On Saturday, February 3 at 5 p.m., Munster Rugby and the Crusaders will play a world-first “Clash of Champions” game in 2024, making history. The recently crowned Super Rugby Pacific champions, the Canterbury Crusaders, confirmed on Thursday that they will play the Bristol Bears and Munster on a European tour in February of next year.
The Crusaders, a New Zealand franchise, claimed that it will be their first game in Europe since they met the Durban-based Sharks at Twickenham in 2011.
Colin Mansbridge, the CEO of Crusaders, made a suggestion that the tour games would serve as a trial run for a potential international club championship in the future.
“New Zealand and Australian clubs have been working on the World Club Competition for years, so when an opportunity for Super teams to play Northern Hemisphere counterparts came up, it was just too good to pass up,” Mansbridge said.
The United Rugby Championship champion Irish team Munster will host the New Zealand team on February 3. Six days later, in Bristol, the team will play the Bears.
After Scott Robertson leaves to take over as head coach of the All Blacks in 2024, Rob Penney will lead the Crusaders in the tour games.
With a hard-fought 25-20 victory over the Waikato Chiefs last Saturday, the Christchurch-based squad won the Super Rugby Pacific final and claimed their seventh title in a row under Robertson. A World First For Munster Rugby And Crusaders