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International rugby a step closer as All Blacks assemble under relaxed COVID-19 restrictions
By AAP
The return of international rugby in New Zealand took a step closer on Monday with the All Blacks squad assembling for a training camp as the government relaxed COVID-19 restrictions.
The All Blacks play Australia in two Bledisloe Cup matches in Wellington on October 11 and in Auckland the following week, the first rugby tests since the Six Nations was put on hold in late March due to the pandemic.
The training camp, in the eastern Bay of Plenty town of Whakatane, is the first opportunity All Blacks coach Ian Foster has had to work with the squad since naming it earlier this month.
A second camp will be held next week in Hamilton before they reassemble for the first test against the Wallabies at Wellington Regional Stadium, which should be a full house following the government's decision to loosen COVID-19 curbs.
Whether crowds are to be allowed at Eden Park in Auckland for the second game will not be known until October 5. The country's largest city was the centre of a new outbreak of the novel coronavirus last month and is subject to tighter restrictions.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, however, said on Monday that an additional two weeks with tighter restrictions would give them confidence to allow Auckland to drop to the same level.
"With time, you can have greater confidence," Ardern said.
"If we continue on this path, it's likely that in two weeks time, we'll have that added confidence."
The All Blacks could face more than two months away from their families due to COVID-19 controls when they head to Australia for the Rugby Championship from early November.
While no player has opted out of the trip scrumhalf TJ Perenara said it was a difficult choice.
"It will have its challenges," he told Stuff Media.
"It's not an easy situation for anyone."
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Latest Comments
Agreed. And I don't have much more to say on it, but I had been having one thought that sprang to mind at the tail of this discussion, and that is that it's not all about Razor.
It's not about any coach being "right". I think a lot of selections can become defense and while it doesn't really apply here I really enjoyed that Andy Farrell just gave into the public demands and changed out his team for the change that had been asked for. Like why not? This is the countries team, keep them engaged. The whole reason i've only just finished watching the game was because I wasn't interested in watching any of the selected players against a team like Italy (still actually enjoyed the first half with the contest Italy made of it).
Faz leap frogs a younger half back into start. He hands the golden child the game over July's golden child. He gives an old winger a go, a new flanker and hooker. None of them really did any good, certainly not enough to suggest they should have been promoted above others, but who cares? You won, and you gave the country what they wanted, that's all that matters after all. It's for the country, not the one in charge who thinks they have to have their own pied piper tune playing.
Go to commentsAs Naas would say... A win is a win.
It was not perfect and at times frustrating. All 3 tests were not the best by the Boks and they still found ways to win.
Rassie would have noted the sloppyness at times and silly mistakes. The 9's made amateur handling mistakes when clearing the rucks in all 3 tests.
Once the "stupid" mistakes are eliminated, this Bok team will be very very hard to beat.
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