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While New Zealand Rugby has confirmed a start date for its Super Rugby Aotearoa competition, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has told community sports that they are still on hold at level 2.
Ardern announced Monday’s return to Level 2 on Thursday, though details about the sport were still up in the air.
“More details on sport, obviously we continue to work with community sport in particular, but that is the direction that is being developed at the moment,” said the prime minister.
Restrictions on social gatherings, such as weddings and funerals, for up to 10 people would apply to club rooms at sports clubs, Ardern said.
READ MORE:
* Coronavirus: Club sports may return below level 2, but how do you approach the crowds?
* Welcome back to community sport under Covid-19 Level 2
* Coronavirus: Super Rugby and ANZ Premiership Netball are an opportunity to return below Covid-19 level two
Minutes after Beehive’s announcement, New Zealand Rugby (NZR) has confirmed that a domestic form of Super Rugby involving the Blues, Chiefs, Hurricanes, Crusaders, and Highlanders, known as Investec Super Rugby Aotearoa, would begin on Saturday, June 13, allowing players four weeks to prepare with contact training.
NZ Rugby is looking for a 10-week round-trip competition to decide a 2020 champion. There will be no finals and matches will be behind closed doors, at least until the meeting restrictions are lifted.
The competition will see the five Super Rugby clubs playing against each other at home and away from home for 10 weeks, with two games every weekend at 5.05pm on Saturdays and at 3.05pm on Sundays.
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Former Hurricane Beauden Barrett and TJ Perenara will play different sides this season, when Super Rugby Aotearoa begins.
Matches will be played in closed stadiums until the government advises on an approach to managing mass gatherings in controlled venues that will allow fans to return.
The competition schedule has also been announced today. On opening weekend, the Highlanders will play the Chiefs in Dunedin on Saturday, June 13, and the Blues will play the Hurricanes in Auckland the following day. All matches will be played live at Sky Sport.
Ardern said last Thursday that public gatherings of no more than 100 people could be held under Level 2, but on Monday he opted for a more cautious approach, restricting the numbers to 10.
Two Super Rugby matches are expected to take place every week on Saturdays and Sundays, for teams to fly in and out of cities on game day, and go directly to stadiums from their planes.
Returning to Super Rugby will allow NZ Rugby to earn some much-needed broadcast revenue.
BASKETBALL
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The Silver Ferns, represented at the Nations Cup tournament in London in January, could return to action at the New Zealand national championship in June. (Naomi Baker / Getty Images photo for England Netball)
Netball New Zealand Executive Director Jennie Wyllie confirmed to Stuff late last week that ANZ Premiership will resume four weeks after the country returns to level two, likely at an Auckland spot in the established mold of the Super Sundays.
It means a potential resumption of competition for six teams starting in the second week of June, with no crowds.
As for junior and club netball, Wyllie was hopeful that it could also resume in June, depending on the ability to meet the level two guidelines.
BASKETBALL
New Zealand National Basketball League chief Justin Nelson is working on a plan to host a week-long league in a city, but is encountering some resistance from the clubs.
When Stuff first revealed the story on April 20, the plan was to have all eight teams in one designated place, staying in one hotel, to play a five-week season in one place. All games would be played behind closed doors to meet meeting restrictions.
But two recent title-winning clubs, the Wellington Saints and Southland Sharks, have declared that they will not be available to participate.
Nelson is still hopeful of achieving competition on the line.
FOOTBALL
The New Zealand men’s and women’s national league traditionally starts in the spring and would therefore not be immediately affected by a change to Level 2.
RUGBY LEAGUE
Similarly, the series of four New Zealand Rugby League National Provincial Provinces generally begins in September after the end of regional club competitions.
WHAT LEVEL 2 MEANS FOR REGIONAL AND COMMUNITY SPORTS
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Peter Miskimmin, CEO of Sport New Zealand, has welcomed the return to community sport under the alert Covid-19 Level 2. (File photo: Alden Williams / Stuff).
Competitive sports and recreational athletes can expect to return to their favorite sports at Level 2, though few details emerged Monday.
Sport New Zealand Chief Executive Peter Miskimmin said last Thursday: “The good news for many is that organized sport can start working towards a return, subject to some very important hygiene-related conditions, the search for contracts and mass meetings. “
It doesn’t necessarily mean that the weekend warriors will immediately return to action.
Miskimmin hopes that sports “take time to understand what this means, so people should expect a gradual approach to organize, establish appropriate protocols, and ensure that volunteers, participants, and supporters know how to follow them.”
But, Level 2 will allow sports to resume training and play, including contact team sports and physical activities “only if good contact tracking is possible and hygiene measures are applied, particularly washing and drying. of hands, and regular disinfection of equipment and surfaces. ” ‘
Playgrounds, gyms, swimming pools and public courts may reopen, provided that public health measures are followed, including regular cleaning.
Club rooms may open, but commercial and hospitality facilities are subject to public health guidelines.
Since Ardern established the Tier 2 framework, some sports have expressed support for a return to community sport.
Steve Lancaster, head of engagement and development at NZ Rugby, acknowledged that some club rugby games attract “several hundred” spectators. But he was optimistic that the community game may return at level 2.
Richard Reid, CEO of Capital Football, one of New Zealand’s strongest soccer federations, said the Tier 2 guidelines were workable, but tracing contacts “would require a lot of work because the Health Ministry wants to track people in several places if they are indoor and outdoor, and the people expected to do it in community sport will be volunteers. ”
RECOMMENDED CAUTION
Some sports have advised that they adopt a measured approach for Level 2.
Cycling New Zealand is awaiting further instructions from the Government.
On its website it says: “The ability to comply with government guidelines is not the only consideration to take into account before resuming desired cycling activities. We share your desire to return to competition, however we encourage all clubs and Organizers understand the guidelines and create their own detailed and robust plans before resuming.
“Until now, we (along with other sports) have asked for further clarification from the Government (through Sport NZ) on the resumption of the sport, in particular on which groups should be considered when observing the maximum number of attendees at an event. “
Cycling NZ wants to ensure that any resumption of cycling “supports the intent of the general guidelines in this Covid-19 response.”
New Zealand hockey has also told its members in 32 regional associations that while the sport may start at Level 2 alert, it will take “a thoughtful and thoughtful approach to restarting hockey to ensure that we are putting the safety of our the whole community at the forefront. ”
NZ Hockey says on its website: “We cannot emphasize enough that this will not be hockey as we know it, we must carefully consider and manage hygiene risks as well as training and game environments that may need modification, please be aware of It also counts that the considerations of physical distance will remain. ”
While NZ Hockey says some will be eager to “get back to the sport we all love,” but others “will have some nervousness about returning to the pitch during Level 2 Alert. We need to consider the needs of all of our people as we move forward.” develop and communicate what hockey will look like at level 2 alert. ”
WHAT ABOUT SCHOOL SPORT?
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The South Island High Schools netball championship brought 80 teams to Nelson’s Saxton Stadium in 2019, with the visit of world champion Silver Ferns adding to the excitement of the week (File photo: Stuff).
Much will depend on specific Government Level 2 measures around reopening schools, but the School Sport New Zealand board will meet on May 26 to discuss the staging of popular Winter Tournament Week events. , which are carried out nationally and regionally through a series of sports codes, since August 31.
School Sport NZ says on its website that it will work with national sports organizations (NSOs) “to determine their readiness and ability to host events on the national calendar and, in particular, Winter Tournament Week.”
“Some NSOs have already reported that they will not be able to hold their event as currently planned.
Regional sports directors will seek comment from schools, including the possibility of moving to “a more regionalized approach” in the Winter Tournament Week window.
Announcement regarding the third quarter and Winter Tournament Week events will be made as soon as possible after the May 26 board meeting.
