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Sydney could miss out on hosting a Bledisloe Cup fixture for the second time in three years and for the first time outside a World Cup year since 2006 as Rugby Australia pushes on to host one match against New Zealand on home soil in Perth.
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-u...26-p56wyq.html
Sydney Bledisloe unlikely with Perth frontrunner.
By Tom Decent
January 26, 2021 — 7.45pm
Sydney could miss out on hosting a Bledisloe Cup fixture for the second time in three years and for the first time outside a World Cup year since 2006 as Rugby Australia pushes on to host one match against New Zealand on home soil in Perth.
While there is a lot of water to go under the bridge before the international calendar kicks off in July, rugby officials are desperate to ensure the Wallabies feature in more than 2020′s tally of six Tests.
Australia squared off against the Kiwis in four consecutive Tests last year. Michael Hooper’s men drew the first Test in Wellington, fell in Auckland and Sydney to ultimately squander the Bledisloe Cup, before salvaging some pride in Brisbane with a 24-22 victory.
There is hope 2021 will return to some semblance of normality. New Zealand is set to host two of this year’s three Bledisloe Cup matches, meaning Australia will need to chalk up a win across the ditch to regain the trophy they have not held since 2002.
RA has an agreement with the WA government to take another Bledisloe match west after Perth hosted the Wallabies in 2019 when, under coach Michael Cheika, the team stunned New Zealand in a 47-26 victory.
For years, Sydney has been synonymous with Bledisloe fixtures, but the Harbour City missed out in 2019 when there were only two matches – in Perth and Auckland – due to the World Cup in Japan.
The decision in 2019 was in part due to the Sydney Football Stadium rebuild but the All Blacks look destined to play elsewhere in 2021 as well, provided the draft schedule remains in place and COVID-19 doesn’t once again cause headaches for organisers.
Outside of World Cup years, the last time Sydney did not host the All Blacks for a Test came 15 years ago. The three trans-Tasman matches of 2006 were contested in Christchurch, Brisbane and Auckland - a series New Zealand won 3-0.
The Wallabies have a miserable record in Sydney against New Zealand. They have lost their last four matches by an average of almost 30 points, including an embarrassing 43-5 defeat in October.
Sydney, however, will almost certainly host a Rugby Championship match, assuming South Africa and Argentina can travel out later in the year.
RA says a fourth Bledisloe match, as an extra money spinner, is unlikely to be squeezed into the calendar for 2021. Speculation a Bledisloe fixture could be taken overseas has also been hosed down.
The governing body is keeping an eye on the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines given amount of international travel normally on the cards for teams later in the year.
Following Super Rugby AU (February 19 to May 8) and Super Rugby Trans-Tasman (May 14 to June 19), France, the fourth ranked team in the world, is expected to tour for three Tests in July. However, there has been no official confirmation of the tour, though it appears likely at this stage.
A problem could arise with quarantine protocols and particularly so given the Top 14 final is scheduled to be played one week before the first Test in Australia.
RA chairman Hamish McLennan has already flagged inviting teams from around the world to Australia if COVID-19 restrictions make Test action hard to come by in their own countries.
The British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa is already under a major cloud.
Meanwhile, there is hope Australia can tour to the northern hemisphere for the first time since 2018. Matches have been pencilled in against Scotland (November 6) and England (November 13), while there is talk of a December 4 fixture against Wales in Cardiff.
That could mean a grand slam tour for the first time since 2016, should the Wallabies tackle Ireland in one of the two remaining weekends in late November.
Possible Australian rugby calendar 2021
Super Rugby AU (February 19 to May 8)
Super Rugby Trans-Tasman (May 14 to June 19)
Wallabies vs France three-Test home series (July 3 to July 17)
Two Bledisloe Cup fixtures v New Zealand
Four Rugby Championship matches - 2 v South Africa; 2 v Argentina
One more Bledisloe Cup fixture
Spring tour (November 6 to December 4)
From SMH
It always was going to be at Optus in August - but of Sydney scaremongering?
Whilst I understand that Perth signed an agreement for another Bledisloe Cup game to be played here, didn't the NSW Government and Rugby Australia sign a 10 year agreement for the Bledisloe Cup to the staged in Sydney every year and only when Australia hosted 2 games would the second game get farmed out to other cities?
I think they are just waiting for final sign-off by the NZRU before announcing the Perth fixture. Hopefully Scomo’s latest snub against Jacinda and the Trans-Tasman travel bubble doesn’t pee them off too much!!
Don't like to get too political but it must be remembered that while Australia opened their borders to NZ (and really only part of Australia did), NZ never opened their borders to Australia. Anyone coming into NZ had to quarantine for two weeks at a hotel at their own expense. Don't complain about someone closing their border off to you when you did not open your border to them. Just like Mark McGowan rightly closed the state borders when there was community transmission over east, Scomo closed the international border to NZ when there was community transmission in NZ.Quote:
Originally Posted by Alison
I believe this to be 100% correct.Quote:
Originally Posted by jargan83
My first thought too, volvo. Struck me as a real case for the wahhhmbulance, when the covid record for chunks of Australia are better than NZ. They could potentially have had a proper travel bubble with some of Australia for months, if everyone needed a holidayQuote:
Originally Posted by volvo
What's a holiday?
In all seriousness though Jacinda has no right to tell Australia how to treat it's borders given the global situation and the fact that it was the more contagious SA variant detected in NZ. If the SA or UK variant got loose in Australia we'd lose all the hard work done over the last 6 to 8 months.
Like X says; 100% correct. Not that journos never re-hash a story when they've little else to write. But the main point of the article is the possibility of Sydney missing out with reference to the WA Govt/RA agreement to bring another Bled to Perth - but not necessarily this rear.Quote:
Originally Posted by jargan83
Without getting too political also: I'd guess about 70-80% of the WA population are right behind the Government's Covid stance - including the leader of the opposition apparently. On this subject, the outcome of sporting fixtures is not even a consideration for me. But I sure hope they can structure quarantine protocols to keep them on track.
Pretty sure that deal has expired.
On the WA border closure there is a state election coming and the pallet of shit won her state election on the basis of keeping Queenslanders safe even though people died after being prevented access to Qld hospitals paid by Federal taxpayers.
As soon as JobKeeper finishes watch the state borders open.
Those people didn't die in QueenslandQuote:
Originally Posted by Bakkies
Queensland for Queenslanders was the campaign slogan (at least unofficially) so if the Federal Government feeds money into that, they'll still call it that way.
The strategy will also work in WA
2021 is the last year of the deal.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bakkies
https://www.destinationnsw.com.au/news-and-media/media-releases/major-events-boost-states-economy
Those people who couldn’t visit loved ones from interstate have Queensland birth certificates which entitles them to a Queensland Passport.Quote:
Originally Posted by GIGS20
We pay Medicare levy to service hospitals across the country not restrict it to personal fiefdoms.
The highest contributor to the WA budget surplus is Commonwealth Grants that come from the federal tax payer not mines. Cut off JobKeeper and the WA Government will have to obtain revenue from somewhere else. The tap to China will run out soon.
With respect Bakkies; you mostly make sense when you stick to Rugby. Give the politics a miss. Partly because this is a Rugby forum after all. But mostly because you suck at politics. Dead set! :)
I know you only get fed one side of the story in WA the pro state border closure Premiers will get their come uppance when the tape is turned off.Quote:
Originally Posted by shasta
The behaviour of the WA Premier is why this has got political and has had an effect on whether the Force spend another year on the road away from their family and supporters. How do the Force sell season tickets if they are still don’t know if they are able to host interstate teams in their state....
I think I should have labelled my post with the sarcasm emoji, my badQuote:
Originally Posted by Bakkies
I'm no fan of the way McGowan has handled COVID, but he's been very clever in managing the spin.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bakkies
He doesn't give a flying fuck what the rest of the country think, he's got massive popularity within the state due to his isolationist policies and stretching of the truth regarding the fiscal and community cost. He will be reelected in a landslide unless Zac Kirkup can start putting a mountain of runs on the board in criticising the fact that locking the doors really only delays the onset of the disease.
He might make it all the way to effective vaccination, but that will cause even more damage to the economy, which, despite his spruiking of it being the best in the country came equal 6th out of 7 in an independent ranking.
His lecturing of other state premiers and habit of slamming borders closed without warning or logic is usually greeted with cheers and flag waving over here, no matter the impact it has on our finances.
I am aware that I'm significantly in the minority
Who?Quote:
Originally Posted by GIGS20
People always have something to complain about. Nevermind we are in a country that is the envy of most of the world re: COVID safety. Nevermind that we are in a state that largely lives like we did pre-COVID. Nope, lets complain that it isn't perfect.
If you are getting your knickers in a knot about border closures, I think you are missing the big picture.