The Rebels’ home game against the Crusaders has been moved from Melbourne to Sydney as authorities are still battling to contain a new Covid-19 outbreak in the state of Victoria.

The match, originally scheduled to take place at the AAMI Park in Melbourne, has been shifted to Leichhardt Oval in Sydney. It will be the Rebels’ third successive game at the venue, having been forced to play out of Melbourne due to a lockdown in the Victoria state capital.

They had hosted the Highlanders and Chiefs in Sydney over the course of the previous fortnight.

‘The [lockdown] restrictions may not be lifted until Thursday, 10 June at the earliest, and all stakeholders believe it is prudent to schedule the match in Sydney to enable both teams every opportunity to prepare properly for the match,’ Sanzaar said in a statement.

Victoria, Australia’s second-most populous state, reported 11 new Covid-19 cases on Monday, its biggest rise in locally acquired infections in a week.

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