Ireland locked in extra fixtures on their New Zealand tour

Ireland will play two matches in the middle of the week against the Mরিori All Blacks in their three-Test tour of New Zealand next month.

The Triple Crown Champions will meet the delegation in Hamilton on June 29, three days before the start of their regular All Blacks series at Eden Park.

The second Mরিori All Blacks clash will take place on July 12 in Wellington.

“The Mরিori All Blacks will give our squad a tough test of strength and depth,” Ireland coach Andy Farrell said in a statement on Tuesday.

“They are effectively a Test match team with a proud tradition and an impressive record of results.”

Ireland have played the Mওori All Blacks twice in more than 130 years, losing both matches.

In 1888, they lost 13-4 to a team known as the New Zealand Natives on Lansdowne Road in Dublin.

Their last meeting was in 2010 at the Rotorua International Stadium where the Mরিori All Blacks won a 31-28 thriller.

M আমাদেরori All Blacks coach Clayton Macmillan said: “Our competition goes back more than 100 years and it will only add to the occasion.”

“Playing with the world’s fourth-ranked team in a two-match series is an exciting prospect and we expect both matches to be a big challenge.”

Ireland regularly meets all blacks in Auckland (July 2), Dunedin (July 9) and Wellington (July 16).

© AAP