NZ Rugby has moved a step closer to opening its Bledisloe Cup tests to spectators, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirming a move to COVID-19 Alert Level 1 for most of the country, effective Tuesday.
As long as the coronavirus remains under control over the next couple of weeks, the announcement would allow fans to pack out Wellington's Sky Stadium on October 11 for the first of the trans-Tasman encounter between the All Blacks and Wallabies.
But with Auckland still hovering at Level 2, at least until October 7, the decision to allocate the second test to Eden Park the following week remains loaded with risk.
Auckland will drop from Level 2.5 on Thursday, allowing gatherings of up to 100 people - but still not enough to cater for a true test crowd on October 18.
New Zealand's second wave of coronavirus has centred on the country's largest city, which has been stuck at 2.5 for three weeks and three weeks at 3 before that, so there's no guarantee Auckland will be cleared for big crowds in two weeks.
"With time, you can have greater confidence," says Ardern. "If we continue on this path, it's likely, in two weeks' time, we'll have that added confidence."
On Monday, the All Blacks gathered in Whakatane to prepare for the Bledisloe series and new coach Ian Foster confirmed the drop in alert levels was exciting for his players.
"Obviously, there's a lot of doubt over plans in the future, but to know we've got a little bit of certainty with two Bledisloes and the fact we can get some full crowds, that will make it more than just a rugby game for this country," says Foster.
New All Blacks captain Sam Cane says playing without fans in recent weeks has been strange.
"We've always said we love playing in front of a packed house and that's the truth," he says.
"But far out, the last couple of weeks playing in front of next to no-one, it's hit home how much atmosphere a good crowd adds to a game and how much energy we feel from that crowd."
Halfback TJ Perenara admits he hasn't missed the crowds, while playing Mitre 10 Cup under Level 2, but that experience is different from one player to the next.
"I don't see a big difference, and that's just me being in the game and being cuaght up in the game," he says.
"I know the crowds are awesome and it's awesome for the event itself, but as a rugby player, whilst you're playing the game, you don't think about it too much.
"But for the country and for the people who support rugby and for rugby itself, I think it's massively important to be able to have crowds at games.
"Our ability to give back to the people who support us throughout the year is the most important thing about people coming to games."
Community sport in Auckland can resume under Level 2, while full crowds can now attend sporting events around the rest of the country.
Mitre 10 Cup and Farah Palmer Cup rugby can throw open its gates, while mass-participation events like the Rotorua marathon can also proceed, albeit without Aucklanders.
