E-mail Article Print-Friendly Version Contact Us

CANADA

News | Profile | Anthem | Fixtures | Results | Tickets

Wales November Tests confirmed

Wednesday 30th April 2008

Triple Crown: Wales will face all three Tri-Nations sides in November

Wales will celebrate 100 years of Test rugby against Australia with an international against the Wallabies in Cardiff this November as part of a four-match series, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) announced on Wednesday.

The confirmation of the clash means Warren Gatland's Wales will now play all three of the major southern hemisphere nations at the Millennium Stadium in the high profile series.

The fixture coup has been completed following successful talks which have secured confirmation that Australia can play Wales in Cardiff on 29 November.

The internationals will now be part of a four-game series which will also include an international against Canada to offer a northern hemisphere challenge to Wales.

Another boost for the games is that Wales will now be competing for two major trophies in the November series.

Against Australia, Wales will be attempting to win the James Bevan Trophy for the first time.

It was won by Australia in the two-Test series last June when it was launched in memory of the first Welshman to captain Wales, Australian-born James Bevan.

Wales will also take on South Africa for the Prince William Cup, which was unveiled in Cardiff last year and won for the first time by the Springboks.

Warren Gatland's Grand Slam winning team will kick off the series against South Africa on Saturday, 8 November.

Then on November 14 (Friday) fans will see Wales take on Canada before the New Zealand international at the stadium on November 11. The Australia game will then be the final international a week later.

"I am delighted that in one great month of rugby we now have the prospect of testing ourselves against all the best of the Southern Hemisphere teams," said Gatland.

"South Africa, New Zealand and Australia are all World Cup winners so it will be an important milestone in our progression towards the 2011 World Cup.

"I have always said we must test ourselves against the best and I am delighted we have been able to secure this series.

"The squad has made significant progress this year and the [four match series] will now provide a perfect opportunity to test how far forward we are in our development.

"We will have played the current World Champions three times this year by the end of November and that is just the sort of benchmark rugby we require in order to keep getting better.

"I am also very mindful of the fact that these games come just prior to a very important two weeks in Europe for each of our four regions, so we need to be aware and ensure that individual players are going back to regional rugby in their optimum condition.

"It is important for Welsh rugby that our regions are strong and we will be conscious of offering them our continued support which will mean managing the needs of individuals.

WRU Group Chief Executive Roger Lewis said: "The confirmation of the Australia fixture has made all the hard work we have put in to secure this series worthwhile.

"I am particularly grateful to all four of our regions here in Wales for agreeing to release their international players outside the normal International Rugby Board window for the final game in the series against Australia.

"The strong relationship we are building with our four regions bodes well for the future of the game in Wales.

"I also want to pay tribute to our chairman David Pickering for leading the initial stages of the negotiation through the International Rugby Board to get approval for the Australia fixture which now completes the autumn series.

"We all know how important it is to test our international progress against the best sides out there but we are also determined to deliver the best rugby available for our supporters.

"Canada complete the line-up and we know they will present us with a formidable challenge because of the tough game we had against them in last year's Rugby World Cup."

Wales's November Test fixtures:
(All times are local)

Wales v South Africa - 8 November, 14:30
Wales v Canada - 14 November, 19:30
Wales v New Zealand - 22 November, 17.15
Wales v Australia - 29 November, tbc