Super Rugby Pacific bosses consider contingency plans

Super Rugby Pacific’s organising body is considering contingency options following the New Zealand Government’s announcement on travel restrictions.

Rugby Australia chief executive Andy Marinos believes it is “disappointing” for a third consecutive season to be impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic but expects them to find a solution.

Hoping to fix the problem

Melbourne Rebels chief executive Baden Stephenson hopes there will be a solution to saving the tournament’s Super Round, where Melbourne was set to host three double-headers at AAMI Park in three days.

New teams Fijian Drua and Moana Pasifika join an expanded competition and Marinos said the announcement had ruined hopes that the new league could have “clear air”.

New Zealand announced this week that the borders would remain closed to non-citizens until the end of April as the country begins reopening following its vaccination campaign.

“It would have been nice for us to have gone ahead and planned the season that we have without having contingencies,” Marinos told AAP.

“We’ve got contingencies, we’re going to have to start looking at them and try to understand how we can fit that into whatever advice we get out of the New Zealand government.

“It’s just disappointing – we certainly hoped that we were going to have some clear air going into 2022, but we’ll adjust and we’ll make it work.”

He said plans included shuffling the draw to back-end the trans-Tasman fixtures or playing the competition in Australia.

Stephenson is part of the Super Rugby Pacific competition committee dealing with operational matters which is set to meet for the first time on Monday.

Following the Rebels missing the majority of the last two years due to Covid, Stephenson believes there was still time before closing the door on the Super Round.

“It’s three months away, and as we know, in Covid times what we did three weeks ago let alone three months is chalk and cheese,” he said.

“I’m still still certainly very hopeful… I would be bitterly disappointed if that didn’t go ahead or the draw had to be changed.”