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Canada will play an international match against the USA in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on June 23. Considered over several months, the plan is now approved and will be confirmed by Rugby Canada next week. The game will take place at the Wanderers Grounds in the city centre.
The venue was originally intended to host a previous match between Canada and the Glasgow Warriors but after officials from both teams declared the pitch unsatisfactory the game was instead moved to Graves Oakley Memorial Park where a temporary pitch was constructed in just two days.
Wanderers Grounds has since been approved for a ‘pop-up’ stadium by Halifax city council under the direction of SEA Entertainment. The Halifax-based event management company was also involved in the 2015 match, both with the original plan and the last-minute redirection.
No matches were permitted on the field in 2017 and the pitch itself has been completely re-seeded. There are no stands at the site currently but when construction is complete it will have a capacity of 6,500, complete with concessions stands. The facility is also intended to be used as a home for a proposed professional soccer franchise.
This will be the first official test match hosted by Halifax. Canada has not played a domestic test match east of Ontario since August 2006, when Canada hosted the USA in a World Cup Qualifier at Swilers Rugby Park in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Canada defeated Scotland in Saint John, New Brunswick, in 1991 however Scotland opted not to award test caps that day and instead labeled the side as a ‘Scotland XV’.
