Rennie: I am bloody angry at Kiwis for not travelling
Australia head coach Dave Rennie has hit out at New Zealand over a lack of respect after it was announced the All Blacks would not travel to Perth this week ahead of the proposed third Bledisloe Cup Test on Saturday.
New Zealand Rugby (NZR) confirmed in a statement that two matches with world champions South Africa, scheduled for September 25 and October 2, had also been cancelled following advice from the government.
Rennie lambasted the decision not to communicate with Rugby Australia (RA) before going public with the news the match set for later this week was in doubt.
"Bloody angry," he told reporters after the announcement. "I think it's disappointing how it has been communicated. Our boys all found out through social media.
"I thought New Zealand Rugby didn't even have the respect to consult RA about their decision so that's hugely disappointing."
A statement from NZR added that the country's women's side will no longer host Australia for matches in Christchurch on September 26 and at Eden Park on October 2.
"The decision follows advice from government that the Springboks and Wallaroos would not be able to enter New Zealand to play the matches due to Covid-19 travel restrictions," NZR said in its statement.
New Zealand this week went into a national lockdown after a case of the Covid-19 Delta strain, which spread from Australia, was detected.
The All Blacks are 2-0 up in the aborted series.