Confirmed: New Zealand Rugby announce venue and crowd details for North v South match

The North v South match has been confirmed for Wellington’s Sky Stadium on Saturday 5 September, and it will be played without a live crowd.

The news follows the Government’s announcement this week on Covid-19 Alert Levels, with Auckland remaining at Level 3 until this Sunday night and Wellington and the rest of the country will remain at level two until Sunday 6 September.

Under level two guidelines, the North v South match will have to be played with no crowd in attendance.

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NZR general manager professional rugby and performance Chris Lendrum said: “We’re delighted that the match can go ahead in Wellington, but obviously it’s a shame that it’ll have to be played without fans in the stands. That said, we’re fully supportive and understanding of the Government’s health and safety recommendations regarding Covid-19.”

The match was originally scheduled for Eden Park on 29 August and fans who bought tickets to the match will be refunded via ticketing agency Ticketmaster.

The match is scheduled to kick off at 7.10pm.

The North and South squads will assemble in Wellington on Monday to prepare for the match.

Meanwhile, the Farah Palmer Cup and Mitre 10 Cup competitions will go ahead as scheduled, with the Farah Palmer Cup kicking off on Saturday 5 September and the Mitre 10 Cup the following weekend.

– New Zealand Rugby