Queensland has reportedly secured a six-year deal to stage Anzac Day Bledisloe Cup Tests at Suncorp Stadium, giving rugby union the marquee April fixture it has chased for years.
The agreement would put Brisbane in line to host Wallabies-All Blacks Tests in 2027, 2029 and 2031, with New Zealand staging the alternating editions. The concept has been pushed as a trans-Tasman event capable of challenging the AFL and NRL’s established Anzac Day dominance.
Why Brisbane matters
Rugby Australia’s pursuit of the fixture had already gathered momentum after Wallabies flanker Fraser McReight publicly backed Brisbane as the right stage. McReight argued that rugby had a “unique opportunity” to build a special event and pointed to Suncorp Stadium as a venue without a competing AFL or NRL centrepiece on the day.
The deal would also land one year before Australia hosts the 2027 Rugby World Cup, giving the Wallabies another high-profile home platform as Les Kiss builds toward that tournament. Readers looking back at the rivalry can revisit ReadRugbyUnion’s New Zealand v Australia memorable matches.
For New Zealand Rugby, the upside is commercial as well as symbolic. The Bledisloe Cup remains the sport’s most durable annual rivalry in the region, and an Anzac Day slot would turn it from a late-season series marker into a standalone broadcast property.
The immediate question is disruption. A mid-season Test would force Super Rugby Pacific to bend around national selection, player release and travel. But that is the gamble: rugby needs more events that feel bigger than its weekly club calendar.
If Queensland’s deal is confirmed in full, Brisbane has not just bought a match. It has bought rugby union a shot at owning one of the most valuable dates on the Australian sporting calendar.
