Bleddy fantastic news for Sydney

SYDNEY’S long wait to host the Bledisloe Cup again will soon be over, with ANZ Stadium the likely venue for the opening match of this year’s four-game series against the All Blacks now that the endof-season tour to Europe is dead.

It is understood that if the series opener is moved from Melbourne, as seems inevitable, it will take place in Sydney on October 10, with the second match in Brisbane a week later.

The remaining two fixtures against the

All Blacks will be held in New Zealand in November and December as part of a full Rugby Championship with the Springboks and Pumas, but staged entirely in one single country.

Australia and New Zealand had both been vying for the right to host the Rugby Championship after Argentina and world champions South Africa were ruled out of contention because of their struggles dealing with the global pandemic.

However, SANZAAR has decided that New Zealand is the preferred option, pending approval from the New Zealand Government and no second wave of coronavirus.

The pay-off to Australia is that the first two Bledisloe Cup matches will be held on this side of the Tasman in October, leaving both teams with enough time to quarantine in New Zealand before the Rugby Championships starts.

Sydney was not due to host a Bledisloe Cup match for years because of the planned rebuild of ANZ Stadium but the COVID-19 pandemic has put the Harbour City back at the front of the queue.

Suncorp Stadium will host a Bledisloe Cup game on October 17.