Wellington Stadium confirms possibility to hold Bledisloe Cup match on Sunday after Beervana

There is still no word on when Wellington's Bledisloe Cup match will take place. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The Wallabies have been granted an exemption to enter the country for the upcoming Bledisloe Cup test match in Auckland, but uncertainty continues to hang over Wellington's game.

The Government today granted the Australian team an economic exemption to enter New Zealand, meaning the first Bledisloe clash on August 7 at Eden Park can go ahead.

The exemption allows quarantine-free travel for the Wallabies, based on the argument that a rugby test match generates up to $20 million in spending.

However, there is still no word on when Wellington's Bledisloe Cup match will take place.

Originally scheduled for Saturday August 28 at Sky Stadium, the match has been thrown into doubt due to the closure of the transtasman bubble.

The second Bledisloe Cup fixture was supposed to be played in Perth on August 21, but the plan now is for the Wallabies to remain in New Zealand for two tests, with the third to be staged in the Western Australian capital.

NZ Rugby's preference is to hold that second game in Wellington, but with Beervana being held at Sky Stadium on August 13 and 14, the match may have to be held mid-week or on the Sunday.

Beervana is New Zealand's biggest beer festival. It hosts more than 70 different breweries and is set to attract around 16,000 people.

Sky Stadium confirmed to the Herald it would be possible to hold the beer festival on Friday and Saturday, and then play the test match on the Sunday.

Hoff Hospitality Group owner Matt Mclaughlin said it would be disappointing to not hold the event on a Saturday.

"We saw last year when they tried an All Blacks test on a Sunday it didn't really work [help] for the hospitality industry. It could be great for the match itself but it certainly wouldn't give us the boost we are used to."

McLaughlin said a regularly scheduled All Blacks test match leads to people coming from all around the country to make the most of a weekend in the capital.

"If you look at doing it on a Sunday or midweek you are not going to get those big groups of out of towners … put it on a Wednesday night and it is just not the same thing."

He said the sector is getting used to changes caused by Covid-19 though.

"It is what it is, we have just got to roll our sleeves up and just get on with whatever's given to us, we are an industry that is adaptable."

McLaughlin said weekends where an All Blacks test match is on can sometimes double the profit of a week.

"Having those events really are a big deal for us, not having them just means there's a big opportunity lost."

Air New Zealand said anyone who bought tickets for the match on the original date will be given the opportunity to rebook, put their flight into credit, or receive a refund if they have purchased a refundable ticket.