A year after the NSW Waratahs played their first Super Rugby game in Wollongong, the side will return to the region for a second time next month.
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This year it will be the Crusaders who take to WIN Stadium, the two teams to face off in a Saturday afternoon clash on May 29.
The match is part of the second phase of the 2021 Super Rugby competition, Australian and New Zealand teams to face off at the conclusion of their individual domestic competitions.
Organisers had planned on staging a 'Super Round', with all games played at the same venue, in similar fashion to the NRL's Magic Round.
Those plans have fallen through, with the third round of the competition to instead be played throughout regional areas. In addition to the match in Wollongong, matches will also be played in Townsville and Napier in New Zealand.
The Christchurch-based side has forged a relationship with the Illawarra in recent times, establishing an academy in partnership with the University of Wollongong last February.
NSW and the Crusaders have had a number of fierce battles throughout their history, including the 2014 Super Rugby grand final. That contest was won by the Waratahs thanks to a Bernard Foley penalty goal in the dying minutes.
The two sides have experienced contrasting fortunes since that fixture, NSW sliding down the ladder as numerous stars have departed.
This year has been a horror season for the Waratahs, the team yet to win a game and searching for a permanent coach after Rob Penney was sacked last month
The Crusaders currently sit top of the Super Rugby Aotearoa ladder.
In confirming the fixture, Rugby Australia chief executive Andy Marinos said the Australian sides are looking forward to the challenge of taking on the New Zealand franchises.
"It's great to be in a position where we can play our New Zealand counterparts again," Marinos said.
"It has been a terrific Super Rugby AU that has already far exceeded everyone's expectations, and we still have the last round left to play before finals action.
"Our players are intensely focused on finishing this Super Rugby AU season on a high, and then throwing everything at their Kiwi counterparts during six action-packed weeks of Trans-Tasman footy.
"Unfortunately, we weren't able to host a 'Super Round' in round three however I'm really excited to take games to Townsville and Wollongong and engaging with those communities."