Rugby Australia chief Andy Marinos is confident crowds will flock to watch the Wallabies take on France as the attention turns to coaches and how they manage squads for three Tests in 11 days.
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Marinos is "absolutely optimistic" the first Test at the SCG can draw more than 30,000 people on July 7, before the series shifts to Melbourne on July 13 and Brisbane on July 17.
The French will bring a 35 to 40-man squad in two groups to quarantine in Sydney ahead of the first Test, with coaches looking for a way to balance their teams during a hectic schedule.
There is a concern 'B' teams could be fielded for one game but Marinos believes staff will find a way to manage player workloads.
"You could be getting out of the second Test and it's one-all, so the third Test becomes critical. Or you could be two-nil going into the third Test," Marinos said.
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"That's circumstantial, how you're going to manage it. We also can't forget in World Cups past, we've also had to deal with four-day turnarounds. It's not completely unrealistic.
"Is it optimal? No. We've also got to face realities, this is a COVID-induced environment and we're just trying to optimise things on both sides of the balance sheet so to speak."
Marinos says officials are still working to lock in Bledisloe Cup and The Rugby Championship dates, confident South Africa and Argentina will feature with August 7 touted as an ideal kick-off date.
Caden Helmers
Caden Helmers is a sports writer for The Canberra Times.
Caden Helmers is a sports writer for The Canberra Times.
