The confirmation of the clash means Warren Gatland’s Wales will now play all three of the major southern hemisphere nations at the Millennium Stadium in the high profile series.
The fixture coup has been completed following successful talks which have secured confirmation that Australia can play Wales in Cardiff on 29 November. The internationals will now be part of a four-game series which will also include an international against Canada to offer a powerful northern hemisphere challenge to Wales.
Another boost for the games is that Wales will now be competing for two major trophies in the November series.
Against Australia Wales will be attempting to win the James Bevan Trophy for the first time. It was won by Australia in the two Test series last summer when it was launched in memory of the first Welshman to captain Wales, Australia-born James Bevan.
Wales will also take on South Africa for the Prince William Cup, which was unveiled in Cardiff last year and won for the first time by the Springboks.
It is the fourth Autumn series which has been sponsored by Invesco Perpetual, the investment management giant.
Coach Warren Gatland’s Grand Slam winning team will kick-off the series against World Champions South Africa on Saturday, 8 November.
Then on Friday, 14 November fans will see Wales take on Canada before the New Zealand All Blacks international at the stadium on Saturday, 22 November. The Australia game will then be the final Autumn international a week later.
Wales Head Coach Warren Gatland said: “I am delighted that in one great month of rugby we now have the prospect of testing ourselves against all the best of the Southern Hemisphere teams.
“South Africa, New Zealand and Australia are all World Cup winners so it will be an important milestone in our progression towards the 2011 World Cup. I have always said we must test ourselves against the best and I am delighted we have been able to secure this series.
“The squad has made significant progress this year and the Invesco Perpetual Autumn games will now provide a perfect opportunity to test how far forward we are in our development.
“We will have played the current World Champions three times this year by the end of November and that is just the sort of benchmark rugby we require in order to keep getting better.
“I am also very mindful of the fact that these games come just prior to a very important two weeks in Europe for each of our four regions, so we need to be aware and ensure that individual players are going back to regional rugby in their optimum condition.
“It is important for Welsh rugby that our regions are strong and we will be conscious of offering them our continued support which will mean managing the needs of individuals.”
WRU Group Chief Executive, Roger Lewis said: “The confirmation of the Australia fixture has made all the hard work we have put in to secure this series worthwhile.
“I am particularly grateful to all four of our regions here in Wales for agreeing to release their international players outside the normal International Rugby Board window for the final game in the series against Australia. The strong relationship we are building with our four regions bodes well for the future of the game in Wales.
“With the fantastic support the Welsh Rugby Union has from Invesco Perpetual we are assured these games will all be great occasions for the players and the fans.
“I also want to pay tribute to our Chairman David Pickering for leading the initial stages of the negotiation through the International Rugby Board to get approval for the Australia fixture which now completes the autumn series.
“We all know how important it is to test our international progress against the best sides out there but we are also determined to deliver the best rugby available for our supporters. Canada complete the line-up and we know they will present us with a formidable challenge because of the tough game we had against them in last year’s Rugby World Cup.
WRU Chairman, David Pickering added: “November will now be a fantastic month for international rugby at the Millennium Stadium with some of the best talent in the world game on show.
“We have focused our efforts on securing the best available opponents for Wales and I am sure the fans will agree we have delivered on that ambition.
“It will round off a magnificent year of Welsh international rugby with a Grand Slam, three fixtures against the World Champions and a one-off series against all three major southern hemisphere nations and Canada.”
The Invesco Perpetual Marketing Director, Rick White, said: “We are delighted to see such an exciting line-up of talent playing Wales this year. There’s no doubt that the Invesco Perpetual Series 08 will provide fans and followers of rugby with a month of fantastic sporting entertainment.”
Tickets for the three games against South Africa, New Zealand and Australia will be held at the prices set for the 2008 RBS Six Nations internationals in Cardiff.
For the Canada international tickets will be available from as low as £10 for Welsh rugby’s junior supporters and at £15 and £25 for adults.
Welsh Rugby Union clubs will receive their allocation for all four matches later today and we urge you to contact your local clubs to benefit from the opportunity to advance purchase these tickets.
Later in the summer any unclaimed tickets could be released to public sale, details of which will be on the WRU website.
Invesco Perpetual Series 2008
Wales v South Africa – 8 November, 2.30pm
Wales v Canada – 14 November, 7.30pm
Wales v New Zealand – 22 November, 5.15pm
Wales v Australia – 29 November, Kick-off TBC
