Cheika was replaced by Dave Rennie[45] as head coach and due to the COVID-19 pandemic the 2020 Super Rugby season was suspended[46] after only 1 month of playing. This forced the cancellation of many fixtures against northern hemisphere teams, limiting Australia to playing New Zealand and Argentina in a reverted Tri-Nations outfit. In the first match of the Bledisloe Cup in Wellington, Australia tied 16–16 with New Zealand, the closest they had came to winning a match in New Zealand for 20 years.