The highly-anticipated North v South rugby match will be postponed for a week, New Zealand Rugby (NZR) has announced today.
The news comes as both squads were due to assemble in Wellington on Monday to prepare for the match, with contingency plans underway to play the game at SKY Stadium in Wellington on Saturday 29 August.
However, NZR general manager professional rugby & performance Chris Lendrum said today that the 14 Auckland-based players in the North squad, as well as five support staff, had not been granted an exemption to leave Auckland.
"We're disappointed that the game can't go ahead at this stage next week, but we understand and respect the Government's decision.
"We're no different from hundreds of other New Zealanders who have also had their requests for exemption turned down, so we have to abide by the decision," Lendrum said.
According to NZR, the teams won't assemble next week in Wellington as planned and the game will now be postponed to Saturday September 5.
The match could still be played at either Eden Park in Auckland, or Sky Stadium in Wellington.
The decision will be made after the Government's announcement on Covid-19 alert levels on Monday.
NZ Rugby is encouraging fans who have bought tickets to the match, originally scheduled for Eden Park on 29 August, to hold onto their tickets until further notice.
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