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'We'll have to find a new home': New lockdown laws mean successful Blues will continue their campaign outside of Auckland
Despite recording a composed 31-16 win over the Hurricanes in the opening round of Super Rugby Aotearoa for 2021, the news on Saturday evening wasn’t all positive for the victors.
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A re-emergence of COVID-19 in the community has resulted in a one-week lockdown for Auckland – which would cause significant problems for the Super Rugby franchise, were they to return north.
Coach Leon MacDonald has confirmed that the Blues will be assessing their options moving forward and are unlikely to return home.
“The decision is being made right as we speak,” he told media following the win. “Our manager and the CEO will get together and talk to NZ Rugby and formulate a plan. The players are ready and expecting it.”
While the Blues have a bye this weekend, MacDonald suggested that a week away from training would have major repercussions for the team moving forward. The normally Auckland-based team understandably looked rusty in their first-up encounter with the Hurricanes and disruptions to the training regime would put the side on the back foot.
“We’ll have to find a new home that can house us and give us what we need to train. We’ll look at all our options, whether we head to Hamilton or stay in Wellington, I’m not sure yet. We’ll look at a place that can become our home for the short term.”
“They [players] definitely are [on board]. With the first lockdown a few weeks ago we were ready to go if we were able to, and now we’re out of the city it makes sense that we keep alive in the competition.
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“We need to keep training and under level 3, we won’t be able to train. If we have to do a whole week sitting in our houses then that’s going to put us behind the eight-ball.”
The Blues are next set to play the Highlanders on March 14 in Auckland. At this stage, there’s every reason to believe that game can proceed as scheduled.
Should the lockdown restrictions be lifted by next week then a full crowd would also be allowed to attend the game.
Here's how the Blues rated after they got their 2021 Super Rugby Aotearoa campaign off to a winning start against the Hurricanes on Saturday. #HURvBLU #SuperRugbyAotearoa https://t.co/o8fnJILYIj
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 27, 2021
Hurricanes CEO Avon Lee passed his commiserations onto the Blues following Saturday evening’s game and offered to support the team in any way possible.
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“We know it’s tough for them and their families,” Lee said. I’ve already spoken to a couple of them and said ‘Whatever you need, if we can help we will’. I don’t know what that looks like but it makes it a pretty tough situation for them. They’ve got a bye this week which is a bit of a blessing.
“I’m sure they could [base themselves in Wellington]. We wouldn’t have the capacity for them at our place [training base] but there’s plenty of opportunity here. I know they were looking at Cambridge a couple of weeks ago so I’m not sure what’s in their thinking but they are considering staying. It’s a pretty big upheaval for them.”
The Blues sit atop the Super Rugby Aotearoa standings following one round of action. The Crusaders, who bested the Highlander 26-13 on Friday, sit just behind the Blues on points difference.
RugbyPass subscribers who hold a Super Rugby Aotearoa pass are able to watch full replays of both this weekend’s games.
Comments on RugbyPass
🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
27 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
27 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
27 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
27 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
27 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to comments