The Crusaders may have to play all of their home games away from AMI Stadium in Christchurch in 2012 and the All Blacks could already have played their last game there.
The ground in Christchurch was damaged by an earthquake in February which has forced the Crusaders to move all of their home games away from the city.
All of the city’s Rugby World Cup matches also had to be moved from the city to other cities and venues around New Zealand.
New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) chief executive Steve Tew says that what happens to the stadium in the future is up to the Christchurch community and the government.
The ground formerly known as Lancaster Park and Jade Stadium opened in 1881 as and hosted its first All Blacks test in 1913.
Tew said that the NZRU are considering re-developing Rugby Park and Rugby League Park in Christchurch but conceded that the Crusaders may have to play all of their Super rugby matches outside of Christchurch next year as well.
Tew admitted that the future of the stadium is anybody’s guess as there is a possibility it could be back operating again next year or never at all.
The New Zealand Rugby Union have penciled in an All Blacks test for next year in Christchurch but they are also lining up an alternative venue
Tew said that the stadium is being regularly assessed in the wake of aftershocks.
The Crusaders have played “home” matches in Wellington, Timaru and Nelson as well as Twickenham in London, England.
The Twickenham match was organised in less than two weeks but brought in the biggest crowd at 35,094 for a Crusaders home match in 2011.
Can anybody enlighten me whether all the nasty side shocks and after shocks have subsided now in Christchurch?
For a country with a relatively small population, the damage caused by the quakes MUST surely affect a massive part of the New Zealand population directly and indirectly.