Rugby: Super Rugby Aotearoa ready for the start of June

New Zealand Rugby (NZR) has confirmed that the domestic form of Super Rugby involving the Blues, Bosses, Hurricanes, Crusaders and Highlanders, known as Super Rugby Aotearoa, will begin on Saturday, June 13.

This allows players four weeks to properly prepare for contact training.

Today’s news follows the government’s announcement Thursday that professional rugby and netball could resume at Alert Level 2.

READ MORE:
• Rugby: Rugby Australia advises to abandon the focus on Super Rugby
• ‘Fugby’: the great rugby designs a new game to overcome the virus crisis
• Rugby: The 15 highest paid players in the world
• Rugby League: Warriors await confirmation for full contact training

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. 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.

NZR CEO Mark Robinson said he was delighted with fans that they would have high-quality rugby on their screens in just over a month.

“The idea of ​​five world-class Kiwi teams fighting in 20 games over 10 weeks should bring a smile back to many people. I know our players are excited and I’m sure rugby fans will be, too.” he said.

Robinson said they always knew they had to take the government’s initiative when it was certain that rugby would return, and it was now critical that the sport do everything possible to mitigate the spread of Covid-19.

“The NZR medical and operational staff, the Players Association and the clubs have been working together to ensure that we have detailed plans to protect the health and safety of all involved,” he said.

NZR Medical Manager Karen Rasmussen said a set of protocols for playing professional rugby at level 2 had been developed and will be endorsed by the government.

He said the protocols include daily symptom and temperature checks for players, team management, and other officials involved in the competition, as well as strict hygiene and cleanliness standards, contact locating practices and asking anyone who feels bad to stay away, self-isolated and tested

“An important factor will be ensuring that we control who enters the team bubbles and that we have the necessary measures to mitigate any risk to the health of all team members, as well as the health of their families and the community in general,” he said. . Rasmussen

“Team members will be asked to minimize their contacts outside of the team environment and their family bubbles.”

Teams will also fly in and out on game days on charter flights, with the earliest start times allowing teams to return to their home base after games.

Miter 10 Cup will start in September

As a result of the confirmation of the start of Super Rugby Aotearoa, NZR has confirmed a start time for this year’s Miter 10 Cup.

“With the support of the provincial unions, we have been able to schedule a full 14-team championship and Miter 10 Cup championship with the start on September 11,” said Robinson.

A modified Miter 10 Cup draw will be released in due course.

NZR continues to search for options for this year’s Farah Palmer Cup and Black Ferns matches as the country prepares for the 2021 Rugby World Cup.