Later start for ABs tests

The All Blacks’ two home Bledisloe Cup tests will have a later start time than originally scheduled. The games – in Wellington on Sunday, October 11 and Auckland on October 18 – will start at 4pm. The original schedule had 3.30pm kickoffs. The changes appear to have been made to get a wider television audience in Australia. The test at Eden Park in Auckland will follow a Farah Palmer Cup curtain-raiser between Auckland and Waikato, which starts at 1.15pm. The earlier kick-off times also mean some adjusted dates and kick-off times for a number of Mitre 10 Cup and FPC matches in weeks five and six.