[ad_1]
Cameron Spencer / Getty Images
The All Blacks may have to play the entire Rugby Championship in Australia this year.
Sanzaar is expected to announce at 3pm on Friday that the Rugby Championship will be held in Australia.
None of the contending countries’ respective rugby governing bodies have yet commented before the announcement and a Rugby Australia spokesperson did not confirm that he had won the race when contacted by Stuff Friday morning.
But it is understood that the 2020 version of the tournament will only take place in Australia, starting in early November, due to superior business modeling and quarantine conditions. New South Wales has been touted as the place.
Renee McKay / Getty Images
Australia’s Izack Rodda wins a lineout during the Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup test against the All Blacks at Eden Park last year.
Rugby is not currently played in New Zealand in front of crowds due to the country being at Alert Level 2, while a crowd of up to approximately 25,000 will be allowed in Brisbane this weekend for the Reds v Rebels qualifying final in Super Rugby AU. .
READ MORE:
* Rugby Championship: New Zealand waits in the balance as Sanzaar weighs two options
* ‘We need to know what’s going on’: Sir John Kirwan’s All Blacks plea to NZ Rugby, Grant Robertson
* Sanzaar rejects report that Springboks could ditch the Rugby Championship for Europe
* Has Covid-19 ruined New Zealand’s dreams of hosting the Rugby Championship?
* Government ‘open’ to New Zealand to host the 2020 Rugby Championship
Government support at the state level in Australia is understood to be strong and Stuff It has been said in recent weeks that Australian politicians were “moving fast to achieve [The Rugby Championship] happen ”in its territory.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Friday that she would be very disappointed if the tournament had been given to Australia, saying that a great deal of effort had gone into the bid.
“We put a lot of effort into that offering, the tournament and even the players, even creating a regimen where they could be playing within three days of their arrival.
“If the results don’t go our way, it will be the result of Sanzaar’s policy.
“The arrangements we proposed included training while we were in quarantine, we worked very hard with the health and organization of the tournament to make sure we were taking care of people’s health and not jeopardizing the tournament. It meant they could train in three days. “
Ardern rejected claims that New Zealand facilities would not allow the country to host the tournament.
“NZ has very successfully hosted tournaments of this nature on a larger scale before. I am confident that the facilities we proposed were up to the task and the ability to play within three days of arrival was an important part of that course. “
There were doubts about the four-team Championship to be played this year during the global Covid-19 pandemic, with South Africa cutting match practice, while Argentina has had multiple players and now coach Mario Ledesma has tested positive for the coronavirus.
1 NEWS
The other two cases were detected in controlled isolation in Christchurch and are now in quarantine.
“South Africans come, whether it’s New Zealand or Australia,” said one. Stuff Thursday.
It has been almost three months since Sanzaar first announced that New Zealand was the “preferred” host.
It is understood that the first two Bledisloe Cup matches between the All Blacks and the Wallabies will take place on October 17 and 24, probably in Auckland and Wellington, before the All Blacks head into the Championship quarantine in Tasmania. .
