Maori All Blacks to play Canada in Vancouver

Canada will host the Maori All Blacks for their first visit to Vancouver, when the two sides meet at BC Place Stadium on Friday 3 November 2017, Rugby Canada and New Zealand Rugby announced.

New Zealand Rugby’s Maori Rugby Board Chair and former Black Ferns captain Dr Farah Palmer welcomed the announcement.

"Having played in Toronto in 2013 and Calgary in 2003, we are excited to be returning to Canada with the Maori All Blacks, in what will be our first visit to Vancouver. This match is a great addition to the Maori All Blacks programme in 2017 – providing a wonderful opportunity to bring our special style of rugby, and Maori culture, to this amazing part of the world.

“New Zealanders can be proud of the mark this special team leaves when they visit another country – they represent the very best of New Zealand and rugby.  Rugby in Canada is growing and it’s exciting to be able to show exactly why we love it so much back here,” she said.


The match in Vancouver will be the first of a two-match end of year programme for the Maori All Blacks.  The second fixture, to be played in Europe, will be announced in due course.

Canada will be securing its top professionals for the match in order to field the strongest team possible at BC Place.

Having recently lost to the USA in a home-and-home series for the North America 1 seed at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, Canada will use the 3 November fixture to prepare for the next chance to qualify for the third largest sporting event in the world in January and February in a two-game series against Uruguay.