Bledisloe Cup

Wallaby Carter Gordon set to start against the All Blacks – report

According to The Roar’s Christy Doran, coach Eddie Jones has put his faith in the two-Test Wallaby ahead of the Bledisloe Cup opener at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Looking to turn he Wallabies’ fortunes around after back-to-back defeats, Jones has reportedly made a series of bold selection calls – including a new-look halves duo.

Doran understands that Gordon will start alongside halfback Tate McDermott. This selection, if true, completes an incredible turnaround for McDermott ahead of the upcoming World Cup.

Digicel TV to show blockbuster mid-year rugby internationals and 2022 Rugby Championship live & exclusive

All 12 games featuring three-test series showing New Zealand hosting Ireland, England in Australia, Wales’ tour to South Africa and Scotland’s tour to Argentina are live on 3 successive weekends, starting on July 2 through to July 17.

Additionally, there will be 2 more mid-week matches featuring the Maori All Blacks against Ireland on June 29 and July 12 shown live on Digicel TV.

Bledisloe Cup series reduced to two matches

Australia and New Zealand have competed for the Bledisloe Cup since the early 1930s with the All Blacks enjoying much the better of the rivalry.

New Zealand whitewashed Australia 3-0 last year to ensure the trophy remains with them for a 19th straight season.

"It was the end of a 15-year cycle, so we've got to look ahead at our objectives and what is the pathway ahead for us," Rugby Australia boss Andy Marinos told Australian media.

All Blacks would be 'silly' to make big changes for Perth

Ian Foster's side will have a new captain in Ardie Savea and a fresh halves duo, with a trio of first-choice players staying home for the births of their children.

Apart from those forced changes, selectors are wary of unsettling the side with too many new combinations, assistant coach John Plumtree said on Wednesday.

"We've had a couple of weeks break so we'd be silly to make wholesale changes because some of our players haven't had a lot of rugby," Plumtree told reporters on a video call.

All Blacks to play Bledisloe in Perth, Queensland to host Rugby Championship

It's understood an announcement will be made today after the Queensland government gave approval for the state to host the tournament and put South Africa and Argentina in quarantine facilities where they can continue training.

The All Blacks will fly out for Perth this week and will play the Wallabies in the final Bledisloe Cup test on September 4 before both teams move to Queensland for their Rugby Championship games against the Springboks and Pumas.

All Blacks abandon Bledisloe Cup trip to Australia

With the country amid a COVID-19 lockdown and Australia having restrictions around New Zealanders travelling there, the NZR has decided not to send the team which was due to leave for Perth on Sunday and play the Wallabies there on Saturday week.

NZR has also announced the All Blacks' two home rugby championship against South Africa and the Black Ferns two O'Reilly Cup Tests against the Wallaroos will not be played in New Zealand.

The match in Dunedin would have been the 100th test between the All Blacks and the Springboks.

Rugby Australia hopeful of Perth Bledisloe

But plans for the four-team Rugby Championship, also including world champions South Africa and Argentina, being played solely in Perth look to have been knocked on the head.

The Bledisloe match is scheduled for Optus Stadium on August 28, however doubts surfaced with the All Blacks caught up in New Zealand’s snap lockdown on Tuesday.

Following the outbreak the West Australian government changed the border arrangements so all arrivals from New Zealand must quarantine for 14 days upon arrival.

Ex Wallabies confident Perth Bledisloe will be played

The All Blacks are due to leave for Perth on Sunday, but anyone arriving in Australia from New Zealand must now self isolate for 14 days.

The Australian government has paused "green zone" flights from New Zealand due to the country's level four lockdown and growing number of community covid cases.

That means anyone flying from Aotearoa to Australia will now need to undergo two weeks in hotel quarantine.

The travel pause is currently scheduled to end on August 24, but it could be extended, with the Australian government reviewing it on Friday.

Symbol of trans-Tasman rugby supremacy remains in New Zealand

New Zealand powered away in the second half to wrap up this year's series against Australia at a half-full Eden Park on Saturday night.

The win is a record high score against the Wallabies, beating the 54 points scored in Sydney in 2017.

After the All Blacks were 33-25 victors in game one at the same venue last weekend, game two was in the balance at halftime as the Wallabies trailed by just six.

But, as they so often do, the home side turned on the class in the second stanza, adding five tries to the three they had scored in the first half to seal victory.

Only a miracle will salvage the All Blacks’ remaining home tests

The second Bledisloe test in a row at Eden Park looks like it will be the last time they play on New Zealand soil in 2021, with the Rugby Championship set to likely take place in Perth over the course of the next month.

That's a real shame, not just because it means for a third season in a row the players will have to make a long road trip after last year's Australian hosted tournament and the World Cup in 2019.