AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND – JULY 03: Tohu Harris and Shaun Johnson of the Warriors lead the team out during the round 16 NRL match between the New Zealand Warriors and the Wests Tigers at Mt Smart Stadium, on July 03, 2022, in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
The West Tigers are set to take one of their home games for next season across the Tasman to play the Warriors in Hamilton.
The Warriors spent over two and a half seasons away from home due to the challenges of COVID and will finally get 11 home games in 2023 in front of the New Zealand faithful.
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND – JULY 03: Tohu Harris and Shaun Johnson of the Warriors lead the team out during the round 16 NRL match between the New Zealand Warriors and the Wests Tigers at Mt Smart Stadium, on July 03, 2022, in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
The addition of this fixture against the Tigers brings that total to 12 and means the Warriors will play before crowds in Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton and Napier next year.
According to Stuff NZ, the match is to be played at FMG Stadium Waikato, a venue with a capacity for over 25,000 spectators.
Although the ground is most notable for its use in Rugby Union contests, it has served as the arena for a couple of notable league matches, such as Tonga’s famous win over New Zealand in front of a sea of singing fans in the 2017 Rugby League World Cup.
It most recently hosted one game from the 2019 Lions tour, but it hasn’t hosted an NRL contest since 2014, when the Bulldogs beat the Warriors in front of 17,673 fans.
Talks of compensation for the Warriors’ sacrifices to keep the game alive in the wake of the pandemic have been discussed numerous times in the rugby league community, and an extra home game will definitely be a plus for the struggling club.
The West Tigers became a part of New Zealand rugby league history last season when they were the club that played the Warriors in their first true home game since 2019 back in Round 16.
Source:: ZeroTackle
