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MEDIA RELEASE: AUSTRALIAN BARBARIANS KICK OFF A BIG 24 HOURS OF RUGBY IN QUEENSLAND
| Australian Rugby Union today announced the Australian Barbarians will take on Canada in a one off match at Skilled Park on the Gold Coast on Friday 26 August with the game scheduled to get underway at 7:30pm. It will be the first time Skilled Park has played host to a Rugby Union match since the venue opened in 2008 and will kick-off a huge 24 hours of Rugby in Queensland with the Qantas Wallabies set for their final game on home soil against the All Blacks the following evening. The match will be the Canadians last before the Rugby World Cup begins and will most likely feature a full strength team keen to use the game as a springboard for a competitive and hopefully fruitful World Cup campaign. Last year the Australian Barbarians took on England in two fierce games with the side featuring several Qantas Wallabies, including Berrick Barnes, Will Chambers, Anthony Fainga’a, James O’Connor, Pat McCutcheon, Matt Hodgson, Ben McCalman, Rob Simmons, James Slipper and Tatafu Polota-Nau. Despite showing the tough, uncompromising spirit that the Australian Barbarians are renowned for they could not overcome the old foe drawing the first match in Perth 28-all and going down by less than a converted try in the second match at Gosford 15-9. The game against the Canadians in August promises to be an entertaining affair and is likely to feature several Wallabies not taking part in the Bledisloe Cup and Castrol Edge Tri Nations Test the following evening. ARU Managing Director and CEO, John O’Neill AO, encouraged people to get along to the match and make a weekend of what will be a huge 24 hours of Rugby in Queensland. “With the game set down for the night before the Bledisloe this is a fantastic opportunity for people to come and see some of the rising stars and current heroes of our game wearing the famous Australian Barbarians bottle green,” Mr O’Neill said. “Then on the Saturday morning people can head up the highway to cheer on the Qantas Wallabies against the All Blacks on Saturday evening in what will hopefully be the Bledisloe Cup and Castrol Edge Tri Nations Series decider. “For some of those playing the Barbarians match it will be their last match before heading to New Zealand for the Rugby World Cup so it would be fantastic to see Skilled Park full of people supporting the Baa Baas.” Canada, who are ranked 15th in the world on the iRB rankings, will face off against the Australian Barbarians for the first time and the Barbarians will be keen to notch up their first win against an international opponent since 1998 when they defeated Scotland in Sydney 39-34. Queensland Minister for Sport, Phil Reeves, said the match was a great opportunity for people to come and experience Rugby on the Gold Coast. “In November Skilled Park will play host to the first leg of the HSBC Sevens World Series, which means the match between the Australian Barbarians and Canada is a fantastic opportunity for people to come and get a taste for watching Rugby at the venue and experiencing what the Gold Coast has to offer,” Mr Reeves said. “It is not every day you get the chance to watch two international Rugby fixtures in 24 hours, in some of the best surroundings in the world and I encourage everyone to grab the opportunity to come along and cheer on the Barbarians and the Qantas Wallabies on Friday and Saturday night 26 and 27 August. “Our stadiums pump more than $308 million into the Queensland economy each year, and support thousands of game-day jobs, which is why the Bligh Government will continue to investment in our stadiums to ensure we deliver world class sporting events to Queensland”. “We know Queenslanders love their Rugby and we will continue to work closely with Australian Rugby to deliver more world class Rugby matches to the state.” Tickets to the Australian Barbarians v Canada will go on sale through ticketek on Thursday 19 July. A family of four will be able to purchase a family ticket for $50, while an adult ticket will cost $20 and a junior/concession ticket $10. Australian Barbarians v Canada: Date: Friday, 26 August, 2011. Venue: Skilled Park, Robina, Gold Coast. Kick-off: 7:30pm Tickets on sale: 9:00am, Tuesday, 19 July, through Ticketek. Ticket prices: $20 (Adults) / $10 (Concession/Junior) / $50 (Family) *Note to Media* Media accreditation passes issued for the Brisbane Bledisloe at Suncorp Stadium will also allow entry to the Australian Barbarians match at Skilled Stadium. Please contact Samantha Broun should you require a tabled seat in the press box. | 
