Perth to host Bledisloe Cup Test in 2019

Sydney - The Wallabies are taking the Bledisloe Cup to Western Australia in 2019, with Perth set to host its first trans-Tasman clash.

Perth’s new football stadium will be complete in early 2018, providing a 60 000-seat capacity venue for the city to host big-time matches, a far larger capacity than that of nib Stadium (25 000), which hosted the Wallabies vs Argentina this season.

The match will be the only home Bledisloe Cup Test for the Wallabies in 2019, ahead of the Japan Rugby World Cup that same year.

Australia has looked into moving the Bledisloe to numerous venues between 2018 and 2021, with the construction of the new ANZ Stadium underway in Sydney through that time, with the Perth Test the first new host in that time.

Australian Rugby Union CEO Bill Pulver said it was exciting to take the Bledisloe to a new venue.

“We are very proud to be bringing Western Australia its first ever Bledisloe Cup Test and are very grateful for the support of the Western Australia Government, through Tourism Western Australia, which has enabled us to make this historic match a reality,” he told the Australian Rugby Union's official website.

“The 2019 Bledisloe Cup match will be one of the first major events played at the new Perth Stadium after its completion in 2018. It will also be a vital clash for both teams, being their one and only clash in The Rugby Championship that year, on the eve of the Rugby World Cup.

“Having toured the construction site at Perth Stadium this year, I have seen first hand what a world class sporting facility and entertainment precinct it is going to provide for the people of Western Australia. A packed stadium of 60 000 screaming Aussies and New Zealanders for a huge Bledisloe Cup Test is a tantalising prospect.”

Perth has hosted 15 Tests since its first, between Australia and South Africa in 1998, with the Springboks the most common visitors over the past 18 years.

The Springboks will again be visiting Western Australia in 2017, playing the Wallabies in the Rugby Championship on September 9.