Rugby tournament the Purchas Cup is crossing the Tasman this year, with the NZ Falcons to play hosts in September. The tournament is named after the founder of the Sydney Convicts Andrew Purchas. It was originally fought out between the Convicts and Brisbane Hustlers in 2004, and his since expanded to include the Melbourne Chargers – and a barbarians style team last year which featured members of the NZ Falcons, who flew across to Brisbane to take part. The 2014 Purchas Cup competitors The NZ Falcons RFC says they are excited to be hosting the Purchas Cup. It will be held in Auckland from 4-6 September. The Falcons are a gay and inclusive New Zealand rugby side who formed in 2013. They took out the Bingham Bowl at the gay equivalent of the Rugby World Cup, the Bingham Cup, in Sydney last year. They are hosting the Purchas Cup with support from Ponsonby Rugby Club and the Auckland Rugby Union. The games will be held on the club's No 1 ground at Western Springs Stadium. The Falcons say a weekend of events are planned of which game day on Saturday 5 September will take pride of place. They say more details and a programme of events will follow, while there will be a club membership and player drive throughout the Auckland Pride Festival. Check out the NZ Falcons on Facebook here
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 30th January 2015 - 6:13pm