Wales consider hosting Sanzaar tournament

THE Welsh Rugby Union are exploring hosting Rugby Championship games at Principality Stadium.

A mid-tournament switch is being considered because of Covid-19 restrictions affecting games involving Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina.

Wales’ home is among grounds looking at the feasibility of hosting the matches. Twickenham, Wembley, Stade de France and Dublin’s Aviva Stadium are possibilities.

Tournament organiser Sanzaar are exploring the possibility of switching the remainder of the southern hemisphere’s competition to the UK, Ireland and France.

The Rugby Championship has never played a match outside of the four participating nations.

A swift decision is expected with grounds being sounded out over the coming days.

New Zealand and large parts of Australia are currently under strict coronavirus lockdown.

The Wallabies are scheduled to host the All Blacks on August 28 in Perth, but the Western Australia state has imposed a 14-day quarantine on all arrivals from New Zealand.

South Africa and Argentina were also due to arrive in Australia later this month for the rest of the tournament.

The Rugby Championship is due to finish in early October with New Zealand set to face Wales in the first of the autumn internationals on October 30 in Cardiff.

Squads from New Zealand and Australia would be able to enter the UK without quarantine because they are on the green list. The All Blacks and Wallabies squads, though, would have to quarantine for 14 days when they returned home.

There are quarantine issues in the northern hemisphere with South Africa on the UK red list which means only British and Irish nationals and residents are permitted entry, even if they have been vaccinated.

An exemption would therefore be required from the UK Government, but those restrictions do not apply for France and Ireland from visitors from South Africa.