New Rugby Champs draw: Boks set to play, and will close it out in Newcastle

Date: October 8, 2020 | Posted in News | Sports News

Change in the schedule will allow the New Zealand players, who’ll be subjected to two weeks of quarantine after the tournament, to spend Christmas at home.

Southern hemisphere rugby governing body Sanzaar on Thursday announced a revised draw for the upcoming Rugby Championship to be played in Australia.

The 12-match tournament will now be played across seven weeks, with Australia’s clash against New Zealand moved from Saturday, 12 December to Saturday, 31 October at Sydney’s ANZ Stadium. South Africa’s Test against Argentina on Saturday, 12 December has been moved from Sydney’s ANZ Stadium to Newcastle’s McDonald Jones Stadium to close out the tournament.

Had the Wallabies and All Blacks also duelled on 12 December, it would have seen the Kiwi players spend Christmas in quarantine due to their country’s coronavirus restrictions.

The remainder of the draw is otherwise unchanged with five straight weeks of doubleheaders beginning at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium on Saturday, 7 November. Kick-off times have also been confirmed.

Sanzaar CEO Andy Marinos commented on the schedules changes via a press statement: “The opening of the travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand from New Zealand and an agreement by the parties on revised commercial outcomes has enabled the joint venture to consider alternative solutions in addressing our two key objectives of commercial viability and player welfare.