The third Bledisloe Cup Test is in major doubt after the West Australian government introduced fresh quarantine rules for arriving New Zealanders in the wake of NZ’s level four lockdown.
West Australian Premier Mark McGowan said on Wednesday he could not say if the game between the All Blacks and Wallabies would go ahead, as scheduled on August 28 in Perth.
His government is introducing a “low risk’ measure, effective from 4pm Wednesday NZT, which means New Zealanders arriving in Perth will have to quarantine for two weeks.
Whether the All Blacks get an exemption from that requirement – as the Wallabies did when they played the first two Tests of the series in Auckland this month – remains to be seen.
“We are not sure,” McGowan said when asked by reporters about the status of the game.
“Maybe we have to work out some arrangement, or there may be a bubble, or they just have comply with the rules that exist for everybody else.
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“It’s a moving situation and it would be disappointing for rugby fans if we are forced to cancel the game, but that is the nature of the world we live in.”
McGowan also didn’t think there was much hope that other Rugby Championship games involving Argentina and the Springboks would be held in Perth, which has been mooted as a possibility.
“I think it would be unlikely, it’s not our No.1 priority.”
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The All Blacks are scheduled to fly to Perth on Sunday, but the level four lockdown has New Zealand Rugby involved in negotiations to see if that will still happen.
“We will be guided by government travel guidelines and any potential border restrictions in Australia while working closely with SANZAAR and Rugby Australia in coming days to understand what the impact is on our plans,” NZR chief executive Mark Robinson said on Monday after the level four lockdown was announced.
The plan is for the All Blacks to play Argentina in West Australia on September 11 and 18 and the Springboks there on September 25 and October 2, before heading off on their northern hemisphere tour, potentially not returning home for three and a half months.
The All Blacks are on family time this week, having secured the Bledisloe Cup for a 19th consecutive season with Saturday night’s record-breaking 57-22 victory over the Wallabies at Eden Park.
This article was originally published on stuff.co.nz and is reproduced with permission
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