The return of the North v South rugby game seems likely to be relocated to Wellington.
On Monday, NZ Rugby confirmed that it's working through contingency plans for the August 29 fixture, including a move from Auckland's Eden Park to play the match at Wellington's Sky Stadium on the same day.
Auckland's COVID-19 alert level 3 lockdown is scheduled to last until at least midnight Wednesday August 26. That would give the teams just a few days to train together before the game took place, which suggests a move to the restriction-free capital makes sense.
Both squads will be announced midday Tuesday and will now assemble in Wellington next Monday, rather than the original location of Auckland, NZ Rugby has announced.
The organisation is awaiting approval for a Government exemption to allow the Auckland-based players and management to leave the region and travel to Wellington.
The selection criteria for the historic inter-Island fixture selection is based on the province for which a player made their first-class debut.
In the event that the match can't go ahead in Auckland, NZ Rugby confirms all ticket holders will be refunded.
