Midweek Bledisloe Cup Test awaits Wallabies and All Blacks

The All Blacks and Wallabies will face off in a midweek Bledisloe Cup test this year in Melbourne.

The trans-Tasman rivals will meet on Thursday, September 15 as the crunch test has been moved to avoid a clash with the AFL and NRL finals.

New Zealand are the current holders of the Bledisloe Cup and a two-test battle for the cup this year means that the Wallabies will need to draw one and win one, at least, to clinch the trophy.

The second Test will be played at Auckland's Eden Park nine days after the first test on Saturday, September 24.

There is plenty of time for the two countries to prepare for the clash as there is no tests the weekend before the first Bledisloe Cup test.

The last time Australia and New Zealand met in a midweek Test was on a Wednesday night in Sydney in 1994, when halfback George Gregan pulled off a match-winning tackle on Jeff Wilson to secure a Wallabies victory.

The encounter will also mark the return of the All Blacks to Melbourne for the first time since 2010.

Rugby Australia also confirmed that the Wallabies will play Rugby World Cup Champions South Africa in the second match of the doubleheader at Adelaide Oval, their first Test in South Australia since 2004.

The venue was the scene of a Wallabies World Record at the 2003 Rugby World Cup, when the Australians beat Namibia 142-0, in what remains the largest margin of victory in men's Test Rugby.

The two sides will then move to the eastern seaboard where they will meet for a second time the following Saturday, 3 September, in New South Wales at a venue to be confirmed.

Twelve days later on Thursday 15 September, the Wallabies will head to Melbourne to take on the All Blacks in their only Bledisloe Cup Test on home soil this year. The encounter at Marvel Stadium will mark the return of the All

Blacks to Melbourne for the first time since 2010.

The Bledisloe will be played in Melbourne in two consecutive years, with the Victorian capital announced as the host for the Australian edition in 2023.

The return clash this year is scheduled for the following Saturday, 24 September, at Eden Park in Auckland.

The home Tests are preceded by a two-week tour in Argentina, where the side will take on Los Pumas in Mendoza and San Juan, on the 6 and 13 of August respectively.

Rugby Australia CEO, Andy Marinos said: “We're extremely pleased to be able to able to confirm our remaining International fixtures on home soil for 2022."

"To host a double header in Adelaide where the Buildcorp Wallaroos will be firmly into their preparation for the Rugby World Cup and the Wallabies who will take on the current Rugby World Cup champion Springboks in what will be a return to Adelaide Oval following their emphatic win against Namibia in the 2003 RWC is an exciting prospect for both teams that will make this an occasion to remember.

"We then move to NSW where we get another opportunity against the Springboks in back to back weekends in front of a rugby starved supporter base that has seen no International rugby for two years.

"The home Rugby Championship fixtures conclude with a unique Thursday night Bledisloe Cup Match at Marvel Stadium in what is another blockbuster international sporting event in Melbourne and we know the sporting public there love to get out and support their national teams.

"We would like to thank all of our partners for their continued support, as well as our State Governments for their ongoing support and co-operation in delivering world-class live events here in Australia.”

Wallabies coach, Dave Rennie said: “To have such high quality Tests in Australia this year is great for our team as we continue to build and gain experience as a group."

"To have matches in most major cities across Australia this year will allow us to connect with more of our supporters and community which is something we value highly as a team."

Australia's Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup Fixtures

Wallabies v Argentina, Saturday 6 August, TBC, at Estadio Malvinas, Mendoza
Wallabies v Argentina, Saturday 13 August, TBC, at Estadio del Bicentenario, San Juan
Wallabies v South Africa, Saturday 27 August, TBC at Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
Wallabies v South Africa, Saturday 3 September, TBC at TBC, New South Wales
Wallabies v New Zealand, Thursday 15 September, TBC at Marvel Stadium, Melbourne
Wallabies v New Zealand, Saturday 24 September, 5:05pm AEST at Eden Park, Auckland