Highlanders to host Reds, Waratahs

RUGBY

THE Reds and the Waratahs are set to visit Forsyth Barr Stadium next year as the Super Rugby season takes shape.

The Highlanders will play at least 13 competition games next year, following the announcement yesterday of the Super Rugby Transtasman competition.

It will begin on May 1415, the week after the two domestic Super Rugby competitions in the two countries finish.

The five New Zealand teams will play the five Australian teams once. Each team will play two home games and two away games.

In the third round of the competition on May 2829, all games will be played at one venue. A venue for this Super Round is yet to be announced and no criteria have been set out for what is needed to stage it.

Money is bound to be part of it and Brisbane or Auckland may come into contention.

Forsyth Barr Stadium could also be a contender.

It is likely one game will be played on Friday night, two on Saturday and two on Sunday.

The Highlanders are drawn to play against the Rebels in the Super Round.

Although the exact dates and kickoff times have yet to be confirmed, the Highlanders will play the Reds in the opening round of the competition on May 1415 and will then host the Waratahs in round four on June 45.

The secondround game will be against the Force in Perth and the final round against the Brumbies in Canberra on June 1112.

The final is the following weekend.

The Highlanders will now have six home games for the season, not including any finals.

Highlanders chief executive Roger Clark said earlier this week to be sustainable the Highlanders needed to have a minimum of six home games.

The old Super Rugby competition had 16 regularseason games and three weeks of finals but had been criticised for being too long.

There will be just the one competition ladder for the transtasman competition and the final will be played between the two top teams on June 19.

The Reds are coached by former Highlanders and All Black lock Brad Thorn while Rob Penney, a rugged loose forward for Canterbury and Marlborough, coaches the Waratahs. The Reds made the final of this year’s Super Rugby Aotearoa competition while the Waratahs finished fourth.

After the competition, the countries will play midyear internationals, the Wallabies set to take on France and the All Blacks facing Italy.

That will be followed by the Rugby Championship.

The Super Rugby competition in 2022 is set to include the 10 teams from Australia and New Zealand, a team from Fiji and a Pacific Islands team, based in New Zealand.