Crusaders to play Aust pre-season tie in Perth

[Flamethrower]

I hope there's a good crowd at MES.

Crusaders to play Aust pre-season tie in Perth
By RICHARD KNOWLER - The Press | Saturday, 04 October 2008
Crusaders to play Aust pre-season tie in Perth - Rugby news & coverage - Stuff.co.nz

The Crusaders have scrapped their pre-season matches in Melbourne and Sydney, with their only warm-up fixture in Australia next year to be staged in Perth.

The defending Super 14 champions will meet the Western Force at Perth's Member's Equity Stadium on January 2 and the other match, against the Highlanders in Timaru, is likely to be played a week later.

In recent seasons the Crusaders have contested the Rotomahana Cup against the Waratahs in Sydney, but that fixture has been scratched because the New South Wales union was reluctant to host the match when it would again meet the Crusaders in the city mid-way through the competition.

Crusaders chief executive Hamish Riach said the franchise will have all its costs associated with travelling and preparation for the Perth match met but will not be paid a fee. Instead, the Force will promote the match and will wear any financial losses.

For the last three seasons the Crusaders and the Victoria Rugby Union banded together to stage pre-season matches between the Crusaders and the Force in Melbourne, a venture ditched because it lost money.

Any profits from the Timaru match will be shared between the Crusaders and the South Canterbury Rugby Union.

The format of next year's competition has yet to be finalised because the Sanzar, the South African, New Zealand and Australian rugby group that runs the Super 14 competition, has yet to rubber stamp a proposal that six teams, instead of four, can qualify for the play-offs.

If the new format is given the green light, the schedule will have to be rejigged.

Originally, the Crusaders were scheduled to meet the Blues at Eden Park in the final round but that is expected to be changed to the opening round on Waitangi Day.

Meanwhile, plans for the Crusaders to play matches in the northern hemisphere in the near future have been shelved.

The franchise had explored the option of transferring games to locations that would attract bigger crowds and match fees and in 2007 was in negotiations with the Stormers about playing this year's match in London.

[laura]

The Force will wear the cost guess it would help if the article got the date right to promote it then...

[oxleymoron]

In recent seasons the Crusaders have contested the Rotomahana Cup against the Waratahs in Sydney, but that fixture has been scratched because the New South Wales union was reluctant to host the match when it would again meet the Crusaders in the city mid-way through the competition.

Seems like the horrotahs are scared of finding out how they are going to stack up against the reigning champions before the season starts.

I'm sure the horrotahs would prefer to play against a Whyalla team to try and build up some confidence before the season starts.

Note: There is no Whyalla team

[GIGS20]

I'm sure you could arrange 22 guys to scare the 'Tahs couldn't you Ox?

[oxleymoron]

Plenty of yarpies in town, trestle and donut boy will be shaking in their boots when they look at our front row

[Swee_82]

Seems like the horrotahs are scared of finding out how they are going to stack up against the reigning champions before the season starts.

Maybe that explains that article the other day that said the pre-season 'Saders game would "do nothing to improve the Force players' moods". Perhaps it was an implicit assumption that since the flower-pot men have decided to run scared, that noone else would want to play them either.

[GIGS20]

That or it could be an admission that a pre-season touch up is exactly what a rugby team needs to get focussed on the serious business of becoming the number 1 Australian rugby franchise!