Moana Pasifika and two New Zealand teams will do the hard yards and play multiple matches in a week to get the Super Rugby Pacific competition back on track after postponements due to COVID.
Moana Pasifika will be the hardest hit from the fixture reshuffle. With the side already two games behind the team will play Tuesday matches in Rounds 7 and Rounds 9 as well as the weekend.
On both occasions Moana Pasifika will play the same team in the same week with the Blues in Round 7 (Tuesday March 29, Saturday April 2) and the Chiefs (Tuesday April 12, Saturday April 16).
The fixture reshuffle is to ensure that every team plays each other twice in the season.
“It was always our intention to reschedule the matches and it’s a great result for the integrity of the competition. Everyone wants to see every team play each other and it also means Moana Pasifika, the Chiefs, and their fans, have home fixtures to look forward to – hopefully with fans,” NZR General Manager Professional Rugby & Performance and Committee member, Chris Lendrum said
“We acknowledge the short turnarounds are not ideal, but we believe we’ve reached the best possible outcome in terms of fairness and player welfare. The basic principle was to reschedule the matches in weeks where the Blues or Chiefs were already playing Moana Pasifika. This means the teams will play each other twice in a week, but they will all have the same rest period between matches.”
The rescheduled matches also have a knock-on effect on the Highlanders Round 9 home match against the Hurricanes at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin, which was initially scheduled for Saturday, 16 April. It will be played a day earlier on Friday 15 March as it will switch places with the Moana Pasifika v Chiefs match, which moves forward one day to Saturday 16 April.
The Round 4 match between the Hurricanes and Moana Pasifika that was postponed this week due to a COVID outbreak in the Hurricanes camp will be rescheduled for later in the season. The details of this match will be released in the near future.
| Round 7 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Fixture | Venue | Kick-off | Broadcast |
| Tuesday 29 March | Moana Pasifika v Blues (Rescheduled) | Mt Smart Stadium | 5:05pm | Stan |
| Friday 1 April | Crusaders v Highlanders | Orangetheory Stadium, Christchurch | 5:05pm | Stan |
| Friday 1 April | Fijian Drua v Waratahs | Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast | 7:45pm | Stan |
| Saturday 2 April | Blues v Moana Pasifika | Eden Park, Auckland | 5:05pm | Stan |
| Saturday 2 April | Reds v Brumbies | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane | 7:45pm | Stan/Nine |
| Round 9 | ||||
| Date | Fixture | Venue | Kick-off | Broadcast |
| Tuesday 12 April | Chiefs v Moana Pasifika (Rescheduled) | FMG Stadium | 5:05pm | Stan |
| Friday 15 April | Highlanders v Hurricanes | Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin | 5:05pm | Stan |
| Friday 15 April | Rebels v Reds | AAMI Park, Melbourne | 7:45pm | Stan |
| Saturday 16 April | Moana Pasifika v Chiefs | Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland | 5:05pm | Stan |
| Saturday 16 April | Force v Waratahs | HBF Park, Perth | 7:45pm | Stan/Nine |
Tim J
Roar Rookie
And now RTS is for a few weeks with a shoulder injury.
Colvin Brown
Roar Guru
BB, Laulala and Nock out.
Tim J
Roar Rookie
Ray… I will be the water boy, and give you a good tonic or two. :laughing:
Tim J
Roar Rookie
Jeznez, the Crusaders have not had it yet… I am not sure about the Chiefs though.
Tim J
Roar Rookie
Bugger! Now waiting for the Crusaders to be hit. :unhappy:
Tim J
Roar Rookie
And now the Blues have a positive case, with BB out for them plus 6 others, and Highlanders with two players testing positive.
The Late News
Roar Rookie
Ah but potentially the wisdom and experience of TWO 25yo locks, even if they are a little taller!
jeznez
Roar Guru
Cheers Brett.
RayinSydney
Roar Rookie
If the Canes need a lock, i'm in...I did my sit up this morning so in fine fettle, I'm a bit short for a lock at 6'4, and old for one at 50 but i'm keen!...last man standing and all that.
Brett McKay
Expert
Just the Force remain untouched Jez, Brumbies and Raiders both copped it through Christmas and New Year. Chiefs have one confirmed case and a bunch of close contacts not playing this weekend..
jeznez
Roar Guru
Have Chiefs and Crusaders had it hit their squads yet? Might be another re-schedule waiting to happen. I'm not certain but in Oz think it has been through Reds, Tahs and Rebels. Not sure on Brumbies and Force.
Bobby
Roar Rookie
Best of a bad situation !
Colvin Brown
Roar Guru
Yes, I saw that.
scrum
Roar Rookie
Well judging by the Highlanders not following protocols on their airline flight perhaps the players are not adhering to the required protocols at other times as well and exposing themselves to greater risk.
Colvin Brown
Roar Guru
What happened to the NZ Super teams? It seems like the Blues, Highlanders and Hurricanes have been hit with Covid. Were they OK in their Queenstown bubble but once they left they got exposed? Or did they pick it up somehow in Queenstown? MP were different, they went to the Queenstown bubbles with some positives