Fresh off losing New Zealand the rights to the Rugby Championship, the Government needs to take urgent action to prevent losing the Bledisloe Cup as well, National’s Sport & Recreation spokesperson Mark Mitchell says.

Wallabies coach Dave Rennie has said that under the current quarantine arrangements his team would be unable to play the first test, and is calling on the Government to show some flexibility.

“Labour’s lack of progress on border management and inability to put in place effective systems for contract tracing and testing has meant we’ve lost the Rugby Championship, it now appears we could lose the Bledisloe Cup for the same reasons.

“At a time when our hospitality and events sector is on its knees, Labour’s complacency is meaning we miss out on valuable international sporting events that would provide a major economic boost.

“If we can’t even secure a sporting event with our closest neighbour, it doesn’t bode well for our ability to host other upcoming international sporting events such as the Americas Cup or Women’s Cricket World Cup.

“We can’t afford Labour’s incompetence to lose us these economic opportunities.”

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