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Wallabies set for World Cup warm-up match against Samoa at new Parramatta Stadium

17th March, 2019
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17th March, 2019
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The Wallabies will take on Samoa in their final match at home before departing for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.

The match is set to be played on September 7 at the new Western Sydney Stadium in Parramatta, which it has been said will produce one of the best sporting atmospheres in the country once opened in May.

Manu Samoa, who are currently 17th in the world rankings, will provide a good test for the Wallabies to have one last hit-out.

It means Australia will play three Tests on home soil this year ahead of the World Cup. The Wallabies are slated to host Argentina in Brisbane and New Zealand in Perth, while they also travel to Auckland and Johannesburg as part of a shortened Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup schedule.

Samoa also came to Australia before the 2011 World Cup, and emerged shock winners on that occasion. Australia went onto make the semi-finals in New Zealand later that year.

Wallabies coach Michael Cheika said he was looking forward to the opportunity to play Samoa ahead of the World Cup, saying it would give his team a good preparation.

“With the World Cup in our sights this year we really want to build some momentum to help take our game up a level or two, I think that’s really important for us. We will have a few new tricks up our sleeve this season so we might look a little different to what most people may expect,” said Cheika.

“I’d say we’ll be going into this season’s tournaments – the Rugby Championship, the Bledisloe Cup and the World Cup – as underdogs but we will be doing everything we can to make 2019 our year.

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“To play a team like Samoa in our take-off game for the World Cup will be perfect. They have a mix of razzle-dazzle and physicality which will be exactly what we need before stepping out against Fiji in Sapporo. In front of our home crowd in a brilliant new stadium in Western Sydney it should double as plenty of fireworks as well as plenty of fun for everyone.”

The Wallabies have been drawn in Group D of the World Cup, set to take on Fiji, Wales, Georgia and Uruguay, while Samoa were one of the late qualifiers into Group A, where they will take on Ireland, Scotland, Russia and hosts Japan.

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