The historic clash against Wales on Friday night at Suncorp Stadium will kick-off a valuable Queensland Reds’ International Program involving five rugby countries.
This follows confirmation that the Reds will extend their fruitful relationship with the Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights with a tour to Japan in late October-November.
There will be a full cap fixture against the Wild Knights in November, after a warm-up match, just as there has been in 2022 and 2023.
The Reds came out on top 55-30 at Kumagaya Stadium when they visited Japan in 2022 and there was a tight, free-flowing contest for a 31-29 win when the sides met at Ballymore Stadium in 2023.
The Queensland Rugby Union is delighted to now be in the position to outline the most varied international schedule of matches for any Super Rugby Pacific club.
More than 20,000 fans are expected at Suncorp Stadium for the first Reds v Wales clash since 1991.
A week later, the scene will change dramatically when the Reds men and women jet into the Pacific to take on the national teams of Tonga in Nuku’alofa on July 26.
The tour of Tonga has been made possible by the support of the Australian Government’s PacificAus Sports program.
The tour of Japan follows later in the year before the Reds embark on a tour of Europe.
Matches against English side Bristol in Bristol (January 31) and Irish side Ulster in Belfast (February 7) will become the Reds’ quality pre-season hit-outs before the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season.
Six games. Five countries.
“The excitement surrounding the Reds v Wales game says a lot about these international games being at the heart of what makes rugby the game it is,” said Queensland Rugby Union Chief Executive David Hanham.
“We are delighted to be able to offer this variety of games to our players and staff.
“The development value of playing against different game styles and in different countries is proven.
“It’s an exciting time for Queensland Rugby. More of our players will be exposed to higher levels of rugby and that can only benefit our depth.
“There is strong brand awareness worldwide of the Queensland Reds and it can only help playing top quality matches overseas.”
PacificAus Sports is an Australian Government sports diplomacy initiative developing pathways for Pacific teams and athletes to compete in elite competitions and access high-performance coaching in Australia and internationally.
The program partners with Australian national sports organisations to support a range of Pacific sports, including rugby union. Funding is split evenly between women and men.
