However, organisers of Rugby World Cup 2027 decided to hold the Wallabies<\/a>\u2019 clash with the All Blacks<\/a> back until the second weekend of the tournament in Sydney and have instead chosen Australia to host Hong Kong China in a low-key opener in Perth eight days earlier.<\/p>\n \u201cWe thought we had the script\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s a decision that has ignited criticism from fans who want the tournament to get off to a spectacular start with a must-see fixture. Instead, it will open with a dreary one-sided mismatch in which the Wallabies are expected to trounce minnows Hong Kong China.<\/p>\n Aside from disgruntled fans voicing their grievance over this decision, the All Blacks briefly poked fun at the Wallabies with a social media post that was deleted not long after it was published.<\/p>\n \u201cWe thought we had the script\u2026\u201d was the caption accompanying the post that dismissed Australia versus Hong Kong China for becoming \u2018the curtain raiser\u2019 to the World Cup clash between Bledisloe Cup rivals who just last October faced each other in Perth in their most recent Rugby Championship match<\/a>.<\/p>\n The post summed up the frustration of fans who felt the tournament starter should have been the Wallabies versus the All Blacks in Perth. Some of the replies to a Rugby World Cup post advertising the match schedule were scathing.<\/p>\n \u201cHorrible opening game. It should have been Australia vs New Zealand. Fumbled the tournament before it even started. Expect record low attendance and viewership. Not a great advertisement for the game at all. Brett Robinson era showing already,\u201d wrote one upset fan.<\/p>\n Another claimed: \u201cPerth rugby fans have been deliberately misled. For months, we\u2019ve been told that round one would be Wallabies and All Blacks at Optus Stadium. We\u2019ve all interpreted \u2018Wallabies AND All Blacks\u2019 to mean \u2018Wallabies VERSUS All Blacks\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n Rugby World Cup 2027: Fixtures, dates, kick-off times and venues confirmed<\/a><\/p>\n Meanwhile, West Australian reporter Ben Smith wrote on X<\/a>: \u201cIt won\u2019t be Wallabies and All Blacks to open the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Perth. And neither will it be Australia vs Chile. Instead, the Wallabies will take on minnows Hong Kong. Utterly indefensible. What a poor opening game. Perth fans dudded.\u201d<\/p>\n Incredibly, ticket prices<\/a> don\u2019t reflect this low-calibre lift off for the tournament. A Category 1 ticket for Australia v Hong Kong China in Perth will sell for $635 (Aussie dollars), the same price as a Cat A ticket in Sydney eight days later when the Wallabies play the All Blacks.<\/p>\n The Perth and Sydney prices for these two matches are exactly the same as you go down the different adult category tickets \u2013 Cat 2:$495, Cat 3:$340, Cat 4:$210, Cat 5:$95 and Cat 6:$65.<\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/b70cdd4802f787e2289017831f31998908b9addf.jpg\")
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