Wallabies coach Dave Rennie is backing New Zealand pleas to have the All Blacks home by Christmas.
A scheduling disagreement is threatening to derail the Rugby Championship that will be staged in Australia. New Zealand officials are unhappy with the last round being played on December 12, a date that won’t allow the All Blacks to clear a two-week quarantine period on their return in time tom join their families for Christmas.
Kiwi Rennie felt Australia shouldn’t be hypocritical over trying to appease the Kiwis.
He noted that Australia had initially asked for the Wallabies to be able to return home by Christmas if a five-week tournament was held in New Zealand.
In a media hookup form his Christchurch hotel where he and his squad are quarantining for the two-test Bledisloe Cup series in New Zealand, Rennie said it would be “hypocritical of us now to not support New Zealand when we thought it was a good idea”.
He felt the answers lay more with the respective governments and there was a glimmer of hope starting to emerge that could provide an easy solution.
“I know there is talk of a bubble opening up between New South Wales and New Zealand,” Rennie said.
“If that comes in before Christmas happens, then it will be a non-issue, and they will be able to go straight home to their families and that’s what we want.
“It has been a tough year for everyone. The All Blacks will be away for a long time, but so will everyone else.”
Rennie and his squad went into quarantine last Friday in Christchurch and will be allowed to start training in their own bubble on Tuesday.
