One of the biggest rivalries in world sport has been confirmed for Perth Stadium in 2019 when Western Australia hosts its first ever Bledisloe Cup match.
Western Australia’s premier and tourism minister Colin Barnett has announced the Liberal National Government, through Tourism Western Australia, has secured the match between the Qantas Wallabies and New Zealand’s All Blacks.
“The Bledisloe Cup has been fiercely contested between these two rugby powerhouses since the 1930s; in fact both nations even disagree over the year the cup began,” Barnett said in a statement.
“It is a great coup for Western Australia to host this spectacular sporting event at the magnificent Perth Stadium.
“It will be the only time the All Blacks and the Wallabies play on Australian soil in 2019 in the lead up to the Rugby World Cup, and we expect thousands of people to travel to Perth from the Eastern States and overseas for the game.
“The match will be broadcast across Australia and internationally, providing a great platform to show off our transforming city and world-class new stadium to the world.”
The premier said having a facility such as Perth Stadium meant Western Australia could now host some of the world’s biggest sporting events such as the Bledisloe Cup, which would have an enormous flow-on effect for the state’s economy.
“Perth Stadium is a world-class facility that can be adapted for a range of sports, attracting international sporting events, which we otherwise would not have been able to host. For this event, we may well see 65,000 fans using Perth Stadium’s expanded rugby mode,” added Barnett.
December 14, 2016
