New Zealand government relaxes rules for Bledisloe Cup Tests

The New Zealand government has agreed to relax quarantine requirements to allow the All Blacks to play two Bledisloe Cup Test sat home against Australia next month.

The decision follows the move by southern hemisphere rugby body SANZAAR to move the four-nation Rugby Championship from New Zealand to

Australia because of Australia’s more lenient rules around mandatory isolation.

NewZe alan d’ sregu lations would have forced visiting national teams from Argentina, Australia and South Africa to train in smaller groups until late in the quarantine period, whereas Australia will permit each squad to practise in full throughout the isolation.

The New Zealand rules also threatened to jeopardise the two-test Bledisloe Cup series because Australia likely would refuse to pl ay a Test if their preparation had been affected by the quarantine restrictions. New Zealand Rugby confirmed yesterday the first Test will be played at Wellington on Sunday 11 Octob er and the second in Auckland on 18 October. Prime minister Jacinda Ardern, pictured, earlier said an agreement was reached with

New Zealand Rugby to allow the Wallabies to train in small groups from the third day and as a full group from the sixth day of their two-week quarantine period.

Ardern previously said stricter quarantine protocols would have to be in place around the Rugby Championship because South Africa and Argentina were higher risk countries. At least ten members of the Argentina squad and coach Mario Ledesma have tested positive for Covid-19.