England makes changes to Autumn Schedule

The Rugby Football Union today announced a change in England's Investec Challenge Autumn international series. A game against Australia has been confirmed for November 7 and the original match scheduled for November 28 against Fiji has been cancelled. Fiji will now play the USA in a ranking Test on the Pacific Coast [venue to be confirmed] on November 28, 2009 and will play Australia in a ranking Test in June 2010.

All these changes have been approved by the International Rugby Board (IRB) and are part of a package of global measures to offer enhanced financial support to the Fiji Rugby Union which has been faced with the loss of its major sponsor, Flour Mills of Fiji, and the recording of a F$770,000 loss in its last financial year. The changes also complement ongoing IRB support for Fiji including significant annual development and high performance investments and the awarding of the hosting rights for the IRB funded 2009 ANZ Pacific Nations Cup.

As part of the package, the RFU has agreed to contribute a significant portion of the surplus to be generated by the new match against the Wallabies to Fiji to reduce its financial losses. Adding Australia to England's autumn schedule also provides the Wallabies with an opportunity to complete a Grand Slam tour of the Home Nations and try to replicate its 1984 success 25 years on. To enable the Australia game to take place the Professional Game Board (PGB) approved a change to the international window this autumn from 14-28 November to 7-21 November.

Francis Baron, Chief Executive Officer of the RFU said: "Moving around our Autumn schedule is not ideal but to be able to offer Fiji substantive support we needed to find a multi-union approach. Playing a Test against Australia in replacement for the Fiji Test will allow us to generate additional revenue to provide meaningful financial support to the Fiji Rugby Union as part of the global package."

Keni Dakuidreketi, Chairman of the Fiji Rugby Union said: "These changes will have a positive effect in improving the present difficult financial position of Fiji Rugby. There are other significant outcomes as well: the Wallabies will now have the opportunity to repeat their historic Grand Slam win of 1984; England now hosts the opening Test of that Grand Slam quest; Fiji secures an additional Test against the Wallabies to be played in Australia next year and the USA secures a new home Test against Fiji in November. All around it is great for rugby".

"We're pleased to confirm that a Grand Slam tour, after all these years, is back on our calendar again," said Australian Rugby Union Managing Director and CEO John O'Neill. "The long trips to the UK and Ireland to play all four Home Unions are an integral part of the rich history and tradition of the Wallabies. I'm delighted the footsteps of the 1984 Grand Slam Wallabies will, for the first time in 25 years, be retraced by our current national side."

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