LEINSTER WILL PREPARE for next season with a pre-season trip to Ontario this summer, where they will face the Canada men’s national team in a friendly fixture.
Leo Cullen’s side will travel to Canada for the first time as part of their preparations for the 2019/20 campaign, while the pre-season game on 24 August will be part of Canada’s build-up to the World Cup.
The province will meet Kingsley Jones’ Les Rouges at the 14,245-capacity Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, which is home to the Hamilton TigerCats of the Canadian Football League and Forge FC of the Canadian Premier Soccer League.
Tickets for the game will go on sale at 3pm Irish time [10am ET] on 29 May here.
“As a club, this will be the first time we have travelled to Canada for our pre-season preparations,” Cullen said.
“We are looking forward to the visit and the challenge of taking on a full international side which we haven’t done in quite some time. It will be an excellent opportunity for a number of our players to get some great experience ahead of the 2019/20 season.”
Canada have been drawn in Pool B and will face Italy, New Zealand, South Africa and Namibia at this year’s World Cup in Japan.
“This fixture is crucially important for our preparation for the 2019 Rugby World Cup,” head coach Jones said.
“Leinster are one of the top clubs in all of Europe — they will bring a wealth of experience and provide high-quality opposition for us as we build towards facing Italy.
“The rugby community has continued to support our journey to the World Cup, and I look forward to a large home crowd for this match.”
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