The South Island derby between the Highlanders and Crusaders at Forsyth Barr Stadium this evening has been cancelled due to yesterday’s terror attacks.
The decision was made after New Zealand Rugby met with both teams, venue management, police and community organisations.
NZ Rugby’s chief rugby officer Nigel Cass, says with strong agreement from both teams they made the final call not to proceed as a mark of respect for the events that have occurred in Christchurch.
Cass says they will now regroup and make arrangements for the team to return home as soon as possible to be back in their community and families.
Highlanders chief executive Roger Clark, says they are working to communicate with ticketholders and fans.
He says this is always the biggest fixture on their match calendar, one which fans look forward to.
The Highlanders had been expecting a crowd of more than 20,000 for the game on Saturday.
