Australia to host England at SCG in final match of July tour

SYDNEY : England will play tests against Australia at Perth Stadium, Brisbane's Lang Park and the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on their July tour this year, Rugby Australia announced on Tuesday.

The tour itinerary brings test rugby back to Sydney for the first time since the start of the COVID pandemic and to the SCG for the first time since 1986.

England swept the Wallabies 3-0 on their last tour of Australia in 2016 and coach Eddie Jones will be determined to once again embarrass the nation of his birth.

"We talk a lot about wanting to challenge ourselves against the best teams in the world and three test matches in a row against England is the perfect opportunity to do that," Wallabies coach Dave Rennie said in a statement.

"It's always special when Australia and England meet in the sporting arena and we're looking forward to seeing plenty of gold jerseys in the stands during July."

Rugby Australia also announced two matches for their women's team, who have not played a test since 2019 and are desperate for fixtures to prepare for the World Cup in New Zealand in October and November.

The Wallaroos will play Fiji at Lang Park on May 6 and Japan on the Gold Coast four days later.

"Over the past two years the entire women's programme has been building towards the next Wallaroos test season and these upcoming matches are a crucial part in our preparation for the Rugby World Cup," said coach Jay Tregonning.

"Playing two strong nations like Japan and Fiji is extremely important to gain experience as a group against different styles of rugby."

(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Shri Navaratnam)