Chiefs' Super Rugby Trans Tasman game against Rebels shifted to Sydney

The fourth round Super Rugby Trans Tasman clash between Chiefs and Melbourne Rebels has been rescheduled to be played on Sunday in Sydney.

The game was originally scheduled to be played in Hamilton on Saturday but the extension of lockdown in Melbourne meant the squad players could not travel to New Zealand from Victoria with the Chiefs already in Sydney following their game against Reds.

Earlier, they planned to keep a reserve day on Sunday with a hope to play the game in Hamilton but the extension of restrictions by the Victorian government ensured the game could not be moved out of Australia.

The game will be played at Leichhardt Oval in Sydney with a kick off time of 15.00 local time.

“Despite this further disruption to Super Rugby it is great that we can reschedule world-class rugby matches with the assistance of the teams so that fans can attend or watch the action on television," said SANZAAR chief executive Brendan Morris.

"Indeed, I encourage all rugby fans in Sydney to head to Leichhardt Oval on Sunday to support these two Super Rugby teams who have had to adapt their preparations under the current difficult circumstances.

“The Rebels deserve special mention as their season last year was severely disrupted to the point where they played all matches away from home, and now they have had further disruptions this season due to the unfortunate COVID-19 outbreak in Melbourne."

Chiefs currently are at fifth place in the table with two wins from three matches while Rebels are languishing at the bottom after losing all their three games.