Highlanders To play The French Barbarians At Invercargill’s Rugby Park
The touring French side will play three tests against the All Blacks on consecutive weekends in June; the itinerary includes two midweek matches against the Crusaders and the Highlanders the night before the second and third tests. This will be the second international match for the Highlanders after their famous victory against the British and Irish Lions in 2017.
The match will be a welcome addition to the Southland Rugby calendar as the Highlanders were not scheduled to play in Invercargill in 2018 although they did play a warm-up match in Waimumu during the preseason.
“We weren’t initially able to schedule a game for Invercargill this season so from our perspective the opportunity to play the French there is fantastic. I am sure the Southland rugby public will embrace the chance to see international rugby in Invercargill again,” said Pulse Energy Highlanders CEO Roger Clark.
Head Coach, Aaron Mauger, is looking forward to the match “international games like this, are one-off special events, that are very special for the players and supporters alike. They are little bits of history and you tend to remember these matches. It will also be a good opportunity get to connect with our Southland-based supporters.”
Darren Ludlow, Chairman of Invercargill Venue and Events Management commented, “there’s a proud history of international games and the success of local teams at Rugby park in Southland.
Invercargill is really excited to be able to host another international game, particularly against the French. We have won against them on our home grounds before. I’m sure they will bring a lot of vibrancy to the town while they are here for the game.”
The game will be a tasty hors d’oeuvre for the southern rugby faithful in their build-up to the third test in Dunedin the following day.
This will be the third time a touring French side has played in Invercargill with the previous results in 1979 and 1989 favouring the locals.
Pulse Energy Highlanders Club Members and Southland Rugby Members will have access to a presale from Wednesday 25 April and then public sales will be available from 9.00am Tuesday 1 May.
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