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Revealed: The contingency plans for New Zealand's North v South showcase

By Online Editors
Brad Weber, Patrick Tuipulotu and Scott Barrett. (Photos by Getty Images)

A change of date rather than a change of venue is now the more likely fate of the proposed North Island versus South Island match.

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The Herald understands that playing the game at Eden Park on September 5 is now the preferred contingency, should the Government keep Auckland at alert level 3 and prevent Blues players from travelling to Wellington on Monday.

Delaying the game by one week is seen as more practical and beneficial than trying to shift the venue from Eden Park to Sky Stadium as has been proposed.

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The game was thrown into jeopardy as a result of the sudden switch to level 3 in Auckland last week, and level 2 in the rest of the country.

Cabinet is expected to review the decision on the current settings – which sees Auckland at alert level 3 and the rest of the country at alert level 2 until at least 11.59pm on Wednesday (August 26) – tomorrow, with an announcement on Monday.

With the harsher lockdown likely to last until at least next Thursday, it was no longer possible for the two teams to assemble in Auckland this upcoming Monday as planned.

Even if Auckland shifts to level 2 on Thursday, that wouldn’t be enough time for the two squads to prepare and it would still mean that the game would have to be played behind closed doors.

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Facing that scenario, New Zealand Rugby changed its plans and intends for the two squads to assemble in Wellington on Monday, train in the capital and then potentially return to Auckland to play the game at Eden Park.

But that plan was contingent on the Auckland players being granted a Government exemption to leave the city – something which many see as unlikely.

In which case, the next option would be for the two squads to assemble in Wellington and then welcome the Auckland players on Thursday, should the city’s alert level be lowered.

That’s been deemed an impractical solution and there is minimal appetite among key stakeholders to play the fixture if the 13 Auckland-based players selected are unable to take part at all.

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The game is doubling as an All Blacks trial and its purpose will be limited should the Blues contingent not be involved.

With so many unknowns and risks it is believed that unless the Government decides tomorrow that it intends to lift the level 3 lockdown earlier or is willing to grant the Auckland players travel exemptions, then it would be best to push the fixture back seven days.

If Auckland returns to level 2 next Thursday, that will be enough to allow both teams to assemble in the city on Monday, August 31 and prepare for the match on September 5.

There is no clash of events to prevent that from happening and it would also open the prospect of the game being played in front of a sold-out Eden Park if the Government is willing to return Auckland to level 1.

The tickets have all been sold so it would be feasible for the stadium to be full even if the alert level was changed just the day before.

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J
Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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