All Blacks fans will now not be able to see Northampton at home

The League 1 leaders should have visited Polson Bridge in December only for the game to be called off.

But the only free dates in the calendar were midweek, forcing the switch to Franklin's Gardens on Tuesday 4 March.

The All Blacks have agreed a financial settlement with the Saints to ensure they will not lose out on the gate.

It means the club's fans have lost the chance to see the former European champions play at Polson Bridge. And 500 free tickets and free coach travel to Northamptonshire will now be laid on for season ticket holders.

The club say they did not want to have a date forced upon them with six key matches left to try and avoid relegation. And a statement on the All Blacks website claims they had little choice but to give up home advantage.

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'Had there been a free Saturday available,' it read, 'then the Cornish All Blacks would have taken it. An enquiry was made as to whether the season could be extended to fulfil this fixture. It could not.

"There was very real concern from the Cornish All Blacks as to the ability to manage such a midweek, evening fixture with real concerns expressed as to the infrastructure around the ground, the parking and lighting arrangements for providing supporters with safe access and egress from the ground and concerns as to the suitability of the floodlights.

"Given the limited timeframe we had to operate within and the investment required to remedy any potentially hazardous infrastructure issues, the Cornish All Blacks felt that switching the fixture was the only option.'