Ok here we go team, another chapter ready to be written in a rivalry that’s lasted generations.
The Crusaders will take on the Blues on Friday 31 January, our first pre season fixture ahead of the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season.
We travel to Kirwee for this one, 40 minutes west of Christchurch. The proud Selwyn District township will host the showdown, kick off at 3.30pm at Kirwee Rugby Football Club.
We play the Blues twice during the regular 2025 season – Round 6 on 22 March at Eden Park, and then back home for Round 10 on 18 April at Apollo Projects Stadium.
Rob Penney, Crusaders Head Coach, said he was looking forward to hosting the Blues in rural Canterbury.
“Our pre-season games are as much about testing ourselves in a high performance environment as they are connecting with our fans across the region,” Penney said.
“So we’re very pleased to take our pre-season fixture against the Blues to Kirwee. It’ll be our first pre-season game ahead of the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season kicking off on 14 February.
“We have such a history of rivalry with the Blues, and with them being defending champs this year, what an awesome occasion to bring them to rural Canterbury for a bit of Friday afternoon footy.”
The last time the Crusaders played a pre-season game in Selwyn was against the Highlanders in 2019.
Blair Jones, Kirwee Rugby Football Club President, said they were “thrilled” to welcome both the Crusaders and Blues to their little slice of Canterbury.
“We are proud to be part of the Crusaders region and everyone here at Kirwee Rugby Football Club is counting down the days until this one,” Jones said.
“It’ll be huge for us and for the rugby community here. We can’t wait to see some Super Rugby in action right here in Kirwee.”
Tony Smail, Canterbury Rugby Football Union, said taking a fixture to Kirwee was a great initiative.
“The Kirwee rugby community have built brand-new clubroom facilities and invested in their fields. This facility, which has traditionally only been a place for rugby, has now become a real multi-use community hub and allowed them the opportunity to host the 2024 Ellesmere club final,” said Smail.
“Hosting this Crusaders pre-season match will cap off an awesome year for Kirwee and allow them to showcase the investment they are putting into their rugby”.
Smail said Ellesmere and North Canterbury alike are “integral to the success of rugby in Canterbury and having the ability to support both regions is really important”.
“We staged a fantastic NPC match in North Canterbury this season and know this Crusaders match will be no different. The community will come out and celebrate this calibre of rugby being played right in their back yard.”