Anzac Day Bledisloe Cup Test expected to receive approval
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Anzac Day Bledisloe Cup Test expected to receive approval
Australia and New Zealand are close to signing off a historic Bledisloe Cup clash on Anzac Day in 2026, which would be held in Perth and also see Super Round played at the same venue on surrounding days.
A decade after the idea of a Bledisloe Test in April was first floated, the historic fixture is set to be green-lit as part of trans-Tasman negotiations around New Zealand’s proposed tour of South Africa in 2026.
The NZR and SARU this week signed a memorandum of understanding about the All Blacks visiting South Africa for a probable eight-game tour, comprising three Tests and five provincial games, and the Springboks doing likewise in New Zealand in 2030.
Though plans have not yet been finalised, the “Greatest Rugby Rivalry” tour would serve to blow up the Rugby Championship in its current 12-match format, where the SANZAAR nations play each other twice every year, in 2026.
After South African teams were cut from Super Rugby and began playing in Europe, the two nations have been searching for ways to play each other more. But the big driving force behind the tour is a massive commercial deal struck with South African broadcasters SuperSport, according to sources familiar with the deal who requested anonymity to speak freely.
The money is enough to persuade South Africa and New Zealand to reduce their involvement in the Rugby Championship that year, and instead compensate Rugby Australia and Argentina Rugby for lost Test match revenue. World Rugby and SANZAAR both need to approve the All Blacks’ tour in 2026.
Whether the Rugby Championship is played in an abridged format is still being discussed but informed sources said Rugby Australia are planning for the Wallabies to use the vacant weeks to play Tests against Eddie Jones’ Japan, and Fiji, to bolster their coffers.
Australia would still play the All Blacks twice in 2026 for the Bledisloe Cup, and Rugby Australia has used the NZ/SARU tour proposal to get an Anzac Day clash between the Wallabies and the All Blacks off the ground.
Rugby Australia chairman Daniel Herbert revealed his enthusiasm for the idea in April on the Inside Line podcast, saying it would be a “no-brainer” for rugby to emulate the NRL and AFL and stage a Bledisloe Cup fixture on or near Anzac Day.
“It is not two clubs against one another. It is a long-standing rivalry, but also a long-term partnership, and recognised through a flagship event like that, we could develop a really big event, a prestigious event around that,” Herbert said.
“Rugby league already has State of Origin breaking up the season, so I don’t see why we couldn’t do it other than trying to get the Super Rugby schedule around it, and getting our New Zealand partners on side with it.”
New Zealand Rugby subsequently confirmed it was open to the idea of an Anzac Day Bledisloe.
Sources familiar with negotiations, who requested anonymity due to confidential nature of discussions, said the Anzac Day clash is now at an advanced stage of negotiation, with the WA government prepared to pay a lucrative sum to host the game at Optus Stadium.
There was discussion about the first game being in 2025 but it is more likely to be in 2026, and the plans - and deal with the WA government - will also involve Super Round (the Magic Round of Super Rugby) being staged around it in the same week, meaning all players are in Perth at the same time.
It would also likely see the Wallaroos and Black Ferns play on the same card as the Bledisloe Cup, match, too.
Wallabies and All Blacks players would be pulled out of their Super Rugby teams to prepare for the Test, and miss one or two rounds to prepare and play.
It would represent a vast change to the way Bledisloe Cup games have been played for decades, but as most unions continue to struggle financially, the innovative scheduling of both the Anzac Day Bledisloe - and the NZ tour of South Africa - has shown a willingness for unions to think differently and unlock new sources of commercial revenue.
Australia hasn’t hosted Japan for a Test since 1987, and while the two nations have played each other several times in Japan in recent times, the subplot of Eddie Jones bringing his team to Australia in 2026 is seen as a strong chance to draw a bumper crowd.
Though the Jones’ debacle last year strained the relationship, Rugby Australia have attempted to maintain strong ties, with New Zealand, ways for Super Rugby and League One teams to play each other, potentially in a post-season “Champions Cup”-style competition.
