NSW continues to reinforce its profile as a globally renowned destination for staging international sporting events, with the majority of The Rugby Championship 2020 confirmed to take place across the state.
The NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency Destination NSW has secured five of the six double-header rounds of The Rugby Championships 2020, which will see Australia, New Zealand, Argentina and South Africa compete over a six-week tournament.
This will include the highly coveted Australia vs. New Zealand Bledisloe Cup match at Stadium Australia on 12 December 2020, with the remaining matches to be played at Bankwest Stadium in Western Sydney and McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle.
Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said the announcement reinforces the NSW Government’s commitment to growing events across the state as a crucial means to helping rebuild the NSW visitor economy.
“Securing this highly-anticipated international sporting series reaffirms Sydney and NSW’s reputation as Australia’s sporting capital, and delivers broader benefits for the state’s economy,” Mr Ayres said.
“The Rugby Championship is the jewel in the crown of Southern Hemisphere Rugby, so I am particularly delighted that the NSW Government has secured such a fantastic addition to our major events calendar that will have a tremendous impact on our tourism and sporting industries.
“In what has been an incredibly challenging year, it has never been more important to support major sporting events as they navigate this new environment. We look forward to welcoming players, officials, support staff and importantly, their fans to NSW for what is set to be a thrilling tournament!
“Last week we confirmed that from 1 October, major sporting events at selected Sydney stadiums can increase crowds from 25 to 50 per cent capacity (up to a maximum of 40,000 spectators), which means even more rugby fans will have the opportunity to watch the games live from the stadium.”
Acting Minister for Sport Geoff Lee said NSW can’t wait to host the Wallabies as they aim to beat the best in this Southern Hemisphere showdown.
“It has been a tough year with the Super Rugby season forced to finish as an all-Australian affair after its COVID suspension but this is a great silver lining for the sport,” Mr Lee said.
“’Tickets go on sale on October 8 so I encourage all of our die-hard rugby fans across the state to grab some tickets with your family or friends and see some great action.”
For more information on the series and ticket sales, go to Rugby.com.au and VisitNSW.com.