The All Blacks XV match with Uruguay, which was scheduled to take place in Montpellier on 16 November, has been forced to move cities. Instead, the match will take place in nearby B\u00e9ziers, due to an ongoing disagreement between French billionaire Mohed Altrad and Montpellier city officials.<\/p>\n
Altrad is owner of the Altrad Group, which is the\u00a0primary sponsorship partner<\/a>\u00a0of NZ Rugby (NZR) and whose logo adorns the front of the All Blacks and other national team jerseys. He also serves as president of French Top 14 club Montpellier H\u00e9rault RC, whose home ground of Septeo Stadium was set to host the match.<\/p>\n The ongoing dispute stems from the state of the pitch, which Altrad acknowledged was in “poor condition” in a statement released Wednesday night.<\/p>\n “(The city council) abruptly decided to impose unprecedented conditions for this match. They are demanding that the club assume responsibility for the pitch and that it be responsible for its repair if it becomes damaged,” he said.<\/p>\n “We all know the pitch is in poor condition, and one more or less match won’t change anything. So, would this clause be used to make the club pay for the renovation of a pitch that the city, the stadium’s owner, is supposed to restore to good condition?”<\/p>\n Instead of giving in to the city’s demands, Altrad said he had reached an agreement to move the match to Raoul-Barri\u00e8re Stadium in B\u00e9ziers.<\/p>\n “B\u00e9ziers simply replied: ‘Yes, the stadium is yours.’ There was no clause, no ulterior motive. Just rugby, as it should be.”<\/p>\n The All Blacks XV played at Septeo Stadium last year, defeating Georgia 31-13.<\/p>\n Altrad has attempted to buy the stadium from the city or move the team, however has been legally prevented from doing either. Instead, Montpellier have resorted to publicly highlighting the substandard state of their home ground\u00a0on social media<\/a>\u00a0and blaming the council.<\/p>\n The match against Uruguay is the third and final fixture for the All Blacks XV, who also face the Barbarians and England A on their tour and whose jerseys will be emblazoned with the Altrad logo. Coach Jamie Joseph\u00a0named a 30-man squad<\/a>\u00a0for the three games, who will all be on standby if required as injury cover for the main All Black tour happening at the same time.<\/p>\n