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All Blacks 100th test against Springboks could be moved to Australia
By Sam Smith
A pause in the Trans-Tasman bubble between New Zealand and Australia has thrown a spanner into plans for The Rugby Championship, which was due to be played across both nations.
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The All Blacks were due to play six out of seven tests at home in New Zealand, but reports suggest this could be much lower as plans are being made to move the two tests against the Springboks to Australia should restrictions be extended.
New Zealand Rugby chief executive Mark Robinson said both teams wouldn’t be able to go through mandatory quarantine in New Zealand in September in time to play their scheduled games there.
The Wallabies had been granted an exemption in order for the opening Bledisloe Cup match on August 7 at Eden Park to go ahead, but the remaining tests after that are up in the air as the scheduled second test in Perth would require both teams to travel over and then back again.
“It is incredibly fluid and dynamic and an uncertain situation,” Mark Robinson said.
“We are heartened by the fact that we do seem to have some direction around Bledisloe I.
“Bledisloe II, we are still working with Sanzaar and Rugby Australia as well as potential venues.
“So it’s too early to commit to anything at this stage.”
The All Blacks games against the Pumas will also potentially be played in Australia, as like the Springboks, doing the time in isolation is not an option if the games are to be played on time.
Robinson is hopeful the Trans-Tasman bubble is opened up by that point to avoid having to move All Blacks’ test matches across the ditch.
“We’re hopeful that the bubble pause might have moved on by that stage and under that best case scenario there’s a real chance that we might be able to come back into New Zealand for those games.
“But ultimately that will be a decision between ourselves, the South Africans and Sanzaar, but highly contingent on where the country is at, at that stage.”
“We wouldn’t be having teams come into MIQ and then having to play games.”
