Dingo Dave gets teeth into ABs early

One of Kiwi Dave Rennie’s first matches as new Wallabies coach will be against the All Blacks in Melbourne.

For the first time in the Bledisloe Cup’s 117-year history, the Wallabies will not host a match in Sydney despite having hosting rights to two of the three matches for the 2020 series.

Rugby Australia announced yesterday Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium will host the first of the threematch series on August 8 next year, finalising the Australian part of the schedule which will also see the third test played in Brisbane.

Rugby Australia’s decision to take the series outside New South Wales comes with ANZ Stadium and the Sydney Football Stadium being unavailable throughout next year due to the city’s A$2 billion stadium redevelopments.

The move to take the match to Melbourne also plays into RA’s Visit Victoria partnership, which will culminate with the Lions tour of Australia in 2025.

Additionally, the event will act as a transtasman double header, as the Black Ferns take on the Wallaroos before the Bledisloe Cup clash in what will be the first Australian women’s test match in Melbourne.

“We are looking forward to staging the first ever double header in front of packed Marvel Stadium in Melbourne,” RA chief executive Raelene Castle said.

Confirmation of the Melbourne test adds to the Wallabies’ growing international calendar for next year, which kick off at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane in July when Ireland travel to Australia for a two-test series.

It will act as Rennie’s first match as head coach of the Wallabies, before the two teams square off again a week later at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Meanwhile, struggling Rugby Australia faces major issues over television rights as Foxtel threatens to ditch the lowly-rating sport.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports the pay TV operator has withdrawn a five-year deal with RA.

The loss of a lucrative contract would be a massive blow for the sport in Australia, whose TV deals already lag far behind the AFL and NRL.

TV revenue is by far RA’s biggest money earner and it effectively underwrites Super Rugby and the Wallabies.

RA issued a statement yesterday saying: “Rugby has had a 25-year partnership with Fox Sports and continues to be in discussions with their key executives.”

● This article first appeared on RugbyPass.com and has been republished with permission.