All Blacks face France in first Test at new Christchurch stadium / Photo: © AFP
-
New Zealand and Tonga meet for place in Rugby League World Cup final
-
Italy face unbeaten South Africa in Turin Nations Championship match
-
Reports of unsafe AI-toy responses renew calls for child-safety rules
-
ChatGPT interactive interface feature tested across six custom tools
-
Juneau food network combines difficult supply routes with deep sharing traditions
-
Freshways milk-price cut deepens pressure on UK dairy farms
-
India climbs green-transition ranking after first emissions decline in 25 years
-
Labour and National remain virtually tied as New Zealand vote count advances
-
Trump names Stephen Miller as White House chief of staff after midterm losses
-
The Good Daughter adapts Karin Slaughter thriller with Rose Byrne and Meghann Fahy
-
Restored Albanian tower houses anchor new rural tourism trail
-
Heavy-lift drone evacuates wounded Ukrainian soldier from frontline kill zone
-
Sonia Gandhi reflects on family tragedy and reluctant political career
-
Morrison says West Brom recovered after pressure from successive derby losses
-
Pope Leo begins three-country South American tour in Uruguay
-
Britain considers 2027 state visit for Ukraine’s Zelensky
-
Khawaja says entire Australia camp knew of 2018 ball-tampering plan
-
Udinese Falls to Last Place in Serie A After Loss to Venezia
-
Arizona Voters Ban Speed Camera Expansion Amid Vandalism Crisis
-
BSG Chemie Leipzig Defeated by Regionalliga Leaders Rot-Weiß Erfurt
-
Dance Work 'On the Floor' Returns to SF to Explore Queer History and AIDS Crisis
-
Trump and Vance Pursue Secret Diplomacy with Iran Amid Military Pressure
-
Jimenez Extends Lead Over Anderson in Richmond Mayoral Race
-
Inside SFFILM’s Operations: Jordan Menashe on Managing Doc Stories Logistics
All Blacks face France in first Test at new Christchurch stadium
The All Blacks will play France in July in the first rugby Test at their new permanent rugby stadium in Christchurch, more than 15 years after a deadly earthquake in the city forced the demolition of Lancaster Park.
New Zealand welcome France on July 4 in the 12-team Nations Championship at the state-of-the-art 30,000-seat Te Kaha Stadium, also known as the One New Zealand Stadium.
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake in February 2011 killed 185 people, toppled buildings and paralysed New Zealand's second largest city with the main rugby stadium damaged beyond repair.
Super Rugby's Canterbury Crusaders moved to a temporary home at a small rugby league stadium, but its size meant the All Blacks have played only five times in the city since the earthquake, the last time in 2022 against Argentina.
"For the All Blacks to play at the new One New Zealand Stadium 15 years after the earthquakes will be a special moment for the team and a significant occasion for rugby," All Blacks chief executive Mark Robinson said.
New Zealand head coach Scott Robertson, who played for and coached the Crusaders, said: "It will be an historic occasion for Christchurch."
New Zealand also announced Nations Championship home fixtures against Italy, in Wellington on July 11, and Ireland, in Auckland on July 18.
"Hosting France, Italy and Ireland in consecutive weeks will be new for our players and it creates three unique match experiences for fans in Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland as we kick off the Nations Championship era," said Robinson.
The All Blacks will play their home Bledisloe Cup Test against Australia at Eden Park, Auckland, on October 10 with the return in Sydney a week later.
N.Fournier--BTB
