Queensland to host the remainder of the Rugby Championship

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Queensland to host the remainder of the Rugby Championship image

The rest of the 2021 Rugby Championship will be played in Queensland, with games scheduled for the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Townsville.

Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk confirmed the news at her daily briefing on Tuesday morning. 

The move comes four days after the All Blacks threw the future of the tournament in turmoil by refusing to fly to Perth for the third Bledisloe Cup Test, which was scheduled for this Saturday. 

WATCH: Every match of the Bledisloe Cup and The Rugby Championship with live, ad-free and on-demand coverage only on Stan Sport.

Rugby Australia hopes that match can be played at a later date. 

Argentina and South Africa, who have played each other twice to date, will both fly into Australia later this week. 

The rest of the tournament will feature four double headers between September 12 and October 2. 

The first fixtures will be played on the Gold Coast, before heading to Brisbane, Townsville and back to Cbus Super Stadium.

The All Blacks hosted the Wallabies twice at Eden Park, but were later forced to cancel their home games against the Springboks and Pumas after a COVID-19 outbreak saw the country sent into lockdown. 

Last year's tournament saw South Africa pull out, citing COVID-19 travel concerns, but SANZAAR CEO Brendan Morris said the 2021 edition will go ahead with a full complement of teams.

"We thought last year was tough when we had to implement a Tri-nations tournament in Australia with South Africa absent due to the pandemic, but the current disruption caused by the 'delta variant' of COVID-19 has seen government authorities tighten up border bio-security measures substantially," Morris said on Tuesday.

"This is totally understandable but after exploring several options, including moving the tournament to South Africa and even Europe, we now look forward with excitement to the remainder of The Rugby Championship in Queensland.

"Indeed, I am delighted on behalf of the SANZAAR stakeholders that we can now complete this world-class rugby tournament.

“We are very excited about this unique format and rugby experience as we look to deliver a month of double headers with the world's best players in Queensland, something never done in international rugby before.

"On behalf of SANZAAR and the national unions, I would like to sincerely thank the Queensland Government for working with us and providing a travel, accommodation, training and playing environment that will allow us to safely complete the tournament. SANZAAR and the National Unions will now work closely with the states' health authorities to ensure all bio-security measures are adhered to." 

UPDATED 2021 RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE AND FIXTURES

Round 1
Sat 14 August: New Zealand 57 v Australia 22 [Eden Park, Auckland] 
Sat 14 August: South Africa 32 v Argentina 12 [Mandela Stadium, Port Elizabeth]

Round 2
Sat 21 August: Argentina 29 v South Africa 10 [Mandela Stadium, Port Elizabeth]
TBC: Australia v New Zealand: Optus Stadium, Perth**

Round 3
Sunday 12 September: New Zealand v Argentina: CBUS Super Stadium, Gold Coast 
Sunday 12 September:  South Africa v Australia: CBUS Super Stadium, Gold Coast 

Round 4
Saturday 18 September: Argentina v New Zealand: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane 
Saturday 18 September:  Australia v South Africa: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane 

Round 5
Sat 25 September: New Zealand v South Africa: QLD Country Bank Stadium, Townsville 
Sat 25 September: Australia v Argentina: QLD Country Bank Stadium, Townsville 

Round 6
Sat 2 October: South Africa v New Zealand: CBUS Super Stadium, Gold Coast
Sat 2 October: Argentina v Australia: CBUS Super Stadium, Gold Coast

* All kick-off times and match order to be confirmed
** Also Third Bledisloe Cup match - Date to be confirmed

 

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