New Zealand’s five Super Rugby teams are to play each other in a 10-week domestic competition from June 13, bringing comfort to “Kiwis doing it tough” and inspiring a sports world brought to a standstill by the COVID-19 pandemic.
New Zealand Rugby (NZR) made the announcement yesterday after the government confirmed it would take its alert level down a notch from Thursday, with the rate of new infections having slowed to a trickle.
New Zealand is the first major rugby union nation to announce a restart to competition since the pandemic shredded the global sports calendar in March.
Photo: AP
“It’s obviously fantastic news for the game right across the country,” NZR chief executive Mark Robinson told reporters in a videoconference. “It’s been a challenging time right around the country, so if this acts in any way to provide leadership and hope, and some inspiration to Kiwis that are doing it tough, it will be fantastic, obviously. I think a lot of people around the world are obviously watching us and being in touch around how we’re approaching it ... not only for New Zealand, but right around the sporting world. So it’s critical we do it well.”
“Doing it well” would mean teams flying in and out on chartered planes on match days, and playing at closed stadiums until authorities are willing to allow spectators back into venues.
Players are to be checked daily for symptoms and asked to be even stricter on themselves than the nation’s level 2 alert regime that permits people to travel, eat at cafes and go to cinemas from Thursday.
“So we are holding them to a slightly higher standard than the general public,” NZR acting medical adviser Deb Robinson told reporters. “Because we really, really want this competition to go well and they really want to play.”
The competition has been endorsed by Super Rugby’s governing body SANZAAR, but would have no bearing on the wider tournament, which also includes teams from Australia, South Africa, Argentina and Japan.
Super Rugby was suspended in March after seven rounds of matches, and might not resume this year due to travel curbs and border controls.
The New Zealand competition is to be broadcast live by Sky Sport. On the opening weekend, the Otago Highlanders are to host the Waikato Chiefs in Dunedin on June 13, with the Auckland Blues at home to the Wellington Hurricanes on June 14.
Defending Super Rugby champions the Canterbury Crusaders have a bye in the first week.
The players have a month to get fit for the hastily arranged tournament, with Robinson not even sure if it would have a winner’s trophy.
NZR added that the nation’s annual provincial competition, the Mitre 10 Cup, would start with a full 14-team championship from Sept. 11.
However, the international schedule remains up in the air.
The All Blacks’ July Tests against Wales and Scotland are in doubt, along with the southern hemisphere’s Rugby Championship, which starts in August.
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