The Super Rugby trans-Tasman competition has been thrown its first major obstacle this season with a game this weekend hanging in the balance following this afternoon’s travel pause between New Zealand and Victoria.
Covid-19 Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed this afternoon the bubble between New Zealand and Victoria would be suspended for at least 72 hours due to new Covid-19 cases announced in Melbourne over the last two days.
Late this afternoon the total number of Covid-19 cases in the community in Melbourne was nine.
The travel pause will be enforced from 7:59pm NZT tonight and will be under “constant review”, Hipkins said.
NZME reports the Rebels returned to Australia following their loss to the Hurricanes in Wellington over the weekend despite the fact they play the Highlanders in Queenstown this week.
In contrast, both the Crusaders and Brumbies opted to stay in Australia and New Zealand respectively for their back-to-back away games, meaning the pause doesn’t affect them or their fixtures.
For the Rebels though, it means they won’t be able to get into Queenstown until at least Friday night or Saturday morning unless an exemption is granted.
NZME reports the Rebels are currently in a meeting to discuss their next steps while they await advice from the Australian government.
Sunday’s game was meant to be a special occasion with the Highlanders shifting the match to the picturesque Sir John Davies Oval in Queenstown which has its rugby pitch nestled in the foothills of The Remarkables.
Highlanders CEO Roger Clark said at the time of the fixture’s announcement he hoped taking the game to Queenstown will help the city as it continues to recover financially from the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We appreciate the pandemic has made it a very tough 12 months for Queenstown,” he said.
“This game provided us with our first real opportunity to assist, in a tangible way, a very important part of our region.”
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