Forsyth Barr Stadium - Highlanders Super Rugby Stadium

 

The Forsyth Barr Stadium is a versatile stadium in Dunedin, New Zealand. In many stages of development during the Rugby World Cup 2011 and the U20 FIFA World Cup, it was also called as Dunedin Stadium or Awat Street Stadium, or non-commercial official name, Otago Stadium. The fully enclosed stadium is also commonly referred to as a greenhouse because it is similar to a gardening greenhouse. The stadium seating capacity is 30,748.

In 2011 the stadium was inaugurated by New Zealand Prime Minister John Kay, the stadium replaces Carisbrooke as the home of Highlanders in Super Rugby and the Otago Rugby Football Association in the Miter 10 Domestic Cup. The stadium hosted four games of the 2011 Rugby World Cup and has hosted major concert tours that began with Elton John in November 2011.

At the end of 2011, Forsyth Barr Stadium replaced Carisbrook as the home stadium of the Highlanders in Super Rugby. The stadium has been in use since starting of the 2012 Super Rugby season. The first Super Rugby match held at the stadium on 3rd March 2012 resulted in the Highlanders defeating the local Derby opponent Crusaders by a narrow margin. The stadium has also become the new home of the domestic ITM Cup Otago Rugby League team, and since then, it has been renamed the Mitte 10 Cup.

On 15 September 2012, the All Blacks played their first test match against South Africa at the Forsyth Barr Stadium. All Blacks won the match by a score of 21-11.

On February 23, 2013, the stadium hosted the pre-season rugby league between the New Zealand Warriors and the Brisbane Broncos. The game drew 15,000 spectators, with the Warriors winning 16-10. The stadium-quality is the main feature in bringing the game to this city. The warriors first time played a match in Dunedin.

In the 2017 NRL season round 3, the Canterbury-Bankston Bulldogs beat the New Zealand Warriors in their first NRL game in Dunedin with a score of 24-12 in front of 10,238 viewers and took the top spot.

The stadium hosted a New Zealand Rugby Union international in week three of the 2014 Four Nations League match against England on November 8, 2014. New Zealand wins over England by a score of 16-14 in front of 15,863 viewers.