Hemisphere Cup

Hemisphere Cup match cancelled

ESPN Staff

Crusaders and Saracens will play at the home of the 2009 NFL Super Bowl champions, the New Orleans Saints © Getty Images Enlarge

The Hemisphere's Cup match between the Crusaders and Saracens that was set to be played in New Orleans in August has been cancelled. The organisers of the match, RugbyLaw in the USA, have contacted both sides with the decision to cancel the game.

The Crusaders released a statement on Monday stating the club was very disappointed the game would not be going ahead, and said they had no control in the decision to cancel the match.

"This is obviously a disappointing outcome, given that we had received all assurances up until this point that the game would proceed," Crusaders CEO Hamish Riach said. "The decision is out of our hands though, so we have no choice but to accept that result and move on.

"Our main concern now is around whether there may Crusaders fans here who had already booked tickets to attend the game. We would urge people to direct any queries about the cancellation of the game to the match organisers, RugbyLaw.

"We would also like to personally acknowledge how disappointing this news will be to any of our local fans who may have already booked flights to New Orleans, so we are asking any Christchurch-based fans in this position to contact us so that we can thank them for their support with a season's pass to the 2016 Crusaders home games," Mr Riach said.

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