England must wait until November 2018 to face New Zealand after RFU ditch plan for All Blacks

The match against the BaaBaas was due to help mark the 125th anniversary of the New Zealand union
Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images
Chris Jones22 March 2017

New Zealand will face the Barbarians at Twickenham in November, ending England's hopes of facing the All Blacks this year.

RFU chief Ian Ritchie wanted England to take up the fixture which could have brought in gate receipts of £10million but it became clear New Zealand and the English Premiership clubs would demand a major share of that revenue.

The match against the BaaBaas will help mark the 125th anniversary of the New Zealand union.

The Baabaas said in a statement: "The Barbarian FC today received approval from the RFU to stage the Barbarians v New Zealand match at Twickenham on November 4, 2017.

"The Barbarians approached the RFU last month with a request to stage this fixture at Twickenham and the request has been granted, replacing a Barbarians v Australia match previously approved."

The All Blacks usually receive £1.5m for playing abroad outside the normal schedule but reports in New Zealand predict a £3m fee for facing the BaaBaas.

The RFU get £500,000 for hiring out their stadium and while they will miss out on a larger revenue, they avoid being viewed as bullies who pushed the BaaBaas aside to create an England-All Blacks game.

England will face Australia, Argentina and Samoa in the autumn and the absence of the All Blacks clash will at least give England head coach Eddie Jones the chance to give more rest to his players who will tour New Zealand with the Lions this summer. Jones expects at least 15 members of the England squad to be picked by the Lions.

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