Wallabies considering London, N.Y. for Bledisloe Cup match

Australia is weighing London and New York as potential venues for a Bledisloe Cup clash against the world champion All Blacks.

Melbourne - Australia is weighing London and New York as potential venues for a Bledisloe Cup clash against the world champion All Blacks.

Sydney's Olympic stadium, a regular host for the blockbuster matches, will undergo a major redevelopment from 2019 and the Australian Rugby Union is scouting venues interstate and overseas.

“We are a global game so global opportunities will present themselves,” ARU general manager Rob Clarke said in comments published by Sydney's Daily Telegraph newspaper.

“Argentina are playing their home game against us at Twickenham in the Rugby Championship this year, so there is a precedent there.

“We have to balance that against rewarding our fans here in Australia and giving them top-class rugby content. So we wouldn't make that decision lightly, but it is certainly part of the framework.

“Even a city like New York, where there is a strong Australian and New Zealand expat presence, have expressed interest in getting more international rugby content. It is a consideration for us, certainly.”

The Bledisloe Cup is the annual trophy contested between Australia and New Zealand. The All Blacks have held it since 2003.

Bledisloe Cup matches have been played in Hong Kong twice and once in Tokyo and have proven lucrative for the ARU and its New Zealand counterpart.

The 2020 season is most likely the earliest that a Bledisloe Cup match could be staged in Europe or North America, with the rugby World Cup in Japan to crowd the international calendar in 2019. – Reuters