Rugby Championship 2013 details announced

SANZAR has announced the 2013 Rugby Championship details and fixtures, following from the inaugural competition which took place last year.

The draw remains the same as the 2012 tournament, with the matches being played across 12 different venues across South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Argentina.

“The schedule has remained consistent with recent seasons to provide familiarity for Unions and fans while maximising our television audience, which is always a challenge when working across four distinctly different time zones,” said SANZAR CEO Greg Peters.

“The inaugural staging of the Rugby Championship showcased a very high standard of rugby to more than 16 million viewers and over half a million passionate supporters that filled stadiums to 91% capacity.

“With New Zealand, South Africa and Australia ranked one to three in the world, Argentina rapidly acclimatising to this high calibre of rugby and 10 combined end-of-year Test match triumphs for our four competing nations, SANZAR is confident of raising the bar even higher in 2013,” he added.

2013 Rugby Championship fixtures:

Saturday August 17

Australia v New Zealand
(ANZ Stadium, Sydney – Kick-off: 20:05; 10:05 GMT)

South Africa v Argentina
(Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein – Kick-off: 15:00; 13:00 GMT)

Saturday, August 24

August New Zealand v Australia
(Westpac Stadium, Welllington – Kick-off: 19:35; 7:35 GMT)

Argentina v South Africa
(Estadio Malvinas Argentinas, Mendoza – Kick-off: 16:10; 19:10 GMT)

Saturday, September 7  

Australia v South Africa
(Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane – Kick-off: 20:05; 10:05 GMT)

New Zealand v Argentina
(Waikato Stadium, Hamilton – Kick-off: 19:35; 7:35 GMT)

Saturday, September 14  

Australia v Argentina
(Patersons Stadium, Perth – Kick-off: 18:05; 10:05 GMT)

New Zealand v South Africa
(Eden Park, Auckland – Kick-off: 19:35; 7:35 GMT)

Saturday, September 28  

South Africa v Australia
(Newlands Stadium, Cape Town – Kick-off: 17:00; 15:00 GMT)

Argentina v New Zealand
(Estadio Ciudad de La Plata, La Plata – Kick-off: 19:40; 22:40 GMT)

Saturday, October 5  

South Africa v New Zealand
(Ellis Park, Johannesburg – Kick-off: 17:00; 15:00 GMT)

Argentina v Australia
(Estadio Gigante de Arroyito, Rosario – Kick-off: 19:40; 22:40 GMT)

Source: SANZAR