Wallabies players Harry Wilson and Tate McDermott have revealed the players’ disappointment with the Bledisloe 3 postponement, while Rugby Australia CEO Andy Marinos says the game could be played in Perth on September 4.
Marinos, speaking on Sports Sunday on Channel Nine, reaffirmed Rugby Australia’s disappointment at how New Zealand postponed the trip making a game next weekend impossible.
“We are working hard with the Western Australian government and the stadium to see if we can’t move it to September 4. There is a lot of work that has been done in the last 24-48 hours,” Marinos said.
Tate McDermott passes during a Wallabies training session. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
With speculation that the game and the remainder of The Rugby Championship could be moved to South Africa or Europe, Marinos made it clear WA remained the first choice.
“We remain optimistic and confident we can get the game away eventually in Perth,” he said.
He was asked to go over the timeline again from Friday in the latest media-led exchange between he and New Zealand Rugby CEO Mark Robinson.
“The context around that is we had an emergency call on the Thursday morning to get clarity around the future structure,” Marinos said.
“South Africa had given us a very clear indication that they could host the Tri-Nations. So we had certainty that if we couldn’t deliver it in Australia we could go to South Africa as a fall back.
“Mark and the NZ guys put a pretty unrealistic deadline on us of 12 oclock Friday. I was on a call with them on Friday to ask them to give us some time until 3 o’clock when we had a final SANZAAR call to make a final decision.
“They weren’t prepared to do that.
“They were pretty admant in their decision, but at no stage in that time did he make any mention of the fact he was going to be making a public statement about this.
“That’s what’s completely blindsided us – they unilaterally just went and made a public statement before we had an opportunity to engage as a SANZAAR group and for us to understand to understand the enormity of the decision they’d taken.
“It was pretty clear to me they never had ny intention of fulfilling that game on the 28th.”
Marinos was asked where the situation left the relationship with New Zealand.
“It’s challenging,” Marinos said. “Obviously you are the biggest competitors on the field. I think everyone is just trying to maximise and get the best possible outcomes given we’re operating in a COVID-induced environment.
“The challenge for us is we feel as an organisation, as players, there’s been a significant amount of compromise and sacrifice on our side in order to manage this COVID outbreak and get things underway and we don’t feel that’s being reciprocated at the moment.
“They forever seem to be putting up roadblocks. When you consider what our team has been through, getting over to New Zealand at the drop of a hat and sitting there with no certainty over the future, and having been on the road since June 12 away from family we expect more of a compromise and more of a partnership approach.
“It is challenging but for the good of the game we will continue to work though and continue to live the values of this game.”
Wallabies forward Harry Wilson, speaking at a club engagement in Perth, said the players were struggling with the decision.
“The boys are shattered with the news,” said Wilson.
“We’ve been preparing, learning the rights and wrongs from the last Test against them.
“It’s a few days now to get over it, a few relaxing days before we get back to rip in to hopefully verse them sometimes soon.
Tate McDermott added: “From the players’ point of view it’s incredibly disappointing and frustrating.
“Given our past two results against the Kiwis we had a perfect chance to put on a good show for the Perth community and rectify our wrongs in those first two games.
“Hopefully we do get that game on the fourth.”
Objective Observer
Roar Rookie
In English please?
Ex force fan
Guest
This article is an indication of how little trust WA government have in Rugby Union. WA paid $5 million for the game to be played at Optus stadium and it is the only stadium in Australia that still sells out, it is RA biggest money spinner by far. NZRU is well aware of how sensitive the relationship between rugby Union is after the WA government was left to hold the can after the Force Fiasco. RA is the biggest loser here are WA government will be reluctant to go into more of this lucrative deals without the proper guarantees by not only RA but also NZRU. That will become common as governments realises that you need commercial recourse to both teams just ensure that the All Blacks turn up to play or these deals will just not happen. The winners will be other codes like AFL, NRL, soccer,.....it is a self inflicted wound.
adam smith
Roar Rookie
:laughing: touché Muglair!
Sam.T
Roar Rookie
of thats the mindset of aussie rugby fans then good on the NZRU
Muglair
Roar Rookie
14 days hotel quarantine in Perth without signed exemption from the WA Police Commissioner.
Muglair
Roar Rookie
I understand, it is the Roar. There have been no reports on soft quarantine, just assumptions or stuff made up to suit a comment. I can't believe how many people today have suggested that because they have not heard anything about it, the WA government must be automatically applying the exemption they give to an AFL team, even without the signed directions from the Police Commissioner that the AFL teams require to avoid quarantine. As in so many situations RA just serves up PR gibberish which everyone just swallows.
Muglair
Roar Rookie
:laughing: I agree it should be OK for players to earnestly talk about "learnings", except where they are referring to intercepts.
nroko
Roar Rookie
Not sure about the WA, it didn't seem like an issue. There are many reports of 7 day soft quarantine etc.. This Rob Nichol interview clears up a lot of things: https://player.whooshkaa.com/episode?id=893536
Muglair
Roar Rookie
I assume that you mean everything apart from permission to leave the hotel for training or playing a test match.
Muglair
Roar Rookie
Until there is a written direction from the WA Police Commissioner NZ cannot enter WA without going in to 14 days quarantine. Game was probably never possible on Aug 28 given the short timeframe between NZ being classified 'low risk' and the AB travel date. If WA does intend to allow the game to go ahead there should be plenty of time to get it done this week. Zero might be more important to WA, in which case I expect BC3 will be played in Brisbane. Then we can just wait to see what, if anything, WA can do about getting its $5m back from RA.
moaman
Roar Guru
Verse.
Muglair
Roar Rookie
I think not playing the BC in Perth is genuinely a real financial problem for RA. 4 September must happen I think. If it is too hard to get WA approval now I guess there will be no flexibility trying to schedule it later.
Muglair
Roar Rookie
Gone by Xmas? Can't wait to find out who was blindsided at RA.
Muglair
Roar Rookie
NZ did not have approval to fly into WA without spending 14 days in quarantine. The directions provided under the Emergency Act to let AFL teams into the state without quarantine are pretty comprehensive. https://www.wa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-08/AFL-2021-Premiership-Season-Melbourne-Directions.pdf I have started to doubt this could have been organised between Wednesday afternoon and Friday morning. It would explain why nobody is blaming the WA government, they need their cooperation this week to get Sept 4 done. Getting McGowan over his zero complex will be hard enough.
Muglair
Roar Rookie
"verse" or "learnings"?
Muglair
Roar Rookie
Are you Mark Robinson's adviser?
Muglair
Roar Rookie
More Marinos grandstanding. He has an email confirmation and is waiting for a follow up paper letter with signatures on it. He even said in the interview there was no problem and he expected it to be on its way. This bloke is seriously out of his depth. Nothing happens in regard to the game going ahead without a formal exemption to be issued as a Direction by the Police Commissioner under the Emergency Act that the ABs may arrive in WA and not be required to quarantine.
Muglair
Roar Rookie
Financially incoherent retelling of whatever mystery high ranking rugby officials told a journalist. This article is accusing NZ rugby of highly unethical, if not straight out fraudulent, conduct. Of all of the loose, or sometimes extremely precisely worded, statements in the last few days, this one would have to be the one of highest risk to future relations between RA and NZRU.
Muglair
Roar Rookie
Useful tip when listening to RA executives and other trusted public officials under pressure. Beware any difference between the colloquial meaning of a sentence and the exact literal meaning of the words used in the sentence. Funnily enough this started during the Folau discipline hearing era.
chucked
Guest
Great rugby pedigree, very poor commentator of the game who hears only one incorrect side of the story. Its been confirmed - RA knew others cancelled flights first. Who is worse - Marinos or Rennie? Rennie must be frustrated - he has now realised he was fed horse manure and blew up based on falsehoods.