Community rugby coming to Upper Hutt

It’s a game of three halves in the community.

Upper Hutt’s Maidstone Park will play host to the Hurricanes pre-season clash against the Blues and the Chiefs.

The match is being played on Saturday 13 February, kick-off time and match details to be confirmed at a later time.

It is anticipated that All Blacks may also be involved, given the disjointed nature of last year. A pattern of pre-season Super Rugby games in recent years has been for All Blacks to sit these out as they ease into the new season.

It is the first time the venue has held a Super Rugby fixture, let alone a game of three halves – in which the three squads will all get to play each other for forty minutes.

Upper Hutt Mayor and 1990 Swindale Shield winning coach, Wayne Guppy, says the fixture will not only draw fans locally but from the Wairarapa as well.

“Upper Hutt is excited to host some of New Zealand’s biggest rugby stars. We’ll be coming along to show our support at our fortress, ‘The Stone’ (Maidstone Park).”

Hurricanes CEO, Avan Lee, says that excitement is mutual.

“It’s awesome to be able to put this game on for the people of Upper Hutt. The council, mayor and Upper Hutt Rams Rugby Football Club have been fantastic to deal with and we cannot wait for the 13^th to roll around.”

Maidstone Park is Upper Hutt’s most central park, sitting within proximity to the local train station and other public transportation.

Guppy says not only is it easy to get to, but it’s also a really lovely place to watch sport on a Saturday afternoon – especially in summer.

“At a grassroots level, this is where rugby begins, it’s a great opportunity to bring a showcase of the very best to our city.”

It will be a homecoming of sorts for Hurricanes assistant coach, Cory Jane, who resides in the area and is a member of the Upper Hutt Rams.

“We’re rugby mad in Upper Hutt, which is one of the many reasons I love it here so much. I’m also really looking forward to seeing this club of mine heaving with supporters on game day.”

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The fixture will take place just two weeks before the first round of Sky Super Rugby Aotearoa officially kicks off on Saturday, 27 February. That weekend, the Hurricanes play the Blues from 7:05pm at Sky Stadium.

Jane says pre-season will be a good way to tell how things are tracking ahead of that first game.

“It’s been all go since assembling earlier this month.  The boys have been grafting really hard to get their fitness up and come together as a unit. I think we’ve made some great progress already, but pre-season will be good gauge for what is working and what needs some tweaking before round one.”

Tickets for the game of three halves are on sale now via ticketek.co.nz with adult admissions costing $12 and kids just $6.