The NSW Waratahs and Santos are thrilled to announce the rugby schedule for the 2025 Santos Festival of Rugby to be held in Narrabri from September 20-21 – just 50 days from today!
The Santos Festival of Rugby combines elite high-performance rugby with opportunities for regional New South Wales and Queensland rugby participants to play on the big stage.
The NSW Waratahs and Queensland Reds will meet across four formats in the country NSW hub: Super Rugby AUS and Super Rugby Under-19 competition fixtures, a Super Rugby Women’s exhibition match and four Women’s Rugby Sevens matches.
Other matches include the Classic Wallabies coming up against the Narrabri Blue Boars in an Over 35s match, and NSW Country and Queensland Country doing battle at U18 girl’s level.
“We’re thrilled to be returning to Narrabri for the 2025 Santos Festival of Rugby … and for this time of year,” NSW Waratahs Chairman Tony Crawford said.
“The rugby season in Australia has seen the festival establish itself as one of the marquee tournaments on the calendar.
“Not only is the calibre of rugby played excellent, but the convivial atmosphere welcoming teams and supporters makes for a memorable occasion.
“We are so grateful to Santos supporting this event and can’t wait to see the NSW Waratahs fans get out there to support their teams.”
Santos Managing Director and Chief Executive Kevin Gallagher said: “We’re proud to bring the Santos Festival of Rugby back to Narrabri and share in the passion this community has for the game, while giving regional Australia a chance to experience first-rate rugby they would usually have to travel to a capital city to see.
“At Santos, we believe in the power of sport to inspire, connect, and strengthen communities.
“We also believe in great initiatives and events that shine a light on some of our incredible regions, like Northern NSW, which also stands to benefit from visitor numbers and the economic uplift of being host to a fantastic festival.
“That’s why we support sport and back local communities; because when communities thrive, we all benefit. Events like this bring people together and we are excited to be part of a weekend that celebrates community spirit, regional pride, and great rugby.”
The Classic Wallabies will deliver a free clinic for all ticketed juniors to kickstart proceedings on Saturday. Games will commence at 2:00pm Saturday and 9:00am Sunday.
The festival will celebrate its fifth year in 2025, alternating between Narrabri (2021, 2023 and 2025) and Roma (2022 and 2024). The switch to September is a first with previous festivals having been staged in February over each of the past four years.
The festival, delivered by Santos and the Queensland Rugby Union in collaboration with the NSW Waratahs, is a core component of what is a successful partnership.
Tickets will be on-sale in coming weeks, with other exciting announcements to come.
• Classic Wallabies Kids Clinic, 12:30pm – 1:30pm
• NSW Waratahs Women’s Rugby Sevens vs. Queensland Reds, 2:00pm
• NSW Waratahs Women vs. Queensland Reds, 2:30pm
• NSW Waratahs Women’s Rugby Sevens vs Queensland Reds, 4:30pm
• NSW Waratahs Super Rugby AUS vs Queensland Reds, 5:45pm
• NSW Country vs Queensland Country, U18 Girls, 9:00am
• NSW Waratahs Women’s Rugby Sevens vs Queensland Reds, 10:20am
• Classic Wallabies vs. Narrabri Blue Boars Over 35s, 11:00am
• NSW Waratahs Women’s Rugby Sevens vs Queensland Reds, 12:00pm
• NSW Waratahs Super U19s vs Queensland Reds, 1:00pm
With wide open plains and the Nandewar Ranges scattering the horizon, the Narrabri Region truly is a hidden gem of North-West NSW. Home to the Kamilaroi People, the Narrabri Region covers 13,000 square Kilometres filled with history, national parks, and unique wildlife.
Set in the Namoi Valley, it is renown for producing some of Australia’s best Cotton, Wheat, Lambs and Beef with Coal Seam Gas and Coal mining now a part of the region’s diverse composition.
One look at its vast night sky shows why it’s called 'Big Sky' country – the Narrabri Region truly offers something for everyone. To find out more, visit: Explore Narrabri Region (https://explorenarrabriregion.com.au/)
