Leeds Rhinos will take on New Zealand in a mouth-watering World Cup warm-up match at Headingley this autumn.
The recreation will take place on Saturday, October 8 (6pm kick-off) and shall be Leeds’ first assembly with Test opposition since a full home at Headingley noticed them narrowly overwhelmed by the Kiwis seven years in the past. It comes every week earlier than the event begins and eight days forward of New Zealand’s opener in opposition to Lebanon in Warrington.
New Zealand shall be again at Headingley 20 days after the Rhinos fixture to play Ireland in a World Cup group match. Leeds say the warm-up fixture shall be a “celebration of rugby league with the club aiming to work with every community club in the region to provide special offers for all those involved in the community game to make it a night to remember at Headingley”.
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Leeds’ historical past in opposition to the Kiwis goes again 115 years to after they confronted the pioneering All Golds – rugby league’s first worldwide vacationers – on October 26, 1907. It is the thirteenth assembly between Leeds and New Zealand, with the vacationers having misplaced solely as soon as.
Rhinos’ chief govt Gary Hetherington stated: “To have been granted a game against one of our great Test-playing nations is a huge honour and a privilege for Leeds Rhinos.
“International rugby league is the pinnacle of our sport and it has been sorely missed over the last three years due to the global pandemic. Our home at Headingley is intrinsically linked to the international game for over a century and I believe this game is a fantastic way to not only celebrate that history, but also look ahead to a thrilling home World Cup here in England.”
Australia will play Fiji at Headingley on the primary day of the boys’s event and the stadium additionally levels the opening two video games of the ladies’s occasion.
Hetherington added: “Ourselves and the Kiwis have a long-shared history and this will be the chance to write a new chapter. Our links with New Zealand include the many great players who have played for us down the years like Bert Cook, Dean Bell, Brent Webb and Ali Lauitiiti.
“It is also important for us, as a club, to give our next generation of players unique opportunities to grow and test themselves. One aspect of our game we have lost in the summer era is the chance for club players to test themselves against touring nations and this is a wonderful opportunity for our squad.”
Lauitiiti and one other ex-Rhinos man Adrian Morley featured for Leeds as visitor gamers in the sold-out fixture seven years in the past and Hetherington pledged “some surprises in store” this time.
Greg Peters, chief govt of New Zealand Rugby League, stated: “The match celebrates our return to the northern hemisphere after an international rugby league hiatus while also commemorating the long-shared history between New Zealand and Leeds that holds a special place in the hearts of Kiwi fans and legends.
“It is the perfect ground for our current and future Kiwis to pave their way against some of the Northern Hemisphere’s best.”
Tickets shall be accessible to Rhinos members from Monday, May 23 and go on common sale on Monday, June 6. Advance tickets begin from £24 for adults, £16 concessions and £12 for juniors aged 16 and underneath, with matchday costs rising by £3.