Argentina and Australia will face off at London’s Twickenham stadium on October 8 as part of this year’s Rugby Championship, the two countries’ federations announced on Tuesday.
It will be the first match in the competition’s history to be played outside the competing nations of Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
Argentina will be bidding to avenge their 29-15 defeat at Australia’s hands in last year’s World Cup semi-final at Twickenham.
“While we witness the daring and exciting brand of rugby played by Southern Hemisphere teams on a regular basis, last year’s Rugby World Cup well and truly showcased that skill and flair to the rest of the world,” said SANZAAR (South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Argentina Rugby) chief executive Andy Marinos in a statement.
“Now, we are thrilled to announce that two of our national teams, Argentina and Australia, will be returning to the United Kingdom some 12 months later to contest what will be a historic chapter of the Rugby Championship.
“Aligned with our intent to take this product across the globe, Argentina have embraced this by moving one of their home fixtures to Twickenham, thereby affording an ever-growing fan base in the United Kingdom with the opportunity to see two of the world’s most entertaining teams … compete for one of the world’s toughest trophies in front of a passionate rugby crowd at Twickenham.”
The 2016 Rugby Championship begins on August 20, with defending champions Australia tackling world champions New Zealand in Sydney and Argentina facing South Africa in Nelspruit. – Agence France-Presse
