VANCOUVER - Rugby Canada held a press conference today at the BC Sports Hall of Fame in Vancouver, British Columbia to formally announce that the National Senior Men's Team will take on Georgia in an International Test Match on June 23rd at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, BC.
As a part of the Summer Test Match Series, with games also taking place in Kingston and Toronto, this match will be the Men's final contest to close out the three game series that saw them also play the US and Italy.
"It is a great opportunity for the fans to see World Cup stars," said National Men's Program Manager and Canadian rugby legend Gareth Rees, who along with Chairman of the Rugby Canada Board of Directors Rick Bourne and National Senior Men's Team player, Jason Marshall, were on hand to speak with the community and media. "Most of these players train in B.C. and we always look forward to the opportunity to play on home soil. Burnaby has hosted a lot of important matches in Canadian rugby history and we are glad to be back."
The Summer Test Match series will be the first time the National Senior Men's Team has played since their Rugby World Cup appearance last fall in New Zealand.
The Georgia team that is coming into Burnaby poses a tough challenge for the Canadian squad. Coming off of their third straight Rugby World Cup appearance, the last time these two teams met was during Canada's Fall 2010 Tour of Europe, where the Canadians fell to the Georgians 22-15 in the nation's capital city of Tbilisi.
"As up and coming Tier Two Nations, the Canada vs. Georgia match is a significant challenge for both countries on the world stage. After last fall's Rugby World Cup, Canada is set to prove our passion, rugby culture and talent is up to this important match," said Chairman of the Rugby Canada Board of Directors, Rick Bourne. "Our new Centre of Excellence in Langford has become a great foundation to build our programs for the future, and we look to have more and more Test matches such as this one hosted in BC in the future."
This time around, the Canadians look to use home field advantage to try and repeat the 2009 Churchill Cup meeting between the two teams, where Canada won 45-10.
"Being from BC, having the opportunity to play here, play over in Europe and now to be back is always a great feeling," said North Vancouver's Jason Marshall, who played for the Canadian team in last year's Rugby World Cup. "I get to play against an International opponent not only in my home country but right in my own backyard. I think the crowd will be amazing and I am really looking forward to it."
Rugby Canada would like to thank all those who came out to the BC Sports Hall of Fame and we look forward to seeing everyone at the game.
Tickets will be available for purchase by the public on April 5th, 2012 beginning at 10 am PST. For a certain number of tickets, early bird pricing will be available to those who purchase their tickets before May 1st, with prices rising at the beginning of the month of May and then again on June 1 to their regular prices. See below for ticket pricing information.
Grandstand Tickets
April 5 – April 30 (early bird) $ 20 - $ 40
May 1 – May 31 $ 30 - $ 55
June 1 – 23 (regular price) $ 40 - $ 65
South End Zone (General Admission- Standing)
April 5 - April 30 (early bird) $9
May 1 – May 31 $15.
June 1 – June 23 (regular price) $20
All ticket prices are subject to additional taxes and handling fees.
Fans can buy their tickets to the match online at www.ticketmaster.ca. We encourage fans to go out and get their tickets as soon as possible, as early bird tickets are only available until April 30th.
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