Rugby: England will open their World Cup campaign in Dunedin after organisers today announced which venues will stage matches which had been due to be played in Christchurch.

Christchurch is steeped in rugby tradition and had originally been slated to stage a total of seven fixtures, including two quarter-finals. However, the deadly earthquake which struck the city on February 22nd damaged Christchurch Stadium, forcing World Cup chiefs to revise their plans.

Martin Johnson’s England team will take on Argentina on September 10th, but rather than in Christchurch the game will be played at Otago Stadium.

England will then take on Georgia at the same Dunedin venue on September 18th, in another match which was initially scheduled for Christchurch.

Scotland were also due to play Argentina in Christchurch on September 25th, but while the date remains the same, the match will now take place at the Wellington Regional Stadium.

The Scots have also seen another match switched, with their September 14th clash with Georgia moved from Dunedin to Invercargill for “operational reasons”, according to Rugby New Zealand (RNZ) 2011.

Scotland head coach Andy Robinson is pleased his side can now prepare for the tournament with the venues confirmed.

“We look forward to finalising our plans given the clarity we now have from the tournament organisers,” he said. “We know there will be much excitement in Invercargill that we will now play two games there and we look forward to engaging with the community in Wellington, which is now home to our match against Argentina.”