Super Rugby 2022
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Heremaia Murray has been called into the Blues and Jone Macilai into Moana Pacifika as injury cover .
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@bovidae said in Super Rugby 2022:
I've never thought that the surface at Rugby Park in Invercargill is top quality, especially in night games. There would need to be a fair allocation and day and night games amongst the 6 teams.
Think you will find the teams will fly in and out of their home grounds, so Blues will still play at Eden Park etc.
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@dan54 said in Super Rugby 2022:
@bovidae said in Super Rugby 2022:
I've never thought that the surface at Rugby Park in Invercargill is top quality, especially in night games. There would need to be a fair allocation and day and night games amongst the 6 teams.
Think you will find the teams will fly in and out of their home grounds, so Blues will still play at Eden Park etc.
They are trying to avoid airports and flights, which is why Invercargill and not Dunedin has been suggested as the venue, i.e., a shorter bus ride from Queenstown.
I don't know why they think playing in Aust is going to be any less problematic. Both the A-League and NBL have been majorly disrupted due to covid.
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@steven-harris said in Super Rugby 2022:
Heremaia Murray has been called into the Blues and Jone Macilai into Moana Pacifika as injury cover .
Teams will probably now be sorting out which of the non full timers are available.
Once the squads are finalised they'll be sealed shut in the Qtown bubble, no-one else in or out! -
@nogusta said in Super Rugby 2022:
Once the squads are finalised they'll be sealed shut in the Qtown bubble, no-one else in or out!
Interesting - that sounds different to what Razor was saying
“It's an individual thing. I've done the rounds with the boys to see where they are personally and their thoughts on it. They have all been pretty good. Five weeks initially seems a long time, but we can manage them, they might only be in for two or three,” Robertson said. “That's the flexibility of we're not overseas, we're only in Queenstown, they're one flight away from getting out of the bubble.” -
@nogusta said in Super Rugby 2022:
@steven-harris said in Super Rugby 2022:
Heremaia Murray has been called into the Blues and Jone Macilai into Moana Pacifika as injury cover .
Teams will probably now be sorting out which of the non full timers are available.
Once the squads are finalised they'll be sealed shut in the Qtown bubble, no-one else in or out!I wonder what will happen with support staff? Usually traveling teams will engage with local crews for stuff like massages.
The main sports therapist team down there is actually Queenstown and Invercargill based and they travel over to Dunedin when the ABs play.
Not sure if they will be allowed to do more than one team and be treated like refs? -
Looks like it's official:
New Zealand Rugby to relocate Super Rugby Pacific teams to Queenstown
New Zealand Rugby (NZR) has made the decision to relocate the six New Zealand-based Super Rugby Pacific squads to Queenstown to mitigate against the risk of COVID-19 side-lining any of the teams.
New Zealand Rugby (NZR) has made the decision to relocate the six New Zealand-based Super Rugby Pacific squads to Queenstown to mitigate against the risk of COVID-19 side-lining any of the teams.
Six New Zealand based squads will move to Queenstown this weekend Matches to be played at Wakatipu and Invercargill for three to four weeks Relocation will not affect announced Super Rugby Pacific draw NZR is weighing options for Super Rugby Aupiki squadsNZR General Manager Professional Rugby & Performance Chris Lendrum said the move would provide the best chance of the inaugural season of Super Rugby Pacific kicking off as scheduled on Friday 18 February.
“Under current COVID-19 regulations it would only take one positive case entering a squad environment to shut down an entire squad for 10 days. The knock-on effect for the rest of the competition would be the postponement or cancellation of matches,” Lendrum said.
“By moving the teams to a secure hub, we believe we have a good chance of preventing a COVID-19 infection, or close contact event, side-lining one of our teams for a prolonged period. The plan is currently for the teams to move to Queenstown early next week and remain in Queenstown for the opening three weeks of the competition.”
The Blues, Hurricanes, Moana Pasifika, and Chiefs will fly to Queenstown on charter flights, while the Crusaders and Highlanders will bus south over the coming weekend.
The squads will operate in separate bubbles with exclusive use of training facilities in the Queenstown area. Day matches will be played in Queenstown at the Wakatipu Rugby Club whereas teams will bus to and from Rugby Park in Invercargill for any night matches.
Matches are scheduled to be played according to the revised Super Rugby Pacific draw announced last December with all matches broadcast live and exclusive on Sky. All matches will be played without crowds at the red level of the traffic light settings - Link to draw here.
Teams will stay in local hotels and will utilise COVID-19 protocols successfully implemented by the All Blacks during last year’s Tudor Northern Tour. While players and staff will be able to undertake some outdoor activities during their stay, they will remain in their team bubbles at all times and will be subject to regular rapid antigen tests.
Lendrum stressed the move to Queenstown was seen as a temporary measure with plans in place for teams to return to their home bases and regular venues in March. The timing of the move is based on recent modelling of likely infection rates.
“We are committed to bringing the teams home in early-March regardless of the COVID-19 landscape.
“We realise there is a significant sacrifice in leaving whānau behind to play these matches and we are grateful for the cooperation of our players, the New Zealand Rugby Players’ Association, Sky and also the Queenstown Lakes District Council who have accommodated our requests at short notice and providing facilities for our teams to train and play in the region.”
Lendrum also said NZR was committed to playing Super Rugby Aupiki and is weighing the options on how to manage the tournament and four Super Rugby Aupiki squads, and would announce those details in due course.
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Committing to bring the teams back by early march means that they'll be bringing the teams back at the predicted peak. I guess they're hoping that the rules will be they can RAT to carry on, like essential workers in phase 3 (or whatever shits hit the fan level is called). So a pre season and 3(?) comp games?
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@machpants yeah wont happen, the Blues are due to play up here on the 11th
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@taniwharugby said in Super Rugby 2022:
@machpants yeah wont happen, the Blues are due to play up here on the 11th
Haha yeah I as looking forward to that one, and the one in the tron (son in uni there)
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stuff.co.nz : NZ Rugby's decision to relocate the six New Zealand-based Super Rugby Pacific teams to Queenstown to ensure the survival of the competition is expected to cost more than $1 million.
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So trans Ta$man rounds in Oz, then
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@chris said in Super Rugby 2022:
@machpants said in Super Rugby 2022:
So trans Ta$man rounds in Oz, then
no doubt
Not so sure read on in the border release and after April 12th sports teams don't need to isolate if I reading right!
From 11.59pm on April 12 anyone with a visa could skip MIQ.
Also allowed in will be 5000 overseas students eligible to study in semester two.
The Government will also look to expand the amount of skilled workers coming in – to include season workers and some critical workers who wouldn't meet the income test mentioned above.
Professional sports players and cultural performers and their support staff could also come in.
They would have to be performing in events with “significant national/regional benefits”
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@dan54 said in Super Rugby 2022:
@chris said in Super Rugby 2022:
@machpants said in Super Rugby 2022:
So trans Ta$man rounds in Oz, then
no doubt
Not so sure read on in the border release and after April 12th sports teams don't need to isolate if I reading right!
From 11.59pm on April 12 anyone with a visa could skip MIQ.
Also allowed in will be 5000 overseas students eligible to study in semester two.
The Government will also look to expand the amount of skilled workers coming in – to include season workers and some critical workers who wouldn't meet the income test mentioned above.
Professional sports players and cultural performers and their support staff could also come in.
They would have to be performing in events with “significant national/regional benefits”
I thought I read it as you still have to home isolate for 7 days on entry ?
