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Super Rugby opener postponed after Moana Pasifika outbreak
By Sam Smith
The historic first ever Super Rugby clash between the newly formed Moana Pasifika and the Blues this coming Friday has been postponed following an outbreak within the Moana Pasifika squad.
After a wider squad member became a close contact with a positive squad, the entire squad was tested on Friday which confirmed seven Covid cases within the team.
The Chiefs who shared the same charter flight down to Queenstown also underwent testing but no cases were identified.
The match that was originally scheduled to be played at Mt Smart Stadium was to be played in Dunedin which is no longer the case.
NZR's Chris Lendrum said support is being offered to the players while they isolate in Queenstown.
"We also share the disappointment of the Moana Pasifika players, coaches, staff and fans. We know how hard they have worked and how eager they are to get out on the field," he said.
“However, we also remain confident Moana Pasifika can get through this period of isolation and join the DHL Super Rugby Pacific season and will be doing everything we can to support them over the coming weeks.”
All six Kiwi franchises have relocated to Queenstown to from a secure bio-bubble to play the first few rounds of the season.
An update will be made on the game between Moana Pasifika and the Blues at a later date.
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Latest Comments
It sounds like Andrew is trying to convince himself or has just lost all perspective. The team did look jaded for the last couple of games of the six nations but a few things were wrong there. Italy tackled their hearts out and made Ireland work hard for every try. Outsmarted by Scotland? Huh? Ireland got held up over the line about 4 times. Scotland did nothing on attack the whole game other than one breakaway near the end. A recharge and reset is needed which they hopefully will have had before the SA your.
Go to commentsIncluding SA and Argie teams was great for the quality of rugby, but middle of the night games and player travel/ jet lag make that unworkable. I think that SA in Europe and Argie building an American league with USA, Canada etc would be better long term. If Oz can't sustain Rebels then next cab off the rank should be a Japanese team. Keep regional comps to time zones, both club and test rugby. Then existing test windows for test tours plus RWC.
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