Here comes the news that all rugby fans were waiting for… After a period of uncertainty and frantic talks to secure a venue, officials have confirmed that Australia’s Queensland state will host the remainder of the Rugby Championship.
In a statement cited by IOL, SANZAAR CEO Brendan Morris said “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.
“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.”
New Zealand, Australia, world champions South Africa and Argentina will play four double-header Tests between 12 September and 2 October in Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Townsville, AFP reports.
Meanwhile, the Springboks eagerly await the 100th Test match against New Zealand, set to take place on September 25 in Townsville.
2021 Rugby Championship remaining fixtures:
12 September
New Zealand v Argentina
South Africa v Australia
(At Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast)
18 September
Argentina v New Zealand
Australia v South Africa
(At Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane)
25 September
Australia v Argentina
New Zealand v South Africa
(At Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville)
2 October
Argentina v Australia
South Africa v New Zealand
(At Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast)
Picture: Twitter / @Springboks