<
>

Queensland announced as Rugby Championship host, Perth Bledisloe back on

The third Bledisloe Cup Test match between Australia and New Zealand will be played in Perth next weekend, while Queensland will host the remainder of the Rugby Championship.

After games were initially slated to take place in Sydney, Newcastle and Canberra, the Wallabies and All Blacks will square off against world champions, South Africa, as well as Argentina's 'Los Pumas' across four straight weeks between Cbus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast, Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium and Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville.

Rugby Australia CEO Andy Marinos said he can't wait for the "once-in-a-lifetime event", after the Queensland government gave approval for the state to host the remainder of the tournament.

"What a fantastic tournament ahead for fans in Queensland," he said. "Four unmissable back-to-back double-headers featuring four of the very best Test nations in World Rugby - all in Queensland's backyard."

SANZAAR CEO Brendan Morris said: "On behalf of SANZAAR and the national unions, I would like to sincerely thank the Queensland Government for working with us around the clock to provide a travel, accommodation, training and playing environment that will safely allow us to complete the tournament.

"SANZAAR and the national unions are incredibly grateful and will work closely with the states' health authorities to ensure all bio-security measures are adhered to."

Rugby Australia will confirm the rescheduled Bledisloe III clash at Optus Stadium in the coming days.

Queensland is largely coronavirus-free but New South Wales and Victoria, along with the Australian Capital Territory, are locked down as authorities battle to contain outbreaks of the Delta variant.

New Zealand is also locked down until Aug. 27 while its largest city Auckland, the epicentre of the country's recent outbreak, will have restrictions in place at least until Aug. 31.

New Zealand Rugby announced on Friday they had cancelled their home Rugby Championship tests against South Africa and pulled out of the Wallabies test in Perth because of the uncertainty of potential quarantine measures and scheduling, a decision which left blindsided Australian coach Dave Rennie "Bloody angry".

"I think it's disappointing how it's been communicated, our boys all found out through social media...New Zealand Rugby didn't even have the respect to consult RA about their decision, so that's hugely disappointing," Rennie said.

Round 3 of the Rugby Championship will commence on Sunday, Sep. 12. The All Blacks play Argentina, with Australia facing South Africa in the first double-header on the Gold Coast.