Rugby Football Union Announces England’s 2014 Tour Dates in New Zealand [See the Complete Schedule HERE]
Rugby Football Union (RFU) has announced England's 2014 tour dates in New Zealand.
England, which is the host of the 2015 World Cup, will travel to New Zealand and play Tests in Dunedin, Hamilton and Auckland. RFU made the official announce on Monday.
"To compete with the world champions in their hometown is a crucial test," said England coach Stuart Lancaster. "This is our final tour before the World Cup and it is vital for us to benchmark ourselves against All Blacks, which is the number one in the world," he added.
New Zealand Rugby Union Chief Executive Steve Tew released a statement uttering how thrilled they are for the upcoming 2014 England tour dates. "We are very excited to be hosting England next year," Tew said in the statement. "England have demonstrated in latest matches with the All Blacks just how difficult an opponent they are so we are hoping that this series will be a huge card draw for fans," he added.
England and New Zealand rugby teams have been playing each other in Test match rugby since the 1900s, as early as 1905. Both teams battled each other for a total of 36 matches up-to-date. Most of the matches were played in England. The All Blacks remain the defending champions, winning 28 out of the said 36 matches.
Here are the complete tour dates and venue for England's tour of New Zealand in 2014:
June 07: 1ST TEST, Eden Park, Auckland
June 14: 2ND TEST, Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin
June 17: v Crusaders, AMI (Addington) Stadium, Christchurch
June 21: 3RD TEST, Waikato Stadium, Hamilton
Note: All kick-off times to be confirmed
New Zealand 2014 home Rugby Championship fixtures
Aug. 23: v Australia, Eden Park, Auckland
Sept. 06: v Argentina, McLean Park, Napier
Sept. 13: v South Africa, Westpac Stadium, Wellington