Maori All Blacks to tour England

The Maori All Blacks will to take on Leicester Tigers, Canada and a RFU Championship select XV during their Northern Hemisphere tour in November.
They will face nine-time Premiership champions Leicester Tigers at Welford Road on Tuesday, November 13.
They will then tackle a Championship select XV headed up by Bedford Blues Coach Mike Rayer on Saturday, November 17.
Finally, the New Zealanders will play Canada at Oxford University Sports Centre on Friday, November 23.
The tour is part of a wider programme of November fixtures for Tier 2 nations supported by the IRB to ensure that these nations have access to an annual high-level competition schedule within the Rugby World Cup cycle. The full programme will be announced shortly.
Canada’s performance in the 2011 Rugby World Cup, which saw them claim a famous victory over Tonga, attracted an unprecedented number of supporters, peaking at nearly 39,000 against France. The upcoming programme will help capture and build that support as the Tier 2 nations continue to develop on the world stage.
IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset said: “This is an exciting development for the global Game.
“There will be an unprecedented number of international fixtures across the UK in November, which will give sports fans a taste of what to expect in 2015 when England hosts the world’s top 20 nations for Rugby World Cup.”
New Zealand Rugby Union CEO Steve Tew said: “The Maori All Blacks have been an important part of New Zealand’s rugby history and this UK tour reflects a NZRU commitment to a meaningful programme for the Maori All Blacks.”
Maori All Blacks UK Tour:
November 13: Leicester Tigers, Welford Road (KO 19.30)
November 17: RFU Championship XV, Castle Park (KO 12.05)
November 23: Canada, Oxford University Sports Centre (KO 19.30)