Perth to Host First Test Match of 2022 English Rugby Tour Against Australia

Henry Slade of England is tackled by James O'Connor of Australia during the Autumn Nations Series match at Twickenham Stadium in London, England on November 13, 2021 . Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

The English rugby team will return to Perth, Western Australia, for the first time since 2010 to take on the Wallabies (Australia) at Optus Stadium.

Announced in a release on Tuesday,  Tourism WA, in partnership with Rugby Australia, has secured the first test of the three-match English tour, which will take place on July 2.

The occasion will mark only the second time the English side has played the Wallabies in Perth and the first time at Optus Stadium.

The July test match is expected to reignite Perth’s rugby fever after 52,000 fans graced the 60 thousand capacity stadium in 2021 when the Wallabies took on the All Blacks in one of the Bledisloe Cup matches.

England is coming off the back of a third-place finish in the 2022 Six Nations competition, two places up from a disappointing fifth place in 2021, but well off the pace of their 2020 victory.

Meanwhile, the Wallabies will need to shake off memories of the 2021 European Autumn Nations Series in which they lost all three matches, including a 32-15 loss to England.

The last time the two sides met in Perth, a match played at Subiaco Oval in 2010, the Wallabies came out victors 27-17.

Luke Burgess of the Wallabies passes the ball during the Cook Cup Test match between the Wallabies and England at Subiaco Oval in Perth, Australia, on June 12, 2010. Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images

Tourism Minister Roger Cook said the rivalry between the two teams is really something to behold, especially since England is coached by Eddie Jones, who was Australia’s coach when England defeated Australia in the 2003 World Cup final in Sydney.

“The game will provide a multimillion-dollar boost to the WA economy and support our local tourism and hospitality operators, with visitors encouraged to get out and about and enjoy our beautiful city while they’re here,” he said.

“The event’s broadcast is also expected to prove hugely popular on the east coast and in the UK, and at the same time, showcase Perth to a huge number of potential visitors.”

The match will top off two massive weekends of rugby code action, occurring just a week after the much-anticipated State of Origin rugby league clash between New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland (QLD).

The other two matches on the English tour down under will be played at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on July 9 and the Sydney Cricket Ground on July 16.