ENGLAND will play Argentina at Old Trafford in the first Test of this
summer's two-game series.
The 76,000 all-seater home of Premier League champions
Manchester United will host England and the Pumas on
Saturday, June 6 (4pm kick-off) with the second Test
in Argentina on Saturday, June 13 (venue to be confirmed).
In partnership with Manchester City Council and the
Northwest Regional Agency (NWDA), the Rugby Football
Union are taking an England international to Manchester
for the first time since 1997.
RFU Chief Executive Francis Baron said: "We received
a request from the Argentinean Rugby Union to play
one of the tests in England to generate funds to invest
in their squads.
"We are delighted to have been able to help them
by securing Old Trafford, one of the most famous football
stadiums in the world, and our thanks go to Manchester
City Council, the NWDA and Old Trafford itself.
"Rugby Union is thriving in the North West and
this is a great opportunity for us to play a match
away from Twickenham and aid the development of the
game in the region. Tickets will be competitively priced
and we are looking forward to a great occasion."
Ricardo Garc-a Fernández, Chairman of the Professional
Rugby Board of the Union Argentina de Rugby, said:
"We are really happy with the agreement with the
Rugby Football Union to play the first Test match in
Manchester. Those extra funds we will get for playing
there allow us to continue investing in our local development
programmes.
"Regarding the second Test to be played on June
13 in Argentina, we will know the venue at the end
of February after having concluded the diligences with
those local unions that have applied for hosting this
Test match."
Councillor Mike Amesbury, Executive Member for Culture
and Leisure at Manchester City Council, said: "Manchester
is proud to be hosting an England international, the
first to have been staged outside of the capital for
over a decade. This yet again reinforces our position
as a world-class destination for sport.
"Manchester City Council has worked hard to help
secure this event which underlines our commitment to
bringing major sports events to the City. We hope this
is just the start and we will continue to bring international
rugby matches to Manchester in the future.
"This opportunity has allowed us to strengthen
our links with the RFU, with whom we're already working
with, to develop the sport across the City. This event
will help us to support local schools, clubs and communities
to get involved in rugby activities whilst enjoying
world class rugby on our doorstep."
Peter Mearns, Executive Director of Marketing and
Communications at the NWDA, added: "Securing this
match between two world class teams is a fantastic
coup for Manchester. Sport makes a huge contribution
to our regional economy and we expect tens of thousands
of fans to head to Manchester in June. We are pleased
to have been involved in bringing such a high-profile
event to the region."
Manchester United Chief Executive David Gill said:
"We are delighted that Old Trafford has been chosen
to host this international fixture. It underlines the
stadium as one of the premier venues in world sport
and we look forward to welcoming both teams to the
Theatre of Dreams."
Ticketing details will be available in due course.
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