Picturesque Queenstown could be considered as the ‘bio-bubble’ hub for the Rugby Championship teams to be based in New Zealand later this year.

In July, World Rugby confirmed that on an exceptional basis, the Rugby Championship 2020 would hopefully be hosted in full in a single country over a reduced six-week period between 7 November and 12 December.

New Zealand has been identified as the preferred destination, but the venue for the best the quarantine ‘hub’ may be reconsidered after a recent coronavirus outbreak that has particularly caused concern in Auckland.

According to Stuff.co.nz, the popular South Island tourist spot of Queenstown could be strongly considered as a base due to its location and accommodation capacity, while tourist numbers from overseas are completely reduced at the moment.

It’s unclear if the Springboks, Wallabies and Argentina will be based in the same location for the entire tournament, but they will need to undergo a two-week quarantine period before settling in at a base for two months.

‘Things are getting finalised and it’s what we’re working off,’ All Blacks head coach Ian Foster told reporters on a conference call. ‘We’re also working off eight Tests in a nine week-type Rugby Championship programme.

‘We have got an itinerary that we are expecting to play, but as we all know in this world, we’ll take it one day at a time.’