Rugby Australia (RA) boss Andy Marinos remains “optimistic” the Bledisloe Cup Test will go ahead in Perth in September following New Zealand’s decision to pull out of next Saturday’s match.
The Rugby Championship was thrown into chaos when New Zealand announced on Friday that the All Blacks wouldn’t travel to Perth for the August 28 fixture without knowing the remainder of the schedule.
Some games needed to be relocated from NSW due to the COVID-19 outbreak, with talk the tournament could be played in South Africa or even the UK.
With 60,000 seats already sold, financially stricken RA is doing all it can to make Bledisloe III, which doubles as a Rugby Championship match, go ahead in Perth.
“We’re working hard now with the West Australian government and the stadium to see if we can’t move that to September 4,” Marinos told the Nine Network.
“There’s a lot of work being done in the last 24-48 hours so we remain optimistic and confident we can get the game away eventually in Perth.”
Having arrived in Perth from Auckland last Sunday while the All Blacks spent the week with their families, halfback Tate McDermott said the Wallabies found the situation tough to swallow.
“I think I speak for everyone in the squad when I say it’s incredibly disappointing and frustrating,” McDermott told Nine.
The Wallabies won their last Bledisloe Cup match when Perth hosted in 2019.
A war of words erupted after New Zealand’s decision, with RA claiming to have been blindsided by the call.
Marinos was convinced NZR never intended to fulfil their obligation to play the match, despite Australia agreeing to rework the schedule which saw the opening two Tests in Auckland.
“I don’t think they really had any intention of fulfilling that game on the 28th,” Marinos said.
He described the rugby relationship between the two countries as “challenging”.
“We feel as an organisation and 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.
“We don’t feel that’s being reciprocated at the moment. They forever seem to be putting up roadblocks.
“Our team went to New Zealand at the drop of a hat with no certainty around the future structure and have been on the road and away from family since the 12th of June so we would expect more of a partnership approach.”
NZR boss Mark Robinson said they were committed to playing a third Bledisloe game once the Rugby Championship schedule was locked in.
South Africa and Argentina are due to arrive in Australia early this week.
Crazy Horse
Roar Pro
Force players are playing for their FMG Premier Grade clubs.
Kick n Clap
Guest
Crazy, "Why are The Force playing "?
Double Agent
Guest
You serious???
Putz19
Roar Rookie
Mark Robinson never stated the players and support staff were flying out on Saturday, multiple reporting indicates this was occurring on the Sunday. Hence the issue with the soft quarantine off 7 days (if it got confirmed that was indeed the duration when they arrived in Perth), they would have been released on game day. Due to unforeseen circumstances of a snap lockdown there was very little wriggle room to manoeuvre.
Muglair
Roar Rookie
Fairly important Brett. No signed direction from the police commissioner and I assume you are in hotel quarantine for 14 days. https://www.wa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-08/AFL-2021-Premiership-Season-Melbourne-Directions.pdf
Brett McKay
Expert
Respectfully Mug, I'm not going back through your posts. I'm frankly astounded in the amount of importance that's been placed on government decisions..
Muglair
Roar Rookie
The biggest hurdle is WA approval, no approval no game. As far as I can see every AFL team movement is subject to directions of the Police Commissioner under the state of emergency act. Here is a link for the visit of Melbourne: https://www.wa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-08/AFL-2021-Premiership-Season-Melbourne-Directions.pdf In this case amendments were required and another declaration made https://www.wa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-08/AFL-2021-Premiership-Season-Melbourne-Amendment-Directions.pdf Border requirements do not appear to be as slap dash as people like to think. I cannot see that there was any approval for the All Blacks without a similar direction from the Police Commissioner.
Muglair
Roar Rookie
That is all I want too Brett. 4th should be a fait accompli shouldn't it? See my other posts Brett. None of this operates under a nod and a wink. That went out around the time security was contracted for hotel quarantine in Melbourne.
AndyS
Guest
If it is just the approval and there are no other plans for the quarantine facilities, should be easy. But changing dates will presumably means getting a whole bunch of other things lined up again on short notice, and a little surprising it is thought so easy when NZ simultaneously sees a booking in November as written by the finger of God in granite.
Brett McKay
Expert
It's entirely possible they won't announce anything too, Mug. Frankly, all I need announced is that the game is back on, a date, and a time.
Muglair
Roar Rookie
As Andy respectfully (noted and appreciated Andy :thumbup: ) it really does come down to a matter of opinion regarding what we have been told. It is possible that WA will announce that the approval had been given last week for soft quarantine for the All Blacks and so of course approval is automatically renewed for the 4th. That will be great, because I fear failure to get the game away on the 4th will be terminally catastrophic for RA.
Tom
Guest
They were meant to have their second jabs on Thursday but with the lockdown. Vaccinations were stopped for 48hours. And you need 48hours after jab before you can fly. I know with my second Pfizer about 36hours after I was struggling and ended up resting for three days. Lack of energy appetite joint pains, no energy once I got my appetite back I was fine and glad I have been fully vaccinated. Marino's and Robinson seem to be at loggerheads and not doing the media part very well. Where as Nichols seem to be lot clearer today with what happened. We got shutdown in country Victoria two hours notice on Saturday.
Muglair
Roar Rookie
Our perceptions are shaped by our own experiences Andy. What people take from the tape is what they expect to hear I guess. An announcement on the WA website will no doubt be imminent allowing the Sept 4 game to go ahead. This will be possible because they had already approved the 28th, so no problem there. My perceptions are very much driven by the conduct of RA. That is neither here or there but if I am closer than you in the range of possibilities, the Kiwis are going to be mightily annoyed.
Brett McKay
Expert
Mug, McGowan answered a question at a press conference, there was no definitive announcement. He admitted (on a Wednesday, as the NZ bubble was shut off) he wasn't sure at that stage if they may or may not have to do quaranitine. Clearly it was worked out and the 7-day plan was put in place. Regardless, this is all kind of pointless. The plans were clearly in place, we know that, because up until the point NZR pulled the pin, it was all systems go for the game..
Muglair
Roar Rookie
So you believe trees don't fall in the forest Brett? There was extensive government disclosure around the Wallabies exemptions which were made before they left, and a lot of build up around it. A definitive announcement was made by McGowan that quarantine could apply and the match may not go enough. The fact that nobody has any evidence of any announcement being made is hardly evidence of an approval. I am worried that you have become more Roar contributor than journalist. I am barely aware of what goes on in the AFL but can tell you that while on my journey through WA government websites looking for the phantom approval that AFL approvals are like a rash. I have not read them, and won't be, but it looks like a standard form 17 page declaration under the Emergency Act is made in respect of each visiting team.
Tony Perth
Roar Rookie
Purely hypothetical of course, but suppose the WBs had won one Test and the other was a tie. I don’t believe for a moment that the ABs would then have withdrawn from the 28th. All these excuses would go straight out the window, compared with the risk of game 3 not going ahead at all, and becoming the team who voluntarily gave up the Bledisloe because the poor diddums couldn’t cope with the uncertainty.
AndyS
Guest
With (genuine) respect Muglair, if Robinson was hazy on the details he wouldn't have known it was specifically Saturday they had to be there. You asked Jez for proof that Robinson knew the arrangements in place, and he gave you a recording of the bloke saying exactly that. For punters on the outside of events, that would just about have to be the gold standard and, if that is not adequate, I suspect anything short of a notarized affidavit specifically addressed to you and personally signed by McGowan would be deemed insufficient. :silly:
Crazy Horse
Roar Pro
No consideration at all given to club rugby. 4th of September is semi-final day in Perth.
Brett McKay
Expert
The government doesn't really have to publically confirm this, Mug. It certainly wasn't every time an AFL team served it. In fact, I can't think of any state goverment allowing a pro team bubble situation to make any public statement announcement. They may well have made public reference to it, or answered a press conference question about it, but I don't recall any formal statements or announcements. I can't even recall NZ doing that when the Wallabies entered. Instead, it was just references in reporting and the like..
Muglair
Roar Rookie
I listened to it, and just like my last response specifically, Robinson was vague on the details of how this soft quarantine worked. Does anyone seriously believe he was confused about how soft quarantine was going to work? The most logical reason for that is that there was no confirmed quarantine arrangements. Anyway as I responded to Brett, if it was all systems go then it is a formality for WA to announce confirmation of its the approval for soft quarantine and the game going ahead today. I sincerely hope they do, McGowan holds RA's future in his hands.