SANZAAR confirm schedule for Rugby Championship

Tue, Aug 24, 2021, 4:29 AM
Nathan Williamson
by Nathan Williamson
The remainder of the eToro Rugby Championship will be in Australia following a decision by SANZAAR.

SANZAAR has confirmed the schedule for the Rugby Championship with the tournament set to be played in Queensland.

The matches will be played as double-headers across four straight weekends across Brisbane, Gold Coast and Townsville.

Click here to be the first to access tickets when on sale for the eToro Rugby Championship at 3pm AEST Wednesday 1 September

This comes as Rugby Australia confirms the third Bledisloe Test will be played in Perth, set to be played Sunday September 5 at 4pm (AEST)

Following this, the Wallabies will face South Africa on Sunday September 12 at Cbus Super Stadium, with the All Blacks taking on Argentina.

The sides will then head to Suncorp on September 18, before the action heads to Townsville a week later as Australia faces Argentina.

This will double as the centurion match between the All Blacks and Springboks, with the series set to end on October 2 on the Gold Coast.

Ticketholders for the previously scheduled matches in Sydney, Newcastle and Canberra will be refunded.

“This is a world Rugby first and a truly special celebration of the game, in what I see as a once-in-a-lifetime event. We can't thank Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk enough, as well as Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young and John Lee of the Department of Tourism, Innovation and Sport and their respective departments for their support in making this tournament possible," RA CEO Andy Marinos said in a statement.

“What a fantastic tournament ahead for fans in Queensland. Four unmissable back-to-back double-headers featuring four of the very best Test nations in World Rugby – all in Queensland’s backyard.

“I also want to acknowledge our partners including Nine, Stan, Cadbury, eToro as well as Rugby Australia’s partners for their support, as we showcase the very best of Queensland and Australia to the rest of the world next month.

“I extend our gratitude to the New South Wales Government and the ACT Government for their understanding in rescheduling the fixtures set for Sydney, Newcastle and Canberra. We hope everyone stays safe and we look forward to bringing world-class Rugby to fans right across the country next year."

Hooper leads from the front

With speculation rift the games would be moved to Europe, Marinos told reporters the preference was always keeping the games within the region, putting the delay down to sorting out quarantine measures for South Africa and Argentina.

"When we looked at the construct of the Rugby Championship this year, it was always going to be held between Australia and New Zealand and when New Zealand's position changed because of the COVID-19 outbreak, Australia remained the preferred option," Marinos said. 

"So I think everyone just believed that we needed to close that loop before we looked at anything else.

“We really had confirmation of the match schedule a couple of days ago, it was getting this managed isolation piece sorted literally minutes before our SANZAAR call last night we got the confirmation from the Premier’s office and the DG.

“It was very welcome news and well received by our SANZAAR partners. Getting the Queensland solution through was the preferred position of the SANZAAR CEO’s and it’s a delight to get it through.

“It’s a real good opportunity for Queensland and Rugby in Australia.”

Tickets will go on sale Wednesday September 1 at 3pm for the four double-headers across the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Townsville via Ticketek and Ticketmaster.

2021 RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP FIXTURES AND MATCH SCHEDULE

Round One

Sat 14 August: New Zealand 57 def Australia 22 at Eden Park, Auckland

Sat 14 August: South Africa 32 def Argentina 12 at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth

Round Two

Sat 21 August: Argentina 10 def by South Africa 29 at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth

Sun 5 September: Australia v New Zealand - Optus Stadium, Perth

Round Three

Sun 12 September: New Zealand v Argentina at Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast 

Sun 12 September:  South Africa v Australia at Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast 

Round Four Sat 18 September: Argentina v New Zealand at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane

Sat 18 September:  Australia v South Africa at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane

Round Five

Sat 25 September:  Australia v Argentina at Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville 

Sat 25 September: New Zealand v South Africa at Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville 

Round Six

Sat 2 October: Argentina v Australia at Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast 

Sat 2 October: South Africa v New Zealand at Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast 

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