All Black Christmas? NZ fume over festive quarantine
WELLINGTON: New Zealand Rugby yesterday refused to rule out boycotting the end of this year’s four-nation Rugby Championship in Australia after organisers unveiled a schedule that would leave the All Blacks stranded in quarantine at Christmas.
The row overshadowed plans for a tournament that host Australia described as a “mini-World Cup” over six weeks, with double-header matches each weekend featuring the Wallabies, South Africa, New Zealand and Argentina.
“Six unmissable back-to-back double-headers featuring four of the very best Test nations in world rugby — all in our backyard — this really is a once-in-a-lifetime event,” Rugby Australia interim chief executive Rob Clarke told reporters.
Southern hemisphere governing body Sanzaar is staging the tournament in one country for the first time due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with the opening round in the Queensland state capital Brisbane on Nov 7.
But it was the final round — which has the Wallabies playing the All Blacks in Sydney on Dec 12 — that needled NZR.
With the New Zealand government enforcing a strict two-week coronavirus quarantine on all international arrivals, the schedule means the All Blacks face being isolated from their families at Christmas even if they fly home straight after the match.
“We haven’t agreed to this schedule and are disappointed at the announcement,” NZR chief executive Mark Robinson said.
He said discussions prior to this week focused on the All Blacks’ matches finishing on Dec 5, giving ample time for pre-Christmas quarantine in New Zealand.
Robinson said he understood commercial considerations were behind the late schedule change, but argued “the well-being of our people is an incredibly important factor in this also”.
Asked if the All Blacks could boycott the final round, Robinson replied: “It’s far too early to land on exactly what the solutions or outcomes are at the moment.
“We’re going to take a few days to keep working with all the key players,” he added.