"The 12th of December is an issue for New Zealand but we’ve exhausted every other option and only one at its very furthest - working through how best we can manage the quarantine," Marinos told reporters in Sydney at the official announcement of The Rugby Championship. Get the latest Rugby news and live scores at Rugby.com.au. All matches involving Argentina and world champions South Africa will remain as scheduled, and the pair will now close out the competition on Dec. 12 at Newcastle’s McDonald Jones Stadium. We will have to adapt on the run to reach those goals.”, MAVERICK INSIDERS CAN COMMENT. Sanzaar chief Andy Marinos says the Rugby Championship will go ahead as planned despite New Zealand’s unhappiness with the schedule. On Thursday morning SANZAAR released the 2020 Rugby Championship draw, which will run in Australia from November 7 to December 12. On Thursday a press release from Sanzaar landed with optimism in inboxes across the world, detailing the Rugby Championship schedule. View our comments policy here. “The last games our players were involved in was back in March, and there has been a lot of change in the world since then,” Nienaber told Daily Maverick. Copyright© Mediacorp 2020. Crusaders The Stormers squad had a 60-minute contact practice match last Friday and it was obvious, despite the welcome physicality on display, that SA’s best players are well off full-match fitness. “It’s one thing to freshen up a body, which is necessary, but it’s another thing to stay on top of your game, develop your skills and become stronger and fitter while you are sitting around. site from Sports Digital Media and gives Argentina v South Africa ANZ Stadium, Sydney Our Broadcasters and Commercial partners have been fantastic in working with us and continually adapting in what has been a very dynamic environment. "Six unmissable back-to-back doubleheaders featuring four of the very best Test nations in World Rugby - all in our backyard.". The Wallabies versus All Blacks TRC matches on September 7 and December 12 will double up as the last two Bledisloe matches. 18+ IN SYDNEY -- SANZAAR boss Andy Marinos doesn't think The Rugby Championship is at risk of not going ahead despite New Zealand Rugby expressing their "disappointment" and that they "haven't agreed to this schedule". / Twitter. Each party has had to sacrifice something, and I think that is a true indication of the strength of the SANZAAR alliance,” Clarke said. Super But within minutes of the announcement, New Zealand Rugby, who had been the frontrunners to host the tournament before the nation's strong quarantine regulations meant it would be impractical for all four competing nations to base themselves in the Shaky Isles, released a strongly worded statement slamming the schedule. The Rugby Championship is one of the game’s show piece events and includes some of the best rugby talent in the world. Super Rugby The six double-header Saturdays are a first for the tournament and will produce an exciting feast of rugby for spectators at the venues who will actually be getting two world-class international tests for the price of one entry ticket. The entire 12-match, 6-week tournament, as previously revealed, will take place in Australia and will be played in Brisbane, Newcastle and Sydney between November 7 … (Reporting by Nick Said; Editing by Shri Navaratnam and Emelia Sithole-Matarise). Receive breaking rugby news, team and player announcements, exclusive content and ticket presale information. It is important to further acknowledge the sacrifice of a number of the players and team management that will have been away from home for close to six months by the time The Rugby Championship has concluded. “The hard work of our government agencies, including Destination NSW and the Office of Sport, continues to see our state go from strength to strength as we navigate our way through what have been some turbulent times for our tourism and event industries. Clearly, over the past few days there have been some developments that mean the commitment to that [idea] wasn’t as strong, and we’ll keep working through that with Sanzaar and Rugby Australia. As such, all matches are currently running at a reduced seating capacity. 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