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New Zealand has dominated the trans-Tasmanian rugby rivalry on the field, with a mortgage on the Bledisloe Cup.
The two home events of the All Blacks Bledisloe Cup will have a later start time than originally scheduled.
The games, in Wellington on Sunday, October 11 and Auckland on October 18, will begin at 4pm. The original schedule had departures at 3.30 pm
The changes appear to have been made to reach a wider television audience in Australia.
JOSEPH JOHNSON / THINGS
Sir Graham Henry and Crusaders coach Scott Robertson were flown into the Hagley Cricket Oval by former All Blacks captain Richie McCaw in his helicopter.
The test at Eden Park in Auckland will follow an opening act of the Farah Palmer Cup between Auckland and Waikato, which begins at 1:15 PM.
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Chris Lendrum, New Zealand professional rugby and performance general manager, said: “It is not a major change, but in New Zealand it means that fans will have a little extra time to reach a TV and watch the game after other commitments Sunday and similarly in Australia there was a desire to push a little later to capture a wider television audience.
“We know that our fans are excited to see test rugby in the afternoon, so the important thing was to make sure both tests were played in daylight.”
Fans will be able to buy tickets for the Wellington event through Ticketek starting at noon next Thursday. While tickets for Eden Park will go on sale on Ticketmaster the following week, pending a decision on whether Auckland will move to alert level 1.
The earlier start times also mean some tight dates and start times for various Miter 10 Cup and FPC matches in weeks five and six.
The affected Miter 10 Cup and Farah Palmer Cup matches are listed below:
Miter 10 cup
Saturday, October 10: 2.05pm: North Harbor v Hawke’s Bay (from Sunday at 2.05pm)
Sunday, October 11: 1:15 PM: Tasman v Bay of Plenty (starting at 8:05 PM); 1.15pm: Northland – Southland (from 4.15pm).
Saturday October 17: 2.05pm: Wellington v North Harbor (starting Sunday at 4.35pm).
Sunday October 18: 1:15 PM: Canterbury v Waikato (starting at 8:05 PM); 1:15 pm: Otago v Counties (from 2:15 pm).
Farah Palmer Cup
Saturday 10th October: 11.35am: North Harbor v Waikato (starting Sunday 11.35am)
Sunday October 11: 10:45 AM: Northland v Taranaki (starting Sunday, 8:05 PM)
Sunday October 18: 1:15 PM: Auckland v Waikato at Eden Park (starting Saturday, 8:05 PM)
