Champion Wanganui rugby club Border and the tiny South Taranaki town of Waverley are set for a population explosion next February when the Investec Super Rugby champion Hurricanes roll into town.

The Hurricanes will play the Crusaders on the Border Rugby Club's No 1 field on February 17, 2017 as head coach Chris Boyd puts the final touches on his team's preseason campaign.

The Farmlands Grassroots Game Day is expected to attract 4,500 fans to a town with a population of about 1,000 for the Hurricanes first official match in the Wanganui Rugby Union's jurisdiction.

"It's just a fantastic result for the region," Wanganui Rugby chief executive Bridget Belsham said. "Our goal is to grow the game of rugby and for our youngsters to get up close to the Hurricanes and Crusaders players is a big opportunity."

Though Waverley is geographically on the edge of the South Taranaki District, Border has traditionally played in the Wanganui club competition.

Border stalwart and Wanganui centurion Guy Lennox said hosting the Hurricanes would be a massive event for the community. 

"Kids will be coming to Waverley from hundreds of miles around," he said. "The place has been buzzing with rumours about the Hurricanes coming to town and I've had to bite my tongue. This will be huge news because we just don't get to see players of this quality in our backyard."

Hurricanes head coach Chris Boyd said it was a fitting time to visit the region following Wanganui's back to back Meads Cup titles.

"We're looking forward to spending some time in the local community and engaging with some of our fans from the Whanganui and Taranaki regions who we know are great supporters of the club."

The Hurricanes squad includes a number of Taranaki players including World Rugby Player of the Year Beauden Barrett.

Farmlands Chief Executive Peter Reidie said there was always a feel-good factor to taking big-time professional rugby back to New Zealand's heartland areas.

"We're a rural co-operative and like most rural communities, we're big on tradition. Bringing a rugby game to Waverley is a great way for the community to get up close to players they would usually only get the chance to see on TV.

"This will be the third time we have staged a game in heartland New Zealand and our shareholders enjoy us bringing rugby back to its roots."

Tickets to Farmlands Grassroots Game Day will go on sale to the general public from January 9 with Farmlands offering a pre-purchase window exclusively to its shareholders during December.