All Blacks great Andrew Mehrtens questions NZ Rugby's decision to keep the team grounded, rather than travel to Australia to play the third and final Bledisloe Cup test.
After successive wins at Eden Park in the past two weeks, the All Blacks were supposed to fly out for Perth on Sunday, but those plans were dashed by the COVID-19 outbreak in New Zealand.
Western Australia's strict quarantine rules would have seen the All Blacks complete two weeks of managed isolation in Perth, with the 14-day period leaving no time to play the third test against the Wallabies, scheduled for six days after the team's arrival.
Barring a travel exemption from Western Australian authorities, the third test would have been impossible to play as scheduled.
NZ Rugby pulled the pin on that Perth trip on Friday, sparking criticism from SANZAAR and Rugby Australia, who say they weren't consulted on the decision - but NZR boss Mark Robinson rejects that claim.
Writing for the Sydney Morning Herald, Mehrtens says he's "disappointed" in the action taken by NZR.
"I have to say, even as a Kiwi, I'm disappointed in the decision by NZR," he writes. "While I don't know all the ins and outs, nor what the requirements are for the various travel regions, I am a little confused.
"I think that given the public appetite for rugby and the responsibility that players have... it's disappointing that not all teams are sharing the load."
Wallabies coach Dave Rennie took things one step further, stating the All Blacks and NZR were acting out of their own self-interest, rather than what was best for the game.
Mehrtens concurred with Rennie's point, with relations between NZR and Rugby Australia appearing to be at an all-time low.
"Are the Kiwis thinking about themselves.. perhaps," Mehrtens added. "For the good of the game, it's a real shame.
"I can understand the logic of trying to condense the Rugby Championship and northern hemisphere tours into one period, but the apparent lack of unity and cohesion between Australia and New Zealand is really disappointing."
SANZAAR - southern hemisphere rugby's governing body - says it will announce plans for the Rugby Championship at a later date, with Queensland, South Africa and even Europe touted as potential hosts.
