Wellington (AFP)
The 2nd line of the All Blacks Sam Whitelock wants to relaunch the derby between the North and South Islands of New Zealand, fallen into disuse, if there were to be a clean season in international rugby because of the coronavirus pandemic .
"We discuss everything, we think of oppositions between All Blacks or the meeting + North vs South + if there can be no trips abroad," Whitelock told Sky Sport on Tuesday evening NZ, about the ongoing discussions with his international teammates and the New Zealand federation.
"I have never played this North / South duel, but I heard some great stories about this match, it was quite a derby during a season, it would be pretty cool to participate in one of these matches" , added the double world champion.
The match "North vs South" took place for the first time on June 30, 1897 and opposed players playing on the two main islands which form New Zealand. However, it has disappeared from the calendar and has only been contested twice since 1985.
New Zealand rugby, like the world, is on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and does not yet know what its calendar will be in 2020.
Super Rugby, which brings together franchises from South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina and Japan, was suspended in mid-March after the 7th of 18 days of the regular phase.
New Zealand internationals also normally participate in the Rugby Championship, a tournament between the selections from New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Argentina. Test matches against Wales and Scotland in July at home are also on their calendar but could be unscheduled.
Last week, the New Zealand Rugby Federation (NZR) and the players' union (NZRPA) reached an agreement to freeze 25 million New Zealand dollars (14 million euros), corresponding to half income (basic salaries, bonuses, profit-sharing ...) remaining to be collected by the players until the end of the year.
The agreement concerns all players in Super Rugby, the championship of the provinces of the southern hemisphere, including the All Blacks.
© 2020 AFP