New Zealand teams gear up for 2011 pre-season matches

With the exception of some All Blacks who are still to return to their franchises, all five New Zealand teams are gearing up for eight pre-season games, before the 2011 Investec Super Rugby competition begins on 18 February.

The Hurricanes will host the Highlanders in round one at Westpac Trust Stadium on the Friday night, while the Blues will host the Crusaders at Eden Park on Saturday.

The Chiefs begin their season with a tough match against the Brumbies at Canberra Stadium, with the Waikato based franchise hitting the road for their first two matches.

The pre-season matches will be played in the heartlands, as Mangatainoka, Balclutha, Kerikeri, Taupo, Oamaru and Pukekohe will all experience rugby action.

The match at Mangatainoka will take place for the second year, and has become arguably the small region's flagship event, with the January 29 match between the Hurricanes and Chiefs set to sell out with 10,000 spectators.

Tui Brewery commercial manager, Nick Rogers, said the match was a special occasion.

"This will not only be a great game between two of Super Rugby's most passionate franchises, but it will be an event because we are taking New Zealand rugby back to the heartland again," Rogers said.

"The 2010 game, which was the Hurricanes biggest attendance at a pre-season game ever and the only pre-season game that has ever sold out, proved that people are still passionate about rugby and passionate about supporting their team."

On the final Saturday of January the Crusaders will travel to flood ravaged Queensland to play the Reds in Cairns, while the Highlanders and the Blues head to Balclutha.

The Blues and Hurricanes will play each other in Kerikeri on Friday 4 February, while the Crusaders play the Melbourne Rebels in their first match at the new AAMI Park in Melbourne.

The final weekend will see the Brumbies host the Hurricanes in Canberra on Thursday 10 February, on Friday 11 February the Highlanders and Crusaders head to Oamaru, while two old foes do battle as the Chiefs and Blues clash at Bayer Growers Stadium in Pukekohe.

The NZ Investec Super Rugby pre-season fixtures:

Saturday 29 January

Reds v Crusaders TBC Barlow Park, Cairns
Highlanders v Blues 13:00 AMP Showgrounds, Balclutha
Hurricanes v Chiefs 15:00 Mangatainoka RFC, Mangatainoka

Friday 4 February

Blues v Hurricanes 17:00 Kerikeri Domain, Kerikeri

Saturday 5 February

Rebels v Crusaders 20:00 AAMI Park, Melbourne
Chiefs v Highlanders 14:30 Owen Delany Park, Taupo

Thursday 10 February

Brumbies v Hurricanes 19:40 Viking Park, Canberra

Friday 11 February

Highlanders v Crusaders 16:30 Whitestone Contracting Stadium, Oamaru

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Reigning champion Bulls announce 2011 pre-season matches

The Bulls, Investec Super Rugby's newest dynasty, will play warm-up matches against the Eastern Province Kings and a Premier selection XV as they countdown to their title defence.

The Pretoria based side, winners of three of the last four titles, are gearing up for the expanded season, with the squad assembling yesterday after their Christmas break.

They had a training camp in George, without their international contingent, before dispersing for 2010.

Wynand Olivier, Gurthrö Steenkamp, Fourie du Preez, Victor Matfield, Gary Botha and Danie Rossouw, who all carried injuries and niggles into the New Year, will be assessed by Bulls medical staff before taking part in the first training sessions of the year.

Bjorn Basson and Chiliboy Ralepelle will not link up with the Bulls yet, as they await the outcome of a South African Rugby Union (SARU) judiciary.

Both tested positive to a banned substance while touring with the Springboks on their failed Grand Slam tour.

The Bulls first pre-season match will be against the Kings in Port Elizabeth on January 29, and a week later will play the Premier XV (consisting primarily of players from the Mpumalanga Pumas) at Nelspruit’s Mbombela Stadium on February 5.

The champions will travel to Johannesburg to open their campaign against the Lions on February 19.

Match promoter Willem Strauss, speaking to the Bulls official site at thebulls.co.za, said the Premier XV match will be an exciting one.

“The Pumas did beat the Blue Bulls and Golden Lions in Currie Cup, so will be good competition," he said.

"They also made the Sharks and Lions work real hard in warm-up fixtures last year. The match also gives the thousands of Bulls fans in the Lowveld a great opportunity to see their favourite team in action and we expect a sell-out crowd at this iconic stadium.”

The Kings are expected to enter Super Rugby in 2012, and the match is part of SARU's efforts to prepare the new franchise.

Wilhelm Steenkamp (Cheetahs), Jacques-Louis Potgieter (Sharks), Pedrie Wannenburg (Ulster), Heini Adams (Bordeaux), Jaco Engels (Kings), Bandise Maku (Lions) and John Mametsa (retired) will not be involved with the Bulls this year.

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South Africans gear up for 2011 Investec Super Rugby pre-season

The Sharks, Stormers and Lions will play in the Neo Africa Tri-Series at the end of the month, a tournament which effectively constitutes those three teams pre-season matches before the 2011 Investec Super Rugby season starts.

The tournament will be hosted at Newlands, and the Western Force, who played in the three team series last year, will be replaced by the Lions.

The Tri-Series takes place from January 28 to February 5, kicking off with the Stormers hosting the Lions.

On February 1 the Sharks and Lions play, while the third and final match will be a replay of the 2010 Currie CUp final, with the home team taking on the Durban based side.

Three time and reigning champions the Bulls and the Cheetahs have not confirmed any pre-season matches at this stage.

The season proper will begin with two South African derbies, with the Lions hosting the Bulls on February 19, while earlier that night the Sharks will entertain the Cheetahs.

The Stormers have a first round bye before hosting the Lions on February 26.

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