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Friday’s announcement that the Rugby Championship will be played in Australia this year could mean that several All Blacks decide not to go for family reasons.
The All Blacks will be faced with the same dilemma that the Warriors and Wellington Phoenix faced, having to be away from their families and quarantined on both sides of the Tasman.
All Blacks players and staff are used to being away from their families and loved ones at the end of each year for tours of Europe or World Cups.
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Mark Robinson claims Australia’s easier-to-use regulations at the border earned them the Sanzaar event.
But for the Rugby Championship there are additional complications, as players must be quarantined in Australia for 14 days upon arrival and then do the same when they return to New Zealand.
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Star game creator Beauden Barrett’s wife, Hannah, is expecting a baby girl by the end of the month, while Richie Mo’unga and TJ Perenara recently became parents for the first time.
“We want to ensure that whoever represents the All Blacks does so in a safe environment where they feel happy and comfortable,” NZ Rugby Chief Executive Officer Mark Robinson said on Friday.
“Some of those conversations started today with an understanding of where the players and management align with their different circumstances.
“We are extremely supportive of our players. We know they have been through an incredibly difficult time this year. This challenge of what they are about to undertake will be significant and we will support them and their families in whatever way we need to to ensure.” Are served. If that means they can’t meet or travel, we will listen and support you. “
Sanzaar announced on Friday that the Rugby Championship will be played from November 7 to December 12.
If that was the case and the All Blacks flew back to New Zealand on December 13, they would be out of quarantine on December 27, so everyone would miss Christmas with their families.
This is clearly not an ideal situation and Robinson said they are working on a solution for that.
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Australian players should head to New Zealand immediately after the AU Super Rugby Final.
“Those talks have been active between Sanzaar, Rugby Australia and New Zealand for some time,” said Robinson.
“Both countries have schedules in which the dates of the matches could be played in the last round on [December] 5th or 6th.
“We know that in Australia there are a lot of teams that have been away from their homes for some time. Our guys will be on tour for nine to ten weeks, so we are very aware of where they will be at Christmas.”
Tellingly, while dates for the Rugby Championship have been announced, it has not been announced when the Wallabies will play two rounds of the Bledisloe Cup in New Zealand.
Working backwards, if the Rugby Championship starts on November 7, the All Blacks, Pumas and Springboks will have to be in Australia at least two and a half weeks early, which would be around October 21.
That could mean that the Bledisloe Cup tests will take place on October 10 and 17, probably in Auckland and Wellington, to maximize the financial returns from them.
This would mean that the Wallabies would have to be in New Zealand to begin their 14-day isolation period around September 23.
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Leivaha Pulu of the Warriors had to run back to New Zealand when his pregnant wife was involved in a car accident.
The final of the Australia Super Rugby competition is on September 19, so in a moment, there is enough time.
However, he rules out any chance of bringing the Rugby Championship forward one week.
So the only way the All Blacks can get back to their families in time for Christmas is if the tournament is played for five weeks, which would mean two tests will be played on weekdays, which would mean three tests in eight days.
There are also the psychological issues to deal with for the All Blacks. On previous tours, whenever a player has experienced a family emergency, they have been able to get on a plane and be back in New Zealand 24 hours later.
But if that happens during the Rugby Championship, the player will have to spend two weeks in quarantine before returning home.
With the Warriors, Leivaha Pulu’s pregnant wife, Tolina, was involved in a car accident in Auckland while he was with the team in Australia.
He left Warriors camp right away, but it must have been difficult for him to spend 14 days in an isolation facility before meeting Tolina.
With the All Blacks absent for 10 weeks, some players, especially those with young children, might want their families to accompany them to Australia.
But as the Warriors discovered, the Australian Border Force will allow players to enter the country, but draw the line to their accompanying families.
There are certainly many more negotiations to be done in the coming weeks, but it could be the case that one or two All Blacks decide to let it go.
