The New Zealand Rugby Union have confirmed that they have canceled plans to travel to Perth on Sunday for next week’s Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup match.
In addition due to the travel restrictions, they have also stated that the All Blacks’ two home Rugby Championship Tests against South Africa will not be played in New Zealand.
New Zealand Rugby CEO Mark Robinson said every effort had been made to keep the two Tests in New Zealand.
“We share the disappointment of our fans, players and other stakeholders, particularly those in Dunedin where the sold-out 100th Test between the All Blacks and South Africa was shaping up as a very special occasion.
“However, after discussions with 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.
Speaking on the decision to not have the All Blacks travel to Perth this weekend, Robinson said:
“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 percent committed to playing in the entire Fortinet Rugby Championship in 2021 and are working closely with SANZAAR to look at a range of options to reschedule these important matches.”
Tournament administrators Sanzaar say that they are: “currently working night and day with all stakeholders, and the tournaments’ associated commercial partners and rights-holding broadcasters, to find a suitable solution for the remaining matches. This also involves talks with the various government departments and health authorities to determine if suitable travel, accommodation and quarantine regulations can be implemented to allow the tournament to proceed in Australia.”
“SANZAAR is very disappointed that the New Zealand Rugby Union has made the decision not to travel to Perth at this time to play Australia for its second-round match . However, SANZAAR and the other national unions will continue to work on when and where this match can be played as part of the overall rescheduling work being done. SANZAAR also recognizes that this decision is incredibly disappointing for rugby fans in Perth.”
“The other second-round match, South Africa versus Argentina, scheduled for Saturday 21 August in Port Elizabeth will take place as scheduled. SANZAAR will announce the details of the venues and dates of the remaining nine matches when appropriate and will not enter into speculation until then.”
Several sources close to Sanzaar have revealed that the All Blacks v Springboks 100th match – which would have taken place in NZ this year – is now being planned for Twickenham due to the number of South African and New Zealand expats living in the UK who would be interested in attending the match.
No comments:
Post a Comment