June 28 (Reuters) - Australia will host New Zealand in rugby tests in Brisbane on ANZAC Day, a holiday observed in both countries, in 2027, 2029 and 2031, NZ Rugby said on Sunday.
• The holiday, which is held on April 25, began as a commemoration of the soldiers of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought and died in the battle for Gallipoli on the coast of modern-day Turkey during World War One.
• Professional sports fixtures have become an increasingly important part of the day with Australian Rules and National Rugby League fixtures packing stadiums for what have become traditional ANZAC Day rivalries.
• The matches will be much earlier in the season than international rugby is usually played in the southern hemisphere, but could be a precursor of a shake-up in the rugby calendar.
• The test will be part of the annual Bledisloe Cup series between the two nations in the years in which it takes place. The remaining two matches in the series will be part of the Rugby Championship later in the year.
• "New Zealand and Australia share a special and unique bond built on sporting rivalries, friendship and those men and women who have served our countries in global conflicts, some making the ultimate sacrifice in doing so," said NZ Rugby chief executive Steve Lancaster.
• "Playing the Bledisloe Cup on Anzac Day creates a unique trans-Tasman sporting occasion that honours our countries’ shared history and cultures, while bringing people together through rugby."
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Clare Fallon)
