• Auckland to play Brumbies A & Waratahs in February/March of 2019
• 27 players to travel along with 5 team management
• Tour provides an opportunity for club players to become exposed to High Performance rugby outside of the usual window

The beginning of 2019 will be an unusually busy period for the Auckland Mitre 10 Cup side as Head Coach Alama Ieremia will take 27 players to Canberra and Sydney for clashes with the Brumbies A team and full-strength Waratahs side.

The 27-strong travelling party will first have to be whittled down from a wider group of 65 selected from the Auckland club and representative scenes.

The tour provides the coaching group of Ieremia, Filo Tiatia and Tai Lavea, with an opportunity to continue the momentum of the 2018 Mitre 10, Bs and Colts representative programmes while also continuing to increase the depth of the player base at club level. The increased exposure to High Performance rugby will in-turn prepare the players for their upcoming Waka Nathan and club campaigns.

Head Coach Alama Ieremia is certain of the benefits to come from a tour such as this.

“Momentum is important for us, and building on what has already been built through the various representative programmes can only help us heading into 2019. Those who travel and play will be exposed to High Performance pre-season games that will prepare them thoroughly for their upcoming club campaigns.”

While building depth in the playing pool is of significant importance, the coaching group will also be looking to expand their portfolios.

“Tours like this mean we can experiment somewhat with the various roles within our coaching group through the assignment of different roles and areas to aid our own development.”

2019 Tour Schedule:

Friday 22 February     Auckland v Brumbies A          Vikings Park, Canberra

Friday 1 March           Auckland v Waratahs                        Venue TBC