Melbourne will host a Bledisloe Cup match for the first time in ten years when the Wallabies face the All Blacks at Marvel Stadium in 2020.
While one Bledisloe match was already announced for Brisbane, Rugby Australia announced this morning that the first trans-Tasman encounter of the year will be held in the Victorian capital on Saturday, August 8.
The 2020 clash will form part of a double-header, with the Wallaroos to take on the Black Ferns beforehand. It will be the first Wallaroos game played in the city.
In a partnership with the Victorian Government, the Wallabies will play a match each year in Melbourne until 2025, when the British and Irish Lions next visit.
Rugby Australia CEO Raelene Castle said the double-header concept was a popular one.
“Our Wallaby and Wallaroo double-header events in Australia have been extremely popular with fans in Sydney in Perth and we are looking forward to staging the first ever double-header in front of packed Marvel Stadium in Melbourne,” said Castle.
“In 2019 we saw how much these events have captured the imagination of fans in both countries, with a sold-out sign at Optus Stadium in the west and again at Eden Park in Auckland a week later, and we expect there to be a lot of excitement in Melbourne to watch two fantastic Test matches.”
The announcement brings the number of confirmed Wallabies home matches for 2020 to four, with Ireland to visit Brisbane and Sydney in July, and the All Blacks to play the third Bledisloe Cup match in Brisbane in October before heading overseas for the Spring Tour.
The Wallabies are also set to play one match against Fiji, however, the date and venue of that match, likely to be in July, is yet to be confirmed. Other home games against South Africa and Argentina in the Rugby Championship will also be announced at a later date.
Marvel Stadium, then called Etihad Stadium, last hosted an international in 2014. The 6-0 win over France is one of 19 Tests ever played at the venue, including two against the British and Irish Lions (in 2001 and 2013, both won by the Wallabies), and the 2010 Bledisloe, which was won by the All Blacks 49-28.
Victoria’s second-biggest stadium also hosted five pool matches and two quarter-finals in the 2003 Rugby World Cup, while the Wallabies hold a record of eleven wins and two losses at the ground.
| Date | Fixture | Venue | Competition | Kick-off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 4 | Australia vs Ireland | Suncorp Stadium | July Tests | TBC |
| Jul 11 | Australia vs Ireland | SCG | July Tests | TBC |
| Aug 8 | Australia vs New Zealand | Marvel Stadium | Bledisloe Cup | TBC |
| Oct 17 | Australia vs New Zealand | Suncorp Stadium | Bledisloe Cup | TBC |
MitchO
Guest
Maybe not Malo but I hate to admit that Melbourne is the sporting capital of Australia
Jim Lawrenson
Guest
Better Bring your Binoculars Paid top dollar to get as close to the Wallabies as possible when they played Wales at Docklands, or whatever it was called then. Got front seat closest to the corner flag. Still far too far to see any reasonable action. State of Origin had filled the stadium a week or so before. Great atmosphere partly made up for crap stadium for watching Rugby. The Rugby Test was half empty with lousy atmosphere. Would be better with a smaller crowd and high quality experience at AAMI in the bubble dome. Will save my money and watch the game close up in a pub near the ground. Get the best view and service and wait for the losers to come in after the game.
Blippi
Guest
They played in the mid 2000s at MCG and only got mid 70k. There is not enough cashed up Kiwis in Melbourne to be able to afford to attend. Since the good old days, sporting bodies want to charge 3 or 4 times as much for an 'event' just because the word international is in the title. If it was a club game, the prices would be 25 bucks tops. So, that will thin out the attendance. Do I go on holidays this year or do I attend an 80 minutes worth game of union? They will fill Docklands and hopefully pull the seats in, give the employees of the joint something to do for a few days and staging it in Melbourne is a lot smarter a move than Perth. They had a team over there and it bombed badly. Noone bothered to show up. Why are we rewarding them. It's like feeding caviar to hogs.
Perthstayer
Roar Rookie
I sat next to a Kiwi group who'd won full package for 12 from back of a Gatorade bottle in Auckland! Best bit was they must be the only 12 kiwis who know nothing about rugby and I had to explain what was going on!
AB
Guest
It destroys the turf to reconfigure it, considering its the middle of the AFL season and they already struggle to grow the grass in their, they definitely wont be reconfiguring it.
Geoff Parkes
Expert
Bang on TSE. I've got no doubt RA would expect a crowd far in excess of the 50k capacity at Marvel if they were to take the game to the MCG, but they are fully aware that it is such a poor fan experience.
Melburnian
Roar Pro
No issue from me Perthsayer. 60,000 in Perth was a great result and one that RA should look to repeat.
Paul
Roar Guru
I've got not idea Scott, to be honest. I'd like to think so, but then again, the side's been underwhelming in recent times. I agree with your point though.
Mark Richmond
Roar Guru
I went to the Bledisloe Cup game there in 2010......word of advice don’t buy tickets at ground level. With the curve in the pitch you won’t be able to see the scrums if they are on the far side, or any rucks :silly:
lesterlike
Roar Rookie
Honestly don't waste your money. Bledisloe Cup games in Melbourne means paying a premium to sit miles away from the action in a crowd that is comfortably majority Kiwis. Docklands might have a rectangular mode but Rugby Australia are too cheap to pay for it to be moved, let alone risk missing out on ticket sales due to the decreased capacity.
Paul
Roar Rookie
Sadly Melbourne games are more like AB home games. The expats all turn out, and have the gall to seem surprised to find people singing Advance Australia Fair. Always 60% black rugby tops in the crowd. On the venue, I always find it difficult watching rugby in a circular venue and the ticketing is just stupid. The closest seats are on the corners! And they very, very rarely roll the seats in the rectangular formation. It reduces capacity. The only time I’ve ever seen it done was for the Military Tattoo about 4 years ago. If it was anyone but the AB or may be England I’d say play it at AAMI Park.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Well yes. I’m pretty certain it is less than 6 times what they’d get to sell it elsewhere.
Ad-O
Guest
I don't mind games going to Melbourne but seeing them played on a cricket oval is offensive to my eyes. Why can't the self-proclaimed sports capital of Australia have a suitable stadium to watch big time football or rugby.
andrewM
Roar Rookie
And we’ll never know how much the Vic gov payed for this match to save the Rebels will we TWAS? I suggest a lot less than $30 million
ScottD
Roar Guru
The double header concept is logical. I doubt that the crowd will be a sell out but happy to be wrong.
ScottD
Roar Guru
so that is a big "no"
ScottD
Roar Guru
Do you really think there is a likelihood of getting 80,000? Remember that 60,000 people in a 60,000 stadium will make as much money as 70,000 in an 80,000 stadium.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Well considering that the governments pay for these events to try and generate tourism (including the WA government) a lot of that won’t be a factor.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
I’m sure plenty weren’t from Perth in general. Otherwise WA wouldn’t have paid $5M because there’d be no benefit.
Greysy
Roar Rookie
Yeah right, good points! Let's reverse the decision and cut the Rebels instead. Because they (probably) can't sell out a stadium as fast as it happened that one time in Perth.