The All Blacks will play Argentina at Yarrow Stadium, New Plymouth in 2017. The September 9 fixture will be the first Investec Rugby Championship game hosted in Taranaki's history. The International comes twenty years after Argentina last visited the province, having previously played Taranaki during their 1979 and 1997 NewZealand tours.
New Plymouth has an excellent track record hosting first class rugby fixtures, with three Rugby World Cup games and three International Test matches in their repertoire. The 2017 Test will be the fourth time the All Blacks have played Test rugby in New Plymouth. In 2008 the All Blacks defeated Samoa in front of a jubilant sell-out crowd. Victory was repeated in 2010, as Ireland succumbed to a dominant New Zealand side. In 2013 the All Blacks defeated France in a match remembered for the heroics of Taranaki's Beauden Barrett who scored an exceptional try in the 80th minute.
The TRFU anticipates the All Blacks v Argentina match will be a sell-out, based on the outstanding buy-in of the Taranaki community for previous first class games.
TRFU Chief Executive Mike Collins said the Test match was a fantastic opportunity for the Taranaki community to get behind our All Blacks and embrace the highest level of rugby in New Zealand.
"We're extremely excited to host the All Blacks and Argentina in 2017. The three All Blacks Test matches we've hosted in recent years have been wholeheartedly embraced by the Taranaki community so we're thrilled to be bringing more international rugby to the province for them to enjoy. The hosting of All Blacks Test matches has a significant economic impact on Taranaki with many local businesses benefiting from the influx of rugby fans to our province. Furthermore it provides a fantastic opportunity to market Taranaki to the world with the game being televised around the globe.
"The Test match announcement is fitting given Taranaki's presence in the All Blacks has grown significantly this year with Charlie Ngatai, James Broadhurst, Waisake Naholo and Seta Tamanivalu joining Beauden Barrett in the squad for the Samoa, Bledisloe, and Investec Rugby Championship Tests. We hope to see even more Port Taranaki Bulls players in the All Blacks in the near future so they can experience playing Test match rugby in front of their home crowd" he said.
New Plymouth Mayor Andrew Judd said securing the All Blacks v Argentina Test was another great success for Taranaki.
"This is another win for New Plymouth and for Team Taranaki. It's the result of considerable vision and effort by a huge number of people - not only to deliver a great event but also to bid for and secure the event for Taranaki. That we can continue to attract events of this calibre further reinforces our position as a fantastic city in which to live, work and play" said Mayor Judd.
