Rugby World Cup
World Cup fixture changes announced
ESPNscrum Staff
March 30, 2011
Construction Continues on the Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin, New Zealand, February 25, 2011
Dunedin's new Forsyth-Barr Stadium will play host to two England games later this year © Getty Images
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The revised Rugby World Cup schedule has been confirmed as expected, with England to play Argentina and Georgia at Dunedin's yet-to-be-completed Forsyth Barr Stadium.

The two high-profile games are among those that were scheduled to be played in Christchurch but have had to be reallocated following the 6.3 magnitude earthquake that struck the city a month ago.

Christchurch's two quarter-finals had already been reallocated to Auckland. The other changes will see Australia's fixture with Italy played in North Harbour while the Wallabies' meeting with Russia will now take place in Nelson. Argentina's date with Scotland has been switched to Wellington and as a result of the extra matches in Dunedin, the Scots' game against Georgia will be moved to Invercargill.

Dunedin's new 30,000 capacity stadium has been officially approved fit for World Cup hosting duties. It is the chosen venue for England's eagerly-anticipated match-up with the Pumas on September 10 and also their date with the Lelos on September 18. The NZ$198m venue was already due to play host to England's match against Romania (September 24) with their final pool clash with Scotland (October 1) set for Auckland's Eden Park.

The state-of-the-art stadium, that will boast the world's first transparent roof over a natural playing surface, is not expected to be completed until August 1, with the All Blacks set to christen the stadium with a pre-Tri-Nations match against Fiji in late July.

Rugby World Cup Ltd chairman Bernard Lapasset said that all tournament stakeholders had been supportive throughout the rescheduling process. "Following the difficult decision to transfer the Christchurch matches all involved have worked hard to confirm the new venues as quickly as possible," he said. "We are pleased that three of the five matches will remain in the South Island.

"We appreciate the patience shown by the teams and fans during this difficult period and are enormously grateful for the support and cooperation of all our partners during what has been a complex process."

RNZ 2011 chief executive Martin Snedden said Wednesday's decisions provided certainty for the affected seven teams. "Our desire was always to transfer as many of the Christchurch pool matches as was reasonably possible to other existing South Island venues," Snedden said.

"Today's decisions provide the certainty for the affected seven teams, their fans and media around the rescheduled matches. This has been a complex logistical process, but with the help of our Tournament partners, the arrangements are now complete."

Snedden also welcomed the confirmation the news that the new stadium is nearing completion. "The Otago Stadium operators have provided us with the assurances we need for us to now be confident that the new venue will be ready to deliver on its Tournament obligations so we are pleased, today, to formally confirm this excellent new facility as a RWC 2011 match venue," added Snedden.

Organisers also said that ticket purchasers for all Christchurch matches and Scotland's game against Georgia match will receive a refund and the opportunity to secure replacement tickets to the rescheduled matches during a priority purchase period.

As well, the rescheduling decisions have also meant a number of changes to team bases. Queenstown will now host Georgia as well as Ireland, Romania and England while Hanmer Springs in north Canterbury becomes a new team base and will host Australia over four nights.

Re-allocated World Cup fixtures:

Saturday, September 10
Argentina v England, Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin

Sunday, September 11
Australia v Italy, North Harbour Stadium, Auckland

Wednesday, September 14
Georgia v Scotland, Rugby Park Stadium, Invercargill

Sunday, September 18
England v Georgia, Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin

Sunday, September 25
Argentina v Scotland, Westpac Stadium, Wellington

Saturday, October 1
Australia v Russia, Trafalgar Park, Nelson

Saturday, October 8
Quarter-Final 2, Eden Park, Auckland

Sunday, October 9
Quarter-Final 4, Eden Park, Auckland

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

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