The Bledisloe Cup will be played on ANZAC Day for the first time in its 123-year history, with Australia and New Zealand locking in a series of Brisbane Tests across the next five years. Rugby Australia and New Zealand Rugby confirmed the Wallabies and All Blacks will meet at Suncorp Stadium on ANZAC Day in 2027, 2029 and 2031.
It is a landmark moment for the sport's oldest trans-Tasman rivalry, and for Queensland, which staged the first Test between the two nations back in 1907. Brisbane will host three matches as part of the arrangement.
Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh called it a defining occasion. "This is an historic day for Australian, New Zealand and international rugby," he said, adding that the fixture would "create a new trans-Tasman sporting tradition."
His New Zealand counterpart, NZR chief executive Steve Lancaster, pointed to the symbolism of the date. "Playing the Bledisloe Cup on Anzac Day creates a unique trans-Tasman sporting occasion that honours our countries' shared history and cultures," Lancaster said.
The deal was driven in part by Queensland, whose government moved to secure the marquee fixture. Premier David Crisafulli framed it as a coup for the state. "We are bringing the Bledisloe Cup to Queensland, with an historic agreement to lock in ANZAC Day tests until 2031," he said.
Queensland Tourism Minister Andrew Powell said the certainty of an annual date mattered. "Locking in the ANZAC Day Bledisloe Cup year after year is a major win for Queensland and ensures this iconic fixture has a strong and lasting home," Powell said.
ANZAC Day, marked on 25 April, commemorates the servicemen and women of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, and carries deep significance on both sides of the Tasman. Staging the Bledisloe Cup on that date ties the contest to a shared national day of remembrance rather than a standalone sporting occasion.
The agreement also lands at a time when Australian and New Zealand rugby have drawn closer, with both unions increasingly aligned against the threat of rival codes and breakaway competitions courting their players. A fixed, high-profile ANZAC Day Test hands the Bledisloe Cup a guaranteed marquee window in a crowded winter calendar, and gives Brisbane another major fixture as the city builds toward hosting the 2032 Olympic Games.
