Wales to play Chiefs on 2016 summer tour to New Zealand

The Chiefs, captained by All Blacks lock Brodie Retallick, reached the quarter-finals in the 2015 Super Rugby season

Wales will play against Super Rugby side the Chiefs during next summer's three-Test tour to New Zealand.

The match will be played in Hamilton on Tuesday, 14 June, three days after the first Test against the All Blacks at Eden park in Auckland.

Warren Gatland's side will then face the World Cup winners on 18 June in Wellington and 23 June in Dunedin.

"It is great our midweek match against the Chiefs has been confirmed," said Gatland, a native of Hamilton.

"For the squad it will be an opportunity for further valuable game time together ahead of the second and third tests against the All Blacks.

"For me personally it will be an honour to bring Wales to Hamilton and face the Chiefs."

The Chiefs were knocked out in the quarter-finals by eventual winners Highlanders in last season's Super Rugby campaign, having won the title in 2012 and 2013.

They are captained by Brodie Retallick, a key member of New Zealand's World Cup winning squad.

Wales' visit will come towards the end of the round-robin stage of the 2016 Super Rugby season.

"The chance for provincial players to play against international sides is a rarity in the professional era, so we are really excited by the challenge," said Chiefs head coach Dave Rennie.

"Gats is hugely respected in this community so it's a nice fit for him to bring his Welsh team home to Hamilton to take on the Chiefs."

The game has yet to be ratified by World Rugby. Wales last toured New Zealand in June 2010 when they lost 42-9 in the first Test in Dunedin and were beaten 29-10 in the second Test in Hamilton.

The All Blacks won the most recent meeting between the two sides 34-16 in Cardiff, stretching their unbeaten run against Wales to 26 matches.