Eden Park

Blues overcome plucky Force at Eden Park

The Force made the Blues work for it early and didn't concede a try until the 29th minute, but were ultimately put away comfortably at Eden Park in their second straight defeat.

It leaves them still searching for their first win against an New Zealand-based side since returning to the competition in 2021, without a victory in seven attempts.

The Perth side matched it with opponents at the breakdown and forced some early penalties, although a missed shot at goal combined with Gareth Simpson failing to find touch from a kick meant they had no points to show for it.

Wellington loses two All Blacks tests, Eden Park gets back to back games

The opening Bledisloe Cup game against the Wallabies remains at Eden Park this Saturday, and because of the pause in the trans-Tasman travel bubble, game two (which doubles as the Rugby Championship opener) will now also be played in Auckland a week later.

The game was originally scheduled for Perth on August 21st.

Sanzaar wanted the match to be played on a Saturday night, effectively ruling Wellington out as a venue with the Beervana event scheduled for next weekend.

Rivalry revived as Blues host Crusaders at Eden Park

     

Encounters between the powerhouses were highlights of the early days of professional rugby but the fixture lost its lustre as the Blues struggled and the Crusaders thrived.

The Blues have been revived after a decade in the doldrums, however, and Leon MacDonald's side are viewed by many as the only team that can prevent the south islanders from taking a fifth successive Super Rugby title.

Eden Park keeps Bledisloe Cup test

It means the second Bledisloe Cup test will be played at Eden Park next Sunday, as fans will be allowed to attend.

The test would have been moved to Dunedin if Auckland remained at Alert Level 2.

NZR general manager professional rugby and performance Chris Lendrum says it's great news.

"Auckland fans missed out on both the North v South match last month and the Blues v Crusaders match so this is positive news that they will be able to enjoy Test match rugby,' Lendrum said.

Eden Park sold out for final Super Rugby Aotearoa game of the season

Blues chief executive Andrew Hore has confirmed to TVNZ News that all 43,236 tickets for Sunday's game have been sold.

The Crusaders sealed the title at the weekend with a 32-22 win over the Highlanders in Christchurch.

New Zealand's five Super Rugby teams have reported increased crowd numbers, a welcome financial boost after the COVID-19 shutdown.

The Crusaders will face the Blues at 3.35pm this Sunday while the Highlanders will take on the Hurricanes at 7.05pm Saturday.

     

Women's World Cup final set for Eden Park in 2021

The semifinals and bronze medal match at the first women's World Cup to be held in the southern hemisphere will also be held at New Zealand's largest sports stadium, which has a capacity of 50,000 and hosted the 1987 and 2011 men's finals.

Former Black Ferns world-cup winning captain Dr Farah Palmer was a driving force behind getting the Rugby World Cup to New Zealand and she said she was blown away that it was finally getting closer.