The Christmas sacrifice the All Blacks must make now after losing the Championship accommodation offer

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has responded to claims that government quarantine regulations are to blame for Australia securing the Rugby Championship over New Zealand.

This comes after the head of the New Zealand Rugby Players Association, Rob Nichol, said on Friday that the government’s reluctance to allow visiting teams to train effectively once they arrived led to the tournament being moved through Tasmania, even though the governing body Sanzaar had previously indicated that New Zealand was the preferred destination.

The New Zealand Herald revealed for the first time that New South Wales had pinched New Zealand’s four-nation championship tournament and that it would be held from November 7 to December 12. The first two games of the Bledisloe Cup will be played in New Zealand on October 17 and 24.

All Blacks assistant John Plumtree on how his team will attack the lineout

According to Nichol, the need to isolate himself without training for a set number of days, and restrictions around bubble size thereafter were the main sticking points that tipped the tournament in Australia’s favor. While South Africa, Australia and Argentina were expected to travel to New Zealand with squads of more than 45, they would only be allowed to train in bubbles no larger than 25.

“The biggest challenge, by far, is that they would have come with 45 players plus the team management and when they arrived under New Zealand quarantine conditions, as explained to us, the first three days they would have to spend alone in the hotel rooms. , then they would have to return a negative Covid test, ”Nichol told the Herald.

Rugby Championship heads to Australia https://t.co/rH0DNTQ8l8

– Liam Napier (@liamnapiernz) September 10, 2020

Ultimately, the quarantine requirements imposed by the New Zealand government made it downright impossible for South Africa, Argentina and Australia to come and prepare properly. They will not be able to train together as a team, and will be asked to play test matches after two weeks of quarantine. “

When asked about reports that Australia had secured the championship before the official announcement, Ardern said that the New Zealand government had worked hard to secure it.

“We put a lot of effort into that offering, we worked very hard to meet the needs of the tournament and the players, even creating a regimen where they could be training within three days of arriving in New Zealand,” Ardern said. “If we are not successful, I would say it would be the result of being caught up in Sanzaar’s politics.

“The arrangements that we proposed as part of the offer included training while we were in quarantine. We work very hard with [Ministry of] Health and the tournament organizers to operate in a way that takes care of people’s health and does not endanger the tournament. It would mean that they would have been able to train within three days of their arrival. “

Ardern also supported the training facilities to be used. “New Zealand has very successfully hosted tournaments of this nature on a larger scale before,” he said. “And I am confident that the facilities we were proposing were actually up to the task and the ability to train within three days of arrival was an important part of that terrain as well.”

Sports Minister Grant Robertson said the isolation proposal would “protect the tournament” should a player become infected with Covid-19. “If a player falls with Covid, he runs the risk of infecting his entire team and endangering the Rugby Championship, while we would have isolated cases on the third day,” he said.

“We still think this was a very competitive proposition, especially since we have the best prospect of being able to have full stadiums for the games.” The successful Australian launch is believed to have targeted 50 to 75 percent audience capacity.

However, according to Nichol, these quarantine rules meant that Australia was a much more attractive option. “It is not just about playing a single game, there are six games in five weeks. That is simply not acceptable for an international team. Unfortunately, New Zealand’s quarantine rules, when it comes to these sports teams, only meant that it would not be possible, ”he said.

“Compare that to Australia and our players can get on a plane, land, they can immediately train and prepare together as a full team and they can play a test match the day after they come out of quarantine. It is an incredibly attractive option compared to the New Zealand system. Ultimately, that’s what influenced him. “

The All Blacks will travel to Australia after Bledisloe’s test matches, probably in Auckland and Wellington, where they could stay for up to ten weeks and will have to self-quarantine upon their return home. That would mean the All Blacks players, several of whom have young children, will be in quarantine on Christmas Day.

– New Zealand Herald

The moment Tupou Vaa’i told his family that he had reached the @All the black people equipment ? pic.twitter.com/f7zZSdflmR

– RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 6, 2020