• Tickets for the 2021 Steinlager Test Series on public sale from midday Friday, 4 June
• Taste of Pasifika festival announced for All Blacks v Tonga, Māori All Blacks v Manu Samoa double-header at Mt Smart Stadium
Rugby fans will get a Taste of Pasifika this July when the All Blacks and Māori All Blacks kick off The Steinlager Series at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland on 3 July with an epic double-header against Tonga and Manu Samoa respectively.
The Taste of Pasifika festival, delivered by Auckland Unlimited, will be set up inside Mt Smart Stadium on game day and will include village stalls, a main stage showcasing Pacific performances, fale activations, and signature Pasifika dishes and will signal the start of a unique three-Test 2021 Steinlager Series.
Auckland Unlimited General Manager – Destination, Steve Armitage, said the event at Mt Smart Stadium will be a unique experience for rugby fans.
“This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase a taste of Auckland’s Māori and Pacific cultures to New Zealand and the rest of the world through the international broadcast. Tāmaki Makaurau prides itself on delivering events with a regional flavour that cannot be experienced anywhere else, and we encourage Aucklanders and visitors to come along and enjoy the occasion.”
Tickets go on public sale at midday Friday 4 June, to the All Blacks three Steinlager Series Tests, against Tonga - featuring the Māori All Blacks v Manu Samoa - and back-to-back Tests against Fiji at Forsyth Bar Stadium in Dunedin on Saturday, 10 July and FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton on Saturday 17 July.
Ticket prices start from $15 for kids and $30 for adults at the Hamilton Tests, for Tests in Dunedin and Auckland tickets start from $25 for kids and $50 for adults. Available to purchase at All Blacks.com and New Zealand Rugby (NZR) reminds fans
to only purchase tickets from official channels and to avoid secondary on-line markets such as Viagogo.
NZR General Manager Professional Rugby & Performance Chris Lendrum said:
“This year’s Steinlager Series is bringing together All Blacks, Māori All Blacks and players from our Pacific neighbours on the field and we know Tonga, Fiji and Samoa will front up with a massive challenge. It’s great to see the Taste of Pasifika festival at Mt Smart Stadium will be celebrating the diverse people and cultures involved in our game.
“The quality and skill that Pasifika players bring to rugby is huge and as we have seen in recent years it is more than matched by the fans who support their teams and when you factor in the passion of the All Blacks and Māori All Blacks supporters, the first Test of 2021 is shaping as a special and unique occasion.”
The All Blacks three Steinlager Series Tests at Mt Smart Stadium, Forsyth Barr and FMG Stadium Waikato represent the first time the team has played on home soil since playing Australia at Eden Park last October.
The series will also mark Fiji’s first visit to Dunedin since 2011 while the Hamilton Test will include a Rugby World Cup qualifying match between Tonga and Manu Samoa. All Blacks Head Coach Ian Foster and his fellow selectors will name their squad for the Steinlager Series shortly after the conclusion of Sky Super Rugby Trans-Tasman, which culminates with a final on Saturday, 19 June.
2021 Steinlager Series schedule:
- Doubleheader on Saturday 3 July: 4.30PM: Māori All Blacks vs Manu Samoa at Mt Smart, Auckland 7.05PM: All Blacks vs Tonga at Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland
- Saturday 10 July, 7.05PM: All Blacks vs Fiji at Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin
- Saturday 17 July: 7.05PM: All Blacks vs Fiji at FMG Stadium, Hamilton* * This fixture will include the Rugby World Cup qualifying match between Tonga and Manu Samoa
About the Auckland Pasifika Festival:
Auckland’s award-winning Pasifika Festival has become the largest Pacific Island cultural festival of its kind in the world. For more than 20 years, Pasifika has attracted thousands of festival goers featuring over 200 food and craft stalls and welcoming many artisans from around the Pacific. Traditionally held at Western Springs, the Pasifika Festival is one of Auckland’s most popular annual events.
For further information contact:
Toby Robson NZ Rugby Media and Communications Manager M: +64 (0)21 401 012 E: toby.robson@nzrugby.co.nz
Aimee Dykstra NZ Rugby Media and Communications Advisor M: +64 (0)21 440 956 E: aimee.dykstra@nzrugby.co.nz
The All Blacks:
With a history extending back more than a century, New Zealand's national rugby team, the All Blacks, is not only the most successful international rugby team of all time but also one of the most successful teams in world sport, with a winning Test record of more than 75 percent. The All Blacks play European opponents every year in the Steinlager Series and again at the end of the year, and play Argentina, Australia and South Africa annually in the Investec Rugby Championship. In 2015 the All Blacks became the first team to win back-to-back Rugby World Cups, following their victory in 2011, and the first team to win three RWCs, with the All Blacks winning the inaugural Tournament in 1987. In 2013 they became the first international team in the professional era to go through the season unbeaten. The team has been named the World Rugby Team of the Year a record nine times and was named Laureus Team of the Year in 2016.
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