Farmlands Rural Legends Shield – Chiefs to face Blues in Te Kuiti

Farmlands Co-operative have teamed up with the Gallagher Chiefs to bring top flight rugby to Te Kuiti on 2nd February.

The Farmlands Rural Legends Shield will pit the two-time Super Rugby champions, the Gallagher Chiefs, against three-time winners the Blues at Te Kuiti’s Rugby Park. The game, which kicks off at 4.00pm, is an opportunity to acknowledge the contribution rural New Zealand has played in shaping our national sport.

Farmlands Chief Executive Peter Reidie says the game will be played on the same park that produced King Country grassroots heroes like the Meads brothers and Paul Mitchell.

“We’ve worked with the Gallagher Chiefs to bring this game to Te Kuiti, as it is the home of one of New Zealand’s greatest ever rugby legends,” he says. “Farmlands was created by and continues to service rural communities just like Te Kuiti. It’s an honour to bring the Rural Legends Shield to town and I hope the local community enjoys seeing this new generation of heroes up close.”

Gallagher Chiefs Head Coach Colin Cooper says the team is looking forward to visiting the proud rugby town, in what will be their first pre-season match prior to the Investec Super Rugby season.

“It’s a great opportunity to integrate the new coaching group together, as well as bring some of the new Chiefs into the playing squad and help them get match ready,” he says. “It is great to be working with Farmlands to connect with our rural communities and we are excited to meet our supporters in Te Kuiti.”

Mr Reidie says that there will be a ‘community festival’ flavour to the day, in a similar vein to Farmlands’ previous pre-season Super Rugby events around the country.

“For the past 2 years, we have been committed to returning rugby to its traditional stronghold. We are grateful to the Gallagher Chiefs for helping us create the Rural Legends Shield and thank the Blues for accepting the invitation.”

Tickets will be available exclusively to Farmlands shareholders initially, first through an in-store promotion at selected locations. Exclusive pre-sale tickets will be available to Farmlands shareholders from 1st December, before any remaining tickets will go on sale to the general public in January.