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Brumbies boss calls for 'common sense' over Covid-19 protocols
Brumbies head coach Dan McKellar has called for “common sense” over Covid-19 protocols that his side are set to face during the upcoming Super Rugby Pacific campaign.
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The Canberra-based franchise will kick their new season off against the Western Force in Perth on February 19, with their preparations continuing despite a new surge of Covid-19 cases that has swept the country.
Australia registered more than 66,000 new cases of the Omicron variant on Tuesday, taking the nation’s collective total of cases past the 1 million mark, half of which were recorded in the past week alone.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison this week urged the country to forge ahead and learn to live with the virus, a sentiment McKellar agreed with while running over the Covid-19 protocols placed on his side for the season ahead on Tuesday.
“There’s protocols that are in place. Sitting indoors at restaurants or bars is something that we can’t do at the moment. We’re not in a bubble as such. I think it’s unhealthy,” he said.
“We’ve experienced a number of lockdowns and trying to cage up young men and women and expect them to sit in their house and just go to work. We talk about mental health, well I don’t think that’s healthy at all, so we’ve got to let them live their lives.
“We’ve got to approach it with common sense and do the right thing, and if you do present with symptoms when you wake up from one day to the next, then stay at home and let our doctor know and we’ll deal with it from there.”
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McKellar reserved praise for his side’s medical staff, who he said have been “superb” in dealing with the threats posed to his players and colleagues in the midst of the pandemic.
He added that the teams that deal with the challenges presented by Covid-19 throughout the course of the season, which he labelled as the toughest since the outbreak of the virus, will have the best chance of attaining success in Super Rugby Pacific.
“We know that we’re going to face challenges and we’re going to have to adapt,” McKellar said.
“I really believe that teams that handle disruption best, because disruption will come, the teams that handle it best and just get on with what’s important will benefit from that early on.
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“It’s a tough one, isn’t it? I think we’re trying to learn to live with it. How quickly do we get to the next level?
“At some point in time, you’d envisage that we’ve just got to crack on with life and take responsibility for your own health and your own actions.
“The tricky part is that this virus tends to impact different people in different ways. Some people won’t have any symptoms, other people will be bed-ridden in ICU for a number of days, so it’s difficult and I feel for all involved [in the Covid-19 decision-making process].
“Thankfully I don’t need to make those decisions. I just go off the direction that’s provided to us and we do the right thing in making sure that, as an organisation, we’re keeping our players and our families and our community healthy.”
The inaugural edition of Super Rugby Pacific kicks-off on February 18 when expansions franchise Moana Pasifika host the Blues in a cross-town derby at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland.
With travel between New Zealand and Australia closed off, teams will begin the season by playing other sides from their own country before ending the round-robin with cross-border fixtures.
Comments on RugbyPass
Great to see NZ 7s teams finally coming into form and playing at the level that is expected of them.
2 Go to commentsChief Cheapshot on the market again.
1 Go to commentsCrusaders went all in to buy Hotham and Kemara staight from Hamilton Boys. Then they picked up Reihana and Hohepa; all have been dropped for superstar Havili, who is a very good fullback, that’s it. Ennor and Goodhue were schoolboy stars too but went backwards at the Crusaders. Maybe they have finally decided to give another poach Levi Aumua the ball?
10 Go to commentsJoe S has some talent to pick from. The Reds loosies look the best in Super? Aus might just give Razor a headache this year. Int. experience v Cantab greenhorn:) Should be fun.
10 Go to commentsEnd to end play, “THE FANS” this game was entertainment of the best. The conditions added to the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsSorry to say, but sadly the sadas were just ordinary and havilli at 10 as an abs selection just won’t cut it. He’s better suited in the centre’s and is a victim of past charge down kicks, he’s too slow under pressure. There’s better talent further north and I don’t mean dmac however I believe razor will sort him out. A feature of his presents on the park is the fact that the guys will follow him.
10 Go to commentsMarler was brilliant throughout both in the scrum and open play. His slap made virtually no contact with Ramos who milked it for a penalty when he could have been a decent sportsman and laughed it off, it was non-violent and shouldn't have been penalised. Smith failed repeatedly to kick when necessary and put up a couple of bombs into the TLS 22 that just handed back possession at key moments to the other side.
3 Go to commentsCros was outstanding and rightly awarded France TVs player of the match award. Mallia was brilliant as usual (the y is below the 6 on a UK keyboard and he deserves better than that). Level also seems to have been scored harshly as he walked the ball into touch under pressure from a Lynagh kick from well outside his own half which should never have led to a 50-22. Agree with BullShark that Dupont, while class at times, seemed to go missing for patches in the second half with props, hookers and wings frequently filling in at 9 as he couldn't get off the deck and up to the next ruck on time. A 7 by his standards at best, his kicking was also too long, too often. Kinghorn's overall contribution was worth well more than a five.
3 Go to commentsThe Harlequins team must be in minus figures. Did the reporter actually watch the game?
3 Go to commentsHow on earth did Walker escape a red card? Not dangerous? Dupont has his face in a mask earlier this season. Shocking decision. What is the point of TMOs? We had the Fassi ‘non-penalty try’ yesterday and now this.
2 Go to commentsCould have been a different result but yet again French tv able to affect the result by not showing the very clear high shot on harlequin centre if this would have been on a French player would have been on screen at least five times
3 Go to commentsAmazing. The losing team’s ratings are higher than the winning team’s. Mallia definitely didn’t deserve a y. What game were you watching? Should have got a w or an x. ADP hardly featured in that second half. At one point I wondered when he’d been subbed. Seems to me as if he gets an automatic 9 just for getting onto the team sheet.
3 Go to commentsI’m sorry. That second half was far from enthralling. It was painful to watch.
2 Go to commentsVery generous! If you’d missed the game, reading this you’d conclude that it was the Quins front row that cost them the game. Marler getting a blanket 6 for his demented contribution to the game. Puzzling.
3 Go to commentsCan’t see Toulouse beating Leinster at this rate.
7 Go to commentsADP was having a very average game until winning that penalty for Toulouse, sticking his big head in the way. “The head of God”?
7 Go to commentsHarlequins doing their best to do as little damage as possible with all the possession. Looks like they skipped catch and pass drills this week.
7 Go to commentsSeeing pictures of Jacques high-fiving it with Irish players breaks my heart. Too soon. I need more time.
1 Go to commentsquins is all over the place. The minute they get the ball they panic. Quins can still win tho just need to win all rucks otherwise just don't bother.
7 Go to commentsGreat wins for the male & female kiwi sides. Ireland not far away..
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