England’s scheduled World Cup warm-up match against Fiji has been switched from Rochdale to Salford’s AJ Bell Stadium.
The game was first set to take place in 2021 before the World Cup’s postponement by twelve months, and was going to be held at the Crown Oil Arena as part of Rochdale Hornets’ 150th anniversary celebrations and as a mark of the club’s historic link with Fiji.
It was still expected to be played there this year but the RFL say that the ground is no longer available.
Rochdale Hornets said that they were “disappointed” to no longer be able to host the event, as “new terms proposed by (stadium owners) Rochdale AFC render the event commercially unviable”.
“It’s very sad that we have to announce that the England-Fiji game will not be played at the Crown Oil Arena,” said Hornets chief executive Steve Kerr.
“We wanted to bring England to the borough of Rochdale and our ambition was to stage an event similar to the sell-out Ireland versus Fiji fixture in 2013.
“It is a lost opportunity for the whole borough and we apologise to all our stakeholders and fans, who wanted to see the game played in Rochdale as part of our 150-year celebrations.”
The neighbouring AJ Bell Stadium will instead host the fixture, England men’s only warm-up game, which will be played on Friday, October 7.
England coach Shaun Wane is looking forward to measuring his side up against a Fiji team who have reached the semi-finals of the past three tournaments.
“I said last year before the World Cup was postponed that Fiji were ideal opposition for us to get ready for the Samoa game, so I’m pleased we’ve been able to rearrange the game for this year,” said Wane.
“They’re a very talented team who will give us a real challenge, which will be good for the players and for us as coaches.
“And as a Rugby League fan it’s a game I’d be looking forward to, so I hope our supporters come out and get behind us ahead of the World Cup.”
