Munster set for All Black encounter
The All Blacks have confirmed that they will play a mid-week game against Munster on their November tour of Great Britain and Ireland.
The All Blacks have confirmed that they will play a mid-week game against Munster on their November tour of Great Britain and Ireland.
The fixture, set for Tuesday 18 November in Limerick, follows an invitation from the Irish Rugby Football Union to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Irish province's famed victory over the All Blacks and to officially open a renovated Thomond Park.
“Munster has a proud history including their famous 1978 victory and a European Rugby Cup final this season,” said New Zealand Rugby Union CEO Steve Tew.
“We are delighted to be part of another chapter that also has commercial benefit for both teams. One of our aims is to find additional revenue to support the game in New Zealand. As rugby people, we're glad to see it take the shape of a mid-week match.”
Munster Chief Executive Garrett Fitzgerald is delighted with the news and is looking forward to the arrival of the All Blacks in Ireland.
“I can't think of a better way to celebrate such an auspicious occasion than for Munster to play one of the top ranked teams in the world in our own stadium,” he said.
“We are honoured they have accepted our invitation to help us open the new Thomond Park and we are looking forward to a fixture that has already captured the imagination of the public at large.
“We would like to thank the NZRU and IRFU for their efforts in bringing negotiations to a successful conclusion.”
New Zealand manager Darren Shand also announced when a 26-man squad for the Tests against England and Ireland and the Tri-Nations series will be selected.
Shand confirmed the first national squad since last year's World Cup will be named on June 1, the day after the Super 14 final.
He also revealed players not involved in that match could enter a training camp in May.
“As in previous years, we may have some players train together but it would not involve players from teams in the Super 14 final,” he said.
“Clearly these would be players the coaches were looking at closely, but coming to the camp would not guarantee selection.”
The squad may be expanded for the trip to face world champions South Africa in Cape Town, and will grow to 35 for the end-of-season European tour.
“The coaches expect to name two half-backs and hookers in the initial squad, but it may be prudent to have more specialist cover when we play the Springboks in Cape Town,” Shand added.
“If that's the case, we would expect to swap those specialists with other squad members for the week and travel with 26 players.”