AusLeisure

The All Blacks will not travel to Perth for the third Bledisloe Cup Test on 28th August, with New Zealand Rugby (NZR) today announcing that it will not be sending the team to Western Australia.

With New Zealand currently in a COVID-19 lockdown, the All Blacks were due to leave for Perth on Sunday and play the Wallabies there on Saturday week.

NZR has also announced the All Blacks' two home Rugby Championship fixtures against South Africa and the Black Ferns' two O'Reilly Cup Tests against the Wallaroos will not be played in New Zealand.

Explaining the decision, NZR Chief Executive, Mark Robinson said that the body was not prepared to send the All Blacks to Perth with so much uncertainty around travel and scheduling, with Queensland and even Europe suggested as possible host locations for the Rugby Championship.

In a statement, Robinson explained “without complete certainty on the team's next movements around The Rugby Championship we felt it was prudent for the team to stay put in New Zealand until SANZAAR have announced the full tournament schedule.

"Once the team leaves our shores, they currently can't return until November 23 post their Northern Tour, so given the uncertainty, it makes sense to pause and get more clarity on these fixtures.

"We remain 100% committed to playing in the entire Rugby Championship in 2021 and are working closely with SANZAAR to look at a range of options to reschedule these important matches."

Robinson said every effort had been made to keep the scheduled tests against the Springboks and Wallaroos in New Zealand, adding “however, after discussions with (New Zealand) Government, it is clear that the COVID-19 travel restrictions meant there was no way of bringing the South African and Wallaroos squads into New Zealand and we understand the importance of putting the health and safety of New Zealanders first."

In response, media reported Wallabies coach Dave Rennie as saying he was "bloody angry" about the way NZR announced its decision not to send the All Blacks to Perth while Rugby Australia called the move a "unilateral decision".

It is believed the West Australian Government was set to allow the All Blacks into the state, provided they arrived seven days before the match and completed ‘soft’ quarantine, as interstate AFL teams currently do.

SANZAAR will be making further announcements around the Rugby Championship schedule in due course.

Ticket holders will receive a full refund and will be contacted by the ticket provider in the coming days.

Image courtesy of Eden Park.

Related Articles

20th August 2021 - New Zealand’s nationwide lockdown sees facilities closed

20th August 2021 - New book explores the ‘Code Wars’ in Australia’s football market

3rd August 2021 - Changed Bledisloe Cup schedule will see Eden Park host two tests

3rd August 2021 - Construction commences on new rooftop viewing platform at Perth’s Optus Stadium

27th July 2021 - Eden Park will host first Bledisloe Cup test with Wallabies granted travel exemption for New Zealand trip

22nd July 2021 - Australia and New Zealand withdraw from 2021 Rugby League World Cup over COVID concerns

5th July 2021 - Rugby Australia condemns behaviour of two national coaches at Super W tournament

28th June 2021 - Rugby Australia welcomes PacificAus Sports funding to support Fiji Rugby Union

15th June 2021 - Environment groups object to New Zealand Rugby’s oil company sponsorship deal

8th June 2021 - Community rugby head impact study involves World Rugby, New Zealand Rugby, the University of Otago and Prevent Biometrics

1st June 2021 - New Zealand Rugby appoints new Chair and Deputy

20th May 2021 - Rugby Australia launches bid to host 2027 Rugby World Cup

13th May 2021 - Rugby Australia announces Cadbury as new principal partner

2nd May 2021 - Coronavirus fears sees fans barred from AFL western derby at Perth’s Optus Stadium

29th April 2021 - COVID impact sees Rugby Australia reveal $27.1 million loss for 2020

29th April 2021 - New Zealand Rugby approves investment by US private equity firm Silver Lake

20th April 2021 - Optus Stadium welcomes largest Australian sports crowd since before Coronavirus

13th November 2020 - Rugby Australia and New Zealand Rugby announce domestic and trans-Tasman tournaments for 2021

17th October 2020 - Eden Park prepares for Sunday’s Bledisloe Cup clash

12th October 2020 - Eden Park takes on fish and chip business naming rights for Bledisloe Cup

25th November 2019 - Rugby Australia takes 2020 Bledisloe Cup Test to Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium

---

Support our industry news service
We hope that you value the news that we publish so while you're here can we ask for your support?

As an independent publisher, we need reader support for our industry news gathering so ask that - if you don't already do so - you back us by subscribing to the printed Australasian Leisure Management magazine and/or our online news.