MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Australia’s northeastern state of Queensland will host eight Rugby Championship tests in double-headers over four weekends from September in a rejigged schedule following new COVID-19 restrictions across the country and in New Zealand.
The Gold Coast will host round three (Sept. 12) and round six (Oct. 2) of the southern hemisphere competition, with Brisbane staging the fourth round (Sept. 18) and Townsville the fifth on Sept. 25.
The All Blacks play Argentina, with Australia facing South Africa in the first double-header on the Gold Coast.
Rugby Australia said the second round match between Australia and the All Blacks originally scheduled for Perth on Aug. 28 would be rescheduled in coming days.
Rugby Championship schedule:
Round Two
Aug. 21: Argentina 29 v South Africa 10 – Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
Date TBC: Australia v New Zealand – Perth
Round Three
Sept. 12: New Zealand v Argentina – Gold Coast
Sept. 12: South Africa v Australia – Gold Coast
Round Four
Sept. 18: Argentina v New Zealand – Brisbane
Sept. 18: Australia v South Africa – Brisbane
Round Five
Sept. 25: Australia v Argentina – Townsville
Sept. 25: New Zealand v South Africa – Townsville
Round Six
Oct. 2: Argentina v Australia – Gold Coast
Oct. 2: South Africa v New Zealand – Gold Coast
(Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by Kim Coghill)
