The Rugby Championship has been thrown into disarray after New Zealand Rugby (NZR) confirmed that the country will not host the upcoming games against South Africa.

The decision follows advice from the government that the Springboks would not be permitted to enter New Zealand to play the matches due to Covid-19 travel restrictions.

NZR has also confirmed that, given the current uncertainty over the Rugby Championship schedule, it has made the decision not to send the All Blacks to Perth this weekend for the third Bledisloe Cup Test, which was scheduled to be played at Optus Stadium tomorrow.

SA Rugby have responded by announcing that South Africa is prepared to host the remainder of the Rugby Championship matches.

The South African union also hit out at their Kiwi counterparts by claiming the NZR made the cancellations “without informing their Sanzaar partners, unilaterally issued a media release...”

Sanzaar said it was “currently working night and day with all stakeholders, and the tournaments’ associated commercial partners and rights-holding broadcasters, to find a suitable solution for the remaining matches.”

New Zealand Rugby CEO Mark Robinson said: “Once the team leaves our shores, they currently can’t return until November 23 post their Northern Tour, so given the uncertainty, it makes sense to pause and get more clarity on these fixtures.

“We remain 100 percent committed to playing in the entire Fortinet Rugby Championship in 2021 and are working closely with Sanzaar to look at a range of options to reschedule these important matches.”

Having successfully hosted the Lions Test Series, SA Rugby are ready to step into the breach as hosts, if called upon.

“We have advised Sanzaar that we are ready and able to host the remainder of the competition in South Africa, pending our Government’s approval,” SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux said.

“But we are now well-versed in turning on rugby Tests within the prevailing Covid restrictions and have the venues and accommodation necessary. We just need the go-ahead.”

Australia head coach Dave Rennie also lambasted the decision not to communicate with Rugby Australia before going public with the news.

"Bloody angry," he told reporters after the announcement. "I think it's disappointing how it has been communicated. Our boys all found out through social media. I thought New Zealand Rugby didn't even have the respect to consult RA about their decision so that's hugely disappointing."

The Springboks and Argentina were scheduled to fly to Australia on Sunday night but that flight has been put on hold until a new schedule for the tournament is confirmed, but tomorrow's clash between the Boks and Pumas will go ahead as planned in Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

Sanzaar is considering a range of alternative options, including the hosting of the tournament in South Africa, while according to a report in the Daily Telegraph, the governing body for the southern hemisphere nations is also looking at potentially playing the remainder of the Rugby Championship in the UK, Ireland and France.

On the potential switch, a Rugby Football Union spokesperson told The Telegraph: "The RFU is always open to discussion regarding the global calendar and we are aware of the challenges facing the Rugby Championship at the moment.

"Much further consultation is required around player welfare and potential organisational and commercial impacts for all unions, therefore it is too early to speculate on any developments."

The IRFU have not made any comment on the matter and the union were unable to be reached when contacted by Independent.ie.

It remains to be seen if Rugby Championship games will be played in Ireland, but it appears now that many options are on the table in a bid to ensure that the tournament is completed amidst the Covid chaos.