Northern | US

New Zealand Rugby reveal back-up plan for Auckland Bledisloe Cup test if COVID-19 restrictions remain in place


(Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
Comments
Comment

New Zealand Rugby has plans in place should the second Bledisloe Cup test set for Eden Park be implicated by national alert level settings.

ADVERTISEMENT

The All Blacks first two matches of 2020 will come next month on home soil, with tests against the Wallabies on October 11 at Sky Stadium in Wellington and October 18 in Auckland.

New Zealand’s drop to alert level 1 outside of the Super City at midnight tonight allows for the opening test in the capital to go ahead without restrictions on social gatherings.

Video Spacer

The Aussie Rugby Show | Episode 18

Video Spacer

The Aussie Rugby Show | Episode 18

However, Auckland will move to alert level 2 at midnight Wednesday, which caps gatherings at 100 people. The settings to be reviewed by Cabinet on Monday October 5.

Should they remain in place through to second test, NZR General Manager Professional Rugby & Performance Chris Lendrum said in a statement, they have a backup plan.

“Our preference and intention is to play the match at Eden Park, but if we can’t have crowds due to Alert Levels we will look to move the match to Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin,” he said.

“We are making responsible contingency plans as we have all the way through Covid-19.”

Tickets for the Auckland test will be available the week of October 5 when the next alert level announcement is expected, while those for the Wellington test will be available next Tuesday.

ADVERTISEMENT

Mr Lendrum adds they are confident the match will go ahead as currently planned.

“Our primary concern is the health and safety of our fans and we will be guided by the advice of Government and health authorities when Auckland’s Alert Levels are reviewed on Monday, 5 October.”

Yesterday the All Blacks set up camp in Whakatane, coming together for the first time this year. It gives Ian Foster a look at his first squad as coach after naming it earlier this month.

A second camp will be established next week in Hamilton ahead of the opening clash with Australia.

Get the RugbyPass App 📱

Follow the biggest matches with live scores, line-ups, news and analysis, all in the RugbyPass App.

Download Here
On Apple IOS, Android, and Tablet.
ADVERTISEMENT
Play Video
LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Long Reads

Comments on RugbyPass

N
NoLongerARuck 54 minutes ago
Nations Championship: 'The data shows the north has finally caught up with the south'

The Six Nations produced so many compelling games and so much of action packed moments that you can only conclude that its the best international comp out there at the moment except for a world cup. If Wales improve it will be even better especially given the strides Italy have made in recent times. The Rugby Championship is now taking a hiatus in a year it really should be building toward something better which is terrible considering the competition was so tight last year. The Nations Champs promises much but one gets the feeling that the 6 Nations teams will not be at their peak given its at the end of their long season. In terms of rugby quality and entertainment Id rather watch the 6 Nations over everything else other than a world cup right now. The North arguably offers more in terms of entertainment than the South at club level as well. The Prem, the Champs Cup, URC and Top 14 all feature plenty of scoring and different playing styles while Super Rugby seems to be the same thing game in game out. While the South tries to speed up the game artificially with new trials and law variations the North has shown you can do it with good refereeing which penalises cynical play harshly and encourages positive actions on the field. In terms of entertainment the North wins. In terms of winning? They are making strides but until they win another world cup or get a team to rank number 1 again for an extended time again they cant really say they are better than the South.

35 Go to comments
Close Panel
Close Panel

Edition & Time Zone

{{current.name}}
Set time zone automatically
{{selectedTimezoneTitle}} (auto)
Choose a different time zone
Close Panel

Editions

Close Panel

Change Time Zone

Close
ADVERTISEMENT
Copied to clipboard

Share Article close