Rugby: Crusaders match in New Orleans cancelled

The Crusaders' plans to play at the New Orleans Superdome have been scattered. Photo / Getty Images

The Crusaders are disappointed that the Hemispheres Cup match they were invited to play against Saracens in August in New Orleans has been cancelled and they hope their fans will be able to gain refunds for any tickets that were purchased.

The organisers of the match, RugbyLaw in the US, have contacted the Crusaders and Saracens to say they have made the decision to cancel the game.

"This is obviously a disappointing outcome, given that we had received all assurances up until this point that the game would proceed," Crusaders chief executive Hamish Riach said in a statement.

"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 be 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."

The Crusaders finished seventh in Super Rugby this year as they missed the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade. They finished their campaign with a 37-24 win over the Brumbies in Canberra on Saturday.

"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," Riach said.