Moana Pasifika's Super Rugby Pacific debut has once again been delayed as New Zealand Rugby and SANZAAR confirmed the postponement of their round two match against the Chiefs.
This comes as the first cohort of players and staff emerged from their Queenstown hotel on Sunday 20 February after nearly 10 days of isolation following positive COVID-19 cases in the group.
With their game already pushed back to Sunday, the Super Rugby Pacific Medical Advisory Group determined there was not sufficient time for the club to prepare for the match, further delaying their entry into the competition.
“Everyone wants to see Moana Pasifika out on the field, and we explored every possibility to make that happen this weekend including pushing the Chiefs' match out two days to Sunday," NZR Head of Tournaments and Competitions Cameron Good said in a statement.
“However, we were not willing to compromise player safety and wellbeing, so in the end this was an easy decision.
"We remain committed to re-scheduling both of the postponed matches involving Moana Pasifika.”
NZR also revealed they are exploring the potential of clubs being cleared to return home as the country moves through Phase 2 of their Omicron response.
All six clubs have been based in Queenstown, with Good confirming they may be allowed to leave the bubble by the end of the round.
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“We always said that the longest the teams would stay in Queenstown was through until the completion of round three, but we would continue to review the situation," Good added.
"With the Government having moved to Phase 2 of the Omicron response it is now likely that some teams will return home after their round two matches this weekend, but we are still working with the Clubs to confirm this”
