New Zealand Rugby has announced that the highly anticipated North v South match will now take place in Wellington with no no crowd in attendance.
The match was originally scheduled to be held at Eden Park on 29 August, however with the Government extending Auckland's Level 3 restrictions until 30 August, NZ Rugby was forced to look elsewhere where to hold the game.
NZR General Manager Professional Rugby & Performance Chris Lendrum said that Nationwide Level 2 restrictions ultimately ruled out the possibility of hosting a crowd for the historic match.
Originally scheduled for 29 August, the highly anticipated match had to be rescheduled due to Auckland’s prolonged Level 3 restrictions. (Source: Other)
"We're delighted that the match can go ahead in Wellington, but obviously it's a shame that it'll have to be played without fans in the stands," Lendrum said.
"That said, we're fully supportive and understanding of the Government's health and safety recommendations regarding Covid-19."
NZ Rugby also announced that fans who purchased tickets for the Auckland game will be refunded.
"We feel for the Auckland fans who were set to fill Eden Park in their tens of thousands. If we have that same response from fans watching the match on TV, then it will be a huge audience tuning in on Sky," Lendrum said.
Both squads are expected to assemble in Wellington on Monday.
New Zealand's domestic tournaments will still go ahead was scheduled however, with the Farah Palmer Cup kicking off on Saturday 5 September and the Mitre 10 Cup the following weekend.
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