Fresh doubt has been cast over the future of the North v South game on Tuesday, as New Zealand Rugby runs out of options for staging the match.
Newshub understands the chances of the match going ahead are now, at best, 50-50, with Eden Park appearing to be off the table as a host venue.
Auckland will move to COVID-19 Alert Level 2 from Sunday at 11:59pm, while the rest of New Zealand will remain at that same level.
But restrictions on gatherings are more strict in Auckland, with a 10-person limit, compared to 100 people for the rest of the country.
If the game does go ahead, Wellington's Sky Stadium will host either behind closed doors or with a crowd of 100.
But Newshub has learned NZ Rugby powerbrokers are leaning towards cancelling it altogether.
NZR has already stated it cannot be pushed back any later than September 5, after it was initially delayed a week from its August 29 kick-off.
An announcement from NZR, confirming its plans, is expected Wednesday.
New Zealand's COVID-19 situation is also causing major headaches around kick-off for the Farah Palmer Cup and Mitre 10 Cup, due to start on September 5 and 11 respectively.
Auckland's restrictions on gatherings means teams are unable to gather for training, while the 10-person limit is in place.
Counties Manukau, Auckland and North Harbour are now all waiting to hear whether they can get exemptions to start training as a group.
