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Friday, November 1, 2013

Greatest Venues in the World the All Blacks Haven't Played In

It's been nice seeing the ABs going to Argentina 
The All Blacks are without a doubt the biggest brand in world rugby. They are what Manchester United are to football and the New York Yankees are to baseball.

Yet, the All Blacks have been quite limited in where they've visited - certainly in contrast to the likes of Manchester United and the Brazil national football team.

It's partly down to the small number of top calibre teams in world rugby that the All Blacks haven't travelled overseas much beyond the United Kingdom, France, Italy, South Africa, Australia and Argentina.

But where else should the ABs consider playing? They've done one off tests in Hong Kong and Tokyo with the Wallabies and of course, there's the game against Japan this Saturday evening, but where else should they go?

Here are my 5 places where the All Blacks should play.

SPAIN - Camp Nou, Barcelona

Home of the fabled football club, the Camp Nou has been considered as a Heineken Cup venue by nearby Perpignan. The All Blacks could very well play a midweek game there against Perpignan - good marketing could see a sellout in the Catalan capital.

GERMANY - Allianz Arena, Munich

Home of Bayern Munich, the Allianz Arena is one of world football's most famous grounds and given that Adidas is a big sponsor of the All Blacks, they could play a game here - it'll be hard to know who the opponent could be given that Germany is very much a fourth-tier rugby team.

SINGAPORE - Singapore Sports Hub, Singapore

The swanky new Singapore Sports Hub has replaced the aging National Stadium in Kallang and will be ready well before it is due to host some games of the 2019 Rugby World Cup. The All Blacks could play Australia here - it is quite close to both countries.

USA - AT&T Stadium, Arlington

The home that Jerry Jones built is quite a sight to behold. It holds 100,000 fans and is a superb ground to watch sport. Imagine the ABs playing here.

USA - MetLife Stadium, New York

I've listed this stadium as to be honest, Arlington, Texas is not exactly a place for tourists to visit - unless you're also a Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers fan. New York is probably one place the ABs would love to visit for many reasons and its new MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey will host the Super Bowl next February.




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