The Crusaders will play their next two home Super rugby matches in Nelson after their stadium was damaged in the deadly Christchurch earthquake.
The Crusaders were scheduled to host the Waratahs in Christchurch on March 4 and Brumbies on March 11 but both matches will now be switched to Nelson’s 20,000-seater Trafalgar Park.
“While we can’t play at our first choice home ground for now, Nelson is still a real home for the Crusaders and we’re looking forward to Crusaders fans in the region coming out to support the team for these first two home games,” Crusaders chief Hamish Riach said in a statement.
“We are especially grateful to the Waratahs and the Brumbies, who have willingly agreed to change their travel schedules from Australia to accommodate our change of venue.”
The owners of the AMI Stadium have confirmed that there is damage to fixtures and fittings and liquefaction within the ground, including on the playing surface.
The stadium will be closed until March 15 to assess the damage but Crusaders team manager Tony Thorpe said that the reality was that they would be unable to play any more matches there this season.