Anzac Test postponed till Sunday

Suncorp Stadium. Photo / Yvonne Sampson (@yvonnesampson) via Twitter

A major concern for player safety was the primary reason for the postponement of the Anzac test tonight.

The Kiwis' clash with the Kangaroos has been shifted to Sunday afternoon, after the Suncorp Stadium field was flooded by two days of near constant rain in Brisbane.

It was the first time an Anzac test has been called off - but became a relatively easy call to make in the circumstances.

"It was a big decision but it wasn't going to be much of an event [last night] and we can't put the players in a difficult situation - player safety and welfare comes first," said NRL Head of Football Todd Greenberg. "[Also] you want to see a great game of football and you weren't going to get that [last night]."

The Anzac test will now be staged at 4pm (6pm NZT) on Sunday, preceded by the Kiwi Ferns clash with the Jillaroos (4pm NZT). It means that the Pacific nations will kick off the representative weekend, with Fiji facing Papua New Guinea (7.30pm NZT) and Samoa playing Tonga (9.30pm NZT) tonight on the Gold Coast.

It was an extraordinary day of wild weather yesterday in Brisbane, as the storms that drenched Sydney last weekend hit Queensland. An estimated 200mm of rain fell in a 24 hour period, and the weather worsened markedly across the day. The rain had been heavy throughout the morning and early afternoon but increased to torrential in the evening, with thunder and lightning.

The Kiwis had followed their pre-arranged schedule all day, arriving at Suncorp Stadium just after 6pm local time. They were still continuing their preparations when the postponement news filtered through to the dressing room, though the team and management staff were aware at that stage that the chances of the match being staged were slim.

Meanwhile, the Kangaroos managed to make light of the situation, playing a game of indoor cricket in their dressing room under the grandstand after they heard the news.
The hard luck story belonged to the Kiwi Ferns, who had completed their warm up under the stadium and were ready to play before being informed that their match was off.

The postponement is probably a blessing in disguise for both teams. The Kangaroos will relish the chance to play in firmer conditions (assuming the rain eventually abates) while Kiwis will use the additional period to prepare and backs Kieran Foran and Jason Nightingale have more time to shake off their injury concerns.

This is what Suncorp Stadium looks like as at 5.10pm pic.twitter.com/STPEea4byC

— Darryl Brohman OAM (@therealbigmarn) May 1, 2015

Sideline at Suncorp @NRL @WWOS9 @9NewsAUS pic.twitter.com/dQsqoVJcZq

— Yvonne O’Keefe (@VonOKeefe) May 1, 2015

The ANZAC test at Suncorp is going ahead as planned, but with modified field markings. #NRL #AUSvNZ pic.twitter.com/kT5KxVWfG3

— Reid Parker (@ReidParker_) May 1, 2015