Queensland takes over as Rugby C'ship hub

MELBOURNE • The state of Queensland will host eight Rugby Championship Tests in double-headers over four weekends from next month, in a rejigged schedule following new Covid-19 restrictions across Australia and New Zealand.

The organisers had been considering whether to move games to South Africa or Britain amid lockdowns and tightening travel curbs.

But after securing approvals from Queensland officials, the partner rugby unions in governing body Sanzaar agreed unanimously to play in the largely coronavirus-free state, Rugby Australia (RA) boss Andy Marinos said yesterday.

"Everyone is on the same page, thankfully, and aligned to making sure this Rugby Championship is a success," he added.

The agreement comes after friction between Australia and New Zealand in recent days following New Zealand Rugby's (NZR) decision to pull out of Saturday's Test against Australia in Perth over concerns about the schedule and quarantine requirements.

RA is still hoping the Perth match can go ahead on the following weekend but is waiting for approvals from authorities in Western Australia, which has effectively shut its state border to arrivals from New Zealand.

"I'm hopeful we can get confirmation in the next 24-48 hours," Marinos said. The Gold Coast will host the third round of the event on Sept 12, and the sixth and final round on Oct 2.

Brisbane will stage round four at Lang Park on Sept 18 with Townsville holding round five on Sept 25.

The All Blacks play Argentina, with Australia facing South Africa in the first double-header on the Gold Coast.

The Springboks and the Pumas are set to start their two-week quarantine on Friday at a resort in south-east Queensland before playing under strict bio-security protocols.

But despite averting a possible cancellation, the latest changes have resulted in greater costs and a revenue hit.

"There's without a doubt an impact because we've lost a huge opportunity in terms of the budgets and the P and L's (profit and loss) presented for some of the games that would have taken place in New Zealand," said Marinos.

"Our costs have increased as we have expected with the quarantine and the additional requirements around that."

South Africa lead the table after winning back-to-back home matches against Argentina. The All Blacks have one win after thrashing the Wallabies 57-22.

REUTERS