Rugby Championship: Queensland confirmed as host, 100th All Blacks v Springboks test shifted to Townsville

The Rugby Championship has been moved to Queensland, with SANZAAR confirming the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Townsville as venues for the 2021 edition of the tournament.

With three games already played, the last eight fixtures will be staged within Queensland, due to the effects of COVID-19 on travel.

The third Bledisloe Cup test between New Zealand and Australia - which doubles as their  second Rugby Championship fixture - will still be played in Perth, but the date remains unconfirmed.

Starting on Sunday, September 12, Gold Coast's CBUS Super Stadium will host round three, with New Zealand facing Argentina and South Africa against the Wallabies.

Round four at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium on September 18 will see the same fixtures between the four sides.

In round five, on Saturday September 25, the All Blacks will face South Africa for the 100th time at Townsville's QLD Country Bank Stadium, while Australia play Argentina. 

The historic meeting between these two traditional rugby foes was originally scheduled for Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr Stadium, before New Zealand’s most recent COVID-19 outbreak.

The final round of Rugby Championship returns to the Gold Coast, repeating the previous week’s match-ups. Kick-off times are yet to be finalised, but all eight matches will be doubleheaders.

"We thought last year was tough when we had to implement a Tri-nations tournament in Australia, with South Africa absent due to the pandemic, but the current disruption caused by the delta variant of COVID-19 has seen government authorities tighten up border biosecurity measures substantially," says SANZAAR chief executive Brendan Morris.

"We are very excited about this unique format and rugby experience, as we look to deliver a month of doubleheaders, with the world's best players in Queensland, something never done in international rugby before."

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