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Michael Bradley / Getty Images
All Blacks coach Ian Foster had a player confront him about the Rugby Championship quarantine situation.
Coach Ian Foster said a player told him that he would not miss Christmas to play for the All Blacks.
“I had a player who broke into my door and said ‘I’m not playing on Christmas,'” Foster said in a radio interview.
Controversy has surrounded New Zealand’s participation in the upcoming Rugby Championship, with the All Blacks set to still be quarantined in New Zealand on Christmas Day upon their return from Australia.
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Leaked minutes of a SANZAAR board meeting suggest New Zealand Rugby knew about the match, which if played means the All Blacks will spend Christmas Day in controlled isolation.
When asked by Newstalk ZB’s Martin Devlin if the player who faced him would be on the team for Sunday’s test against the Wallabies in Wellington, Foster said, “Who knows?”
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* The All Blacks were forced to miss Christmas with their families while playing in the Rugby Championship
A limited travel bubble with Australia could help the All Blacks return home in the Christmas saga, but it would still need the Rugby Championship draw to be modified or shortened by a week.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison opened doors at the borders of New South Wales and the Northern Territory for New Zealand passengers, starting on October 16, with no quarantine period required.
Friday’s announcement will mean that neither the All Blacks nor the Wallabies will have to go through the isolation process administered upon entering Australia for the Rugby Championship, following the two Bledisloe Cup events to be played in New Zealand at the end of this month, as long as they get to the New South. Welsh.
But more importantly, if the current draw and the Queensland border closures hold, Friday’s announcement will not change the game for the All Blacks or Wallabies, who are scheduled to play their first Rugby Championship game in Brisbane. on November 7, as did South. Africa and Argentina.
Michael Bradley / Getty Images
All Blacks coach Ian Foster and Anton Lienert-Brown during a training session at FMG Stadium in Hamilton.
Even if the first week of the Rugby Championship were moved to New South Wales, it is unlikely that South Africa and Argentina would agree to the proposed six-week Rugby Championship being moved forward a week just because the All Blacks and Wallabies do not have to get involved. quarantine. .
“We have been able to have some certainty in the last few days,” Foster said of the travel bubble and quarantine settings.
“It’s difficult for the players. They gave them some dates, the dates changed, basically we have said through our players association and the union to fix it and get real clarity on the dates.”
“We have a lot of players who say ‘what’s going on? Where are we?’
“Players also need to make sure they have a decent period at the end of the year, ready for what appears to be another early start and a great campaign next year.”
