SANZAAR to host Rugby Championships series in Queensland

August 24, 2021

Queensland has been announced as the location for the four-nation Rugby Championship with a series of double-headers played in Brisbane, Townsville and the Gold Coast in order to complete the 2021 competition.

SANZAAR - the body which oversees Super Rugby and The Rugby Championship competitions - confirmed that the series will be played over four weeks of double-headers, following the staging of the postponed final Bledisloe Cup match will be played in Perth on 4th September.

Explaining rugby union following the NRL and Super Netball in completing their competitions in Queensland, Rugby Australia Chief Executive, Andy Marinos, today advised “this is a world rugby first and a truly special celebration of the game, in what I see as a once-in-a-lifetime event.”

SANZAAR Chief Executive, Brendan Morris said the recent COVID-19 outbreaks in Australia had made planning difficult, adding “we thought last year was tough when we had to implement a Tri-Nations tournament in Australia with South Africa absent due to the pandemic, but the current disruption caused by the ‘delta variant’ of COVID-19 has seen government authorities tighten up border biosecurity measures substantially.

“This is understandable and therefore, we had no option but to basically move the remainder of The Rugby Championship to Queensland.”

Games played in Queensland will be held over four weekends from 13th September to 2nd October.

During the competition, the teams will be based at Sanctuary Cove on the Gold Coast during their managed quarantine and will have no contact with hotel workers, contractors and the general public.

However, quarantine circumstances for South Africa and Argentina also needed to be nailed down.

The Queensland Government is believed to have given the visiting teams permission to train while completing their 14-day quarantine period.

The Springboks and Pumas are set to arrive by Friday from South Africa after playing their second Test there on the weekend.

Ticket Holders for the previously scheduled matches in Sydney, Newcastle, and Canberra will be refunded.

Rugby Championship fixtures

Sunday 12th September: New Zealand v Argentina, South Africa v Australia at CBUS Super Stadium, Gold Coast
Saturday 18th September: Argentina v New Zealand, Australia v South Africa at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Saturday 25th September: Australia v Argentina, New Zealand v South Africa at Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville
Saturday 2nd October: Argentina v Australia, South Africa v New Zealand at CBUS Super Stadium, Gold Coast

20th August 2021 - Coronavirus fears sees All Blacks pull of out of third Bledisloe Cup Test in Perth

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

3rd August 2021 - Suncorp Super Netball competition looks to maintain Queensland base

1st August 2021 - NRL sidesteps Greater Brisbane lockdown with five games in two days at Suncorp 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

10th July 2021 - Second relocation sees State of Origin finale moved to Gold Coast

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

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

10th May 2021 - Artists question record-breaking crowd for Brisbane’s Super Rugby AU final

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

15th March 2021 - Stadiums Queensland chooses Aruba to deliver a Wi-Fi experience at the Queensland Country Bank Stadium

29th January 2021 - SANZAAR announce new Chief Executive and Chairman

16th October 2020 - South Africa withdraws from Rugby Championship citing Coronavirus travel restrictions and player safety concerns

14th March 2020 - Queensland Country Bank Stadium hosts first NRL fixture

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