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'Devastated': Two Super Rugby pre-season matches axed due to Covid
Covid-19 restrictions have forced the cancellation of two Super Rugby Pacific pre-season fixtures less than a month out from the beginning of the new season.
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The Highlanders confirmed on Tuesday that New Zealand’s nationwide move into its red light Covid setting has resulted in the axing of its February 11 clash against Moana Pasifika in Queenstown.
Across the Tasman Sea in Australia, the Western Force have also been forced to pull the pin on Sunday’s pre-season bout with the Fijian Drua in Ballina, New South Wales, due to updated border restrictions for Western Australia.
The announcements come a day after the Crusaders announced its pre-season clash against the Hurricanes would be relocated from Blenheim to Christchurch and would be played behind closed doors.
The Highlanders added that its other pre-season match – the side’s annual Farmlands Cup outing against the Crusaders, which is scheduled to take place in Oamaru next Friday – will also now be played behind closed doors.
The Dunedin-based franchise’s decision to pull the plug on the Moana Pasifika match is a double blow for Queenstown as it comes after last year’s Super Rugby Trans-Tasman fixture between the Highlanders and Melbourne Rebels was moved to Sydney amid a travel pause between New Zealand and Victoria.
However, the Highlanders indicated in a statement released on Tuesday that the match against Moana Pasifika could still go ahead on February 11 if a new venue is found.
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No such relocation will be enforced by the Force, though, as the Perth-based franchise’s chief executive Tony Lewis expressed his disappointment that his side’s clash against the Drua won’t go ahead as planned.
“We are very disappointed to not be playing Fijian Drua this weekend,” Lewis said via a statement on Tuesday.
“The recent announcement regarding the movement in and out of Western Australia is something we have no control over and we will not be putting our players and their families in a position of uncertainty around returning home.
“We are continuing to work closely with the government to ensure we deliver seven home games this season and gain further clarity on the situation.”
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Highlanders chief executive Roger Clark was similarly frustrated that his side’s matches against the Crusaders and Moana Pasifika have been impacted by fresh virus restrictions, which have been implemented due to the spread of the Omicron variant.
“We are devastated to have to shut out the public from Farmlands Cup and cancel our game in Queenstown,” Clark said in a statement.
“Our pre-season games are always some of our favourite events where we can get out to our regional areas and we hope to be able to return to these regions in the future.
“We also wanted to say a huge thank you to the Valley Rugby Club and the Weston Community for rallying behind the event and creating a blueprint for a fantastic Farmlands Cup.
“We hope to be able to return to Weston and North Otago in the future to play in front of this deserving community.”
Clark also paid tribute to Highlanders supporters and sponsors in Queenstown who have missed the chance to watch the side in action for the second year running.
“This is a difficult pill to swallow for the Highlanders and we would like to extend our gratitude to Bayleys Queenstown for their continued support of the Highlanders and the local community,” he said.
“We would also like to acknowledge all the local contractors and suppliers who have worked with us for the last two years and the local community, especially kids, who ultimately lose out at the end of the day.”
The first Super Rugby Pacific pre-season fixture of the year between the Waratahs and Brumbies is still scheduled to take place in Bowral this Saturday, with the season set to kick-off on February 18 when Moana Pasifika host the Blues in Auckland.
Super Rugby Pacific pre-season fixtures
Saturday, 29 January
Waratahs vs. Brumbies, Bowral
Friday, 4 Febraury
Moana Pasifika vs. Chiefs, Auckland
Crusaders vs. Highlanders, Oamaru
Saturday, 5 February
Waratahs vs. West Harbour, Hunter Wildfires, Western Sydney Two Blues, Eric Tweedale Stadium, Parramatta
Hurricanes vs. Blues, Takapuna
Queensland Reds vs. Western Force, Ballymore Stadium
Thursday, February 10
Melbourne Rebels vs. Fijian Drua, Melbourne
Friday, 11 February
Blues vs. Chiefs, Te Puke
Crusaders vs. Hurricanes, Christchurch
Saturday, 12 February
Queensland Reds vs. Waratahs, Roma
Comments on RugbyPass
Let’s not forget about Ardie Savea just yet.
4 Go to commentsThe URC and the Euro Championscup can’t run at the same time, basically dilutes both competitions.
1 Go to comments“While Sotutu should start at No.8 for the All Blacks against England, but it’s only in that arena that he can prove just how good he really is.” And that my friends is where simply hasnt shone despite multiple opportunities. Even in this performance you can see what did him in in the test arena..he almost always still runs at the opposition almost ramrod upright making him easier to stop than it should be.
4 Go to commentsShould have been 0-0 and a message from SR CEO to both teams - “don’t worry about turning up next year”.
4 Go to commentsGreat work Owen Franks. A great of this team, scoring his first try for the Crusaders since 2010.He was beaming, justifiably. A fine win, he and the rest did the job up front.
1 Go to commentsDanny Care. Lang in die tand.
1 Go to commentsBig empty stadium does nothing for atmosphere but munster are playing well with solid performance
1 Go to commentsYes, Fiji can win the World Cup! With that belief plus their christian faith🙏 and hard work it is achievable. Great article. Ian Duncan Fiji resident 1981-84
2 Go to commentsInteresting comments about Touch. England’s hosting the Touch World Cup this year and the numbers have exploded since their last World Cup in 2019, something like 70% more teams and 40 nations taking part. And England Touch have made a big thing about how many universities are in their BUCS University Touch Championship as well as Sport England membership. Can only see this growing even more domestically as more people become aware of it
10 Go to comments“Cortez Ratima is light years ahead of anyone on current form, while TJ Perenara has also skyrocketed into contention following the unfortunate injury to the talented Cam Roigard.” At last some sanity. Hitherto so many pundits have been wittering on about Finlay Christie to the point one wondered if they were observing a FC in a parallel universe where the FC they saw wasnt just the mediocre Shayne Philpott project of Fosters hapless AB reign in the real world. Ratima, Perenara and Fakatava are the ONLY logical 9s for Razor now Roigard is crocked.
4 Go to commentsThis game was just as painful as the Hurricanes game. It was real fork-in-the-eye stuff.
4 Go to commentsNow if they could just fire the Crusaders ground PA guy who likes to play his dance music and just loves the sound of his own voice the entire game, even when play is going on. And I thought their brass band thing of a few years ago was bad.
5 Go to commentsUnfortunately when you lose by far the two form players this season in Roigard and Aumua, you're left replacing two game changing Tanks with a couple of pea-shooters. Which is also about the speed of TJs pass.
4 Go to commentsBit rich coming from the guy with zero loyalty to anyone or any team, including happily taking a players place in a league world cup squad because well, SBW wanted to play in it and thus an already named player got told he was no longer going. And airing stuff like this, which may or may not be true, doesn't exactly say you're a stand up guy either SBW. Just looking to keep his name in lights as usual.
38 Go to commentsTamati Tua. …the Taniwha NPC midfielder. Ollie Sapsford, Hawkes Bay NPC midfielder…doing well
4 Go to commentsFiji deserve to be in the rugby championship, fans love seeing the Fijian national team play, the Fijian Drua is a wonderful idea but the players can still be stolen to play for NZ and AUS…
2 Go to commentsThe first concern for this afternoon are wheather forecast…
1 Go to commentsWhy cant I watch Rugby games please?
1 Go to commentsBeautiful shot from Finau, end of story. Gutted for Shaun Stevenson though.
4 Go to commentsThe Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
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