / Photosport
For the first time in the professional era, Eden Park is set to miss out on hosting an All Blacks test next year. Gregor Paul and Liam Napier report.
The All Blacks are going to have to take a Rugby Championship clash to the home of rugby league and possiblyplay a warm-up game offshore next year, due to a scheduling clash with the Fifa Women's World Cup.
Mt Smart is now odds-on favourite to be the venue for the match against the Springboks next year, with Eden Park almost certainly not going to host the All Blacks in 2023 – which will be the first time in the professional era the Auckland ground has missed out on being allocated a test.
Mt Smart is being lined up because Eden Park, Dunedin, Wellington and Hamilton will be off limits to the All Blacks between July 20 and August 20, as all four venues are serving as World Cup hosts.
Fifa imposes strict exclusivity around its venues and because next year is a Rugby World Cup year, the Rugby Championship – which will be truncated to just one round and the Bledisloe Cup – has to be squeezed into a tight window between early July and mid-August.
The Herald understands the All Blacks will play the first Bledisloe clash at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and that NZR is hopeful it will be able to host the Wallabies a week later in Dunedin.
The All Blacks will play the Pumas in Argentina, but the problem with the Fifa scheduling impacts the final Rugby Championship test at home to the Springboks.
With no major venues available, the largest capacity stadium open for that game is Mt Smart, in Auckland. The All Blacks have previously played at Mt Smart, as recently as last year when they took on Tonga.
But Mt Smart is the home of the New Zealand Warriors and recognised as the spiritual home of rugby league.
The irony hasn't been missed that the All Blacks will next year play at the spiritual home of rugby league, but not Eden Park, which is recognised as the spiritual home of rugby in this country.
The All Blacks kept their Eden Park winning streak alive against the Wallabies last weekend. Photo / Photosport
The decision to play the home Bledisloe in Dunedin, rather than at Eden Park – which is available on the proposed date - is clearly one that has upset the All Blacks management as head coach Ian Foster made reference, the day after the All Blacks had beaten the Wallabies 40-14, to the fact he was disappointed that his side would not be playing there in 2023.
The Herald believes NZR was not happy with Eden Park for scheduling an All Whites friendly against Australia the day after this year's Bledisloe Cup clash, arguing that the close proximity of the two games at the same venue denied the rugby fixture the requisite exclusivity to fully promote itself.
Eden Park chief executive Nick Sautner says: "2023 is a Rugby World Cup year, meaning Eden Park would normally host one test match.
"It is our understanding that the likely dates for All Blacks matches for 2023 are likely to fall within the Fifa exclusive window.
"During the bid process for the Fifa Women's World Cup, central government, Auckland Council and legacy venue hirers were consulted.
"As part of World Cup requirements for all sports, venues are required to provide clean access ahead of matchdays for both the field and the venue.
"We are committed to working with all parties to explore the possibility of hosting New Zealand Rugby content in 2023 and beyond."
Eden Park was host to tests against Ireland and the Wallabies in 2022. Photo / Photosport
The All Blacks are also looking at playing a fifth test before the World Cup as there is a five-week gap between their last game against the Springboks and opening World Cup clash against France in Paris on September 8.
In 2015, the All Blacks had a six-week gap between their last Rugby Championship game and first World Cup encounter against Argentina and struggled to find their rhythm against the Pumas as a result of the long layoff.
There's a high-performance need to play a test in that five-week gap and because of the issue with stadia availability, NZR is believed to be looking at offshore venues, most likely the UK.
Playing offshore would not only get around the venue issue, it would likely be commercially lucrative as the probable venues would be Twickenham, Wembley or Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
It would also open up the prospect of the All Blacks playing against a Northern Hemisphere opponent in similar climactic conditions to those they will face in France.
The team is booked in to do a range of commercial activity in Europe with their sponsors before the tournament starts, so they would play a warm-up game in the UK, take care of their commercial obligations and then settle into their base in Paris with a full week of preparation before their opening encounter.
